ECLIPSE

It's been amazing how I could finish this novel within oned day... I dmired of myself, lol. I think this novel outshines its two predecessor, TWILIGHT and NEW MOON. I am a bit disappointing in NEW MOON because Bella whine.s and mopes way too lot, that i could not almost bear. It's like i lost the magic spell of Edwards and Bella. Eclipse matches Twilight in suspense, drama and magic. The characters, especially Bella improves (no more whining and moping) because the characters cope with their situation better. The suspense is much more thrilling as in this novel, the readers could see the real fight between good vampires led by Carlisle (the Cullens) side by side with Werewolves pack led by Sam and Jake against the newborn vampires led by Victoria, the emergence of Helen sent by the Volturi and the competing to win Bella's heart between Edward, the vampire, and Jake, the werewolf. The magic spell is back. Overall, Stephenie Meyer brilliantly captures true love and the meaning of sacrifice with Eclipse. It makes me unable to stop reading it until the end :-)

Synopsis of Eclipse

Edward and Bella are back together, permanently this time. After the vote made the Cullen, Carlisle had agreed to turn her into a vampire upon her highschool graduation graduation, much to Edward's dissatisfaction. He never wanted her to live a life of his.

He took a deep breath before he answered. "You could do so much better, Bella. I know that you believe I have a soul, but I'm not entirely convinced on that point, and to risk yours .. ." He shook his head slowly. "For me to allow this - to let you become what I am just so that I'll never have to lose you - is the most selfish act I can imagine. I want it more than anything, for myself . But for you, I want so much more. Giving in - it feels criminal. It's the most selfish thing I'll ever do, even if I live forever. "If there were any way for me to become human for you - no matter what the price was, I would pay it."
I sat (185)

In the end, Edward is forced to agree than seeing her so unhappy. He would change her himself only on one condition, she marries him. first . He is an old-fashioned vampire, lol. He places matrimony above than just merely trivial love and lust.

"You see, Bella, I was alwaysthat boy. In my world, I was already a man. I wasn't looking for love - no, I was far too eager to be a soldier for that; I thought of nothing but the idealized glory of the war that they were selling prospective draftees then - but if I had found . . ." He paused, cocking his head to the side. "I was going to say if I had found someone, but that won't do. If I had found you, there isn't a doubt in my mind how I would have proceeded. I was that boy, who would have - as soon as I discovered that you were what I was looking for - gotten down on one knee and endeavored to secure your hand. I would have wanted you for eternity, even when the word didn't have quite the same connotations." (187)

Later on, Bella is torn between her will to become immortal to be able to be her true love or to stay human for the sake of her family, and friends, mostly for Jake. Will she say yes and risk disappointing her family?

In the meantime, the emergence of the Cullens again in Forks has awakened the pact of werewolves at La Push reservation. Their everlasting feud had come to a verge of a fight. Jake is not giving up Bella to a vampire and Edward is much the same. Bella is much torn between Edward and Jake. She loved both but she has 'imprinted' Edward as her true soulmate. At the same time, she is not able to see Jake getting hurt. Edward gets jealous and gruesome ob Bella's affection towards Jake.

Things get worse when on the news Seattle is being ravaged by a “serial killer” that is really an army of newborn vampires that are unable to control their bloodthirsty urges. Unsolved murders have put the city into an alert. The Cullens are afraid that this incident might provoke the Volturi to interfere. If that was the case, they would soon find out that Bella was still a human (on New Moon, Alice had made them see that Bella would join The Cullens as vampire). It means danger to Bella. As Edward as his brothers investigate, Bella's home has un invited visitor. This visitor steals some of Bella's belongings...Alice thinks it is used to get Bella's scent.

It is later revealed upon Bella's graduation party, that the newborns are being created by Victoria, who has wanted Bella dead ever since the end of Twilight. Their numbers outnumber The Cullens. Carlisle tries to get help from Tanya (a family like the Cullens) but they do not answer the call for one of their family being upset with death of Laurent by the wolves. It's also interesting to find out about Alice and Jasper past in thi novel. As mentioned in other two novels, their changing as vampires were still a mystery to the Cullens. And theirs are revealed in this chapter. The mystery about how the werewolves appear also gets lighten up. The inner conflict of their existence towards the people they love is much the same with the vampires. The relationship of Sam-Emily-Leah is also quite appealing the readers...just like with Edward, Bella, and Jake.

Jake and his pact, realizing the danger towards their people if the newborns attack and Jake for Bella, decide to make a truce with the Cullens. They will be working together to protect Bella. They have to destroy these bad bloodsuckers. Edward, particularly, want them to be destroyed soon before the Volturi intervene. It is up to vampire Edward and werewolf Jacob to unite the good vampires and werewolves in order to save Bella’s life.

As they are on the same page, Edward and Jacob learn about each other deeply more than they ever think about. Jacob still has hope that Edward will be able to let her go...to stay human...to grow old...and have kids and grandchildren. Edward says again that the decision is not up to him. He has made the wrong desicion last time left her, he will not make the same mistake again.

Edward spoke slowly. "Jacob, from the second that I realized that I loved her, I knew there were only four possibilities. The first alternative, the best one for Bella, would be if she didn't feel as strongly for me - if she got over me and moved on. I would accept that, though it would never change the way I felt. You think of me as a . . . living stone - hard and cold. That's true. We are set the way we are, and it is very rare for us to experience a real change. When that happens, as when Bella entered my life, it is a permanent change. There's no going back. . . .

"The second alternative, the one I'd originally chosen, was to stay with her throughout her human life. It wasn't a good option for her, to waste her life with someone who couldn't be human with her, but it was the alternative I could most easily face. Knowing all along that, when she died, I would find a way to die, too. Sixty years, seventy years - it would seem like a very, very short time to me. . . . But then it proved much too dangerous for her to live in such close proximity with my world. It seemed like everything that could go wrong did. Or hung over us . . . waiting to go wrong. I was terrified that I wouldn't get those sixty years if I stayed near her while she was human.

"So I chose option three. Which turned out to be the worst mistake of my very long life, as you know. I chose to take myself out of her world, hoping to force her into the first alternative. It didn't work, and it very nearly killed us both.

"What do I have left but the fourth option? It's what she wants - at least, she thinks she does. I've been trying to delay her, to give her time to find a reason to change her mind, but she's very . . . stubborn. You knowthat. I'll be lucky to stretch this out a few more months. She has a horror of getting older, and her birthday is in September. . . ." (338)

"As I said, I'm feeling oddly grateful for your presence in her life tonight. It was the least I could do. . . . You know, Jacob, if it weren't for the fact that we're natural enemies and that you're also trying to steal away the reason for my existence, I might actually like you."
"Maybe . . . if you weren't a disgusting vampire who was planning to suck out the life of the girl I love . . . well, no, not even then." (339)


Finally, they both make peace with each other. Now, the moment of the war is about to start. The newborns led by victoria is appraching. Meanwhile, The Cullens also have to worry about the emergence of the Volturi. Bella is caught in the middle. She fears for the safety of The Cullens and her weerewolves' friends...will she able to see her beloved, friends and family face to face with death???


I have to give four thumps up for this novel :-) It's entertaining and not easily to forget..the suspense will take its readers out of breath...the romance is much more melting than in TWILIGHT. ...cant wait to read the fourth "DAWN BREAKING...I hope it's as good as ECLIPSE...or more perhaps :-)