Initially published in 2005 by Stephenie Meyer, the Twilight Saga continues to be a top-rated book series loved by teens and adults alike. The series is intended for children 12 years and older because it does contain elements of violence and sexuality.
There are seven books in the Twilight series: Twilight, Midnight Sun, Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined, New Moon, Eclipse, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella, and Breaking Dawn. The final order of the series isn’t the order in which they were initially published.
Stephenie Meyer has enjoyed massive success with her Twilight novels, and four of the seven Twilight books have even been adapted for film. If you’re interested in the series, keep reading for a breakdown of each book in the Twilight saga.
Twilight
Twilight was the first book published in the Twilight series. The main character is Isabella (Bella) Swan, a 17-year-old who moves to Forks, Washington, with her father in the middle of her junior year of high school. Bella anticipates her new city and high school will be relatively predictable. However, her world quickly turns upside down when she meets and falls in love with the attractive and elusive Edward Cullen, who just so happens to be a vampire.
Bella’s life gets more complicated when she befriends a werewolf named Jacob Black. The two become inseparable, and Jacob warns Bella about the repercussions of falling for Edward. Edward and Bella’s love story is further strained because Edward is enticed by Bella’s natural scent and must restrain himself from his genuine vampire urges.
Twilight lays the foundation for the subsequent novels and sets the tone for readers regarding the rules of the Twilight world. Additionally, thisbook was turned into a movie in 2008 and was wildly popular upon its release.
Midnight Sun
Midnight Sun is the latest book published by Stephenie Meyer. However, it’s second in the sequence of events within the Twilight Saga. The book is similar to Twilight as it follows the same plot as the first novel. However, it is told entirely from Edward’s point of view instead of Bella’s. Readers get an inside idea of Edward’s thoughts, desires, and emotions from the vampire’s perspective as they read the story.
Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined
Stephenie Meyer wrote Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined because she wanted readers to understand that the Twilight storyline would be the same regardless of the character’s genders. Twilight Reimagined swaps the main character’s genders and keeps the original storyline.
In this book, the main character, Beau Swan, falls in love with Edyth Cullen. Beau is a human man, and Edythe is a woman vampire. Essentially the same story takes place. However, now a man is falling in love with a female vampire. Both vampires have to fight the same urge not to kill their love interests, and Twilight Reimagined’s relationship dynamics are essentially the same.
New Moon
New Moon is technically the second novel in the Twilight Saga. Bella and Edward are now in their senior year of high school in New Moon. They’ve learned how to navigate the nuances of their complex human and vampire relationship and are doing well until Bella’s 18th birthday.
At Bella’s birthday celebration, Jasper, Edward’s brother, can’t contain himself and attacks Bella after smelling her blood.
This incident causes Edward to permanently end his relationship with Bella in order to protect her. Without Edward, Bella has trouble finding purpose and joy in her life and wanders around hopelessly. However, she sees hope in her friendship with Jacob, who may be hiding his feelings from her.
Things get further complicated when Bella is of interest to the Volturi when they discover she knows vampires exist. New Moon was turned into a film in 2009, following the Twilight movie’s initial success.
Eclipse
Eclipse was written after New Moon and indicated a change within the Twilight world as Bella decides whether or not she will be immortal. The characters also wrestle with a violent killing spree happening in Seattle.
The book details the story of Bella’s decision to potentially leave her human life behind and become immortal in an attempt to remain safe from the Volturi. Bella grapples with her decision to no longer be human, and Jacob’s presence further complicates her and Edward’s relationship.
It’s undeniable that Bella loves Edward, even though Edward and Jacob hate each other. And the two men eventually engage in a race to win Bella’s heart. Amid the fighting, the characters have to work together to get to the bottom of the killing spree and keep Bella safe. The Eclipse movie premiered in 2010 and was the third movie in the Twilight Saga.
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is a novella and is therefore significantly shorter than the other Twilight books. The novella follows Bree Tanner, a character introduced in Eclipse, a newborn vampire, and her love interest, Diego, as they navigate the new world of being a vampire. The novella introduces new characters into the Twilight world and gives readers a glimpse of what life is like for a newly-transitioned vampire.
Breaking Dawn
Breaking Dawn is the final book in the Twilight Series. Meyer wrote the book in three parts, and it’s unique because it’s told from Bella’s perspective in books one and three and Jacob’s perspective in book two. The book opens with Bella and Edward approaching their wedding day.
Breaking Dawn covers a lot of ground between Bella, Edward, and Jacob’s complex relationships. But one common enemy they still face is the Volturi.
Breaking Dawn the movie was released in two parts. The first part was released in 2011, and the second part was released in 2012. Both films were highly successful at the box office.
Final Thoughts
In total, there are seven books in the Twilight Saga, although they were not all written in chronological order. The main four of the seven books were turned into movies and achieved high levels of success when they were released. The other three books consist of a novella, the Twilight story retold from Edward’s perspective, and the Twilight novel reimagined with the main character’s genders reversed.
Overall, the books were widely popular when they were initially released, and many readers have reread the books over the years. Both young adults and teenagers have enjoyed the Twilight series.
