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Fans of the literary phenomenon known as the Twilight series can't help wanting more. A New Dawn gives it to them, inviting readers to join some of their favorite YA authors as they look at the series with fresh eyes and fall in love with Edward, Bella, and the rest of Forks, Wash., all over again.Edited by bestselling author Ellen Hopkins, A New Dawn is packed with the same debates readers engage in with Should Bella have chosen Edward or Jacob? How much control do Meyer's vampires and werewolves really have over their own lives? The collection also goes Is Edward a romantic or a (really hot) sociopath? How do the Quileute werewolves compare to other Native American wolf myths? What does the Twilight series have in common with Shakespeare? With contributions from Megan McCafferty, Cassandra Clare, Rachel Caine, and many more, A New Dawn answers these questions and more for a teen (and adult!) audience hungry for clever, view-changing commentary on their favorite series.
Hardcover
First published May 28, 2008
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About the author
Ellen Hopkins
47 books19.1k followersEllen Hopkins is the New York Times bestselling author of Crank, Burned, Impulse, Glass, Identical, Tricks, Fallout, Perfect, Triangles, Tilt, and Collateral. She lives in Carson City, Nevada, with her husband and son. Hopkin's Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest pages get thousands of hits from teens who claim Hopkins is the "only one who understands me", and she can be visited at ellenhopkins.com.
Like most of you here, books are my life. Reading is a passion, but writing is the biggest part of me. Balance is my greatest challenge, as I love my family, friends, animals and home, but also love traveling to meet my readers. Hope I meet many of you soon!
Like most of you here, books are my life. Reading is a passion, but writing is the biggest part of me. Balance is my greatest challenge, as I love my family, friends, animals and home, but also love traveling to meet my readers. Hope I meet many of you soon!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
April 28, 2015
"Twilight is an awesome book because Edward Cullen is made of awesome, with awesome sauce and awesome sprinkle topping, and that's all there is to it." p. 161
Here are 14 essays written by what the title told me were my favorite authors, but I've never heard of any of them. Some add something while others read like high school papers banged out the morning they were due. Thankfully, none repeat the same tired points that everyone writing on the internet seems to make.
This was written after the third, but before the fourth book.
Yeah, that's right. Before the crappy book that undoes all that made the series good up until that point. I'm avoiding spoilers, so I won't get more specific, but you can read my review or almost anyone else's of book 4 to see what I am talking about. Anyway, this book is good for a laugh because some of the writers praise the series (and it is more of a series than a saga -- a saga should be less local and more sweeping, meaningful and epic) for aspects that are wiped away by the last book.
I didn't know this only covered the first three books when I bought it. That's my fault, caveat emptor and all of that. Also, I wish I had read Wuthering Heights before this, because one of the essays gives way too many details about Heathcliff. But that's also my fault because I should've read that by now anyway. In fact, I may have had it assigned in high school because Garth and I watched the movie because one of us, probably me, had a test on it the next day.
One of the more useful essays describes the real Forks, Washington and includes interviews with some of its residents. Another makes the point that when a book is labeled Young Adult, it's only because the publisher who liked the book enough to get involved with it was a Young Adult publisher. That essay goes on to say that the Harry Potter books pretty much destroyed the line between YA and grown up books and that Romeo and Juliet would probably be published under the label YA if it came out today, but would then be read by everybody.
A couple of the essays assumed anyone reading it was a teenage girl. That was very annoying.
Another note on spoilers: anyone who hasn't read the first three should stay far away and avoid even reading the goodreads summary explaining what this book is. Also, everyone should finish all the books fast before they are ruined. The release of the second movie in November will certainly get people talking freely about what happens.
Here are 14 essays written by what the title told me were my favorite authors, but I've never heard of any of them. Some add something while others read like high school papers banged out the morning they were due. Thankfully, none repeat the same tired points that everyone writing on the internet seems to make.
This was written after the third, but before the fourth book.
Yeah, that's right. Before the crappy book that undoes all that made the series good up until that point. I'm avoiding spoilers, so I won't get more specific, but you can read my review or almost anyone else's of book 4 to see what I am talking about. Anyway, this book is good for a laugh because some of the writers praise the series (and it is more of a series than a saga -- a saga should be less local and more sweeping, meaningful and epic) for aspects that are wiped away by the last book.
I didn't know this only covered the first three books when I bought it. That's my fault, caveat emptor and all of that. Also, I wish I had read Wuthering Heights before this, because one of the essays gives way too many details about Heathcliff. But that's also my fault because I should've read that by now anyway. In fact, I may have had it assigned in high school because Garth and I watched the movie because one of us, probably me, had a test on it the next day.
One of the more useful essays describes the real Forks, Washington and includes interviews with some of its residents. Another makes the point that when a book is labeled Young Adult, it's only because the publisher who liked the book enough to get involved with it was a Young Adult publisher. That essay goes on to say that the Harry Potter books pretty much destroyed the line between YA and grown up books and that Romeo and Juliet would probably be published under the label YA if it came out today, but would then be read by everybody.
A couple of the essays assumed anyone reading it was a teenage girl. That was very annoying.
Another note on spoilers: anyone who hasn't read the first three should stay far away and avoid even reading the goodreads summary explaining what this book is. Also, everyone should finish all the books fast before they are ruined. The release of the second movie in November will certainly get people talking freely about what happens.
August 28, 2010
To be completely honest, I hated this book. With a burning passion. I read it in hopes of getting a better understanding of the obssession surrounding the Twilight Saga, and the only thing that kept me from putting it down is my inability to leave a book unfinished.
This book isn't all bad of course. If you're a Twilight fanatic, as so many people are this is probably your cup of tea. But be warned, all you'll find in this book is a long list of reasons why the series is "so perfect", and many points are repeatedly mentioned by the different authors. I did enjoy Cassandra Clare's essay in this book, but it may have been more from her vast knowledge of other books than the points she presented. So overall, I couldn't stand this book, but if you're a "Twihard" you'll probably love it.
This book isn't all bad of course. If you're a Twilight fanatic, as so many people are this is probably your cup of tea. But be warned, all you'll find in this book is a long list of reasons why the series is "so perfect", and many points are repeatedly mentioned by the different authors. I did enjoy Cassandra Clare's essay in this book, but it may have been more from her vast knowledge of other books than the points she presented. So overall, I couldn't stand this book, but if you're a "Twihard" you'll probably love it.
February 25, 2009
If you're like most Twilight-saga fans, then you're probably counting down the months, weeks, and days until the release of the fourth novel in the series, Breaking Dawn, due out this August. There is a new book, a Borders-exclusive book that just might satisfy you during your wait. It's a fabulous little book entitled A New Dawn: Your Favorite Authors on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. It's edited by Ellen Hopkins and features essays by these YA authors: Ellen Hopkins, Susan Vaught, Megan McCafferty, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Anne Ursu, Linda Gerber, Ellen Steiber, K.A. Nuzum, Cara Lockwood, Cassandra Clare, James A. Owen, Robin Brande, Janette Rallison, and Rachel Caine. According to the book's website, it should be available in June at a Borders near you.
Articles range in tone and style. There's the oh-so-fabulous "Edward, Heathcliff, and Our Other Secret Boyfriends" by Robin Brande that I dare you not to think ingenious. In it she compares Edward to classic literary romantic heroes...and perhaps not surprisingly finds Edward better than all the rest. It's funny and witty and just incredibly straightforward. If I didn't already love Robin because of her beautiful first novel Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature, this would do the trick.
Other gems include "The Good Girl Always Goes for the Bad Boy" by Megan McCafferty and "To Bite, Or Not To Bite; That is the Question" by Janette Rallison, "As Time Goes By" by K.A. Nuzum, and "Tall, Dark, and...Thirsty" by Ellen Steiber. While the book centers on Bella/Edward, Jacob does get some attention, some treatment. Especially in "Dancing With Wolves" by Linda Gerber.
For the most part, the essays are well-written. Some are serious. Some are light-hearted. Some are more formal in nature. Others are like a conversation you'd have with your best friend. Of the fourteen articles/essays included in A New Dawn I feel strongly positive about twelve of them. The other two aren't bad, they're just not quite as wonderful as the other twelve.
I definitely recommend A New Dawn for Twilight fans whether they're on Team Edward or Team Jacob. If you just can't get enough, then A New Dawn will give you food for thought until the big day arrives.
Articles range in tone and style. There's the oh-so-fabulous "Edward, Heathcliff, and Our Other Secret Boyfriends" by Robin Brande that I dare you not to think ingenious. In it she compares Edward to classic literary romantic heroes...and perhaps not surprisingly finds Edward better than all the rest. It's funny and witty and just incredibly straightforward. If I didn't already love Robin because of her beautiful first novel Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature, this would do the trick.
Other gems include "The Good Girl Always Goes for the Bad Boy" by Megan McCafferty and "To Bite, Or Not To Bite; That is the Question" by Janette Rallison, "As Time Goes By" by K.A. Nuzum, and "Tall, Dark, and...Thirsty" by Ellen Steiber. While the book centers on Bella/Edward, Jacob does get some attention, some treatment. Especially in "Dancing With Wolves" by Linda Gerber.
For the most part, the essays are well-written. Some are serious. Some are light-hearted. Some are more formal in nature. Others are like a conversation you'd have with your best friend. Of the fourteen articles/essays included in A New Dawn I feel strongly positive about twelve of them. The other two aren't bad, they're just not quite as wonderful as the other twelve.
I definitely recommend A New Dawn for Twilight fans whether they're on Team Edward or Team Jacob. If you just can't get enough, then A New Dawn will give you food for thought until the big day arrives.
March 7, 2010
If you are die-hard (twihard, excuse me...)fan of the Twilight series, then this book is definitely for you, in fact, it's written for you. You won't get anything out of this review, so read no further, twihards. Also if you are a middle-aged woman, er, perhaps you should also stop reading hereafter.
A New Dawn is a collection of essays written by authors of varying genres (young adults, horror, fantasy, etc) who provide their take on the Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. Many of the essays are about the angst-ridden romance between Bella and Edward, but almost all of them discuss the hotness of Edward. While I won't deny anyone the pleasure of detailing the perfection that is Edward, it's a little odd coming from repressed middle-aged women. It reminded me of the long-winded passages from Meyer describing in great detail the naked bodies of Jacob and Edward. It makes you wonder if Meyer is getting any action at home (wink wink).
Case in point: An essay from Robin Brande on how Edward compares to other sacred romantic heroes (Darcy, Romeo, Heathcliff), proclaiming, "[Edward:], make me your vampire queen." She even tries to argue that Edward's winning factors over Romeo are: Edward is there in person, so Bella has someone to cuddle with; Edward is immortal so they can have a lasting relationship; and Edward doesn't wear tights. Yes. You read that correctly. While at first, I thought essays such as this one were being facetious and perhaps written to target a young adult population, I think these women truly believe Edward is their knight and shining armor and that this Edward fantasy will amply quench their middle-aged thirst. Also, I'm not sure if I trust authors of books such as "Wuthering High" "Moby Clique" and "The Scarlet Letterman" to write any substantial critiques/essays.
Originally, I had picked this up to read Megan McCafferty's perspective on the series, hoping for something witty and clever from her. Instead, I was yet again disappointed...almost. I did find out that her favorite show was Freaks and Geeks (ah! Her Jessica Darling series makes even more sense now), which makes me a very happy girl indeed. The downside is that her essay was about her own bad boy experience ala Marcus Flutie-style. I felt cheated for some reason that her Jessica Darling series was just based on her own experience in high school and not from original characters that she cleverly came up with. I digress though.
There was only one essay that hits it home (almost). You can tell the author, Ellen Steiber, wanted to seriously critique the novels, but given the nature of the collection, she probably didn't want to receive hate mail or offend readers of her own novels. While the essay isn't on the same level as a New Yorker article (the format is a little sporadic, detailing the history of vampires, then jumping to Bella's insecurities), but her commentary is right on. She discusses Bella's self-esteem issues and her wayward obsession with Edward (an obsession that stems perhaps not entirely from love, but from her insecurities of growing old and being plain). Her final thoughts are so true - that vampire portrayal throughout the ages (Dracula as a scary vamp to Meyer's vampires) reflect society's current state, playing on our deep fears that run rampant within our culture. In the case of Twilight, Meyer's story illustrates our society's need to actively fight against "the terror of aging" and to pursue "flawless physical beauty". In fact, Bella is willing to trade her life for it, which holds true for many women today (voluntarily facing a knife and scalpel to create the perfect body sure comes with certain medical risks that women are willing to sacrifice).
I guess I should have expected this, so there's probably no point in complaining about it. Perhaps, I was disappointed because I thought the authors would be clever. Some of the essays almost gets there (i.e "7 Signs that Edward is a Sociopath" written by a neuropsychologist; How Aliens the movie, Twilight and Aristotle are intertwined). However, most of the essays are far-reaching. This isn't William Faulkner that we're dissecting, but a simple fantasy romance novel that also happened to make millions of dollars.
A New Dawn is a collection of essays written by authors of varying genres (young adults, horror, fantasy, etc) who provide their take on the Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. Many of the essays are about the angst-ridden romance between Bella and Edward, but almost all of them discuss the hotness of Edward. While I won't deny anyone the pleasure of detailing the perfection that is Edward, it's a little odd coming from repressed middle-aged women. It reminded me of the long-winded passages from Meyer describing in great detail the naked bodies of Jacob and Edward. It makes you wonder if Meyer is getting any action at home (wink wink).
Case in point: An essay from Robin Brande on how Edward compares to other sacred romantic heroes (Darcy, Romeo, Heathcliff), proclaiming, "[Edward:], make me your vampire queen." She even tries to argue that Edward's winning factors over Romeo are: Edward is there in person, so Bella has someone to cuddle with; Edward is immortal so they can have a lasting relationship; and Edward doesn't wear tights. Yes. You read that correctly. While at first, I thought essays such as this one were being facetious and perhaps written to target a young adult population, I think these women truly believe Edward is their knight and shining armor and that this Edward fantasy will amply quench their middle-aged thirst. Also, I'm not sure if I trust authors of books such as "Wuthering High" "Moby Clique" and "The Scarlet Letterman" to write any substantial critiques/essays.
Originally, I had picked this up to read Megan McCafferty's perspective on the series, hoping for something witty and clever from her. Instead, I was yet again disappointed...almost. I did find out that her favorite show was Freaks and Geeks (ah! Her Jessica Darling series makes even more sense now), which makes me a very happy girl indeed. The downside is that her essay was about her own bad boy experience ala Marcus Flutie-style. I felt cheated for some reason that her Jessica Darling series was just based on her own experience in high school and not from original characters that she cleverly came up with. I digress though.
There was only one essay that hits it home (almost). You can tell the author, Ellen Steiber, wanted to seriously critique the novels, but given the nature of the collection, she probably didn't want to receive hate mail or offend readers of her own novels. While the essay isn't on the same level as a New Yorker article (the format is a little sporadic, detailing the history of vampires, then jumping to Bella's insecurities), but her commentary is right on. She discusses Bella's self-esteem issues and her wayward obsession with Edward (an obsession that stems perhaps not entirely from love, but from her insecurities of growing old and being plain). Her final thoughts are so true - that vampire portrayal throughout the ages (Dracula as a scary vamp to Meyer's vampires) reflect society's current state, playing on our deep fears that run rampant within our culture. In the case of Twilight, Meyer's story illustrates our society's need to actively fight against "the terror of aging" and to pursue "flawless physical beauty". In fact, Bella is willing to trade her life for it, which holds true for many women today (voluntarily facing a knife and scalpel to create the perfect body sure comes with certain medical risks that women are willing to sacrifice).
I guess I should have expected this, so there's probably no point in complaining about it. Perhaps, I was disappointed because I thought the authors would be clever. Some of the essays almost gets there (i.e "7 Signs that Edward is a Sociopath" written by a neuropsychologist; How Aliens the movie, Twilight and Aristotle are intertwined). However, most of the essays are far-reaching. This isn't William Faulkner that we're dissecting, but a simple fantasy romance novel that also happened to make millions of dollars.
April 6, 2009
These essays are laughable so far and they are something I could have written the afternoon before they were due as a high school student! I wish I wouldn't have spent my 15 bucks buying this, but as many others will eventually find out, not everything with Twilight is good, except if it come from Stephenie Meyer, herself. These contributing authors used her name to get some exposure for themselves and I'm not impressed.
I hope that it does get better, I have some hope that maybe I will find something worth my time in this collection. If not, no harm, because i'm only going to read this in the carpool line.
...Well, I finally finished this collection of essays on Twilight. MAN, what can I say, but I will have to stand by my previous comments with the exception of the final piece by Rachel Caine (which was so freakin funny!!) and a couple of others that seemed to be a little more thought out and I could understand the thought processes of the writer, but overall, a waste of time. I will add an extra star just for Rachel Caine's final words.
I hope that it does get better, I have some hope that maybe I will find something worth my time in this collection. If not, no harm, because i'm only going to read this in the carpool line.
...Well, I finally finished this collection of essays on Twilight. MAN, what can I say, but I will have to stand by my previous comments with the exception of the final piece by Rachel Caine (which was so freakin funny!!) and a couple of others that seemed to be a little more thought out and I could understand the thought processes of the writer, but overall, a waste of time. I will add an extra star just for Rachel Caine's final words.
September 5, 2008
This book is a collection of essays from various young adult writers on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Series. There are 14 different articles. My favorites were "To Bite, or Not to Bite; That Is the Question" by Janette Rallison and "Edward, Heathcliff, and Our Other Secret Boyfriends" by Robin Brande.
In Rallison's essay, she states that the conflict in the Twilight Saga is an internal one, and it is all about making choices. Carlisle, Edward, Jacob, and Bella are all highlighted for their choices. I love Carlisle's amazing choice to be a vegetarian vampire and go against the bloodlust nature of classic vampires. Edward describes Carlisle's choice to Bella by saying, "...His new philosophy was born. He could exist without being a demon. He found himself again." And Rallison points out that Carlisle is only a minor character in the series. She further points out how Edward consistently chooses to go against natural impulses to be good and do what is right for Bella, how Jacob overcomes (at least temporarily) his hatred for vampires to protect Bella, and how Bella is willing to give up what she wants most (to be with Edward) to protect those for whom she cares. All these characters make choices time and time again to rise above their selfishness and make choices that are noble and admirable. What a great essay!
In Brande's essay, she compares the top romantic partners literary history (Heathcliff, Romeo, and Mr. Darcy) to Edward to see if anyone can match up to his perfection. I just loved this. How can anyone not love talking about Edward?
Other honorable mentions for essays in "A New Dawn" include:"To Twilight or Not to Twilight" by Ellen Hopkins and "Dancing with Wolves" by Linda Gerber. Overall it was a good read, but nothing so addictive as the Twilight Saga itself. I also felt the last essay, "The Great Debate," was a little inappropriate in language and crudeness. You could skip that if you wanted.
In Rallison's essay, she states that the conflict in the Twilight Saga is an internal one, and it is all about making choices. Carlisle, Edward, Jacob, and Bella are all highlighted for their choices. I love Carlisle's amazing choice to be a vegetarian vampire and go against the bloodlust nature of classic vampires. Edward describes Carlisle's choice to Bella by saying, "...His new philosophy was born. He could exist without being a demon. He found himself again." And Rallison points out that Carlisle is only a minor character in the series. She further points out how Edward consistently chooses to go against natural impulses to be good and do what is right for Bella, how Jacob overcomes (at least temporarily) his hatred for vampires to protect Bella, and how Bella is willing to give up what she wants most (to be with Edward) to protect those for whom she cares. All these characters make choices time and time again to rise above their selfishness and make choices that are noble and admirable. What a great essay!
In Brande's essay, she compares the top romantic partners literary history (Heathcliff, Romeo, and Mr. Darcy) to Edward to see if anyone can match up to his perfection. I just loved this. How can anyone not love talking about Edward?
Other honorable mentions for essays in "A New Dawn" include:"To Twilight or Not to Twilight" by Ellen Hopkins and "Dancing with Wolves" by Linda Gerber. Overall it was a good read, but nothing so addictive as the Twilight Saga itself. I also felt the last essay, "The Great Debate," was a little inappropriate in language and crudeness. You could skip that if you wanted.
April 30, 2010
I enjoyed this book and would have given it a 4 star but there were 2 key errors that were made by the authors of 2 of the essays and the the editor and any proofreader involved all missed.
I don't remeber the name of the essay the first error was in but it was the second essay, the second and third sentences. The author is talking about how the cover of Eclipse grabbed her attention and she then proceeds to describe the cover of Twilight. I understand that some of the authors of these essays only read the Twilight series because they were asked to write an essay for this book, but if you are describing a cover of a book that grabbed your attention you should be able to match the correct cover with the correct book title.
The second error was in the essay titled "Tall, Dark, and...Thirsty" by Ellen Steiber. She states that the incident were Jasper tries to attack Bella at her birthday party is a scene in Twilight. This scene is actually in New Moon and is the pivotal scene that causes Edward to leave Bella in New Moon. Again if an author is going to write as essay about a book or series of books said author needs to make sure that all of their facts are correct. I could possibly understand if there was some minor error made due to the length of this series, but this is a major plot point in the series.
The rest of the essays were interesting and the essay written as an advice column even made me laugh out loud. But the 2 error discussed above are going to be what I remember most about this book and that really draws away from the other authors that have contributed to this collection of essays. I will probably let this book set for a while and then I will go back through it to see what the other authors have wrote to see if any of their books would be of interest to me.
I don't remeber the name of the essay the first error was in but it was the second essay, the second and third sentences. The author is talking about how the cover of Eclipse grabbed her attention and she then proceeds to describe the cover of Twilight. I understand that some of the authors of these essays only read the Twilight series because they were asked to write an essay for this book, but if you are describing a cover of a book that grabbed your attention you should be able to match the correct cover with the correct book title.
The second error was in the essay titled "Tall, Dark, and...Thirsty" by Ellen Steiber. She states that the incident were Jasper tries to attack Bella at her birthday party is a scene in Twilight. This scene is actually in New Moon and is the pivotal scene that causes Edward to leave Bella in New Moon. Again if an author is going to write as essay about a book or series of books said author needs to make sure that all of their facts are correct. I could possibly understand if there was some minor error made due to the length of this series, but this is a major plot point in the series.
The rest of the essays were interesting and the essay written as an advice column even made me laugh out loud. But the 2 error discussed above are going to be what I remember most about this book and that really draws away from the other authors that have contributed to this collection of essays. I will probably let this book set for a while and then I will go back through it to see what the other authors have wrote to see if any of their books would be of interest to me.
July 19, 2011
I love Twilight. I love the story, the characters, the beauty of Forks Washington and the moral behind it all. So, when I closed the final chapter for the umpteenth time, I wanted to find a book that would give me a "conversation" about what I had so enjoyed reading. This book, regrettably, isn't that.
A collection of essays by various other YA authors, this book is really disappointing. Many of the contributing authors, while pumping their own reads, nit pick Meyer's style of writing, the characters, the plot and even the readers themselves. I was left feeling like I had just eves dropped on a junior high conversation...and it wasn't good.
I am sure the YA market is flooded with brooding, sexy bad boys with big hearts. And I'm sure every YA author hopes to duplicate the success Meyer has experienced with her work, but they can't all be Twilight. I did feel, at times, that there was some resentment for her success and a deliberate attempt to take away from the world she created, a world they did not. I'm not going to say that the points made aren't important or valid--that's just not my call to make, but comparing Edward to a sociopath? Really? I don't know....
But I will say (with certainty) that when you spend the better part of 5 pages tearing a book down, summing it up with a few kind words doesn't leave a fan of the original saga feeling very warm and fuzzy. If you're looking for a better companion to prolong your experience in a positive way, try picking up "Bedazzled" by Greg Beahm instead...it's a much better read. If you're looking for the other side of the coin a la Anti-Twilight, this book might just make you very happy
A collection of essays by various other YA authors, this book is really disappointing. Many of the contributing authors, while pumping their own reads, nit pick Meyer's style of writing, the characters, the plot and even the readers themselves. I was left feeling like I had just eves dropped on a junior high conversation...and it wasn't good.
I am sure the YA market is flooded with brooding, sexy bad boys with big hearts. And I'm sure every YA author hopes to duplicate the success Meyer has experienced with her work, but they can't all be Twilight. I did feel, at times, that there was some resentment for her success and a deliberate attempt to take away from the world she created, a world they did not. I'm not going to say that the points made aren't important or valid--that's just not my call to make, but comparing Edward to a sociopath? Really? I don't know....
But I will say (with certainty) that when you spend the better part of 5 pages tearing a book down, summing it up with a few kind words doesn't leave a fan of the original saga feeling very warm and fuzzy. If you're looking for a better companion to prolong your experience in a positive way, try picking up "Bedazzled" by Greg Beahm instead...it's a much better read. If you're looking for the other side of the coin a la Anti-Twilight, this book might just make you very happy
November 13, 2012
Reviewed by Lauren - The Class for TeensReadToo.com
Look out TWILIGHT fans, there's something new to sink your teeth into.
A NEW DAWN is a book full of many authors' essays, all about the TWILIGHT saga. You may think, wow, a book of reviews and essays, that sounds boring. It actually has some great analyses from some great authors. This book talks about many different topics you might or might not have even thought of while reading the series.
One interesting topic is how different the thought of vampires has changed over the years. Our society used to think of vampires as horrible creatures; now they are thought of as normal citizens in our day-to-day life. That is just one subject out of many that is brought up.
Personally, I loved this book. I absolutely adored the TWILIGHT saga, so reading A NEW DAWN was very interesting. I got a great viewpoint from many perspectives and that was the best part. I highly recommend reading it if you want to get a little deeper view on TWILIGHT, NEW MOON, ECLIPSE, and BREAKING DAWN.
Look out TWILIGHT fans, there's something new to sink your teeth into.
A NEW DAWN is a book full of many authors' essays, all about the TWILIGHT saga. You may think, wow, a book of reviews and essays, that sounds boring. It actually has some great analyses from some great authors. This book talks about many different topics you might or might not have even thought of while reading the series.
One interesting topic is how different the thought of vampires has changed over the years. Our society used to think of vampires as horrible creatures; now they are thought of as normal citizens in our day-to-day life. That is just one subject out of many that is brought up.
Personally, I loved this book. I absolutely adored the TWILIGHT saga, so reading A NEW DAWN was very interesting. I got a great viewpoint from many perspectives and that was the best part. I highly recommend reading it if you want to get a little deeper view on TWILIGHT, NEW MOON, ECLIPSE, and BREAKING DAWN.
August 29, 2010
I thought this was an interesting book of essays on the Twilight series. The essays covered a variety of topics and seemed to hit on a lot of the big criticisms of the series. It was interesting to learn arguments against those criticisms as well as the history of the vampire novel in general.
It is not complete, however, since it was written before Breaking Dawn was published. Some of the essays would probably have been different if the authors knew how the series would end.
I did feel like there were a lot of errors in the book. Not typos, but things like citing a scene from Twilight that was really New Moon or listing all the Cullen family members, only to forget Emmett. This was distracting and disappointing and made me wonder how familiar the authors really were with the series.
It is not complete, however, since it was written before Breaking Dawn was published. Some of the essays would probably have been different if the authors knew how the series would end.
I did feel like there were a lot of errors in the book. Not typos, but things like citing a scene from Twilight that was really New Moon or listing all the Cullen family members, only to forget Emmett. This was distracting and disappointing and made me wonder how familiar the authors really were with the series.
January 9, 2013
A New Dawn was an interesting take on the Twilight phenomena. I really liked that the introduction was done by Ellen Hopkins. She is one of my favorite authors. I really admire her and value her opinion. While I don’t see this book becoming a best seller, I think Twilight fans will want to read it. I recommend getting it from the library, unless you are a diehard Twilight fan and have to have it because it has Twilight on it. I have found out in the last few months that I enjoy Smart Pop books. I hope they publish more. In Linda Gerber’s essay, she teaches about wolf history, which I thought was really interesting. I learned several things that I never would have known otherwise. K.A. Nuzum brought up an interesting point in her essay The Heartache Monster. Edward is a vampire, so he could do destructive things to his body such as smoke and drink without any negative consequences. I know that seems obvious, but Edward is such a moral person that most people don’t think about him doing things like that. I was also excited that Cassandra Claire wrote an essay for A New Dawn. She is another one of my favorite authors. I liked A New Dawn but I wasn’t absolutely blown away by it.
December 9, 2012
This is a wonderful collection of very entertaining essays ranging in voice from funny to informative. It is hard to see this as a book that the average reader will be chomping at the bit
to go out and buy.
That being said however, if you are:
1. A diehard fan of Twilight with a serious OCD that drives you to collect EVERY Twi-related thing known to man.
2. Studying vampire lore or the like and have to read it for a class.
3. Prone to "pretty cover syndrome" and just can't resist.
4. Just can't accept the fact that the saga has ended and are sure that there are a few "missing chapters" hidden in there SOMEWHERE.
You will probably buy this book.
This is a very light read that is brimming with both fact and opinion about all thing Twilight.
Though this book can and probably will find it's way into someone's curriculum, it is never dry and
very honest in it's presentations of the authors' love/hate or neutral feelings about the force of nature
that is Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga.
to go out and buy.
That being said however, if you are:
1. A diehard fan of Twilight with a serious OCD that drives you to collect EVERY Twi-related thing known to man.
2. Studying vampire lore or the like and have to read it for a class.
3. Prone to "pretty cover syndrome" and just can't resist.
4. Just can't accept the fact that the saga has ended and are sure that there are a few "missing chapters" hidden in there SOMEWHERE.
You will probably buy this book.
This is a very light read that is brimming with both fact and opinion about all thing Twilight.
Though this book can and probably will find it's way into someone's curriculum, it is never dry and
very honest in it's presentations of the authors' love/hate or neutral feelings about the force of nature
that is Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga.
April 23, 2010
I bought this book because I thought it would only be fair to read what authors have to say about Twilight even though I don't like it so this was a new experience. The big difference between reading the opinions of adults and reading the opinions of teenagers is the fact that even though the adults might like the book they still recognize the flaws in the characters and in the story. It doesn't matter if you're a fan or not this is one book that I think everyone who has ever read the books should read. Though I should probably mention that this book was published before Breaking Dawn was published so I kind of want to read a follow up book with the same people now that book 4 has been released. These essays haven't changed my opinion about Twilight in the slightest (the sad thing is as I'm typing this I'm watching Oprah because there is nothing else on and Dakota Fanning is talking about Eclipse and she made the comment that she never met someone that isn't a fan of the series).
December 14, 2008
Classics lovers with love some of the essays that go into comparisons with Romeo & Juliet, Dracula, and Pride and Prejudice among others. I really enjoyed the tour of Forks, Washington, the battle between Edward and Jacob as the best boyfriend for Bella, the history of vampires and the history of werewolves. As you can tell I pretty much liked this whole anthology!
I think some of my lesser favorites dealt with Edward: sociopath or not? and two fan girls debating with two scholars. Another thing that was just slightly off putting was several of the authors explaining how they didn't want to read these books at first and then finally they did and they liked it. I guess I went through that myself but it's not really something I'd be proud to mention! It sort of made me wonder if they should be writing essays for this book.
I think some of my lesser favorites dealt with Edward: sociopath or not? and two fan girls debating with two scholars. Another thing that was just slightly off putting was several of the authors explaining how they didn't want to read these books at first and then finally they did and they liked it. I guess I went through that myself but it's not really something I'd be proud to mention! It sort of made me wonder if they should be writing essays for this book.
June 10, 2008
This was a fun read but ONLY if you've read Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. If you haven't, don't bother because you have to know about the books to understand these essays. However, if you are a Twilighter (and you should be :-)), then this is a great selection of essays that explore many different facets of the book series. Additionally, it was kind of cool to read essays by some other authors I like.
August 16, 2008
Some of these essays were very good; some were mediocre. It was a breath of fresh air to step away from the near constant team warfare surrounding Meyer's works, to see the books as literature for analysis instead of letting them fall into a YA label that, as one author essentially states, captures only one aspect of the work and was most likely born out of a chance decision based on Bella's age and the opinion of an editor.
October 13, 2008
A serious look at the Twilight series books in a series of essays by YA authors. Some of the essays seem more serious than the Twilight books were probably meant to be. There is one on Werewolf lore that is quite detailed and another on Vampires in literature that is thoroughly done. My favorite was an essay by Robin Brande comparing Edward to classic literary males like Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice.
February 8, 2009
I was a little cautious about reading this. I thought that maybe it may be a bash job, but it really wasn't. For the most part I liked the authors assessment of the story and agreed with most of it. I usuually don't read these type books, but since I am obsessed with all things Twilight, I had to do it. I was pleasantly surprised and there were some points made that I had never thought about. Very insightful
March 19, 2010
Have read many of the essays on smartpopbooks.com and there are some standouts, some misses. I was expecting some of the analysis to go a bit deeper, but I suppose that isn't fair considering the depth of the original series (which, for the record, I did enjoy). 'Twas nice to revisit some of the passages from the books and there were moments of inspired writing. I recommend for anyone needing a Twilight fix.
December 23, 2010
This wasn't my thing...there were a few parts that I found interesting but as a whole, I was mostly bored. At one point, I felt like I was back in college reading assigned pages for a quiz on Thursday or something. I was seriously dragging my feet to finish. I can see where the appeal would be though...I mean HELLO, its about Twilight! but I'm not in it for the facts or trying to piece it all together...just give me a story and a hot hero...thank u!
January 6, 2011
As a Twilight addict, I want to know anything and everything that pertains to the series. What I liked most about A New Dawn is that it answered a lot of questions that I was curious about. Like how much the werewolves have in common with other Native American werewolves. I also really enjoyed hearing what other authors thought about one of my favorite series. If you love Twilight, you have to read A New Dawn.
August 18, 2014
Interesting theories and essays. If you were to teach any of the Twilight series I highly recommend using these essays to supplement analysis of the book. Especially liked the one which analyzes if Edward is a sociopath and the one that does a Shakespearean theory/plot structure comparison. Entertainment value is low on this book, but if you like essays and thoughtful comparison- this one is for you.
November 24, 2014
If you take this book in the way it is intended, as a lighthearted opinion piece, then you will enjoy this. Several YA authors give their opinions on one of the most popular YA series of our time and occasionally make jokes at its expense. They compare its themes to some classic literature and try to analyze its widespread popularity. This is certainly not meant to be read as some academic paper dissecting all things twilight. I had fun reading it.
May 7, 2011
I read some of this book, and I liked it very much. But for people who are all the way Edward fans (ME), you may not like some parts of it. This book is all about the Twilight series; in which it gives author's opinions and a section about a debate that occurred on the subject of the content of the series. It is a very good book for twilighters.
March 2, 2009
Okay, I know I know. Most fangirls will like ANYTHING if it has the Twilight name on it. I am equally obsessed as they are, but I didn't really like this book. I wish they would have had some authors everyone knows. JK Rowling would have been veeerry interesting. but this book just wasn't amazing, in my opinion.
January 13, 2009
This is a fun book with views from other authors on Stephenie Meyers Twilight Series. I like to see what other views on this series are. (Am I the only adult that is now addicted???) I guess not... I also like some of the writing styles of the authors in this book. I may look up some of their books to read as well.
August 13, 2010
I actually really liked this book. It is a book of essays all about the Twilight Series written by various authors. Despite the fact it is unauthorized, it was nice to see what other authors had to say about the series. I want to share some of the essays with my students for our Twilight unit. It shows just how this series is so much more than a silly vampire romance!
Want to read
November 17, 2012NOVEMBER 15 , 2012 : 10pm Breaking Dawn Pt. 2 premier !
After waiting for so long ; the series , as well as the movies corresponding to the "legacy" that is the Twilight Saga is coming to a end.
Thats all I have to say while I wait to see if I win this book in the GoodReads Giveaway
Edit
I didn't win. Oh well, next time.
After waiting for so long ; the series , as well as the movies corresponding to the "legacy" that is the Twilight Saga is coming to a end.
Thats all I have to say while I wait to see if I win this book in the GoodReads Giveaway
Edit
I didn't win. Oh well, next time.
January 25, 2016
Read it because my mom bought it for me and it's about the twilight series. It's a very interesting book, especially for those interested in twilight in more of an intellectual way. In other words, if you only like twilight for the hot vampire action. Some of it's a little hard to get through, but the last one is soooo FUNNY!!
July 1, 2008
I'll admit I only read the essays in this book that were by authors that I have heard of. The essays weren't quite that I expected. I loved the introduction by Ellen Hopkins but other than that nothing else in this book really stood out.
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