I'm Going To Read The Entire Twilight Saga

I read these while I was on bed rest at the end of my first pregnancy. I thought they were fun and soapy read. Although they did make for some weird pregnancy dreams.

Traci CD

Anyone have an aspirin? A truth-bomb just exploded in my head...

Leslie Helwig

I've read and watched both the Twilight saga and 50 Shades of Grey when I was in my twenties because so many people talked about them and had strong opinions and that made me curious. I first saw the Twilight movies and thought "not the best, but it's really not as bad as people say". Then I read and watched 50 shades and thought "yeah this book totally sucked and the movie was only slightly better". And last I read the Twilight books and was like "oh, now I understand some things in 50 shades - they make sense for vampires". I actually found the Twilight books enjoyable and I think that had I read them as a teen I might have really liked them. They wouldn't have been my favourites because it's not a very interesting plot but I was into fantasy and romance as a teen and the charachters are a fair reprenentation of teenage feelings a.k.a. hormonal and dramatic. For the record, I'm Swedish so I don't have a lot of knowledge about mormons and american history.

Good luck! :D

Gerda Strobl

I highly encourage you to look at the website that the Burke Museum created in collaboration with the Quileute Tribe found here: https://www.burkemuseum.org/static/truth_vs_twilight/ Although there was definitely backlash to Twilight as a result of misogyny which deserves to be recognized for what it is, the way Stephenie Meyer exploited and misrepresented an actual First Nations tribe is inexcusable, and should not be glossed over for a Twilight Saga redemption arc. Meyer is also a member of the LDS Church, whose founders believed some incredibly racist things concerning First Nations people, whom they called, 'Lamanites.' The Atlantic did an article about the Church-sponsored, 'Indian Student Placement Program,' a few years back here: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/10/why-some-native-americans-are-suing-the-mormon-church/504944/ But that's really just the tip of the iceberg. The fact that Meyer decided to continue the church's history of exploitation of First Nations people in her own special way, whether she is aware of it or not, just adds a new insulting, harmful layer to the whole mess.

Briarwood

Good luck Dom!

I read a translated version of the series when I was like 12. I remember liking it, but also that it was a super fast read, as I tend to skim through things that bore me. When I now think about the concept, it looks amusing how while the vampires were written as a bunch of tortured souls who hates being turned into vampires (because... soul? or something? even for 12 yr old me that was no reason) but from the writing I got the vibe of "wouldn't it be cool to be a powerful angsty teenager forever though?" The emotional suffering coming from being a vampire feels like a "cool trait" the author gave her characters, as a part of the power fantasy. It's definitely not just a twilight thing too.

Iridium

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. I can’t wait!!!

Noria

Please don't let Lindsey Ellis inform you of your opinions. How you feel about something is entirely up to you.

SwamplingLvr

I was in college when I saw the first trailer for the movie. I wanted to try it because I heard that werewolves would be in it. I bought the series, read the first one hated Bella, could make it through the second for multiple reasons, and quickly sold all the books. If I want to give a positive, books like these are examples for writers to use on how not to write, characters and heavy topics with out some research.

MsSaiinu

I read these back when I was the right demographic. (Or thought I was. Not really IDing as a girl anymore but w/e) by the time the fourth one came out I was pretty over them. I’d enjoyed the first few, though was kinda disappointed by the plot twist in the second book since I’d come up with a way cooler one in my head as I was reading. Still own them though! I think something you said when you did the reviews of the Viking romance novels really struck me at the time, and will probably be relevant to you reviewing these books. No spoilers, but I’m sure you’ve heard the accusations folx have made towards them and can piece it together. They’re nowhere near as awful as 50 shades, so there’s that at least! They probably didn’t deserve the fame they got, but probably didn’t deserve the hate either.

That ending skit tho T_T

Maria Tostado

I've always likened the Twilight series to candy. It's yummy to some, yucky to some, and completely unappealing to the rest. But it's got no nutritional value, so you may feel guilty and hungry for quality content when you're done.

I very much liked your hairstyle in the photo you posted to twitter, but just realised in this video that your greenscreen fuzzes the edges a bit and makes it often look cut short instead of tied back! In any case, good luck with the matter at hand.

D.A.M. Nox

You poor dear. I couldn't get past the first page.

I guess Terrence is still settling into his new identity as a demigod after breaking all his wands.

Crescent Minor

'Murder mystery'? That's not a good librarian.

Crescent Minor

I actually read Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, and Meyer’s Twilight back to back this summer in an attempt critically examine how the figure of the European vampire changed through literature, and it was a fascinating comparison. People talk as if Meyer was the sole “ruiner” of vampires, but when put in historical context Edward is sort of the logical next step, or at least vampires like him. My favorite thing about rereading twilight in this way is how painfully and hilariously obvious it is that Bella and Edward are in fact teenager in their first ever relationship. When compared to Lestat and Louis who also had a dysfunctional relationship but are full grown adults, Bella and Edward’s problematic elements can sort of be boiled down to “oh god their, just 17.” It’s honestly a bit cathartic to read about characters who are written so unabashedly hormonal, make every mistake they possibly could, and contextualize every social encounter as the potential end of the world. It eased a bit of the guilt I have about my own dumb teenagers years.

And Terrence is going to miss it all. A pity, though I'm sure he had some pre-prepared 'Dom Reviews Twilight' material somewhere. Maybe Reginald knows?

douledamn

For me and my fellow patreons - YAAAAAY! For Dom - my condolences.

Denise D

I read it at about the right time of my life, and was even the target audience, and remember thinking, "Wow this is the second worst thing I've ever read." (The first being The Scarlet Letter, which has the honor of being the only book I took to the backyard and lit on fire when I was done with it.) I never actually finished the series, as my mother confiscated the books so I'd stop throwing them and denting the walls whenever I came across something especially egregious. But I was also 16 at the time and was not fully aware of how much worse a book could get. Are they they worst books in the world? Oh no. There are far worse. Was the hate directed at it excessive for what it was? Definitely. But I'd still never call them good books. Or mediocre books. They were still bad - badly plotted, badly characterized, badly written on a technical level, bad themes and implications. Just because worse exists doesn't excuse the problems of a series. But we are still looking forward to watching Dom suffer.

regina burks

As someone who read Twilight just to see how bad it was, I was pretty underwhelmed. I didn't think they were good but they definitely weren't awful. Sure the relationship dynamics are pretty toxic, but other than that I had a fun time reading it pretty much until halfway through Breaking Dawn when the very creepy stuff with Jacob happens. Like pretty much every average series that got massive popularity between the early 2000s-2010s I think it's only really hated because of how popular it became.

David Butt

I suspect you'll still find plenty to criticise. I only read the first two but there was plenty of problematic stuff. I was 15/16 with a best friend who was 13/14 who convinced me to read them. I like vampire stories, so I thought there would be something in them I'd enjoy but discovered very rapidly they were not for me. Still, not as much of a chore as trying to read His Dark Materials.

Kat Deuchars

Twilight is a guilty pleasure for me and as a 37 year old I was not too proud to squeal in delight when I heard Midnight Sun was coming out! I'm looking forward to your reviews!!!

At least you've read much worse books so it'll be... less rough.

Breanne Lasorso

Doesn't ever include Bree Tanner. For shame. In all seriousness I wish you well.

WillRigby

I discovered Twilight in the worst way possible. I was in the Library at my middle school and I asked the Librarian if there were any Murder mystery love stories she would recommend and she recommended Twilight. Then I said okay and asked her where I could find it. She told me there were four people ahead of me on the wait list (this was right at the hight of Twilight and I had somehow missed it up till then). I was super irritated that she didn't recommend a book that didn't have a waitlist. I went on the wait list and picked another book and went about my business. Eventually I got it. Oooooooof

I think the joke at the end kindof doesn't work, because way way back in the before times of 2018, it *wasn't* a deeply selfish and irresponsible act to go to a crowded bar with a friend.

coredumperror

Twilight is and will probably always be a guilty pleasure for me. It hit my life at just the right time. (I started the first book in the summer between middle and high school) Also, I was overall feeling crummy about school, kids there of, the nonexistent control I had over my life, etc. I wanted to run away, be someone (anyone) else for a while. I wanted to be the strong one. If not that, then I wanted the things I missed out on to matter. I wanted my bad feelings and anxious over corrections to have a positive effect on someone (anyone). I felt invisible. Then I read a story about a girl who felt the same way as me. She had to grin and bear it all. Her parents were also divorced. She also could barely remember a time when they were together. The difference was people wanted her. She made a difference in someone's life. There were people who would remember that she once stood here, and they'd miss her when she left. I never really felt like I had that, but for a few thousand pages, I could see what it was like. I haven't picked up my Twilight books seriously in years, and I don't plan to buy Midnight Sun unless my must-complete-the-set OCD starts acting up. However, I look forward to seeing your thoughts on this series.

Kelsea

Good luck with that. I remember at the height of their popularity I use to hang with a group of friends who were obsessed with those books and they convinced me to read them. Hated every second of it.

Do make it highly educational for us! Literally tropes, unhealthy narrative in young adult literature, etc. Can't wait :)

Noooo, don‘t do it!!!! There are so much better book you should spend your time with, so much... 😅 But you deserve the probable attention, doing this now is smart. I hope you don‘t torture yourself so much.

Nienna

Yeah you can drop it any time once the min 4 months is completed.

Dominic Noble

Good luck

If we drop our Patreon level, do our requests stay on the schedule? It's beginning to feel like it'll be years before we see our request come up.

Jo and Gareth

Sorry, brother. If it makes you feel better, I read it with my little sister. It wasn't as bad when seeing it through her eyes.

Erich Sheogorath

yay!