Review: Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined (Twilight #5) by Stephenie Meyer

Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined (Twilight #5) by Stephenie Meyer

Published: October 6, 2015

Publisher: Little, Brown

Celebrate the tenth anniversary of Twilight! This special double-feature book includes the classic novel, Twilight, and a bold and surprising reimagining, Life and Death, by Stephenie Meyer.

Packaged as an oversize, jacketed hardcover “flip book,” this edition features nearly 400 pages of new content as well as exquisite new back cover art. Readers will relish experiencing the deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful love story of Bella and Edward through fresh eyes.

Twilight has enraptured millions of readers since its first publication in 2005 and has become a modern classic, redefining genres within young adult literature and inspiring a phenomenon that has had readers yearning for more. The novel was a #1 New York Times bestseller, a #1 USA Today bestseller, a Time magazine Best Young Adult Book of All Time, an NPR Best-Ever Teen Novel, and a New York Times Editor’s Choice. The Twilight Saga, which also includes New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella, and The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide, has sold nearly 155 million copies worldwide.

Arlene's Thoughts

Wow! I can believe it’s been over seven years since Twilight came to its conclusion with Breaking Dawn. It’s no secret that I loved the first three books and absolutely hated the last installment. Not to mention, the movies messed up my fictional image of Edward in my head, so when I did tried to re-read Twilight, it was Pattinson and Stewart invading my thoughts and not my first imagination of what I pictured Edward and Bella to be.

Overall, the entire Twilight experience had its ups and downs for me… a horrible finale, a campy first movie, a cast that messed with my imagination and a longing to read the coveted Midnight Sun that might never see the light of day.

Setting all of that aside, I decided to read Twilight Reimagined and realized it was just more of the mind-f*ck I’ve been experiencing since Breaking Dawn. However, not in an absolutely horrible way like some of the other Twilight disasters. This book had its… charm… yes that’s the right word... charm. I didn’t hate it or love it, but I found myself constantly trying to figure out who was who.

In Twilight Reimagined, Bella now becomes an ordinary boy named Beau and the vampire is Edythe, who plays the part of Edward. All other characters, with the exception of Charlie and Renee are gender swapped. For quite a few chapters, I thought Meyer’s simply did a quick and simple “find/replace” job in Word, but there were moments and scenes that were redeveloped, which were fun to read.

Overall, I liked the original Twilight much better with Bella and Edward, but I much preferred the ending that Stephenie Meyer crafted in this book. I wish she would have taken this route over seven years ago. Perfect ending having been given a second chance.

3 Snowflakes

Tina's Thoughts:

Okay, I'm gonna be totally honest here. When I first saw the interview with SM introducing the new bonus material for the 10th anniversary edition of Twilight, I was both excited and disappointed. For those who know me, know it's no secret that I want Midnight Sun written, bound and in my greedy little hands. It would have been the ultimate gift SM could have given her fans, but, instead, we got Life and Death-Twilight Reimagined. So, no, it wasn't the Midnight Sun I was hoping for, but lets face it, I'm not going to complain since I've been so desperate for anything new from SM that I would have still jumped at the chance to read any book she writes.

Now, don't get me wrong here, I thought this book was actually pretty great, it was different, ok, really different, meaning strange to be reading this story and be so familiar with everything in it but in a totally different light. For one thing I had the hardest time getting the voices straight in my head without thinking about the original characters. Beau (Bella) is now a human male and Edythe (Edward) is now a shiny female vampire. Besides the ending of the book (which I loved) every moment and everything said between the two was pretty much the same, and while it was a fun and even an entertaining story, I think I'm more of a traditional kinda girl. I like my male leads to be more masculine and my female leads, independent, sure, but not ashamed of accepting help when needed. Bella and Edward had (for me) off the charts chemistry, you could feel the power of first love, but sadly Beau and Edythe didn't seem to have that same chemistry, connection or romantic spark. 

With that said, I still thought this was a really great and quirky treat for any fans who wanted a little something twilight-related to add to their collection. The Twilight Saga will always have a special place in my heart and I'll forever be waiting and hoping for Midnight Sun, but for this respect, I still think Bella and Edward had the better story.

                                                                    3 Snowflakes