The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella (Twilight Saga) [Hardcover]

Before I write this review, I think I'd better state my position on The Twilight Saga. I LOVE the books but I am well-aware that they are not examples of quality writing. I like the atmosphere, the plot, the characters. I do not like the way they are written and do not consider Ms Meyer a good writer. I would have rated all 4 books as 5 stars for enjoyment and 3 for writing. Hasn't stopped me reading them over and over, so she has got something right and I acknowledge that. Just wanted to be clear that as a fan, I see the flaws of the series and do not give it praise where it's not due.

So, with that out of the way, Bree Tanner. I was always going to buy it, because I expected more of the same things that I enjoyed from the other four books. Well, I was right but I got all that and more. The quality of the writing has seriously improved! The word choice is better, the flow is better, the characters are more fully fleshed out. A bonus that I wasn't expecting at all!

Before I started reading, I wondered whether knowing Bree's fate (from Eclipse) already would spoil it for me. It didn't at all. If anything, it made me more engaged with the story. I really wanted her to make the most of her "short, second life". It is all told from Bree's point of view a short while after she has been turned into a vampire against her will. She is with all the other newborns but she is sitting back, keeping out of trouble, trying to get a sense of what is happening to her. We meet Riley and get a better feel for his character. We also meet two of the other newborns, Diego and Fred, both of whom end up being important to Bree's attempt to survive. Their characters are quite a highlight. Diego and Bree are somewhat thrown together and tentatively explore their doubts about Riley and his motivations.

Without spoiling the plot, here's what I liked about the story:
1) Bree is not at all what we thought when we met her briefly in Eclipse.
2) We find out a lot more about what it's like to be a newborn (puts Breaking Dawn and Bella's experiences into better perspective)
3) We find out what the newborns did and didn't know before they went into battle
4) We find out exactly what Victoria and Riley were up to when they were out of the picture in Eclipse.
5) We find out what the Volturi were thinking during the newborn problem and then the battle.
6) We find out more about the battle.

That and the fact that I just really liked Bree herself, made this short novel into a winner for me. I read it in 2 hours and really enjoyed it. Obviously, if you don't like the saga and didn't enjoy Eclipse in particular, you won't like this!

I love the Twilight Saga - as with all sagas, readers become gripped by the characters and their fates. However, I am not surprised that Stephenie Meyer intended this to go into the Twilight Guide as a short story as this reads as some sort of extended experiment she wrote primarily for herself. The major problem is that she cannot write monsters. Bree is a monster - she eats people. She is no Bella or Cullen yet we are supposed to sympathise because she loves another monster. Unlike Charlaine Harris or Anne Rice who can write engaging monsters, Meyer simply should stick to the lovely conscience-driven Cullens. I suggest Stephenie Meyer get back to writing her sequel to The Host or creating a new universe rather than letting her publishers push her into releasing mediocre material. This novel has a lovely cover (as do all the Twilight novels) but other than that, read it for free online - go to her webpage for directions - and donate the money to charity.

To be honest, I was about to give this book 3.5 stars, just barely 4 stars. At first, a lot of it was pointless and I just didn't really care much for the story. Then, I got to the part when the newborn vampires clash with the Cullen family in Eclipse and I loved it, loved seeing how the stories interspersed and loved seeing it from Bree's perspective.
I kinda hoped that because Stephenie was writing from a wilder character's perspective that she would stray from her usual writing style and it would surpass my expectations. Unfortunately, the fighting scenes could've been better executed and the development between characters a bit slower. It's a pity Bree's story wasn't a novel. I really think the story would be much more of a success D:

It was really interesting to read about the newborn vampires. You look at the Cullen family, civilized with the humans and in many ways flawless. But then, you look at this newborn army of vampires and they're wild and fierce, merciless when getting to what they desire most, which is human blood. It is incredible about how much is kept from the newborn vampires. They live in fear of human's stereotypes on vampires - burning in sunlight, getting staked and recoiling from garlic. They have not mastered what skills they've been given and all they feel is getting to what they want and doing it in such reckless ways, that the Volturi are required to come around.
I absolutely love Bree. She did not choose to be a newborn vampire. She was "born" into a place where she was required to be on the bad side, against her better judgement and it was really sad. To know that she had so much potential in her, and so much willingness to be good, that she couldv'e been something. Yet the Volturi don't give chances :( It's absolutely heartbreaking (if you read Eclipse) to know what her tragic fate is long before you begin the book. I thank Stephenie Meyer that she at least wrote this book to give us a chance to delve into the action of the newborn vampires and see it in a new, fresh way, other than in Bella's perspective (no offense).
If you're a big Twilight fan then what are you waiting for? You gotta read this book. If you're not so up for it, maybe it wouldn't be the best book for you.