What is your opinion on Stephenie Meyer?

[Lindsey Klaus]

I truly liked the Twilight series. I don't think it's the greatest book ever but it was very good. I was definitely a fan in high school.
In a way I feel bad for Stephanie Meyer; she published a YA novel and I think it blew up way more than she'd expected. Suddenly everyone's criticizing her writing and her work's under a microscope. She's not the most masterful writer but I don't think she deserved the blasting she got.

I agree with this. I'm the opposite on the spectrum, though - I absolutely hated her books in high school. They were mediocre, at best, and I couldn't understand why so many people were so obsessed with them when there were so many better books out there. It's like I'd never heard of a guilty pleasure before, or like I'd never enjoyed something other people haaaated.

And then I grew up and realized the Hate Train is not a fun place to be. It's not like she killed anyone or bullied people or did anything highly offensive. Her books are exactly what they're supposed to be - young adult novels targeted toward teens and tweens, focusing on romance. It did this brilliantly. It appealed to a very wide audience.

Do I still think Edward's a little creepy? Yes. But he's not much creepier than most other main love interests in the genre, and Bloody Mary, have I enjoyed books with protagonists just as bad.

Stephenie Meyer got way more hate than she deserved. I feel a lot of remorse for how frustrating that must've been for her. I still think the books are mediocre - but I can also see why they appealed to so many people, especially young people. That's fantastic. It's great when you can find a book that speaks to you. There's nothing wrong with that.

[shadow_reviewer]

In seventh grade, some classmates were reading it. So, I tried it out for myself. I got in to it and read all of them. At the time they were fun reads. Looking back, I don't like them very much - but, I did read all of them. I think they should be read with a grain of salt. Older readers could tell the questionable relationships issues that younger audiences might not.

[flaming_quills]

I was obsessed with the books when I was younger and I read every single one of them at least twice. It was a phase I realised, because I can't find it within me to have the same enthusiasm for her work now that I had then. I can't say her English is poor, I think the problem is her writing style and how she conveys certain ideas. Also, the lack of representation in her book is shocking.

[Jennashby_87]

I feel like she is a guilty pleasure of mine. I don’t really think she is a good writer but her books are an easy read and I find them interesting at least.

[tgoatley]

I enjoyed the Twilight series. I have The Host, but have not read it yet.

[Infinite I]

I have always been one of those crazy Twilight fans. I reread the entire series so many times. She opened up a whole new world to the readers.

[slj3988]

I read her Twilight books twice. The movie fanbase put me off a bit at first but after the hype went away, I gave it a go and fell in love with the characters. Then I read the books and liked it even more. The writing is quite beautiful and the way she delivers the world's lore from Bella's perspective is very clever. To say it's like Romeo & Juliet with vampires wouldn't do it justice. There's more going on than you'd expect.

From a guy who normally doesn't enjoy romance, I related a lot to the relationships and the intensity of teenage love.
There's something about small pacific northwest towns that feels inviting to me too.

[sevencrows]

I read the books a few years ago, and I thought they were more mediocre than anything else. I definitely think there's some typical elements of YA books that people tend to hate on, some more justified than others (re: creepiness of Edward, instalove, helpless damsel trope, etc.), but the intensity of the hate Meyer got from the series, in my opinion, was too much. There's a plethora of mediocre YA books, and Meyer didn't deserve the brunt of the hatred.

[piplup45]

IMO, The Twilight books are wonderful for angsty teenagers (and horny cougars) in the same way that 50 Shades of Gray is great for horny cougars. It’s not necessarily that the writing is terrible or that the the story is bad, but it could be so much better than it is if she just got rid of some of the angst and hormonal moodiness.

Also, many of the ideas of the books are trite and overused parts of other books that she just took, wadded up together and threw in. Some of them are modified slightly, like the whole “vampires sparkle in the sun to distract their prey” thing, but they don’t all mix.

[BellaGBear]

I really was a hipster regarding her books. Meaning I started reading them around the time the second one was out and I was around 16. 16 was the perfect moment for me to read those books. They are not incredibly deep or clever or well-written or anything, but fun if it's your kind of thing. If you are into romance I would certainly check them out!

[Tavaiel26]

It's been a while since I read the Twilight saga, and to this day I don't know what I feel about it.
It's not regret, it was an interesting experience, but mainly at the end I can still vividly remember the "what in God's name did I just read" moments I had.

[Charmaineshelton]

Stephanie Meyers is no Stephen King. Her characters lack depth and her plot is o.k. but seriously vampires that glow. It's a little ridiculous.

[NASRUNA]

Kind of tempting fate by making this as my second post I feel like...

Honestly, her grasp on the English language and the flow of it is astounding. I admire her talent very much. Her characterizations have some deeply rooted problems, and my issue with that is that I cannot tell whether or not the flaws are there purposefully.

[Zoe Luh]

I couldn't get on with them but I think it's important to remember who they were written for. They were aimed at teenaged girls and then suddenly went mass market. I don't think the writing style is very good but you can't argue that the storyline captured an awful lot of people.

I agree, I didn't love the books, but they definitely have a market. I did enjoy The Host written by Stephanie Meyer though!

[Amesthenerd]

I never cared for her writing personally, but I also don’t like to post a lot of hate on her too. There are people that enjoy her work and that’s valid.