Given: I have a bit of a grudge against Little Brown right now, since they wouldn’t let me interview Stephenie Meyer back in June. Yes, I’m being a bit petulant about it. Mostly because I got the feeling that it wasn’t that she didn’t have time for interviews, it was that she didn’t have time for an interview with a stay-home mom in Kansas who writes for a fledgling online lit magazine. So, yeah, I’m a bit bitter. It’s my right.
Given: I’m annoyed with the hype comparing Stephenie Meyer to J.K. Rowling. Meyer may be a lot of things, but Rowling she is not. And the hype is just irritating.
Given: I’ve read many of the reviews out there and know that some people like it and some hate it, but most people agree it was better than New Moon.
Given all that, I wasn’t expecting to like Eclipse all that much. And you know what? I closed the book and thought, “Meh. Not that great.”
I liked Twilight. A lot. I thought it was a brilliant concept: normal girl falls in love with vampire. New Moon, I had problems with. Lots. Mostly because I liked Jacob — I liked Bella with Jacob — and I thought that their relationship was a much healthier one. I hated it when Edward came back into the picture. In Eclipse, I had to deal with Edward being, well, insufferably nice and terribly boring (he feels guilty for “putting Bella through” the ordeal of separation. Bah.) and Jacob being, well, a jerk (at a certain point you just have to think “give it up already”) and Bella being, well, insufferably annoying (whine, whine, blame, blame, pity, pity). (I’m using that adjective a lot. Maybe I should get out my thesaurus.)
In addition, there hasn’t been any chemistry for me between Bella and Edward since Twilight. So all the almost sex-scenes just fell flat. I can understand Bella’s hesitancy for not wanting to get married, but if Edward’s the love of her eternity, then what’s the big deal? Why not get married? And I wanted her to stop throwing herself at the man, please. It’s degrading. I liked the Jacob of New Moon, but Jacob here was manipulative and harsh and completely unlovable. And his little heart-to-heart with Edward was, well, predictable.
I think that’s what bothered me most about this book. It was long — too long — and predictable. I figured out how it was going to end halfway through, and while I enjoyed the buildup to the vampire fight (the only part I enjoyed, as a matter of fact), the fight itself was a bit of a let-down. (It’s not much of a fight when all you get out of is “they danced around each other then Bella cuts herself then Edward kills everyone” for seven or so pages.) And the end… someone tell me: if it wasn’t for the Volturi (I have no memory of why they want Bella dead anyway), why would there even need to be a fourth book?
I’m starting to think I should have been one of those that stopped after reading Twilight.
The Book Nut 
I loved hearing your opinions on this series! So NOT the norm! I’m having a book club on all three in a couple of weeks and I’d love to read them what you have to say, just because you portray a whole different side of things, stuff they might not have thought about. Is it okay with you if I do that?
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Go right ahead, Suey. I could go on and on about how I think Bella and Edward’s relationship is unhealthy, but I’ll spare you. 🙂
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You were turned down for the interview? How rude of them!I agree this book was just bleh. I loved Twilight (I’m an Edward fan though), thought New Moon was ok but was thoroughly disappointed with Eclipse. Bella, Edward and Jacob all got on my nerves. I wanted the Volturi to take them all out. And, no I don’t remember why they want Bella dead either. I will only read the fourth book after reading reviews.
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Thanks!
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Well, first, I’m glad to see that someone else liked Jacob at some point. While I did get annoyed with all three in this one (and I think Edward should stop pestering Bella about getting married), I still enjoyed the book. Brain candy was much needed. And “boo!” to them for turning you down, I say. Boo x infinity!
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Ha, Andi. 🙂 It never was a literary crush, but I much prefer Jacob to Edward.
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well said!
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Well. I don’t know if I’m going to read this one at all. Thanks for the forewarning.
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Hear Hear.
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They wouldn’t let you interview her? That’s just weird!! Shame on Little Brown!
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I totally agree! WAY TOO LONG, NO ACTION! It felt as though she had the outline of the story but had to add a lot of fillers to make the book as long as the previous ones. I definitely agree that I too should’ve been one of the ones to stop reading after Twilight, cause that book was perfect & the others have been such let downs. Definitely no longer a comparison with Harry Potter, in my oppinion.
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You are the first person who agrees with me – Jacob and Bella are much better together. Everyone I know that reads this series falls so hard for Edward but they can’t see how mean he is to her. They tell me that Jacob is immature, but they are teenagers! I agree with you on this book all the way! I will only read the 4th book because I want Jacob to come back. I am still holding out hope.
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