Psychology Student Reads Twilight by Stephenie Meyer For the First Time

I’m doing it. I’m reading Twilight for the first time. I’m taking extensive notes as I go along to take you on this journey with me. (Scroll down to keep up with me as I update)

My narrative thoughts so far:

  • I gave this book a shot because I’m extremely bored and being stared at by Edward Cullen seems like a great alternative.
  • I never thought I’d relate to Bella Swan, but then I opened the first chapter and boom, we’re in such a similar headspace right now.

“That would explain why I didn’t remember him. I do a good job of blocking painful, unnecessary things from my memory.”

  • I feel like Tom in Parks and Rec actually being impressed by the Twilight series.twilighttwilight

  • That first chapter actually helped me quiet the thunderous thoughts in my head before I went to sleep. It’s like her inner monologue reassured me. Nothing is as scary as it seems in your head. Well, at least, some things.

  • The iconic biology class scene, which is arguably one of the funniest scenes in the movie. . . . how did this innocent direction: “Just as I passed, he suddenly went rigid in his seat. He stared at me again, meeting my eyes with the strangest expression on his face — it was hostile, furious.” lead to this:

 

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“He was leaning away from me, sitting on the extreme edge of his chair and averting his face like he smelled something bad. Inconspicuously, I sniffed my hair. It smelled like strawberries, the scent of my favorite shampoo. It seemed an innocent enough odor.”

I’m laughing out loud. That last line. I –

  • Edward pretending he doesn’t already know everything about Bella when they’ve just met. . . . Bella, yells into microphone he’s eavesdropping on your conversations from across the room.

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  • The constant staring for these past 20 pages is getting to me. I don’t think even céline from before sunrise (1995) would like this.6f8d8ab05f7e79a2d10181c790acbdf9

  • “Wow, you’re green, Bella,” Mike said nervously.”

It’s that Twilight movie coloring.tumblr_20adb98a3b07aaf5109d6d9ecc9669c4_86675f0e_250 Also, do I have to pretend to care about her school friends? I’m just here to get a serving of Twilight angst.

  • Why are Bella and I both so desperate for connection that someone showing up on a cold morning in a heated car with a jacket on the passenger seat just drive me nuts. I guess it’s the fact that for once Edward didn’t accompany it by some snide remark on her incompetence to care for herself. like I said, Edward was intriguing when he was staring at her from across the room with his mouth shut. Let’s keep it that way. It’s moments like these that you’re like, oh yeah, that’s why Edwards her first choice.

  • Why is the author suddenly making Edward likable with like his constant smiles and helping Bella out without the taunting remarks? It’s like she herself couldn’t decide if she liked him or not at the start. I guess that’s the source of Edward’s hot and cold behavior.

“The vampire who wanted to be good — who ran around saving people’s lives so he wouldn’t be a monster . . .”

Those rose-colored glasses are in full effect, huh? You forget the fact of his rage in those moments and his vicious comments at your expense.

“I’m not surprised you heard something you didn’t like. You know what they say about eavesdroppers,” I reminded him.
“I warned you I would be listening.”
“And I warned you that you didn’t want to know everything I was thinking.”

Why does Bella have to worry about her conversations with her friends being analyzed? Let her have friends (even though I hate Jessica, but that’s for another conversation).

  • “I supposed I could purposefully put myself in danger to keep him close. . . . I banished that thought before his quick eyes read it on my face. That idea would definitely get me in trouble.”

It’s not your words that “get you in trouble.” It’s his rage that he doesn’t control. It’s on him. Not on you.

  • “Should I . . . ?” I tried to disengage myself, to give him some room.
    His hands refused to let me move so much as an inch.
    “No, it’s tolerable. Wait for a moment, please.”

When Edward has to stop kissing Bella so he won’t devour her whole in one bite… #relatable

  • “And so the lion fell in love with the lamb…,” he murmured. I looked away, hiding my eyes as I thrilled to the word.
    “What a stupid lamb,” I sighed.
    “What a sick, masochistic lion.”

I can’t believe this is the most quoted piece in Twilight.fa02a68ecddf3b95c2602194faff1848

  • “How often did you come here?”
    “I come here almost every night.”
    I whirled, stunned. “Why?”
    “You’re interesting when you sleep.” He spoke matter-of-factly. “You talk.”

He’s admitting this so casually. I-

“Oh no!” I hung my head. He pulled me against his chest, softly, naturally.
“Don’t be self-conscious,” he whispered in my ear. “If I could dream at all, it would be about you.”

We’re in too deep at this point . . . .

“The glory of first love, and all that. It’s incredible, isn’t it, the difference between reading about something, seeing it in the pictures, and experiencing it?”

All logic is gone at this point because he’s behaving nicely

  • Bella and Edward after being together for one whole day:

“I love you,” I whispered.
“You are my life now,” he answered simply.”

– “If I was too hasty . . . if for one second I wasn’t paying enough attention, I could reach out, meaning to touch your face, and crush your skull by mistake.”
Bella why aren’t you perturbed by that?
twilight b

– “Maybe it’s none of my business, but I don’t think that is such a good idea.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “It is none of your business.”

Insolent teen angst. I was about to say respect your elders, but then I remembered Edward’s age. . .

  • Naive: thinking this book would be just about Bella and Edward rubbing faces. I forgot books with plot points still exist. I feel robbed. I thought they were building up to something more later on… but I guess four books exist for a reason.

  • Me being infatuated with Twilight: realizing I’m rushing through the daily tasks that distract me from going back to reading. I wonder if I’m past the point of no return?

  • We want more Bella and Edward scenes – a sentence I never thought I’d utter when I first started reading. But damn it, they somehow got under my skin with all their tender scenes together

  • “Can I cut in?” he asked tentatively, glancing at Edward for the first time. I was shocked to notice that Jacob didn’t have to look up. He must have grown half a foot since the first time I’d seen him.”

My boy Jacob is all grown up.twilight bookspoils

  • “Twilight, again,” he murmured. “Another ending. No matter how perfect the day is, it always has to end.”

I can’t believe it’s over. I was just getting settled into the story when I reached the epilogue, secretly hoping it would be a long ending. My hope for the next book – as the whole Jacob vs Edward ordeal develops – is that the author doesn’t settle for returning those tiring red flags so that it’ll influence to stan one guy over the other. Make me love them both. Give me tender Edward getting breathless at Bella’s proximity, or as close to breathless as vampires get. And give me sweet Jacob bringing Bella back from the brink of her frenzy over Edward. I want a good duel. May the most respectful man win.

In conclusion, this Psychology student is well aware of the mess this romance presents, but boy, what a necessary distraction it is for this period of time.

Thank you for keeping up with my extensive notes, especially those who kept up with my tweets as I was reading @bookspoils. Let me know if you want me to rewatch the Twilight movie first or continue straight onto book two!

In case you’re interested in tagging along, check out a refresher of the series here:

Review: Call Down the Hawk (Dreamer, #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

“You are made of dreams and this world is not for you.”

Right when I thought my Ronan Lynch obsession had reached its peak, Call Down The Hawk comes out.

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Please tell me how it’s been three full years since The Raven King came out and concluded one of the best series out there? It’s unreal. Time is just an illusion.

I still remember cracking open the first book, The Raven Boys, waiting to see if I’ll be impressed. I was completely hooked on the first line. And I sped through the series in a few days’ time. I lived with these characters for months after. I heard their lines echoed in my thoughts.

This new release couldn’t have made me happier. Having my favorite character grow alongside me is a perk granted to few. I don’t take it lightly. Having new iconic Ronan Lynch lines is a perk I don’t take for granted, as well. Having stories about his childhood? In love. Seeing his perspective on ground-breaking scenes in The Raven Cycle? Love. Seeing Declan Lynch break out of his mold? Give me more. G I V E   M E   M O R E.

Like my reviews for The Raven Cycle, I have to mention my favorite gems in here. Future me, this is all you need to know before you start on book 2 in this new trilogy:

Spoilers ahead

  • The main theme of Ronan’s conflicting thoughts on being left behind felt all too real.

“He loved the Barns, he was bored of the Barns, he wanted to leave, he wanted to stay.”

It’s truly heartbreaking to see a gang as tightknit as the gangsey all on their separate paths. From having late-night conversations in the bathroom/kitchen in The Raven Cycle to barely having once a week text contact was breaking me. This is the part of growing up that no one warns you about. So it’s no secret then that I didn’t take for Adam’s new friend group, and I was beyond glad that we didn’t have to spend more than one scene with them. They just don’t get it like the gangsey does.

  • Dauntless Declan. I am so utterly impressed with his character development. I always wanted to see more of him and Matthew, and I got just that. The dynamic between the brothers makes my heart shine.

“Thank God,” Declan said, retrieving his car keys.
“You can if you like,” Matthew said. “But I dressed myself.”
He shot a look at Ronan to make sure his joke had been funny.”

This is such a younger sibling thing to do that I can’t help but smile.

  • But then my mind always returns to that heartstopping moment when the Lynch brothers didn’t know if Matthew was safe. All you want is to know that they’re okay so you can breathe in relief. It showcased just how entangled they are.

“Ronan didn’t know who he would be without them.”

  • I highlighted so many Declan quotes because he just gets it. He understands how it feels to numb yourself so as to not feel anything until there’s a glimmer of hope for a better life.

“Because the safest shape was being both unknown and unchanging”

The Lynch brothers make me feel alive. They understand my deepest fears and most intimate thoughts. Whenever I have the chance to read their words I know I’ll feel a little less alone.

  • Ronan stepping up to help someone he doesn’t even know truly showcases just how much he’s grown. He’s become his own Gansey. He understands himself now better than ever, and it was refreshing to see him open himself up and be vulnerable to help another dreamer. The moment he revealed the significance of the leather bands on his wrist was another hit.
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Again, it’s a Declan quote that tells it like it is:

“Declan hated that he loved someone who wasn’t real.” 

  • Besides, did anyone else perceive Bryde as a healthy Kavinsky? Both of them taught Ronan to take charge of his dreams. One did it a bit more provocatively, but still. I feel like he’ll have a big part in Ronan’s life. And I’m not sure, what with Declan’s proclamation, if it’s simply platonic: “Adam wasn’t really enough for him, either, but Declan knew he hadn’t gotten that far yet.”
  • The saddest part was feeling so good reading this book and taking my time with it but also knowing that with each chapter I enjoyed, it took me closer to the end. It came to an end all too soon. I was both happy and sad reading this.
  • Also, this is how you write a follow-up book after years. You don’t info drop everything that happened over the course of four books in the first chapter. You sprinkle it in when called for. So I immensely appreciated that little detail of not dropping everything on the reader immediately. (This is something that really bothered me when starting the third book of The Diviners, “Before The Devil Breaks You”.)
  • Oh, and I encountered the perfect song that captures the darkness and subtle movements in this novel:

The first few seconds of the music playing without any words really has it all.

What else is there to say but that I need the second book now more than ever. Anticipating this release was less gruesome because I had no idea what was awaiting me. Now I know and I want my daily dose of Ronan Lynch.

Check the dreamer out for yourself with my Amazon Affiliate link:

Review: Opal by Maggie Stiefvater

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If you’ve previously read my reviews* for any of the books in the Raven Cycle, you probably know by now that I’m a huge fan of Ronan Lynch. So finding out about this short story dedicated to Opal, aka Ronan’s dream girl, had me beyond keen on returning to their world.

“She was to remember that she was a secret.”

Set after the events of The Raven King, this story, like all the best things, starts with a dream. And just like that, upon opening the first page, I felt like I had never left this world, even though it’s been nearly two years since I first read the books. It’s even more magical than I could have envisioned. And I have so much to discuss, so let’s start at the very beginning:

(Spoilers from here.)

  •  We’re back at the loyal Barns, featuring Opal, Ronan, and Adam, and thanks to Opal’s excellent eavesdropping, we get an insider’s scoop into their lives that just hits the mark of satisfied:

“She had to content herself with stolen glimpses through cracked doors, slender one-inch views of duvet and sheets piled like thunderheads, Adam and sometimes Ronan pillowed among them.”

I missed my sleepy boys…

  • Good: Ronan’s intent of dreaming up a better and safer Cabeswater. Watching him dream is always one of my favorite bits because that’s Ronan at his most vulnerable. Speaking of which, this delicate shared moment made my heart flip:

“The only thing that had ever made her blink away was when Adam had once encountered Ronan in the second-floor hallway. Ronan had been standing outside of his parents’ old room, one hand holding a cassette tape and the other clenched into a fist, and he’d been there for quite a few minutes by the time Adam climbed the stairs. Adam had taken the cassette from Ronan’s hand, working Ronan’s fingers loose and putting his own fingers between them. For a moment Opal, hidden, had thought they were going to kiss. But instead, Ronan pressed his face against Adam’s neck and Adam quietly put his head on top of Ronan’s head and they did not move for a long time. Something about this made Opal burn so furiously that she could not stand to look a second longer.”

As I read, all I could think of was this fanart:

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  • Ronan cares so much for Adam, and you can feel it oozing off the page through the tiniest of moments:

“Ronan was less thrilled to discover Adam’s inventive way of travel. “What the hell, Parrish? I was just about to leave to get you. Who dropped you off?”
“I walked.”
“Ha ha.” Ronan’s real laugh did not sound like ha ha, but this was not Ronan’s real laugh. When Adam didn’t explain the joke, he said, “Walked. From where?”
“Work.” Adam had ceased frolicking and instead removed his shoes and then his socks before sitting at the round table in the kitchen.
“Work. What. The. Hell. I told you I was going to pick you up.”
“I needed to walk.” Adam put his head on the table.”

  • Bad: We were saved from seeing the raven gang disperse in The Raven King, but it’s pretty much unavoidable here… and I wasn’t ready.

“I’m coming back,” he said.
She tore up some more grass, but she felt a little less wobbly having heard him say it.
“I don’t want to go, but I do — does that make sense?” he asked her. It did, especially if she thought about how some of her dreamthing’s happy-sadness might have rubbed off on him because they were sitting so close. “It’s just that it’s finally starting. You know. Life.”

You deserve so much, Adam.

  • Good: Seeing things captured through Opal’s eyes was a curious experiment that I find this passage conveys best:

“Ronan was not there to tell Opal it was all right for this visitor to see her, so Opal hid herself and watched the lady stalk through the mist to the back door. The lady tried the doorknob and the doorknob shook its head no, but then she opened her purse and did something else to the doorknob and the door said yes and opened for her.”

To capture the otherworldliness of Opal I simply had to listen to this equally mesmerizing song:

If anything, this swift read prepared me for any and all future events set to occur next. I just hope the wait for the following book won’t be too long.

“There were no rules in dreams so you could try anything.”

  • Reviews: The Raven Boys, The Dream Thieves, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, The Raven King.

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Note: I’m an Amazon Affiliate. If you’re interested in buying Opal, just click on the image below to go through my link. I’ll make a small commission!