Twilight by Stephanie Meyer - Book 1 of a Vampire Series

I have heard so much about the vampire series Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, but like too many adults I turned my nose up at this because after all it is for the YA crowd and I'm far beyond this age group. But finally I caved and picked up book 1, also named Twilight (Little, Brown 2006), and was mesmerized from the first word. Below is my review.

Bella recently moved to Fork, WA, a small town where her father Charlie is the local police chief. Her last residence was Phoenix AZ with her mother. Bella wants to allow her mom more time to spend with boyfriend Phil and so decides to live with her dad even though she hates the horrid, cold, sunless weather that is ever present in this area. She always considered herself an outsider in high school and assumes the situation will remain the same in Forks, but in fact she does make a few friends and even has a couple of boys who give her intense, unwanted attention. The first week she notices five students sitting together at the lunch table, sitting quietly, barely interacting, and each one of exquisite appearance. Those are the Cullens, she is told. They keep to themselves. Later in the day she is surprised to find herself sitting next to Edward Cullen in Biology class. He does not speak to her and seems actively hostile. Weeks later after several interactions, some traumatic, they have come to know each other well and feel a deep kinship. It is then that Edward confesses to her why he acted so strangely in the beginning. He and his family are vampires who live among humanity, and feed themselves on animal blood, but Edward found Bella so alluring that he feared he would let his desire overcome his actions. Bella accepts this calmly. She has fallen in love. Edward feels the same, and he learns to control his bloodlust while still keeping Bella close. Even most of Edward's family accept the human Bella in their midst, but having a human in the vampire world inevitably brings dangers. Twilight's mixture of romance, gripping suspense, and deftly plotted fantasy make compelling reading for all ages not only young adults.