What do you think?
Rate this book
The Twilight Saga #3.5
L'appel du sang : la seconde vie de Bree Tanner : hésitation novella
"L'heure était venue de chasser. Inhalant profondément, j'ai reniflé l'odeur du sang des humains dans la rue. S'ils n'étaient pas les seuls alentour, ils étaient les plus proches. Le gibier qu'on se choisissait relevait d'une décision que l'on devait prendre avant d'en humer le parfum. Après, il était trop tard pour changer d'avis. Un râle sourd s'est échappé de mes lèvres. Ce sang était à moi. L'incendie de ma gorge a redoublé d'intensité, et je n'ai plus songé qu'à m'abreuver."
210 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 2009
2324 people are currently reading
78381 people want to read
About the author
Stephenie Meyer
83 books80.6k followersStephenie Meyer is the author of the bestselling Twilight series, The Host, and The Chemist. Twilight was one of 2005's most talked about novels and within weeks of its release the book debuted at #5 on The New York Times bestseller list. Among its many accolades, Twilight was named an "ALA Top Ten Books for Young Adults," an Amazon.com "Best Book of the Decade So Far," and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year.
Meyer graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English Literature. She lives in Arizona with her husband and three sons.
Meyer graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English Literature. She lives in Arizona with her husband and three sons.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 14,475 reviews
December 16, 2025
For all those people hating on the novella - calm down already
Did it provide a unique and brilliant addition to the quadrilogy? Mmmm....questionable
Was Bree's story essential to the series? Definitely not.
Was it an enjoyable quick read? Absolutely.
This novella takes place during Eclipse (the third twilight novel). During Book 3, we follow Bumbling Bella and the Sparklers as they prepare for the war against Vamp Vixen Victoria.
When Victoria's mate (James) gets offed in Book 1, she begins planning her ultimate revenge. The old adage "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" takes on a whole new meaning.
That revenge involved Bree and a bunch of other kids from the dregs of society. Our Vamp Vixen convinces Riley (another new-ish vamp) to create an army of newborn vampires to attack the Cullens.
As we know from Eclipse, these teen-vamps were to be used as fodder while Victoria attacked our clumsy heroine (though honestly, Vicky could've probably killed Bella by scattering a bag of marbles in her bedroom and wait for the hapless girl to trip & die).
Bree Tanner is one of those new vamps. And this is her story.
We meet a bunch of absolutely useless characters (they're all fodder) and a few interesting/memorable ones...though Stephenie Meyer (to my knowledge) never used them again. So, they were a bit pointless. Bree was an interesting character but ultimately there's no point in investing too much emotional attachment to her (we all know what happens in Eclipse).
All in all, I liked it - a fun read and an interesting take on the Cullens from the outside.
The 2018 ABC Challenge - S
Audiobook Comments
Read by Emma Gavin, the ultimate queen of teen novels. Seriously. Nearly YA novel I've listened to has her as a narrator. She was excellent (as always)!
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
March 18, 2023
How do you read a book knowing the MC is destined to die? With pain. Lots of it.
This novella is much darker than the rest of The Twilight Saga but it's so full of energy, plot, character and personality it makes it worth reading. To those who usually after reading Eclipse go straight to Breaking Dawn, I highly recommend reading Bree's story. Look, she is a character that we read about in only a chapter but even dead she's so full of life.
I loved her personality, her story and her tragic end.
It was so great to see the newborns in a darker limelight compared to how we see Bella in Breaking Dawn. While Bella is a bit boring (in the vampire sense), Bree is more on action. We see her struggle, the fire consumes her, we also see her betrayed and being used as a pawn by Victoria.
I hope we get to see Fred someday. He seems like a really interesting character and it seems like if Stephenie Meyer chooses to continue the Saga, even as a spin off, we might get to see him; as per Bree's last words to Edward- "Be nice to him, please."
This novella does make me question that had Bree survived what would it be like for the Cullens? Would they take her in? Taught her? Would she go to Fred? Or would the two join the Cullens someday, if not join, then live like the Cullens on their own? Sadly, we'll never find out.
This novella is much darker than the rest of The Twilight Saga but it's so full of energy, plot, character and personality it makes it worth reading. To those who usually after reading Eclipse go straight to Breaking Dawn, I highly recommend reading Bree's story. Look, she is a character that we read about in only a chapter but even dead she's so full of life.
I loved her personality, her story and her tragic end.
It was so great to see the newborns in a darker limelight compared to how we see Bella in Breaking Dawn. While Bella is a bit boring (in the vampire sense), Bree is more on action. We see her struggle, the fire consumes her, we also see her betrayed and being used as a pawn by Victoria.
I hope we get to see Fred someday. He seems like a really interesting character and it seems like if Stephenie Meyer chooses to continue the Saga, even as a spin off, we might get to see him; as per Bree's last words to Edward- "Be nice to him, please."
This novella does make me question that had Bree survived what would it be like for the Cullens? Would they take her in? Taught her? Would she go to Fred? Or would the two join the Cullens someday, if not join, then live like the Cullens on their own? Sadly, we'll never find out.
June 22, 2010
To be fair, I think if you are a fan of Stephenie Meyer and all her books (including The Host and Breaking Dawn), you will enjoy this novella too. Alas, I am not. Gone are the days when I used to be entranced by the Twilight Saga. I have to give credit to SM for introducing me to the genre of paranormal fiction, but as I read more and more of it, it is getting more obvious how subpar her writing is.
I didn't finish this novella. I abandoned it because it was boring, one-note, lacked excitement, and very wordy without substance. Plus I couldn't stop myself from nitpicking (and it is always a bad sign):
1) Does any vampire actually ever go through a violent and horrific newborn phase Eddie used to warn Bella about on numerous occasions? Because nobody seems to have suffered through it in Victoria's gang, everyone appears to be very aware and at the same time with no sign of remorse or guilt (including Bree and Diego).
2) So, how exactly can you cover up disappearances of hundreds of vamp victims, even if they all are prostitutes and drug addicts?
3) Vampire kissy noises - stone on stone? Eww, and why, Bella, was it really like snogging a statue? And are bad vampires not allowed to go beyond 1st base? Because I don't think Victoria and Riley do, they prefer making vamp "kissy noises." The only reason I am asking this question is because of the portrayal of Cullens as sex-crazed-furniture-breaking nymphomaniacs in Breaking Dawn. Why should newborn teenage vampires be any different?
4) Seeing sparkles evidently causes instant "to-die-for" love?
5) To make vamps want to puke is another special vamp power, right?
6) A couple of 15- and 18-year old newborn vamps, when alone, talk about special BFF clubs, secret handshakes and being ninjas.
Well, I guess I have at least somewhat satisfied my curiosity - I wanted to know if my interest for Twilight could ever be revived. The answer is: No, it can't.
I didn't finish this novella. I abandoned it because it was boring, one-note, lacked excitement, and very wordy without substance. Plus I couldn't stop myself from nitpicking (and it is always a bad sign):
1) Does any vampire actually ever go through a violent and horrific newborn phase Eddie used to warn Bella about on numerous occasions? Because nobody seems to have suffered through it in Victoria's gang, everyone appears to be very aware and at the same time with no sign of remorse or guilt (including Bree and Diego).
2) So, how exactly can you cover up disappearances of hundreds of vamp victims, even if they all are prostitutes and drug addicts?
3) Vampire kissy noises - stone on stone? Eww, and why, Bella, was it really like snogging a statue? And are bad vampires not allowed to go beyond 1st base? Because I don't think Victoria and Riley do, they prefer making vamp "kissy noises." The only reason I am asking this question is because of the portrayal of Cullens as sex-crazed-furniture-breaking nymphomaniacs in Breaking Dawn. Why should newborn teenage vampires be any different?
4) Seeing sparkles evidently causes instant "to-die-for" love?
5) To make vamps want to puke is another special vamp power, right?
6) A couple of 15- and 18-year old newborn vamps, when alone, talk about special BFF clubs, secret handshakes and being ninjas.
Well, I guess I have at least somewhat satisfied my curiosity - I wanted to know if my interest for Twilight could ever be revived. The answer is: No, it can't.
December 7, 2014
4 poignantly, tragically, thought provoking stars!!
I want to say, right up front, that I hadn’t planned to read this book because those of us who read the entire Twilight Saga already know that things don’t turn out well for Bree Tanner. She played a very, very minor role in the book, Eclipse - I don’t even think she appeared in more than 2 pages - so, why read something about a character I cared very little about and already knew the outcome of?
Well, one day I went to my mailbox and there was a package from my dear friend and fellow Twilight fan, Dee, and inside was my very own copy of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. I was excited and touched by her thoughtfulness and realized that my fate was sealed! I would be reading Bree’s story, after all.
I’ll be honest, the first 50 pages or so seemed rather ho-hum to me, and I've decided that's because I began this book dreading the outcome. Once I wrapped my mind around reading this for the story as it related to Victoria’s army of newborn vampires, I couldn’t put it down. I’m not going to go into the plot, because frankly, if you've read Eclipse you won't need details, and if you haven’t read Eclipse, you’ll not understand what the point of this book is, and it would take way too long to explain.
What stands out most to me about Bree’s story is how all of the newborns were manipulated. It made me think of charismatic leaders around the world — political, religious, corporate or yes, even vampire — and how much influence they have over the people who are dependent on them, because if you can convince someone or some group that they need you, that you’re only looking out for their best interest and that life without you as their leader would be filled with pain and anguish, possibly even death… you’d have absolute control over them.
Such was the case with the newborn vampires, and when looking at them in this light - as people violently torn from humanity and forced into a new way of life which they nothing about – were literally newborns and dependent on someone else for their survival — I found myself actually feeling sorry for them. I started wondering about the families who are missing them, what kind of people they would have been had they lived out their human lives. So what started out being a dreaded read, became one that really made me think about life and those we trust to lead us.
And for the first time since reading Eclipse, I wished with all my heart that things could have been different for Bree Tanner.
October 8, 2020
And that's what you call a novella.
Poignantly written, Bree is a character that I warmed up to real fast.
This book is heartbreaking for the helplessness rendered by the Volturi.
Moved and seized me until I got to the end.
A worthy addition to the series.
5 stars!
Don't watch, the redheaded mind reader whispered.
Poignantly written, Bree is a character that I warmed up to real fast.
This book is heartbreaking for the helplessness rendered by the Volturi.
Moved and seized me until I got to the end.
A worthy addition to the series.
5 stars!
September 6, 2023
It would've been so cool if there was a shadowed hour-glass on every page, with the upper bulb being full on the first and then depleting as you near the end of the novel until it's empty on the last page. For once, the illustration on the cover coincides with the story. I still have no idea why there's an apple on the cover of Twilight.
Okay, I think I should give a heads-up for people planning to read this book, whether you liked Twilight or not. It's not my favorite series, personally, but I thought, hey, since Bree was just a very small character in eclipse it might be kind of interesting to read her story. You know, actually, when I reached that part in Eclipse I was kindof hoping the Cullens would adopt Bree. It would've been nice to have a new character that would be most certain to make horrible mistakes (and not the bumbling idiotic mistakes Bella makes, but justified ones), but now I realise Meyer was just trying to stay true to the nature of the Volturi by killing off Bree.
One of the only things she's managed to do right.
I did not like this book.
You'd think, by writing from a crazed newborn's perspective, Meyer would move away a bit from her usual writing style. All her protagonists so far (Wanderer, Bella, now Bree) have nothing between them I can deferentiate with. That is, they are all the same person. Meyer should work on character-originality. I mean come on, she's gonna bore us to death if she does this again. I'm not saying this book was superficial; Bree is smarter than Bella. But that's just it. She's smart. She's a more civilized newborn than the others. Sure, she can't control her thirst, but she can think for herself. I saw no difference between her adjusting to the vampire life and Bella when she was first blooded (er, sorry, that's a Darren Shan term I got used to), except that Bree wasn't feeling guilty about trying not to harm humans, of course. She's just smart about it. She and Diego. And that's another thing; she only spends like a day with the guy and already they're comfortable enough to kiss (well, he kissed her).
Near the end we reach the scene when the Cullens are facing the newborns. That was a disappointment. Don't know if I'm spoiling or not, but the missing fight scene in Eclipse between the rest of the Cullens and the newborns is missing in this book too. That is, it happened, and Bree was there, but she took no part in it. She was looking for Diego. Stephenie Meyer seems to be afraid of making decent fight scenes. I mean, apparently the newborns fight alot amongst themselves, but the ripping off limbs thing can get pretty boring. As it is normal for Bree.
True to its name, this book is pretty short, only around 170 pages or so. And maybe now I should just give you guys a summary so you can understand what I'm talking about*spoiler alert!**spoiler alert!*:
Basically, the newborns live with Riley, who keeps them in order, and they are ignorant. They believe the old myths, about the sun burning them (which is the way it should be if you ask me, none of that sparkle stuff!) and the stake through the heart thing, and they know nothing about Victoria and only refer to her as her. Diego and Bree befriend each other while hiding out in a cave underwater waiting for the sun to go down, and they start questioning some of the things they've been told. Diego 'experiments', and finds out that the sun really doesn't burn at all. So um, they want to go tell Riley, in case he doesn't already know, and they overhear him and Victoria talking with the Volturi (whom they know nothing about); turns out Jane wants Victoria to defeat the Cullens, and gives her five days to prepare the newborns before she wipes them out. So Diego waits up for Riley and Bree goes back to the house, and Riley comes home without Diego, and he starts training the newborns, who even when the time finally comes to fight the Cullens are too disorganized to do anything (he feeds them this lie that once every four years the sun can't hurt them so that they'll go outside). And, well, you know the rest. Bree doesn't see the wolves because Jasper has her eyes and ears closed after she surrenders. She thinks they're another breed of vampire. Here is where you can really sympathize with Bree whilst comparing her to the Cullens because she really doesn't know anything about vampire life. And, as you know, she never will.
And that's basically it. I mean, it was interesting, but good for an online short than an actual book. It wasn't worth my time. I got a massive headache when I'd finished.
P.s: no more vampires for me! I'm sick of all the blood. Between Twilight Saga and the Saga of Darren Shan, I'd go with Darren Shan for true vampire lovers (I repeat, VAMPIRE lovers, not VAMPIRE ROMANCE lovers). I mean, atleast the vampires in there are not totally perfect in every way, and they can grow older and be killed.
P.p.s: Okay, okay, you guys can stop telling me what the book cover of Twilight signifies, as you might've noticed I've received a billion comments chastizing my ignorance. In any case, I don't think it's at all fair to Adam and Eve to compare Bella and Edward to them.
Okay, I think I should give a heads-up for people planning to read this book, whether you liked Twilight or not. It's not my favorite series, personally, but I thought, hey, since Bree was just a very small character in eclipse it might be kind of interesting to read her story. You know, actually, when I reached that part in Eclipse I was kindof hoping the Cullens would adopt Bree. It would've been nice to have a new character that would be most certain to make horrible mistakes (and not the bumbling idiotic mistakes Bella makes, but justified ones), but now I realise Meyer was just trying to stay true to the nature of the Volturi by killing off Bree.
One of the only things she's managed to do right.
I did not like this book.
You'd think, by writing from a crazed newborn's perspective, Meyer would move away a bit from her usual writing style. All her protagonists so far (Wanderer, Bella, now Bree) have nothing between them I can deferentiate with. That is, they are all the same person. Meyer should work on character-originality. I mean come on, she's gonna bore us to death if she does this again. I'm not saying this book was superficial; Bree is smarter than Bella. But that's just it. She's smart. She's a more civilized newborn than the others. Sure, she can't control her thirst, but she can think for herself. I saw no difference between her adjusting to the vampire life and Bella when she was first blooded (er, sorry, that's a Darren Shan term I got used to), except that Bree wasn't feeling guilty about trying not to harm humans, of course. She's just smart about it. She and Diego. And that's another thing; she only spends like a day with the guy and already they're comfortable enough to kiss (well, he kissed her).
Near the end we reach the scene when the Cullens are facing the newborns. That was a disappointment. Don't know if I'm spoiling or not, but the missing fight scene in Eclipse between the rest of the Cullens and the newborns is missing in this book too. That is, it happened, and Bree was there, but she took no part in it. She was looking for Diego. Stephenie Meyer seems to be afraid of making decent fight scenes. I mean, apparently the newborns fight alot amongst themselves, but the ripping off limbs thing can get pretty boring. As it is normal for Bree.
True to its name, this book is pretty short, only around 170 pages or so. And maybe now I should just give you guys a summary so you can understand what I'm talking about*spoiler alert!**spoiler alert!*:
Basically, the newborns live with Riley, who keeps them in order, and they are ignorant. They believe the old myths, about the sun burning them (which is the way it should be if you ask me, none of that sparkle stuff!) and the stake through the heart thing, and they know nothing about Victoria and only refer to her as her. Diego and Bree befriend each other while hiding out in a cave underwater waiting for the sun to go down, and they start questioning some of the things they've been told. Diego 'experiments', and finds out that the sun really doesn't burn at all. So um, they want to go tell Riley, in case he doesn't already know, and they overhear him and Victoria talking with the Volturi (whom they know nothing about); turns out Jane wants Victoria to defeat the Cullens, and gives her five days to prepare the newborns before she wipes them out. So Diego waits up for Riley and Bree goes back to the house, and Riley comes home without Diego, and he starts training the newborns, who even when the time finally comes to fight the Cullens are too disorganized to do anything (he feeds them this lie that once every four years the sun can't hurt them so that they'll go outside). And, well, you know the rest. Bree doesn't see the wolves because Jasper has her eyes and ears closed after she surrenders. She thinks they're another breed of vampire. Here is where you can really sympathize with Bree whilst comparing her to the Cullens because she really doesn't know anything about vampire life. And, as you know, she never will.
And that's basically it. I mean, it was interesting, but good for an online short than an actual book. It wasn't worth my time. I got a massive headache when I'd finished.
P.s: no more vampires for me! I'm sick of all the blood. Between Twilight Saga and the Saga of Darren Shan, I'd go with Darren Shan for true vampire lovers (I repeat, VAMPIRE lovers, not VAMPIRE ROMANCE lovers). I mean, atleast the vampires in there are not totally perfect in every way, and they can grow older and be killed.
P.p.s: Okay, okay, you guys can stop telling me what the book cover of Twilight signifies, as you might've noticed I've received a billion comments chastizing my ignorance. In any case, I don't think it's at all fair to Adam and Eve to compare Bella and Edward to them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2024
"It all seemed so inevitable now."
Seeing a 3.5 rating on this book makes me wonder if we all read the same book. Mostly because if this book stood alone with no other context, I would still give it five stars. Let me tell you why.
Bree Tanner is one of my favorite side characters ever written. Even when we only had context about her from Eclipse, I was so compelled by her surrender and her courage. I remember the day S. Meyer announced this short story and how ecstatic I was to get my hands on it. All we see in the world of Twilight are the good vampires. The only vampire head we get to be in is one with super self-control. I loved getting to be inside one that wants to be good, but can't fight the bloodlust thirst creates.
I love that Bree is figuring out this world as much as Bella is, but with the very large difference that Bella learns slowly and Bree was thrust into it. From the sun, to the Volturi, to kindness, and gifts, and respect... it breaks my heart that she didn't get to learn absolutely everything about her new existence. I love that she wanted to learn and be better, and I hate that she never got her chance to be something other than hungry.
Now let me tell you why I love it in it's connection to the series.
There are three things that are consistent in every single Twilight book: Carlisle being the kindest vampire ever known, soulmates, and the idea of what you hear vs what you see. That doesn't change even a little bit in this novella.
Bree refers to Carlisle as "the vampire with kind eyes" as well as "gentle vampire" and every time I read those explanations all I can do is sigh in contentment. She's so protective of him when Jasper comes up to Carlisle to threaten her life. She's the one being threatened and she's worried for Carlisle, and I think that's something that just should not be looked over. I love that no matter what book you're reading or who is talking, it always gets said by someone that Carlisle is to be trusted, to be respected and to be fought for. Breaking Dawn wouldn't exist without Carlisle, and I feel so lucky that he's been a part of my life for so long.
I wish Bree had gotten to know him better.
Soulmates. I've been theorizing about S Meyer's soulmates for about as long as I've been reading these books and one thing remains absolutely consistent across all six books in this world: scent. A mate's scent is more prominent than any other. And if you follow that thought, you realize that Bella smells strongest to Edward, and Edward's honeysuckle scene is stronger for her. You see that Emmett had the same issue with scent a few times because in each generation you have a soulmate, and him choosing Rose every time makes their love all the sweeter. I'm sure it's across the board, and with Edward and Bella there are hundreds of references to it, but in this case.... there are two very specific details to support this.
The first is that Bree is so attuned to Diego's scent even though they'd spent less than 24 hours together. I am absolutely positive that they would have had such a happy existence if they weren't in the middle of Victoria's scheming, simply for their scenting alone. Second, the fact that Fred's gift is so make himself less appealing. I'm positive that in the wake of this story, we would have come to find Bree and Fred knowing each other's scents perfectly as well. And Bree would be the only person in the world to know Fred's. More soulmateism at it's finest.
I think Stephenie Meyer is a genius, and I continue to hope that Fred will show up sometime in the future so that Edward could keep his promise of finding him and keeping him safe for Bree.
And then the what you hear vs what you see" plot line. Throughout the Twilight series, we have several different antagonists. The largest being the Volturi, painted as the police of the vampire world. I love that in this book, we see the dynamic change through Bree's eyes. It changes the focus, and leads so perfectly into Breaking Dawn. I love that Bree comes to realize the villains in her story are the heroes, while the side she was on were not. I love that she so easily accepts that she was on the wrong side, and doesn't excuse her actions. I love that she died nobly, protecting the vampires she was made to kill. I still believe I just don't know enough about her. I wish her second life wasn't so short.
I wish everyone loved Bree Tanner as much as I do.
Seeing a 3.5 rating on this book makes me wonder if we all read the same book. Mostly because if this book stood alone with no other context, I would still give it five stars. Let me tell you why.
Bree Tanner is one of my favorite side characters ever written. Even when we only had context about her from Eclipse, I was so compelled by her surrender and her courage. I remember the day S. Meyer announced this short story and how ecstatic I was to get my hands on it. All we see in the world of Twilight are the good vampires. The only vampire head we get to be in is one with super self-control. I loved getting to be inside one that wants to be good, but can't fight the bloodlust thirst creates.
I love that Bree is figuring out this world as much as Bella is, but with the very large difference that Bella learns slowly and Bree was thrust into it. From the sun, to the Volturi, to kindness, and gifts, and respect... it breaks my heart that she didn't get to learn absolutely everything about her new existence. I love that she wanted to learn and be better, and I hate that she never got her chance to be something other than hungry.
Now let me tell you why I love it in it's connection to the series.
There are three things that are consistent in every single Twilight book: Carlisle being the kindest vampire ever known, soulmates, and the idea of what you hear vs what you see. That doesn't change even a little bit in this novella.
Bree refers to Carlisle as "the vampire with kind eyes" as well as "gentle vampire" and every time I read those explanations all I can do is sigh in contentment. She's so protective of him when Jasper comes up to Carlisle to threaten her life. She's the one being threatened and she's worried for Carlisle, and I think that's something that just should not be looked over. I love that no matter what book you're reading or who is talking, it always gets said by someone that Carlisle is to be trusted, to be respected and to be fought for. Breaking Dawn wouldn't exist without Carlisle, and I feel so lucky that he's been a part of my life for so long.
I wish Bree had gotten to know him better.
Soulmates. I've been theorizing about S Meyer's soulmates for about as long as I've been reading these books and one thing remains absolutely consistent across all six books in this world: scent. A mate's scent is more prominent than any other. And if you follow that thought, you realize that Bella smells strongest to Edward, and Edward's honeysuckle scene is stronger for her. You see that Emmett had the same issue with scent a few times because in each generation you have a soulmate, and him choosing Rose every time makes their love all the sweeter. I'm sure it's across the board, and with Edward and Bella there are hundreds of references to it, but in this case.... there are two very specific details to support this.
The first is that Bree is so attuned to Diego's scent even though they'd spent less than 24 hours together. I am absolutely positive that they would have had such a happy existence if they weren't in the middle of Victoria's scheming, simply for their scenting alone. Second, the fact that Fred's gift is so make himself less appealing. I'm positive that in the wake of this story, we would have come to find Bree and Fred knowing each other's scents perfectly as well. And Bree would be the only person in the world to know Fred's. More soulmateism at it's finest.
I think Stephenie Meyer is a genius, and I continue to hope that Fred will show up sometime in the future so that Edward could keep his promise of finding him and keeping him safe for Bree.
And then the what you hear vs what you see" plot line. Throughout the Twilight series, we have several different antagonists. The largest being the Volturi, painted as the police of the vampire world. I love that in this book, we see the dynamic change through Bree's eyes. It changes the focus, and leads so perfectly into Breaking Dawn. I love that Bree comes to realize the villains in her story are the heroes, while the side she was on were not. I love that she so easily accepts that she was on the wrong side, and doesn't excuse her actions. I love that she died nobly, protecting the vampires she was made to kill. I still believe I just don't know enough about her. I wish her second life wasn't so short.
I wish everyone loved Bree Tanner as much as I do.
June 24, 2010
We went traveling through the upper end of North Queensland once as a family. We came to one of those strange, small-town, out-of-the-way places for a quick bird study tour with my scientist uncle. The place's claim to fame was that it also housed a giant mango. Yes. You heard me right. A giant, massive replica of a mango. Within the giant mango was an ice cream shop.
Nobody could explain to us why there was a giant mango or why the giant mango has somehow spawned an icecream parlor from its bowels like it was grotesquely pregnant and in the process of some sick, monstrous fruit/shop labor.
Reading Bree Tanner was a little like that.
It was something that didn't make sense, from a series that was much bigger than it should have been and in the end, nobody could properly explain its existence to me.
I asked my Twilight friends why it had been published and their nonchalant, disinterested shrug was almost identical to those crazy North Queenslanders with their giant mango.
Glad I didn't pay money for it. Couldn't be bothered finishing it and at least the freakishly large mango gave me ice cream. This just gave me a headache.
Nobody could explain to us why there was a giant mango or why the giant mango has somehow spawned an icecream parlor from its bowels like it was grotesquely pregnant and in the process of some sick, monstrous fruit/shop labor.
Reading Bree Tanner was a little like that.
It was something that didn't make sense, from a series that was much bigger than it should have been and in the end, nobody could properly explain its existence to me.
I asked my Twilight friends why it had been published and their nonchalant, disinterested shrug was almost identical to those crazy North Queenslanders with their giant mango.
Glad I didn't pay money for it. Couldn't be bothered finishing it and at least the freakishly large mango gave me ice cream. This just gave me a headache.
July 2, 2010
Opening Line: "The newspaper headline glared at me from a little vending machine: SEATTLE UNDER SEIGE--DEATH TOLL RISES AGAIN."
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this, I mean Bree's character only has a tiny part in Stephanie Meyers Twilight world so she and the rest of the newborns can’t really have much of a story to tell can they? Well as it turns out the answer is Yes. At 178 pages this novella manages to also give up some new revelations regarding Jane and the "dark cloaks" (Volturi) -jeez, that Jane is evil! And I absolutely loved seeing Carlisle, Jasper, Bella and “the red headed mind reader” from an outsider’s perspective.
There was more violence here then I would have expected from Meyer, as the newborns pillage Seattle and dispose of their drained food sources. I was also freaked out by a scene involving the armies seizure of a passenger ferry in the Puget Sound and the insuring carnage as the dine on their human buffet (I live on an island in the pacific northwest) We are also introduced to a couple of fantastic new characters; Diego as Bree’s love interest and in particular Freaky Fred, who I really hope to read about again someday. Because we all know the outcome there is a building level of suspense throughout the story. And as the inevitable Eclipse battle approached I found myself wishing for a different ending to Bree’s short second life as I'd come to genuinely care about her which I believe was Meyer's point.
Bree Tanner can barely remember a life before the relentless burning thirst took over. Now as a newborn Vampire this 15 year old runaway lives a precarious existence, trying not to draw attention to herself while her and her fellow newborns fight amongst themselves, killing each other as often as their prey. Her only other constants would be Riley, who as their leader the army follows submissively and without question and a horrifying creator known only as "her".
After 3 months Bree finds an unexpected friend in Diego when the pair discover that they can in fact go out in the daylight without turning into a pile of ash (a stake through the heart is pretty useless too) They quickly begin to wonder what else Riley’s been lying about and question his agenda as a whole. However as their friendship blossoms Bree and Diego soon realize that they’re nothing but pawns in a war that has little to do with them. But when everything you know about yourself as a vampire is based on a lie how do you find out the truth, who do you trust and how do you get yourself free?
With such an insignificant character like Bree getting her story told I realized that the novella possibilities here are endless. Now if we could only convince Stephanie Meyer to finally finish Midnight Sun. *sigh*
"Don't watch" the redheaded mind reader whispered. I closed my eyes."
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this, I mean Bree's character only has a tiny part in Stephanie Meyers Twilight world so she and the rest of the newborns can’t really have much of a story to tell can they? Well as it turns out the answer is Yes. At 178 pages this novella manages to also give up some new revelations regarding Jane and the "dark cloaks" (Volturi) -jeez, that Jane is evil! And I absolutely loved seeing Carlisle, Jasper, Bella and “the red headed mind reader” from an outsider’s perspective.
There was more violence here then I would have expected from Meyer, as the newborns pillage Seattle and dispose of their drained food sources. I was also freaked out by a scene involving the armies seizure of a passenger ferry in the Puget Sound and the insuring carnage as the dine on their human buffet (I live on an island in the pacific northwest) We are also introduced to a couple of fantastic new characters; Diego as Bree’s love interest and in particular Freaky Fred, who I really hope to read about again someday. Because we all know the outcome there is a building level of suspense throughout the story. And as the inevitable Eclipse battle approached I found myself wishing for a different ending to Bree’s short second life as I'd come to genuinely care about her which I believe was Meyer's point.
Bree Tanner can barely remember a life before the relentless burning thirst took over. Now as a newborn Vampire this 15 year old runaway lives a precarious existence, trying not to draw attention to herself while her and her fellow newborns fight amongst themselves, killing each other as often as their prey. Her only other constants would be Riley, who as their leader the army follows submissively and without question and a horrifying creator known only as "her".
After 3 months Bree finds an unexpected friend in Diego when the pair discover that they can in fact go out in the daylight without turning into a pile of ash (a stake through the heart is pretty useless too) They quickly begin to wonder what else Riley’s been lying about and question his agenda as a whole. However as their friendship blossoms Bree and Diego soon realize that they’re nothing but pawns in a war that has little to do with them. But when everything you know about yourself as a vampire is based on a lie how do you find out the truth, who do you trust and how do you get yourself free?
With such an insignificant character like Bree getting her story told I realized that the novella possibilities here are endless. Now if we could only convince Stephanie Meyer to finally finish Midnight Sun. *sigh*
"Don't watch" the redheaded mind reader whispered. I closed my eyes."
April 12, 2020
Recently read this novella and the rest of the series for the first time and forgot to update here on Goodreads. My full review of this book can be found at the end of my review for Eclipse: https://youtu.be/Cwy5_fV9wus
June 30, 2010
4 stars – Vampire/Young Adult
This provided a nice Twilight Saga fix while waiting impatiently for the "Eclipse" movie to come out, and I enjoyed Bree's alternate viewpoint and insight into the army of newborn vampires that battle against the Cullens.
But I think I speak for a large majority of Twilight fans that what we really want is for Ms. Meyer to move past her hurt feelings and wounded pride and just finish Midnight Sun, darnit! Seriously, the Meyer the Martyr routine is getting a little old and continuing to punish and deprive her loyal fans of what we want most just makes her seem a bit immature and petty, IMO.
This provided a nice Twilight Saga fix while waiting impatiently for the "Eclipse" movie to come out, and I enjoyed Bree's alternate viewpoint and insight into the army of newborn vampires that battle against the Cullens.
But I think I speak for a large majority of Twilight fans that what we really want is for Ms. Meyer to move past her hurt feelings and wounded pride and just finish Midnight Sun, darnit! Seriously, the Meyer the Martyr routine is getting a little old and continuing to punish and deprive her loyal fans of what we want most just makes her seem a bit immature and petty, IMO.
June 16, 2024
Welcome to my re-read of the Vampire Saga Twilight! 🍎It’s been nearly two decades since this series sparkled its way into Twi-hard-fans hearts. 🥰 To make this re-read more interesting- I’ll be listening to: Unbitten: A Journey through the Twilight Saga on Spotify. 🎧 SPOILER ALERT: I will be updating this review as I tackle the books, podcast and movies- highlighting my favorite takeaways along the way. So, if you’re unfamiliar with this saga- and plan on reading it- don’t read further than here 👈
📚This short story of how the new vampire army was formed is honestly great. It’s tragically sad.
🎧Podcast Episodes 68 & 69: The split decisions that if Bree had made, she could’ve been okay. The glimpse of characters that you want to know more about.
A great novella, that helps explain another POV of Eclipse. The whole world is classic in its own way.
📚This short story of how the new vampire army was formed is honestly great. It’s tragically sad.
🎧Podcast Episodes 68 & 69: The split decisions that if Bree had made, she could’ve been okay. The glimpse of characters that you want to know more about.
A great novella, that helps explain another POV of Eclipse. The whole world is classic in its own way.
July 31, 2010
I know, I know. This book had police caution tape all around it warning me not to read. I wasn’t surprised that it was as bad as it is. Actually, I think that this book provides a good example of one of the central weaknesses of Stephenie Meyer’s books. I heard someone say the other day that the purpose of art is to make people feel. I know, doi, but I had never looked that one in the face before. Meyer spends most of her time, in all of her books, trying to cushion the reader from really feeling anything.
It makes sense that she does this, since her writing started from what sounds to me like a sort of limited self-counseling exercise. And, I think this is why her other books worked so spectacularly for me when they did – I already had so many feelings going on about so many different things that I was looking for comfort, not art. I think that’s also why they work for teenagers, whose emotions are an alternative energy source that I’m convinced could power the world. (The fact that they’re left in disuse is obviously some big oil conspiracy.) Her books are a fake, plastic world with fake, simple people. Her plots are driven by basic motivations and superpowers. I love it.
Here, though, it worked out pretty unfortunately. You could feel that Meyer was writing it because her teacher assigned it to her and the due date had passed. In her introduction, she goes to great lengths to warn the reader that she might be forced to feel something at the end of the book; there was just no way for Meyer to get around it. It’s uncomfortable. This is another example of Meyer being unable to handle any of her characters winding up unhappy. I’m not complaining about that, necessarily, because I generally find it pretty funny in a sit-com kind of way. But in this case, I needed her to suck it up.
The rest of this review will contain spoilers, but if you’ve read Eclipse, as Ms. Meyer points out in the introduction, you already know about the timely (or untimely, if you consider how long and drawn out it is) end of Bree. Basically, the story breaks down into three parts:
Act 1: The Cheeseburger of Pain. This is where Meyer is at her best. Two vaguely shallow high school kids with vaguely tragic pasts find each other and fall in love because they’re vaguely speshul. She describes their attraction in a style poignantly reminiscent of LOLcats (see thread* below). Also, they’re vampires. This is what I love in Meyer. It’s something that is both the easiest thing and the most impossible thing to make fun of because it’s already there making fun of itself. It is everything shallow in culture, and so it is absolutely beautiful. It is its own caricature.
Act 2: The Metaphor of the Cave. This is where Meyer is on shaky ground - in consciously or unconsciously referencing other canonical works of writing. The title of the book, for example, is a major problem. Why would you rip off the title of one of the greatest short stories of the English language for a high school vampire romance? That is a problem. I feel genuine emotion when I think of The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber, so you can’t just reference it flippantly. The title hurts my feelings a little bit. If she was genuinely and respectfully using the Macomber story, then great, but I can’t figure a way that’s happening here.
Anyway, what she is using (and it appears that she’s using it unconsciously, but maybe not) is Plato's metaphor of the cave:
So, the premise of the story is that there are all these baby campires that an eeeevil campire is turning into a campire army. In the Twilight world, if you didn’t already know, vamps don’t dust if they go into sunlight, but they do get sparkly. BUT, the evil campire told the babes that they will dust if they go into the light. So, they all believe this until they discover it’s not true in a very metaphor-of-the-cave kind of way. It’s funny, but also not, so it left me with an awkward neutral feeling. The cave was sitting right there, waiting to be referenced, but Meyer never explicitly did, and the revelation about sparkling didn’t turn into a metaphor for life. It fell a little flat.
Act 3: Finding Forrester. There are, as I may have already ranted to you, so many reasons to be embarrassed for Gus Van Sant. Not the least of these reasons is the movie Finding Forrester. Because Finding Forrester is a perfectly fine movie, EXCEPT that it is exactly the same as Good Will Hunting, a movie that Gus Van Sant ALREADY made! That is so not okay. I actually think Van Sant has a lot of decent movie-making skills, but these choices he makes are so embarrassing to me. So, that’s what the last third of Bree Tanner is. It’s a recap of the end of Eclipse, but mostly in slo mo. It’s truly boring. It would have made so much sense to end this book after the cave metaphor. The repeat ending wasn’t revelatory, but more like explaining a joke. If we didn’t make the connections, then explaining it isn’t going to help.
Overall, I’d say go see the new Eclipse movie instead. That movie pretty neatly combines what this book has to say with what Eclipse has to say and is totally watchable, imho. It even has some great John Hughes moments, and I felt like it was laughing with me, not crying while I was laughing at it. If you can manage it, go when there are about 100 13-year-old girls in the theater, too. The swooning is a really important part of the Twilight experience.
* The thread that happened before I actually read this book ends at comment 113, fyi. All future comments will be equally loved and appreciated.
It makes sense that she does this, since her writing started from what sounds to me like a sort of limited self-counseling exercise. And, I think this is why her other books worked so spectacularly for me when they did – I already had so many feelings going on about so many different things that I was looking for comfort, not art. I think that’s also why they work for teenagers, whose emotions are an alternative energy source that I’m convinced could power the world. (The fact that they’re left in disuse is obviously some big oil conspiracy.) Her books are a fake, plastic world with fake, simple people. Her plots are driven by basic motivations and superpowers. I love it.
Here, though, it worked out pretty unfortunately. You could feel that Meyer was writing it because her teacher assigned it to her and the due date had passed. In her introduction, she goes to great lengths to warn the reader that she might be forced to feel something at the end of the book; there was just no way for Meyer to get around it. It’s uncomfortable. This is another example of Meyer being unable to handle any of her characters winding up unhappy. I’m not complaining about that, necessarily, because I generally find it pretty funny in a sit-com kind of way. But in this case, I needed her to suck it up.
The rest of this review will contain spoilers, but if you’ve read Eclipse, as Ms. Meyer points out in the introduction, you already know about the timely (or untimely, if you consider how long and drawn out it is) end of Bree. Basically, the story breaks down into three parts:
Act 1: The Cheeseburger of Pain. This is where Meyer is at her best. Two vaguely shallow high school kids with vaguely tragic pasts find each other and fall in love because they’re vaguely speshul. She describes their attraction in a style poignantly reminiscent of LOLcats (see thread* below). Also, they’re vampires. This is what I love in Meyer. It’s something that is both the easiest thing and the most impossible thing to make fun of because it’s already there making fun of itself. It is everything shallow in culture, and so it is absolutely beautiful. It is its own caricature.
Act 2: The Metaphor of the Cave. This is where Meyer is on shaky ground - in consciously or unconsciously referencing other canonical works of writing. The title of the book, for example, is a major problem. Why would you rip off the title of one of the greatest short stories of the English language for a high school vampire romance? That is a problem. I feel genuine emotion when I think of The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber, so you can’t just reference it flippantly. The title hurts my feelings a little bit. If she was genuinely and respectfully using the Macomber story, then great, but I can’t figure a way that’s happening here.
Anyway, what she is using (and it appears that she’s using it unconsciously, but maybe not) is Plato's metaphor of the cave:
So, the premise of the story is that there are all these baby campires that an eeeevil campire is turning into a campire army. In the Twilight world, if you didn’t already know, vamps don’t dust if they go into sunlight, but they do get sparkly. BUT, the evil campire told the babes that they will dust if they go into the light. So, they all believe this until they discover it’s not true in a very metaphor-of-the-cave kind of way. It’s funny, but also not, so it left me with an awkward neutral feeling. The cave was sitting right there, waiting to be referenced, but Meyer never explicitly did, and the revelation about sparkling didn’t turn into a metaphor for life. It fell a little flat.
Act 3: Finding Forrester. There are, as I may have already ranted to you, so many reasons to be embarrassed for Gus Van Sant. Not the least of these reasons is the movie Finding Forrester. Because Finding Forrester is a perfectly fine movie, EXCEPT that it is exactly the same as Good Will Hunting, a movie that Gus Van Sant ALREADY made! That is so not okay. I actually think Van Sant has a lot of decent movie-making skills, but these choices he makes are so embarrassing to me. So, that’s what the last third of Bree Tanner is. It’s a recap of the end of Eclipse, but mostly in slo mo. It’s truly boring. It would have made so much sense to end this book after the cave metaphor. The repeat ending wasn’t revelatory, but more like explaining a joke. If we didn’t make the connections, then explaining it isn’t going to help.
Overall, I’d say go see the new Eclipse movie instead. That movie pretty neatly combines what this book has to say with what Eclipse has to say and is totally watchable, imho. It even has some great John Hughes moments, and I felt like it was laughing with me, not crying while I was laughing at it. If you can manage it, go when there are about 100 13-year-old girls in the theater, too. The swooning is a really important part of the Twilight experience.
* The thread that happened before I actually read this book ends at comment 113, fyi. All future comments will be equally loved and appreciated.
June 9, 2010
RIP OFF! This was without doubt a cheap ploy to fleece money out of Twilight fans by throwing together some utter drivel about characters you don't give a rats ass about. The only interesting character was Fred, and the rest were a waste of space. Bree is nothing like the way newborns are talked about in the Twilight Saga(magically of course she is more restrained than they are...uh huh...). The so-called love story never even starts and the end scenes where Bree faces the Cullens is piss poor, badly written and a total anti-climax. The so-called 'shock' in the book was so obvious that I was just shaking my head!
Now I loved the Twilight books but this was pure rubbish and I certainly won't buy similar novellas in the shops again. I feel totally cheated and ripped off with this twaddle. Now I'm off over to readitswapit.co.uk to get something decent in its place!!!
Now I loved the Twilight books but this was pure rubbish and I certainly won't buy similar novellas in the shops again. I feel totally cheated and ripped off with this twaddle. Now I'm off over to readitswapit.co.uk to get something decent in its place!!!
June 12, 2010
Okay, I'm no longer curious. I'm bored out of my mind. I can't force myself to finish this novella before the movie.
New SM promise: I will not watch either Breaking Dawn movie.
Um, in the movie theater.
Unless someone makes me.
And I promise to put up a fight.
At least in my head.
And by making, I mean asking.
So... who's going to ask me?
I mean, it's got to be so bad it's good, right?
I am so morbidly curious about that one.
New SM promise: I will not watch either Breaking Dawn movie.
Um, in the movie theater.
Unless someone makes me.
And I promise to put up a fight.
At least in my head.
And by making, I mean asking.
So... who's going to ask me?
I mean, it's got to be so bad it's good, right?
I am so morbidly curious about that one.
September 27, 2017
Bree Tanner had a minor role in the Eclipse book from the Twilight Saga. In this novella, Bree’s story is told from her point-of-view during her short time as a newborn vampire. The story started off a bit on the slow side, but started picking up when it headed into familiar territory including the lead-up to, and subsequent showdown with the Cullens, and then the Volturi who decide Bree’s fate. I really enjoyed Bree’s fellow vampire friend, Fred. This book was an interesting curiosity in the Twilight Saga, and it was nice seeing part of the story told from another perspective.
February 5, 2017
I read the Twilight series back in High School, even before I knew the movies were coming out. I really liked the series but by the time this book came out I didn't want to go back and read another Twilight book, but for some reason now I wanted to. I am so glad I saved this book for many years later. I never re-read books unless I have to, so this was a great feeling of reading a Twilight book, but not re-reading anything I had previously read. I forgot how amazing Stephenie Meyer is at writing. She really draws great pictures in your head of what is going on, and she makes you feel exactly what her characters are feeling. I really need to read another book by her! I haven't read anything by her but the Twilight series.
I suggest this book to anyone that has read the Twilight series :)
I suggest this book to anyone that has read the Twilight series :)
February 16, 2016
This is a really fantastic novella! This was the first time I read the book and it definitely offered a really wonderful and interesting perspective that I absolutely loved. It was really well-crafted and absolutely sad (which was expected considering we know how the story must end). Fantastic addition to the series that I honestly think is better than both Twilight and Eclipse.
November 29, 2021
TW//
If you haven’t read this novella yet, I highly recommend reading it after Breaking Dawn. The author’s introduction to this novella spoiled a major plot point from Breaking Dawn.
I was very skeptical going into this novella. Bree was an extremely minor character in Eclipse and I didn’t much like her character in Eclipse. Her story is heartbreaking and she deserved a second chance, but I wasn’t a huge fan of Bree.
This novella was really interesting. The setting was really creative and well developed. I go to Seattle frequently because it’s where my relatives live and it’s a really fun city, so to see Seattle with this different lens and see how Stephenie wove vampires into Seattle was really cool.
The romance in this story was better in my opinion than Edward and Bella’s romance. It was insta-love, but it wasn’t a toxic relationship. It was of course between a minor and an adult because when is there ever a couple that’s the right age for each other in Stephenie Meyer’s books, but it was well written. They felt like a perfect fit for each other and they were so sweet with each other, which is what made this book even more heartbreaking.
The most surprising part for me about this book was Bree describing Edward’s hair as red nonstop. When the heck was his hair ever red? I’m so confused.
Overall this novella was a good read, but since it focused on characters that I wasn’t invested in, I didn’t love it as much as the previous three books in this series. The pacing was weird in spots and I felt like adding chapters into this novella would’ve helped with the pacing, but regardless this was still a pretty solid read that Twilight fans should check out.
If you haven’t read this novella yet, I highly recommend reading it after Breaking Dawn. The author’s introduction to this novella spoiled a major plot point from Breaking Dawn.
I was very skeptical going into this novella. Bree was an extremely minor character in Eclipse and I didn’t much like her character in Eclipse. Her story is heartbreaking and she deserved a second chance, but I wasn’t a huge fan of Bree.
This novella was really interesting. The setting was really creative and well developed. I go to Seattle frequently because it’s where my relatives live and it’s a really fun city, so to see Seattle with this different lens and see how Stephenie wove vampires into Seattle was really cool.
The romance in this story was better in my opinion than Edward and Bella’s romance. It was insta-love, but it wasn’t a toxic relationship. It was of course between a minor and an adult because when is there ever a couple that’s the right age for each other in Stephenie Meyer’s books, but it was well written. They felt like a perfect fit for each other and they were so sweet with each other, which is what made this book even more heartbreaking.
The most surprising part for me about this book was Bree describing Edward’s hair as red nonstop. When the heck was his hair ever red? I’m so confused.
Overall this novella was a good read, but since it focused on characters that I wasn’t invested in, I didn’t love it as much as the previous three books in this series. The pacing was weird in spots and I felt like adding chapters into this novella would’ve helped with the pacing, but regardless this was still a pretty solid read that Twilight fans should check out.
November 12, 2018
Puede que a grandes rasgos esta novela no aporte nada a la saga. Pero a mí me ha encantado conocer un poco más a Bree. Es una pena el final trágico que tuvo. V_V T_T
Creo que este es mi favorito hasta ahora. :D
Creo que este es mi favorito hasta ahora. :D
July 24, 2010
Short Second was like a so-so fanfiction that let allowed readers to jump back into a generic form of Twilight. You have barely constructed main characters, who in this case were Bree, newborn vampire of a couple months, and Diego, the obvious nomination for Bree’s love interest and companion. Is Diego Mexican? Does he speak Spanish? Did the author even pause to think that maybe, just maybe, readers would want to know a bit about the characters personalities, backgrounds, APPEARANCE? How do you read a book when you don’t know what the characters look like…ugh, moving on.
Why was Diego so different from the other vampires and wholeheartedly trusting of Bree? And why did he even survive as long as he did with this way of thinking? Did Meyer just think, Bree has to have a boyfriend, and since I’m on a hurry to grab a few extra bills, I’ll just make Diego a mindless idiot who instantly likes Bree?
And Bree, was she really that lonely? In one chapter she went from solo anti-social vamp, to swinging hands with some guy she just met… He was gorgeous though, so I’m told. He wasn’t exactly described so I can’t say for sure. Good looking brain-dead guy+ new lonely vampire girl= love in a couple of pages.
But I know what freaky Fred looks like! Stringy blonde hair down to his shoulders and really tall. He’s a minor character, but hey, I’ll take any descriptions that I can get.
(PS: Did Edward dye his hair? My fuzzy memory believes he had golden brown hair, not red. Hmm.)
As for all the revelations I was expecting to become common knowledge, zilch. Nada. My questions as to why these Twilight vamps sparkle, why newborns are so powerful, why there are voulturi, why Victoria’s newborns were so expandable…etc were not answered.
Short Second was basically just a half-*ssed short story that Meyer threw out and a publisher automatically stamped just because he knew it’d sell. Even I, a person who is capable of overlooking grammar and spelling mistakes, sighed at the many I found with every flip of the page….
There you have it. And from a fan, too. Tsk, tsk.
April 29, 2020
This book was... okay. I wouldn't say I really enjoyed it but I wouldn't say I hated it either, I'll give it a 2.5 because its right on the edge of I liked it and I didn't. It took me a bit to get into it and even then I wasn't nearly as invested as I was with the rest of the Twilight series. The characters had no detail or dept to them whatsoever and that really bothered me. I feel like this book could have been way better if there was more to it, it had no chapters in it at all and it felt very rushed. There really wasn't much to it. It was a very fast and very easy read though when I actually got myself to take the time and sit and read it. It's interesting to see things through Bree's point of view when it comes to Victoria and Riley but even then it wasn't all that exciting. This could also be because I had such high hopes for this book considering how much I loved the Twilight series. Maybe I just had to high of expectations for it?
October 27, 2017
Evidentemente, este es un libro hecho para los seguidores de la serie Crepúsculo. Si por algún misterio del destino cayera en manos de un lector que no ha leído la saga completa -o al menos hasta Eclipse-, no entendería nada.
La narración da por hecho que el lector conoce el entorno y los personajes que dan vida a esta historia y, en ese contexto, es una novela muy bien lograda, que entrega algunos detalles que enriquecen la historia completa. Además, uno logra encariñarse con el personaje de Bree y, tal como dice la autora en su introducción, cuanto más se acerca el inevitable final, más fuerte es el deseo de que Eclipse hubiera concluido de un modo sólo ligeramente distinto.
La narración da por hecho que el lector conoce el entorno y los personajes que dan vida a esta historia y, en ese contexto, es una novela muy bien lograda, que entrega algunos detalles que enriquecen la historia completa. Además, uno logra encariñarse con el personaje de Bree y, tal como dice la autora en su introducción, cuanto más se acerca el inevitable final, más fuerte es el deseo de que Eclipse hubiera concluido de un modo sólo ligeramente distinto.
August 13, 2015
I don't care what your thoughts about Twilight are. It will always have a special place in my heart because of all the memories connected to it.
September 20, 2019
god, this was completely unnecessary lol
July 17, 2010
(4 Stars)
(This review assumes one has read Eclipse)
I actually liked this a lot more than I thought I would! It certainly kept me engaged and was a quick read.
I am most definitely a fan of the Twilight series and the books will always be special to me. I have to say, though, that I wasn't super excited to read this novella by Stephenie Meyer on The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner, when I first heard about it. One, because I know how it ends…and well, it’s not a happy ending, which is what I’m all about. Two, I wasn't sure I really wanted to read about the burning thirst and struggle of a newborn vampire.
I admit to being a moody reader and I think this is a book you have to be in the “right” mood for. Having recently watched Eclipse, and enjoying the additions of the scenes of Riley and the newborns in the movie (which we don’t get a perspective of in the book, Eclipse), I was definitely in the right frame of mind to read this.
I appreciated getting this viewpoint of events that were behind-the-scenes in Eclipse, and I note some of the things in this book were included in the movie. It gave me a view into the creation and life of the newborn army, some insights into the Volturi, and a view of the Cullens and Bella from an outsider’s POV. Not only that, I got to see through red eyes! ... which was actually rather violent, at times, as you would expect. One scene, in particular (of a mass feeding) was quite upsetting, reading it through my human eyes - for obvious reasons! *shudders*
I really liked Bree, and Diego, and was intrigued by Fred (I definitely would have liked more Diego and Fred!). And there is really nothing more I can say without going into spoilers.
I will say, though, that I felt sad at the end, even knowing what would happen. But I also felt okay with it. Not only because it wasn’t unexpected, but because of how Bree approached the end. I will remember you, Bree, and I really wish things could have been different for you. Your life was not insignificant.
I know I sound nuts talking as if fictional characters are real! *LOL* But that’s what Stephenie Meyer’s writing/stories, while not brilliant literature, does for me. Her characters feel like real people and she makes me care about them (even one that seemed so inconsequential, like Bree, who we saw for but a brief moment in Bella’s life). And that’s the experience I look for in my reading.
“I hope you end up caring about Bree as much as I do, though that’s kind of a cruel wish. You know this: it doesn’t end well for her. But at least you will know the whole story. And that no perspective is ever really trivial.”
- Introduction by Stephenie Meyer, The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner.
I recommend this for fans of the series. And if you are a moody reader, like me, do yourself a favour and wait for the right “mood”. Though that's not to say that you will necessarily have a similar experience to me. After all, we all look through different eyes.
P.S. I wish the book had been divided up into chapters.
P.P.S. I’m still holding out for more of my beloved Edward’s perspective in Midnight Sun! ^_^
(This review assumes one has read Eclipse)
I actually liked this a lot more than I thought I would! It certainly kept me engaged and was a quick read.
I am most definitely a fan of the Twilight series and the books will always be special to me. I have to say, though, that I wasn't super excited to read this novella by Stephenie Meyer on The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner, when I first heard about it. One, because I know how it ends…and well, it’s not a happy ending, which is what I’m all about. Two, I wasn't sure I really wanted to read about the burning thirst and struggle of a newborn vampire.
I admit to being a moody reader and I think this is a book you have to be in the “right” mood for. Having recently watched Eclipse, and enjoying the additions of the scenes of Riley and the newborns in the movie (which we don’t get a perspective of in the book, Eclipse), I was definitely in the right frame of mind to read this.
I appreciated getting this viewpoint of events that were behind-the-scenes in Eclipse, and I note some of the things in this book were included in the movie. It gave me a view into the creation and life of the newborn army, some insights into the Volturi, and a view of the Cullens and Bella from an outsider’s POV. Not only that, I got to see through red eyes! ... which was actually rather violent, at times, as you would expect. One scene, in particular (of a mass feeding) was quite upsetting, reading it through my human eyes - for obvious reasons! *shudders*
I really liked Bree, and Diego, and was intrigued by Fred (I definitely would have liked more Diego and Fred!). And there is really nothing more I can say without going into spoilers.
I will say, though, that I felt sad at the end, even knowing what would happen. But I also felt okay with it. Not only because it wasn’t unexpected, but because of how Bree approached the end. I will remember you, Bree, and I really wish things could have been different for you. Your life was not insignificant.
I know I sound nuts talking as if fictional characters are real! *LOL* But that’s what Stephenie Meyer’s writing/stories, while not brilliant literature, does for me. Her characters feel like real people and she makes me care about them (even one that seemed so inconsequential, like Bree, who we saw for but a brief moment in Bella’s life). And that’s the experience I look for in my reading.
“I hope you end up caring about Bree as much as I do, though that’s kind of a cruel wish. You know this: it doesn’t end well for her. But at least you will know the whole story. And that no perspective is ever really trivial.”
- Introduction by Stephenie Meyer, The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner.
I recommend this for fans of the series. And if you are a moody reader, like me, do yourself a favour and wait for the right “mood”. Though that's not to say that you will necessarily have a similar experience to me. After all, we all look through different eyes.
P.S. I wish the book had been divided up into chapters.
P.P.S. I’m still holding out for more of my beloved Edward’s perspective in Midnight Sun! ^_^
June 5, 2010
Wasn't bad. Actually this was a good nod back to the days before this series picked up its awful stigma that it has now. I like to pretend the fourth book and the movies didn't happen--these books weren't so obnoxious back then.
The benefit of this book is you see how Riley and Victoria were controlling the newborn vampires--gets all the technical stuff out of the way and ties it all together nicely. 178 pages, it's a quick read. Not bad.
The benefit of this book is you see how Riley and Victoria were controlling the newborn vampires--gets all the technical stuff out of the way and ties it all together nicely. 178 pages, it's a quick read. Not bad.
August 28, 2020
Bu kitabı yazarak yazar kendine resmen hakaret etmiş. 2 kuruş fazla kazanmak için de bu kadar düşülmez yani. Başka önemli bir karakter olsa neyse de, Bree nedir ya? Victoria'yı falan yazsaydın bari.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 14,475 reviews