I’m usually very up-to-date with when authors that I read are releasing books. However, just in case a book sneaks up on me, I visit Angus and Robertson’s at least once a week to scop out new releases. (I don’t care if this isn’t a socially acceptable activity. Angus and Robertson’s is my happy place. Whenever I’m in a bad mood who ever I’m with warily suggests a trip to the store. Give me five minutes of inhaling new book smell and I’m smiley faced again.)
Despite my vigilance a book has in fact snuck up on me. On a walk past Angus and Robertson’s yesterday my mum was all “Hey! Look at that! A new Stephenie Meyer book!” Right she was. Thus I spent the good part of last night reading “The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner”.
I finished it this afternoon and I have mixed feelings about it. It’s written as an Eclipse novella and does a very good job at telling an unexpected side of the story. Following a largely marginal character through her own experiences of what it was like to be a new born vampire on a mission to destroy the Cullen’s. As can be expected from Stephenie Meyer the characterisation was excellent. Bree was very real and very easy to relate to.
However there were an equal number of things I didn’t like about it. Firstly there were no chapters. I can understand why they made that decision. It’s only about 200 pages and its set over a very short period of time. But it makes reading the story tedious. It would have benefited from being broken up into chapters. It lacked Meyer’s trade mark ambience. While I can accept that it was written in a different style to the Twilight series the language was dumb-ed down to a point that was a little insulting. I’m still very much in the intended age group, give us a break teenage girls understand words!
If you’re a Twilight fan I’d definitely suggest reading it. I feel a little disappointed though. Maybe Meyer could have focused her energy on finishing Midnight Sun? Because I’m literally salivating with the urge to read it.
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