Well, I certainly don't think the books deserve all the praise they got. They were alright for a bit of fun, but yes, I think they may have been taking themselves slightly too seriously... they weren't all that great!

And as far as I'm concerned, vampires do not sparkle.

@Ananda
What twilight are you talking about?
the staphanie meyer twilight series is a saga, meaning that there are four books. not a trilogy...

They are entertaining, but the author is not exactly Orwell, is she? (not that you would know it for all the twihards screaming their heads off). Practically nobody even knew what it was until the films came out anyway. They are ok books, but as Spook said, they didn't deserve all the praise. I mean, there is no real gripping plot and the only reason these little girls like Twilight is because they are obsessed with RPatz and Taylor Lautner. Honestly, it all makes me wanna puke...

Wanna borrow my sick bucket? xD

Please don't confuse me with the screaming fans that are Edward crazy, but I did and still do enjoy reading the books. I think they are really good. That doesn't mean I have deluded myself into thinking that Edward or jacob are real. I don't hope to meet/marry them. I just think the books are good.

I can, however, read other books, and don't finish Breaking Dawn just to start Twilight again..... I know people like that, and I beleive that there are too many good books in the world to waste your life reading one book for ever. I do re-read books, but I read others before going back...... And I have limits. I don't read it forty-seven times......

Same. The most times I've ever read a book was about ... twelve at maximum? And only when I can't get to a library or bookstore to get a new one... but who doesn't love curling up with an old favourite every now and again?

Not that I'd re-read Twilight. It just doesn't keep that little "new story" spark like other books do. It's fun and a decent read, but it doesn't last.

I though Twilight was good the first time I read it, but when you read them over again... I found it a little bit unoriginal and the plot was a bit... well, non-existent. It seems like Schmeyer tried to make it different from your cliched love story by putting vampires in, but by trying to make the vampires different from tradition she sort of pussified them... It's definitely not as good as people make out. It especially annoyed me when the Twilight boom happened that people were defending the series just beacuse they'd seen the movie and thought the male leads were hot, and hardly any of them had actually read the book.
/rant over
XD

Stepanie Meyer is a con artist. The whole vampire-and-human-fall-in-love-while-one-of-them-can-read-everyones-mind-but-the-others was taken YEARS ago by the Sukey novels. Anyone seen True Blood? yeah those were books before a TV show. Only in this case Sukey the human can read minds apart from the vampires who she loves (but i can't remember his name)

I have read both True Blood and Twlight. Both series I find OKAY at most. if any thing True Blood is more entertaining. I'm still stuck at the third book of Twlight (page six), and I'm almost on to fifth book of True Blood. that's saying something.
I have this one friend who will defend Twlight to the end, and how HOT(?) robert patterson is. I mean really no. NO. NO. I really hate how people worship these books. the "fan" hang on every word. I hate to say that but I was glad when I fifth book was cancelled.

Twilight is SO an Ann Rice rip-off! I admit to reading all four, but I really do think that Ann Rice should get the credit. the only original thing in twilight was that, instead of dying, as they do in Rice, in Meyers, when exposed to sunlight, they sparkle. Seriously.

Ahahahahah so we all agree that Stephanie Meyer is extreamly unoriginal. BUT HEY brightside is, if SHE can get published, WE can get published :)

I don't even want to comment on Twilight, but I will comment on Three's comment. My thoughts exactly!! :D

I remember reading the first Twilight back in 2007, when, I believe I was twelve. Yes, now I do find Meyer's writing to be atrocious, but you have to admit that for it to have gotten the acclaim it has, there is at least one redeeming quality. For me, the first time I read it, ignorant of how enormous it had become in the States, with those both praising and critical, I got sucked into the plot line and the characters. I think it must be one of those in-the-moment books, those trashy reads you devour like a chocolate bar in one go. You don't contemplate, you don't find deeper meanings, you just read. Like those soap operas.

However, years down the track, with outward influences and a brief re-read of the first to concrete my own opinions of the series, I admit I am overly critical. But if you think about it, you can claim her as unoriginal as much as you like. But isn't every other YA novel of the same outline? Doesn't every crime thriller, adventure story and horror tale seem remarkably similar to its peers?

And while, yes, it was amusing, she isn't the next Austen, or, as someone said above, Orwell, and shouldn't be said to be. She has brought a genre to the forefront, and that is perhaps, why many blame Twilight for the mundane number of vampire-themed novels. Unfortunately, every time I hear of a new Twilight product, I can only shake my head. She's turned it into a cash cow.

And I do agree with Three. =]

I agree with Renee999. I like the books, sure they're not that original but really nothing is original anymore. If you look at any new book or movie you will realise that no matter what you do it will still somehow be similar to other books or movies.
Though the twilight saga has gotten way out of hand, but that's because the "twihards" or whatever else you want to call them have made it into some kind of crazy obsession.
Then of course there's the fanfiction. Twilight fanfiction is very popular, but what everybody doesn't realise is that there is fanfiction for just about every popular book. The reason why a lot of people love to write twilight fanfiction is because the characters are really easy to write about.
Well that's all I've got to say for now so I'm going to try to stop ranting now and get some sleep. :)

I personally refuse to read them. Not that I have anything against SMyers or vampires or anything like that...
Partly it's a joke that my husband read the first 3 in two weeks and I wont even touch them.
Partly because I cant stand the overdone sentiments that follow "popular" works of art (or any other popular thing).
Partly because I did start reading Ann Rice and OMG I fell in love with her writing style- had enough of it after 3 1/2 books, but still really enjoyed the imagery.
Partly I saw the first movie and the soap-opera feel of it made me sick.

Honestly I do not know if her work is any good or not, since I have not tried to read it. It just kind of goes to show that "good writing" can be quite subjective, indeed. If you can find such a large audience (and make gobs of money on top of that), then something must be working for your writing style! :)

@WhiteWine Spare yourself the pain and braincells and carry on. It's not all that

Vinlandsaga, Njal's Saga, Egil's Saga, King Harald's Saga . . . Twilight Saga. In the words of Blues Traveler, "It's a lo-o-ong way to fall . . ."

Not a crazy RPatz/Lautner fan. Just an introduction to myself.

But i did really enjoy the books a lot. Most people read the books after having watched the movie, which is a really bad idea because personally i think the movies are horrible and completely wrong, as compared to the books. The plot is completely off and they're way too focused on all of the drama and the soap-opera feel that draws in all those ogling little girls that live for these kinds of things(no offense to anyone). The books are actually pretty decent, and I actually jump over the soapy dramatic love-dove parts whenever i read them..well, re-read them, anyway. Personally I loved the mystery and the action and the adventures. Also, the dialogues are pretty funny, and I remember really laughing a few times. But then it just depends on everyone's taste, right?

Well, that's my two-cents, anyway. I read them before they became popular and I think a lot of people decide not to read them just because they're too in your face, with all the advertising they get. But you should read them anyway, just skip over the drama if you don't like it. ;)