The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
Published: 2, June 2010
Author: Stephenie Meyer
The Twilight Saga Novella
Genres: Contemporary, Dating & Sex, Family Life, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, ShapeShifter, Suspense, Teens, Thriller, Vampire, Werewolf, Young Adult
Check the summary of this book here:
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner Summary
The Review:
We receive much of Bree's background from her perspective in Stephenie Meyer's The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, as well as the background on the suicidal army of newborn vampires eliminated so quickly by the Cullens and their werewolf friends in Eclipse. Bree and her companions are the "dregs," as she describes them, the "lost children of the night," discarded by an indifferent civilization and now half-crazed and savage.
There's a solid confirmation of a thought that lurks in the Twilight stories' backdrop. Bree's predicament is common among vampires. In their realm, Bella and her friends are just "one-percent."
This is for you if you're a Twilight fan who buys the extended versions of things simply to get a few extra minutes of the tale. It begins while Bree is already a vampire and concludes in the same manner as Eclipse.
It offers a brief insight into what transpired in the meadow before Bella and Edward came after the fight, and Bree also speaks to Edward through her thoughts before dying...
Offering him the possibility of a new family member as well as a strategy to beat the Volturi in the future.
Bree is still a sympathetic figure at heart, a nice girl trying to make it in a horrible world, but her situation has a dark edge to it that elevates her above the naive simplicity of a lost waif.
Her change has given her the ability to be both superhuman and subhuman. She despises herself, yet she can't picture a life without it.
She is governed by her bloodlust and has no qualms about killing humans in order to sate it, whether individually or in large groups. Humans are meant to be eaten. She, on the other hand, has no remembrance of what it was like to be one.
Even when she begins to question the morality of how she and others like her are regarded as disposable and used to further a wider purpose, Bree remains a cold-blooded murderer.
Ironically, it's the manifestation of one of her last bits of humanity that causes her to turn down a chance at freedom and seals her fate. When we learn that she had a way out, her fate becomes even more terrible.
There's a deeper metaphor here about what it means to be human—marred by sin and the horror of a broken world—and to be dehumanized.
These concepts, like Bree's, deserve more attention than they got in Twilight, but it's only a taste of the great novel that could have been if it had fallen into the hands of a more capable author.
Still, stripped of its parent novels' excesses, The Short Second Existence of Bree Tanner is a strong narrative about a lost girl chained to a fate she didn't desire, whose heroism is laudable but insufficient to free her, and whose brief life as a vampire is everything but dazzling.
It may be read on its own, but it's better if you've read the first two books in the Twilight series, especially Eclipse.
It was fascinating to follow Bree as she realized the lies she was given as a newborn vampire. It was also fascinating to read from the perspective of a vampire who must kill humans in order to exist.
We've all been taught that vegetarian vampires are nice and normal vampires are wicked because of the Twilight franchise, however, this book disproved that theory.
When we met other vampires from various covens in Breaking Dawn, we saw it as well, but it was different reading from the perspective of a red-eyed vampire.
Bree, as a newborn, has no qualms about killing humans, much as many human hunters had no qualms about killing animals. It served as a helpful reminder that we're in a different world, with a different dominating species.
I'd like to assume that if Bree lived long enough to regain her wits, she'd choose to become a vegetarian of her own accord, but we'll never know.
Definitely a wonderful addition to the Twilight Saga, and I hope to see more novellas in the future from the perspectives of other characters!
Final Thoughts:
We knew the ending of this novel from the beginning since we had read Eclipse. I'll read anything by any author, but I was hesitant to start this one since I knew it wouldn't have a nice conclusion.
The characters are bright, intriguing, and pop off the page, much like the rest of the Twilight series. Bree is a tragic figure that I believe many people may identify with. She fled an abusive home only to be reintroduced to another.
Her experience as an insignificant drone in a fledgling army stands in sharp contrast to the Cullens' loving and supportive connections. She is always terrified of the light, her fellow newcomers, Riley, and their enigmatic master.
I was really set aback by how little the vampires knew about their unusual predicament. I particularly appreciate how Diego and Bree's loving connection contrasts with the untrustworthy nature of their interaction with the other barely managed "babies."
Fred is a fantastic character. He possesses a one-of-a-kind capacity to repel individuals to varying degrees. He has the ability to blend into the background. When Bree hides behind him to escape any attention, he establishes a type of bond with her. This character is in desperate need of his own novel. Behind his power, he is mysterious and oddly polite.
There were also certain things I didn't care for. Bree acted as if she wanted to die when she found out Diego was never coming back since their short-lived relationship had such an impact on her. I know Stephenie Meyer likes this reaction (see New Moon to see what I mean), but it makes no sense in this case.
There are some interesting plot lines and compelling characters, but my annoyance with this novella outweighs my enjoyment with it because I believe it is insufficient, and I hope Stephenie Meyer decides to write a story with more pages and words that are actually part of the story and not just fillers to increase the size of the book next time.
I really appreciate the notion of novels that are connected to the characters' backstories and points of view from the main series, and I hope the author will publish these books soon.
Synopsis:
“Newly turned vampire Bree Tanner lives in terror -- and must find her way out of untold danger -- in this pulse-pounding novella, a companion to Eclipse.
Bree Tanner, a self-described "vampire nerd" first introduced in Eclipse, lives in terror in a coven of newborn vampires. She is a member of Victoria's vampire army, and as that army closes in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, she finds her first friend and discovers a truth about daylight.
While fans may know how it ends, they don't yet have the full story: Bree's tale of danger, mystery, and romance is one for the books.
It's here! #1 bestselling author Stephenie Meyer makes a triumphant return to the world of Twilight with the highly anticipated companion, Midnight Sun: the iconic love story of Bella and Edward told from the vampire's point of view.
"People do not want to just read Meyer's books; they want to climb inside them and live there." -- Time
"A literary phenomenon." -- The New York Times”
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Rating: 90/100
Recommended: 90/100 Yes.
Buy the Kindle Version Here
Free With Free Audible Trial
The Twilight Saga Complete Collection
Twilight (2010) (PG-13)
New Moon (2009) (PG-13)
Eclipse (2010) (PG-13)
Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011) (PG-13)
Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012) (PG-13)
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