A New Dawn

Hopkins, Ellen. ed., 2008. A New Dawn: Your Favorite Authors on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Series.

If you're like most Twilight-saga fans, then you're probably counting down the months, weeks, and days until the release of the fourth novel in the series, Breaking Dawn, due out this August. There is a new book, a Borders-exclusive book that just might satisfy you during your wait. It's a fabulous little book entitled A New Dawn: Your Favorite Authors on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. It's edited by Ellen Hopkins and features essays by these YA authors: Ellen Hopkins, Susan Vaught, Megan McCafferty, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Anne Ursu, Linda Gerber, Ellen Steiber, K.A. Nuzum, Cara Lockwood, Cassandra Clare, James A. Owen, Robin Brande, Janette Rallison, and Rachel Caine. According to the book's website, it should be available in June at a Borders near you.

Articles range in tone and style. There's the oh-so-fabulous "Edward, Heathcliff, and Our Other Secret Boyfriends" by Robin Brande that I dare you not to think ingenious. In it she compares Edward to classic literary romantic heroes...and perhaps not surprisingly finds Edward better than all the rest. It's funny and witty and just incredibly straightforward. If I didn't already love Robin because of her beautiful first novel Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature, this would do the trick.

Other gems include "The Good Girl Always Goes for the Bad Boy" by Megan McCafferty and "To Bite, Or Not To Bite; That is the Question" by Janette Rallison, "As Time Goes By" by K.A. Nuzum, and "Tall, Dark, and...Thirsty" by Ellen Steiber. While the book centers on Bella/Edward, Jacob does get some attention, some treatment. Especially in "Dancing With Wolves" by Linda Gerber.

For the most part, the essays are well-written. Some are serious. Some are light-hearted. Some are more formal in nature. Others are like a conversation you'd have with your best friend. Of the fourteen articles/essays included in A New Dawn I feel strongly positive about twelve of them. The other two aren't bad, they're just not quite as wonderful as the other twelve.

I definitely recommend A New Dawn for Twilight fans whether they're on Team Edward or Team Jacob. If you just can't get enough, then A New Dawn will give you food for thought until the big day arrives.


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews