this book, and this series as a whole, was equally miserably disappointing and appalling. in a world of hermiones and catnisses, why are millions of young girls across the world captivated by the least heroic heroine known to literature? this is not a story of romance, but one of emotional abuse: a fictional relationship not remotely exemplary of one I would wish on my friends or children. the only thing more insulting than the example Bella's character sets for our future generations of girls is Stephanie Meyers' writing itself. literally, I was able to skip multiple pages without missing an ounce of story line. the only thing that kept me reading to the end was the idea behind the plot line and a desperate hope that somehow the book would redeem itself to something half as worthy as the reputation which preceded it.