This is how Twilight should have been
591501
I don't even care that it was a similar set up, the characters were much more compelling and not bogged down in made-up teenage angst. Also, the rules of the species were altered a bit to add interesting complications which gives the story line a more serious note.
1433820
I am not a young adult but am a fan of the Twilight series.  As long as a book is well written, I can enjoy it.  This was well written and while not quite on par with Twilight, there was plenty of action that kept me turning pages.
316810
When I first started reading this series it reminded me a lot of the beginning of Twilight only the main male is an alien instead of a vampire (which I am not complaining about). But as the story continues there are more twists and turns that make it its own story. It reads like a movie where you almost forget you are reading at all. I read through it very quickly because I could not put it down. There are a few things that are left unexplained (like the lack of government involvement) that is touch on much more fully in the sequel Onyx which I was very happy about. Had I not read the sequel before writing this review, there would be one star less on this review (as I was concerned the realistic quality was low-but that is not the case!) Excellent story and I cant wait for the 3rd Opal to come out next month!
3241302
I read this book long enough ago that I had to wait for New Moon to come out. Long enough ago that there were no tee shirts, movie deals, or board games. Back when Twilight did not make an appearance on ENews nightly.

I ADORED it. I made all my friends read it. I squealed at the name Edward and reread all my favorite scenes. Once Twilight became a cult following I decided to reread it. And what happened to make my five stars turn into a three?

Well...I grew up.

I'd say my main problems with the book are that 1)Bella has no hobbies. No ambitions. No goals for her life. What we see of Bella is that she goes home, cooks for Charlie, rereads Wuthering Heights, and listens to classical music. Now that's a life of elegance.

2)Edward is too perfect. I also don't need to be reminded that he's like this amazing god of hotness every couple of pages. Not to mention that he excels at almost everything except being human.

3)No one really does anything in the book. It takes the better half of the book to get to a real problem.

Besides that I still loved the Cullens, especially Alice. Personally Edward is waaaay too romantic for my liking (that's why Jacob totally rules in the next 3). The forbidden part of the romance is still catchy. The lines are not. "You are exactly my brand of heroin" is like saying to someone, "You are exactly my favorite type of beer." It's jsut awkward. Sorry.

Warning though...I hear a lot about parents wondering if this book is okay for kids. I could have sworn it suggested ages 15 or above, but I read it at age 13. I'd say once you're a teen you can read it. Younger than that and the book becomes too intense...ditto the movie.
4074521
Despite some negative customer reviews hoping for a second Twilight, I simply find The Host excellent. I must admit that I've been skeptical about the 'other' books of Stephenie Meyer.  I gave this book a chance only after thinking it over for a long time.

Some authors come out with a new book, where the main character is really similar to a previous main character. This is not the case in this book. Wanda is completely different from Stephanie Meyer's other characters, which was one of the things I looked at when reading this book.

The writing style was kept simple, just like her other books, and the actions slowly builds. She makes you feel the horror Wanda and others go through, which makes this an exciting read.
2316670
I read Twilight and I read Moonstone.  I could see this take off just light Twilight!.  No complaints.  I liked it.  Feel free to download it!  Cute story with massive potential for sequels.
1729953
After having a bit of withdraws from reading all of the Twilight Series books over and over I finally decided to give this book a try. I was happily surprised to fall in love with it. It gives another perspective of the vampires who live in the world that stephanie meyer create. We get to see " how the other half live" and I found myself easily diving into Bree's world. Although you know how her life will end it somehow makes the book better you see her falling deeper and deeper into the rabbit's hole towards her demise. This book is definitely a must read for Twilight Fans.
3162085
Considering how much I loved Twilight I was amazed that I did not know about the release of Life & Death. Im very glad I happened across it. Surprisingly enough, I really liked this version. Sure, the names of the characters Meyer chose are horrible, but its not like the original names were really much better. The story is what matters and I must say that I was pleasantly taken aback. Hats off to Stephenie Meyer for giving us this one. I read it twice, then bought the audio book so I could listen at work (over and over).
I loved all the small changes. The clarifications (there were several phrases in Twilight that just didn't hit the mark), the way in which Edyth expressed herself much better than Edward did, the scenes that had to be changed significantly due to the change in sexes, just remarkable. I did not feel that the author simply did a quick find a replace for names. Everything was just a little different, even pivotal scenes that everyone remembers.
I truly enjoyed the idea of a powerful female lead. To me, Edyth embodied the beautiful monster perfectly. The fact that Charlie and Renee remained Charlie and Renee was essential - the book just wouldn't be the same without them. I particularly liked that Beau was still a caretaker. The father/daughter relationship in Twilight was very important, but the father/son relationship in Life and Death was fantastic.
I was a bit worried (after reading some of the reviews) that it would be difficult to figure out who was who now that everyone was a different sex. But Beau's description of the Cullens was great (my only complaint is the description that Edyth had long eyes - not sure exactly what "long eyes" are). Alice was always a favorite of mine and Archie was amazing as well.
I really liked Beau in general, the blue eyes, his height (even though I did wonder how certain scenes would pan out - such as the blood typing scene - great!) and that he was just a really good guy. The awkwardness/clumsiness that never really hit the mark with Bella made total sense with Beau.  At the same time, Beau was more confident in his actions with Edyth, holding her hand, holding onto her in the car when she rescued him in Port Angeles.
More than all of that, (at this point I don't think a spoiler alert is necessary, but just in case you haven't read the ending of Life & Death - SPOILERS AHEAD) I absolutely loved how the story was wrapped up. Beau got the choice that Bella never had (I loved the other books in the series and I'm glad she didn't, but if Twilight were a standalone novel I would have wanted it to end this way). For some sick reason I always wanted to experience Edward suffering while Bella was in pain during her transformation and was a bit disappointed that he never found out that the morphine did not in fact work. I was finally able to experience that through Edyth and Beau and it was divine.
Can't believe it's been over 10 years since Twilight was released!
1011959
Buy the book, read it then try your hardest not to purchase the next book in the series.  Bet you can't stop yourself.  I even predict a 2am Kindle 1-click purchase in your future. I will not provide a synopsis because really do you need another reviewer restating the Book Description?  I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed nearly every minute of this book.

I can't go any farther without recognizing yet not criticizing that there were a few similarities to the Twilight novels (1st example the conversation where B confronts/realizes/announces that Gio is a Vampire) BUT this is a truly entirely better story.  Gio and B like each other before the romance begins, there is no teenage angst and B is a strong witty heroine.  See, better already, right?

The world Elizabeth Hunter creates is not a parallel universe but our reality only seen with one eye squinted and the other eye hidden behind a cracked rose colored monocle. I know that sounds odd but she doesn't sugarcoat or romanticize the vampire aspect nor does she let B and Gio just magically become a committed couple.  She isn't afraid to introduce us to a kind of `different' that feels the `same' world.

The ancillary characters are amazing with hilarious conversations involving, well, mainly Carwyn, Now that is not to say that Tenzin isn't witty she is just unpretentious and a little scary so I kind of thought of her as a vampire, unwrinkled coherent Yoda.  Reading the next book as soon as I post this review.
1351917
I managed to stumble upon this book during on of its Amazon free days, and since I love the Twilight Series, this sounded like it would be right up my alley. I started reading it this morning an finished it just a few moments ago, and pretty much have been bursting to share my opinion on this one.

I was pretty excited to see an immortal story set in LA, having just visited there recently, and it made the perfect setting for this story. Kian and Amanda (both immortal) were fabulously developed characters, as was Syssi (Amanda's research assistant with a gift of precognition). In this book, we follow along in the search for a dormant, which is someone who is currently human but has the genetics to be made immortal (I nominate myself for testing on this one haha). It's important Amanada find one, but she can't do so without help from her brother. Meanwhile, though, he's busy trying to fight off the doomers, who would love nothing more than to stop Amanda from activating a dormant. All I can say is this story had EXTREMELY unique world building and a fabulous plot line, I think the comparison of this book to Twilight ended up being a bit unfair, as this story is much more unique than Twilight. I would love to read more of this series.
2936481
I'm hoping this comes out in a two or three disc version.

Charlize is wonderful as the queen, and Kristen plays her part very well.  Chris is such eye candy.  I'm a Twilight fan, but saw the movie in the theater with an open mind.  The costumes are terrific - should get an Academy Award.  I liked that the history of the main characters was fleshed out. The battle scenes could have been a little longer.  I felt myself caring for the characters, including the dwarfs who are NOT named Sleepy, Dopey, Doc, etc.  the visuals were stunning. I passed on Mirror Mirror to see a more adult version of the story.  Glad I saw it, and will add to my DVD colletion.
2260531
Imagine being an outcast, different from everyone else, and not just because you wear different clothes. If you can't do that you should check out the book The Otherworldlies by Jennifer Anne Kogler.  Welcome to the world of Fern McAllister, life is tough, but if you blister from seconds in the sun, can't see well in the morning, and talk to your dog; that's just nuts.  Fern soon discovers that she isn't normal, she is a Vampire.  Fern soon learns that she will have to make the choice between good and evil. Lines are drawn, lines are crossed and they soon vanish into a shade of gray. When you don't know anything about whom or what you are how can you know what to do?
 This imaginative book by Jenifer Anne Kogler is sure to excite young readers everywhere.  This story is full of vibrancy and life.  Every character seems so real, I found it easy to compare the people in the book to the people in my life.  Fern is a girl who doesn't understand why she is different; she just wishes she were normal.  This tale is incredibly realistic, well except for the whole vampire thing, and will take many readers on a trip of a lifetime.
This book is a lower reading level and would be a great start for younger readers interested in the Twilight book series. I have a strong feeling that this book will present itself well.  I hope that people check out this book because it's pretty awesome.  Do me a favor and let your mind wander through the fantasy world of The Otherworldlies.
4164728
Way before the blockbuster movies came out my sister and best friend recommended a book called Twilight. A fan of the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and big young adult fiction reader, they thought I'd really like the story of a shy girl sent to live with her dad in a small town who accidentally falls in love with the local vampire. I gobbled this book up the way Edward desperately wants to sink his teeth into Bella. The story is simple but so enjoyable. Bella is a girl I can easily relate to and who doesn't want their own perfect Edward? Stephenie Meyer's idea isn't that original but the way she tells the story, through Bella's eyes, makes for a really great love story with an interesting twist. Meyer's perfectly sets the scene, with her super descriptive style. Thank god this is a series because I couldn't get enough!
271600
This is my favorite out of all the Twilight books. Much better than 'New Moon'. Loved it!
2967918
If you are a fan of the."Twilight," series then this is definitely worth a read. Young adults and up will love this and the others in the series. It neatly ties in all of the characters and leaves you waiting for more. So much fun. It is one thrilling ride from beginning to end.
3176110
This is definitely better than anything that twilight has to offer.
Not as good as hellsing, but a good contender.
641868
I bought and read this book after reading and enjoying the four Twilight books several times.  This book is obviously in Mrs. Meyer's style of writing, and I would have been disappointed had it not been.

This book lets us see just a little bit more of the duplicity that the Volturi are capable of.  They may claim to be the enforcers of the Vampire world, but they are more than capable of manipulating events to suit themselves when they want.

Great book, Mrs. Meyer.  Please continue.  I desperately want to read Midnight Sun.