Eclipse: Stephanie Meyer

In this third installment of the Twilight series, Stephanie Meyer makes a grand return to the drama that had readers riveted for the first volume. Heroine, Bella, is torn between her loyalties while a nearly-full-scale war wages. Though mortal enemies, the werewolves and vampires in Bella's life are forced to cooperate and face a new challenger head on. Meanwhile, a similar war wages within Bella as she considers her options: werewolf, or vampire?

When I read Twilight it was almost by accident. That first book had me hooked. Not because the writing was so amazing, or because I became so rapt with the reality of vampires living as close as Forks, Washington (I admit, Meyer puts a lot of energy into covering all of her tracks where the vamps are concerned, explaining away all of the stereotypes and various vampire lifestyle circumstances). It was the characters that drew me in to that first story about awkward Bella and the perfect Cullens. Without all of the drama, New Moon held my attention only briefly, but Eclipse is a return to the fast paced conflict I've been waiting for.

When I say that the characters are what keep me interested, I don't mean that I find them terribly empathetic or realistic. Truthfully, there are a lot of character flaws (and I don't mean character traits) that distract from their reliability. Alice with her un-ending cheerfulness, even in the face of Bella's moodiness. And Bella's undying passion and love for Edward, who often times guards himself to the point of coldness towards her. It's not a perfect puzzle by any means, but somehow, Meyer manages to make me like her cast. I find myself thinking of them when I'm not reading, wondering how they would relate in my real world.