'Life And Death' by Stephenie Meyer - A Book Review

Let me start this off by saying if you are only on here because you dislike Twilight and want to write/say rude and hurtful things about this book or the original saga, please leave. I don't need that in my life.

I did my makeup just for
this picture.

Before I begin with the review of this book I want to tell you how much Twilight means to me, which is one of the reasons I chose to read this book.

During my sophomore year of high school, my aunt introduced me to the Twilight Saga.  I had been one of the kids who just went with the crowd and hated the storyline (without reading it of course). But I trusted my aunt and I was tired of hating on a book series that I hadn't read yet, also I was secretly interested in the story I just couldn't let anyone know that. So I borrowed all four books from her and went to reading. It was such an important time in my life when I read them that they became an important part of who I was. Yes, the books aren't the best ones that I've ever read. Yes, they have some things that could have been written better. But Stephenie Meyer knows this, and so do the fans, but it doesn't stop them from loving the story and the characters.  Nor does it stop me.

So now to the present.  I have Life and Death in my hands.  The story I fell in love with, but the characters have changed (except for Charlie and Renee but if you read it you'll understand why).  I knew that it would be hard to split up my feelings for Twilight with Life and Death, but it has also been such a long time since I read Twilight that I wasn't getting confused during the book or telling myself 'HEY stop that this is Beau, not Bella.'

There were sometimes while reading that I found myself trying to remember who in the Cullen/Hale family was who in each book (Royal = Rosalie, etc.) but I made myself try to stop that very early on and it was effective to a point.  When I was deep in the book I didn't worry about it.  However, whenever I would pick up the book after a time of not reading, my brain would revert to comparing characters for a few paragraphs.

Also straight up, @ Meyer: Please make a version where it is f/f love of Edythe and Bella because I feel like I need that in my life.  "Oh, yea, I'd read that gay book." -My roommate upon hearing me say that.

(My other reviews will not be this wordy I just have a lot of feelings towards Twilight and its world.)

My review will be just comments from parts of the book that I found I really liked, cried at, laughed at, or something along those lines.  There will be spoilers, but not many as the book is about 95% the same story, there is a twist surprise at the end so I will warn when I'm about to talk on it.

My rating:

I give the book 5 stars, of course.  The story, even with the twist, was so much more than I thought it would be.  Rereading the story brought me back to simpler time and the fact that the character changes helped make it a whole new journey for me.

Meyer's message in the beginning about how she chose to write the book this way and how she only kept a few of the characters the same really helped me with this book.  It helped me get a little more into the story and make it believable, instead of having 100% gender switched, and many of the characters had just such a different personality and weren't 'the same character but that opposite gender'.  I think that Meyer did a wonderful job in recreating her iconic story.

I'm also just so in love with Edythe.  I think it's the way that Meyer describes female vampires, or maybe that's more my type than I thought it was because Vampire Bella is literally so amazing and one of the loves of my life.  This is more evidence as to why I need a version of the story that's EdythexBella; if I have to write it to get it then so be it!  But I want it gay and I want it now.

My notes:
Pg 117-120: I really liked how Meyer connected the two characters from the airport to how Edythe saved Beau in Port Angeles.  I thought it was really interesting to have the situation like that since the one with Bella was so different because of the different dynamics of the characters.

Pg 140: I was so happy with how casual the reveal of Edythe being a vampire was in this scene.  It was obviously more dramatic in Twilight (or maybe I'm just thinking of the movie) but I just felt that being so casual and having Beau not feel as nervous about saying it made me feel not as nervous.

Pg 155: My sweet boi Beau telling McKayla about Jeremy but then bringing in the Man Code to show her how much he cares for the both of them but doesn't want to hurt either of them I just love him so much what a good boy.  My sweet son.

Pg 164: Their [Edythe and Beau] argument on who thinks about the other more is so embarrassingly cute and I look forward to the day I can be that cute with someone that I love.

Pg 178: Beau makes the comment that Edythe asks him so many questions on books, and I would talk for DAYS with a pretty female (vampire or not) about books if they asked.  Because books and pretty females are a large part of my life.

Pg 182: "It's twilight" - Edythe (She did the Thing™)

*no page but at end of chapter 11*: I really liked how Bonnie was given a deep voice.  I feel that most of the books that I have read the female characters I have read don't have a deep voice, they have that high feminine voice that is so distinctive of being a female character.  So having a deep-voiced female who was so badass made me happy to read.

*notes that I wrote all over the book*: CHARLIE IS SUCH A SWEET AND CARING FATHER EVERY TIME HE GETS HURT I GET HURT STEPHENIE WE NEED TO HAVE WORDS. I want to go and live with my lasagna-loving father, Charlie Swan.

Pg 210-213: I didn't remember Edward's story being so painfilled or full of emotion.  I just felt that Meyer gave Edythe a little more emotion and turmoil in her story and attempt to try to stay away from Beau.

Pg 214: IT'S THE LION AND LAMB QUOTE I HAD TO MARK IT I LOVE IT SO MUCH OH THANK THE GODDESS THAT MEYER KEPT IT IN THERE.

Pg 266: I like how the Volturi was two women and one man.  I don't know why, but I felt it was a nice dynamic especially with the lead being one of the females.

Pg 299: "It's called a hotel, Edythe." - Beau.  Sir leave her be please calm down she is just worried about her, but also I am screaming so loud why are you like this Edythe.

Pg 301: "I love you.  Whatever happens now, that doesn't change." -Beau.  Oh, when can I have someone love me this much where is my vampire lover?  I'm right here waiting for you!

Pg 311: Archie asking permission to touch Beau was honestly such a wonderful thing to read and I know it's small but I just...consent is so important no matter the circumstance.

Pg 319: Archie talking about Jessamine and how great she is makes my heart fly.  That's love right there.  He is boosting her up on a pedestal and I just love him more for it.  PRAISE YOUR S.O.!!!

Pg 325: "...a sudden wave of depression crashed over me. Jessamine looked up sharply, and the feeling dissipated."  Jessamine is literally a human Prozac pill lmfao.

Pg 341: "The memories were better than any reality I would see today.  But I raced away from them."  This line really struck me.  Sometimes I also run from the good feelings, and the fact of where Beau was running to (dance studio) at the time and thinking about Edythe made it more emotional and I was crying because I didn't want him to do this.

Pg 344-345: I totally forgot about the backstory of Alice (which means the same as Archie) and I cried at it.  My sweet children being hurt but luckily not remembering it.

Pg 371: " Don't you ever again think that I don't want you.  I will always want you. I don't deserve you, but I will always love you. Are we clear?" -Beau.  This was a great line that he said to Edythe but this is me to like every cat that I see.

THE FOLLOWING IS DURING THE TWIST AT THE END PLEASE STOP IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT AND DON'T WANT A SPOILER
Pg 359: I very much like the fact that Beau changed in this book.  Like I so wanted that to happen in Twilight but at the same time, I loved the whole saga.  But having him change now was such a great ending.  But NOT THE HURT ON CHARLIE HOW DARE!  Reading about Beau's funeral and seeing Charlie being in pain over the death of his son just like...there are so many issues with hurting Charlie that is literally my only rule don't hurt my father.
SPOILER OVER YOU ARE SAFE TO CONTINUE

This has been my review/emotion dump of 'Life and Death' by Stephenie Meyer.  If you had similar or different feelings let me know in the comments, let's have a conversation!  Who are your favorite characters? Did you have a hard time keeping them separate from both books? Do you want it gay (m/m or f/f)??? If you just want to scream about Twilight I am ALL HERE FOR IT!

À bientôt!

Photo/Gif creds: my selfie with the book, Charlie Swan eating, Twilight, Bella's eyes, Bella reading,
while looking for gifs and pictures I came across this and died of laughter