Eclipse | Audiobook

Ha! Here I am with a book of a series I swore I'd never ever read. Technically I didn't read it because I'm listening to the series through Audiobooks. I'm already three books in the series and the end is nearing. My love for the books is very double as I enjoyed the second book better than the first, but now I've listened to the third book and I'm left doubting once again if this series is really something for me. I am really looking forward to the fourth and last book though because I loved the movie and how the plot changed there! We'll see... First off, the review about the third book: Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer.


 WARNING For the ones here that haven't read the first in this series, I recommend you not to read on since there will be further developments to the characters and to the plot. This will create a less pleasant read of Eclipse because you know more information than you already should. Therefore, I recommend you not to read the review of Eclipse but to read the review about the first in the series: Twilight. If you're interested in the second book, New Moon, I also wrote a review about that book. Just clicking on the title will open a new page with the review on the first book.

A new threat hovers over the Cullens when new vampires are being created. One vampire turning innocent humans and making them creatures everyone will fear. 
New borns are ripping through Seattle, taking more lives all for one cause: getting to Bella. Once again Bella finds herself in danger of someone who desperately wants revenge. And revenge she'll get. Above that, Bella also finds herself torn between two guys and she'll have to pick one eventually. While also knowing that her choice might ignite struggles between the creatures, she finds herself in a hard situation. And if that isn't enough, her choice about life or death still must be made...

As I have previously mentioned I am really doubting about how much I liked this book and all of that is really caused because of the characters...
Even though Bella still is one of my favorites and still showed me sides of her we saw in New Moon, I have to say that there was also a less pleasant side coming. This time around she really behaves weird when anything bad happens. Any time there is something bad going on, and nobody blames her, she wants people to blame her. At some point I understood why she felt that way and wanted people to blame her. I could relate to why she was thinking it and also saw in her perspective why she'd think it was her fault. In other situations I really wished she wouldn't be asking them to blame her. Often it came off like a little dramatic and even slightly annoying. 

Nevertheless did I still really love Bella a lot. She still shows strength and wants to be part of everything. She's not the girl that goes hiding when something bad is going on or when danger is seeking her. If there's something up, she wants to know and she wants to fight too. I really adore that in Bella because it makes her a strong character that doesn't come off as too girly to be touched. Another aspect that I really enjoyed while reading in Bella's head was the fact that she needs to make choices. 

Not only about her life, but also about the two guys that mean a lot in her life. Her indecision and many thoughts about them were very intriguing and also relatable. By now we've seen both Edward and Jacob and we know how they act, so every pro and contra she said about them made sense. The heartache that comes with it is also I could very easily understand and live through. It was a strong sentiment but not one that was dramatic or unnecessary. Overall I really enjoyed Bella, but at some times she just was a little annoying.

Now as for the guys, I got more opinions right there. Beginning with an overall comment: how immature are they?! Eclipse really showed me how both of them are in some ways so childish. They're making this some sort of game to get to Bella and win her over. Of course I get they both want her and both their feelings were really genuine, however the way they acted or were playing the game were very immature and really annoying.

Edward did seem to control it better, which might be done with premeditation by the author because he's been with Bella since book one. In any way, Edward has always been collected and known for his rules and behavior. He knows when enough if enough and how to keep neutral. Yet in some situation during Eclipse, I found him being dishonest and very immature for his overall personality. Of course he's only trying to keep Bella because he loves her and is with her, but his behavior often hurt her and I thought he never wanted to hurt her. If we compare him to Jacob though I did notice that Edward was just more mild and understanding toward Bella's situation and her feelings for either boys. He also really tried to be patient, understanding and to keep his comments for himself which I really appreciated in this character.

If we look at Jacob though we really notice how immature he is this time around. He really pressures Bella into things and uses manipulation, or at least that's how it felt for me. I did really love how Bella was able to stand up to him and put him in line, however at some points in the story Jacob just really did a great job in persuading her. I just wish we saw more of the outgoing and sweet guy we met in New Moon. Of course there are scenes where Jacob is like that, but overall I just did not enjoy him because of his immature behavior.

That said for the characters, the plot wasn't too bad. I did enjoy it but not enough to say that this book was absolutely spectacular. I did however really love the descriptions in this book. If I can compare this to the movie, we really see how it's enrolling through TV or we really see how some are fighting. This time it wasn't that easy because we are in one person's mind. We couldn't be in all different places, this is where the author will make use of the vampire's abilities which is a very amazing thing I have 'witnessed' in this book. We always knew about their abilities but now we really saw them in action, which caused very detailed descriptions so we could form the scene in our head. I really found that magnificent. 

Speaking of the vampire's their abilities, the author also took time to give us an image of how certain Cullens became vampires. I really love to go back in the past and get their experiences, to me that just really adds to the story. These past events also have  impact on Bella who is struggling with the decision of wanting to change or not. So these stories also came with a purpose and that adds to the story. Overall knowing how some of them changed was just a nice break from the immature behavior of both Edward and Jacob, but also was nice because it made us get to know certain characters better. 

Next is the fact that the plot really makes time for Bella to have time with both guys. This of course ends in their hideous game where Bella will suffer more than I can count. This was a part I wished to have seen very different, especially if it meant Edward and Jacob would be functioning normal. I don't say that them fighting for her isn't thrilling, because it does bring so much more feelings and makes the reader pick a side as well. It's just the way they were acting that really annoyed me. If this was different, it might have changed my opinion on the entire book.

Lastly there is of course the threat of the new borns and one revenge seeking vampire. Overall I really loved how this went because once again the abilities of the vampires were used so we could see the tension and the fighting, while still being in one person's head. I also really enjoyed how this brought groups of people together and how this also made sure that some characters we've seen before are coming back... I don't want to spill too much about this because this is a big chunk of the book and also is very important for the development of the story. I can say that this was a part i absolutely adored because there was a lot of mystery and playing with the abilities which are just turning this plot into something worth raving over!

To complete this review I can say that I'm feeling very indecisive to if I liked the book or not. Most of it really is caused because of the characters that often annoyed me with their behavior. Especially the guys, Edward and Jacob, knew how to annoy me and really not enjoy the book by their immature behavior. I do like the fact that they want to fight for the person they love, however the way they did it was often through manipulation which then hurt Bella. I absolutely hated the fact that they were so childish and so far apart from their normal personality which I absolutely adore. Even though this really annoyed me, I'm also very impressed by how the author made us be at two places a time while being in one person's head. This was through many abilities of the vampires and I really loved to see that in action! Their abilities really gave magnificent descriptions so we could enjoy this story a lot more. Lastly, the whole idea of new borns out to kill one person made it thrilling and worth listening further to the audiobook. Not only did they bring mystery, they also played with the abilities of the vampires in an amazing way and brought certain people together! If I like this book is still a big question, however I am looking forward to the next book in the series! 

“I am Switzerland. I refuse to be affected by territorial disputes between mythical creatures.”