Import Fees Deposit Included

$8.41 delivery Friday, November 24. Order within 17 hrs 49 mins. Details

Extended delivery time: This item is fulfilled by Amazon from outside of Canada. Separate terms and conditions apply.

Delivering to Montreal H3A – Update location

Only 1 left in stock.

$$74.12 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Payment

Secure transaction

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Ships from

Amazon

Ships from

Amazon

Sold by

SNAP SHOPPING STORE

Sold by

SNAP SHOPPING STORE

Returns

Returnable until Jan 31, 2024

Returns

Returnable until Jan 31, 2024

For the 2023 holiday season, eligible items purchased between November 1 and December 31, 2023 can be returned until January 31, 2024

Read full return policy

Details

Add gift options

FREE delivery Monday, November 20 on your first order. Details

Or fastest delivery Sunday, November 19. Order within 22 hrs 49 mins. Details

Delivering to Montreal H3A – Update location

Used: Very Good | Details

Sold by Canada's Best Books

Fulfilled by Amazon

Add to Wish List

Added to

Unable to add item to Wish List. Please try again.

Image Unavailable

Image not available for
Colour:

To view this video, download Flash Player

Follow the author

Stephenie Meyer

Follow

Twilight Tenth Anniversary/Life and Death Dual Edition Hardcover – Oct. 6 2015

by Stephenie Meyer (Author)

4.4 2,859 ratings

Collects books from: The Twilight Saga

See all formats and editions

Amazon Price

New from

Used from

Kindle Edition

"Please retry"

$13.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$74.12

$70.59

$17.49

Paperback, Large Print

"Please retry"

—

$73.23

$79.72

Kindle Edition
$13.99 Read with our free app
Audiobook
$0.00 Free with your Audible trial
Hardcover
$74.12

13 Used from $17.49 3 New from $70.59 1 Collectible from $127.95
Paperback
from $73.23

1 Used from $79.72 2 New from $73.23

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$74.12","priceAmount":74.12,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"74","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"12","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"y%2FbfKgurfbPolBM4uMzdKNFPPqX2OQv3nG1iqbz5dFYbYTO6v9FylLT1FFi%2BtPIQwdUvEeGxu2U8RuV1Q%2FrDKnper%2F60AJoN5jQPkOcr7Il%2FcgoZ369GYYzyg6mlx5oxAH05zI%2FXEvSRZqjrUX%2Bor2CwWBm%2FRKbQvXy81sNZSKg6PrNrPX5bpvnygJvLG7xH","locale":"en-CA","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$23.99","priceAmount":23.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"23","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"y%2FbfKgurfbPolBM4uMzdKNFPPqX2OQv3bYY19XkxgQsYRNYaqg71%2BP0abrRgOVcC3%2B0xsE%2BxeiNJGw%2Fq1aN76GQ0Ds1N4UJ9nLcgDralpmNhgD1LIwNA%2BSvWLriddwdLIuiQ1p%2ByR4BiouEAl1jabnIv%2BTzoTmoo5Jku1DQAh3sIVPbbyh7VzA%3D%3D","locale":"en-CA","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Twilight fans everywhere will adore this dual edition featuring an exclusive anniversary release of the first book and a gender-swapped reimagining of the classic immortal love story.

In Life and Death, readers will be thrilled to experience this iconic tale told through the eyes of a human teenage boy in love with a female vampire. Packaged as an oversize, jacketed hardcover "flip book," this edition features nearly 400 pages of exclusive content as well as exquisitely re-imagined cover art. Fans of Bella and Edward will not want to miss the opportunity to see these iconic characters portrayed in intriguing new roles.

The series has been praised as New York Times and USA Todaybestsellers, a Time magazine Best Young Adult Book of All Time, an NPR Best Ever Teen Novel, and a New York Times Editor's Choice. Enrapturing millions of readers since its first publication, Twilight has become a modern classic, leaving readers yearning for more.

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

Reading age

12 years and up
Print length

752 pages
Language

English
Grade level

7 and up
Dimensions

15.88 x 5.08 x 23.5 cm
Publisher

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date

Oct. 6 2015
ISBN-10

0316268399
ISBN-13

978-0316268394
See all details

Frequently bought together

Twilight Tenth Anniversary/Life and Death Dual Edition

$74.12

FREE Delivery

Only 1 left in stock.

Sold by SNAP SHOPPING STORE and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.

+

$20.41

Sold by Excellent NYC and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.

+

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella

$17.98

Get it by Monday, Nov 20

Only 1 left in stock.

Sold by HERI19 and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Try again!

Details

Added to Cart

Some of these items ship sooner than the others.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

Stephenie Meyer
142,309
Hardcover
$20.41
Stephenie Meyer
4,955
Hardcover
$17.98
Get it by Monday, Nov 20
FREE Shipping by Amazon
Only 1 left in stock.

Product description

About the Author

Stephenie Meyer is the author of the #1 bestselling Twilight Saga, The Host, and The Chemist. Twilight has enraptured millions of readers since its publication in 2005 and has become a modern classic, redefining genres within young adult literature and inspiring a phenomenon that has had readers yearning for more. The series has sold 160 million copies worldwide and was made into five blockbuster feature films. Stephenie lives in Arizona with her husband. Her website is stepheniemeyer.com.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Anniversary edition (Oct. 6 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 752 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316268399
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316268394
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 989 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.88 x 5.08 x 23.5 cm

Best Sellers Rank: #221,910 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.4 2,859 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Stephenie Meyer

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Stephenie Meyer's life changed dramatically on June 2, 2003. The stay-at-home mother of three young sons woke-up from a dream featuring seemingly real characters that she could not get out of her head. "Though I had a million things to do (i.e. making breakfast for hungry children, dressing and changing the diapers of said children, finding the swimsuits that no one ever puts away in the right place), I stayed in bed, thinking about the dream. Unwillingly, I eventually got up and did the immediate necessities, and then put everything that I possibly could on the back burner and sat down at the computer to write--something I hadn't done in so long that I wondered why I was bothering." Meyer invented the plot during the day through swim lessons and potty training, then writing it out late at night when the house was quiet. Three months later she finished her first novel, Twilight.

Twilight was one of 2005's most talked about novels and within weeks of its release the book debuted at #5 on The New York Times bestseller list.Among its many accolades, Twilight was named an "ALA Top Ten Books for Young Adults," an Amazon.com "Best Book of the Decade&So Far", and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. The movie version of Twilight will be released by Summit Entertainment nationwide on November 21, 2008, starring Kristen Stewart ("Into The Wild") and Robert Pattinson ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire").

The highly-anticipated sequel, New Moon, was released in September 2006 and spent 31 weeks at the #1 position on The New York Times bestseller list. Eclipse, the third book in Meyer's Twilight saga, was released on August 7, 2007 and sold 150,000 copies its first day on-sale. The book debuted at #1 bestseller lists across the country, including USA Today and The Wall Street Journal. The fourth and final book in the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn, was published on August 2, 2008, with a first printing of 3.2 million copies - the largest first printing in the publisher's history. Breaking Dawn sold 1.3 million copies its first day on-sale rocketing the title to #1 on bestseller lists nationwide.

Meyer's highly-anticipated debut for novel adults, The Host, was released by Little, Brown and Company in May 2008 and debuted at #1 on The New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists.

Stephenie Meyer graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English Literature. She lives in Arizona with her husband and sons.

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from Canada

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

:)

3.5 star version of "Twilight"

Reviewed in Canada on October 11, 2015

Verified Purchase

Like probably 80% of the people here, I had to buy this book because of how big of a fan I am. I don't understand why so many people are disappointed by it honestly.... Sure the beginning and middle are EXACTLY the same as the original version, (and I do mean exactly the same, It was a bit boring to read at times) and now and again I get all the characters mixed up. The ending though, has a twist that I actually really enjoyed and think brought closure to this reimagined one-book-series. I think Stephenie should have just finished off midnight sun for this anniversary, but I don't think this book is as bad as a lot of people are making it out to be. If you're a hardcore Twilight fan, I would give this book a try.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

heather hersikorn

Pleasantly surprised.

Reviewed in Canada on August 31, 2021

Verified Purchase

Well kept book in great shape and met my expectations. Would definitely buy from seller again.

Helpful

Riley Brathwaite

was awesome. Stephanie was aiming at dispelling people's worries that ...

Reviewed in Canada on October 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

As a MASSIVE twilight fan, the gender swapped characters were amusingly difficult to follow at first, but Beau, as a character, was awesome. Stephanie was aiming at dispelling people's worries that Bella was the stereotypical 'damsel in distress', and she totally did. Although I didn't see that in the first place. A male clutz was awesome.

Helpful

SRL 2589

Twilight & Twilight 2.0

Reviewed in Canada on December 1, 2020

Verified Purchase

Interesting reverse book read.

Helpful

Avid Reader

Twilight Fans will love it.

Reviewed in Canada on November 14, 2015

Verified Purchase

I know many people were disappointed the ten year edition wasn't Midnight Sun, and I hold out on the hope that Stephenie Meyer will finish it one day, for her fans. But I really enjoyed the gender swap. It was a fun way to re-experience one of my favorite books.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Miss Shotpoppa

Yup it's a book

Reviewed in Canada on April 22, 2020

Verified Purchase

It is what's advertised. Delivery came on time. Book was in great shape. Cant complain.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

I haven't read the original Twilight in a few years so it's like meeting up with an old friend

Reviewed in Canada on April 28, 2016

Verified Purchase

So far I am thoroughly enjoying this 're-write'. I haven't read the original Twilight in a few years so it's like meeting up with an old friend :) Great way to get back into the Twilight universe.

Helpful

C. Gibbs

Makes you feel like you're experiencing first love all over again

Reviewed in Canada on April 8, 2017

Verified Purchase

Makes you feel like you're experiencing first love all over again. Great simple writing invokes great feelings of yearning and teen angst.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Ann Y. Byrne

The gender bender works - I liked it!

Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2016

Verified Purchase

I loved the original “Twilight” series, and have re-read them all a few times. I was thrilled to find this "re-vision", and I accept what SM has said about why she wrote it (and yes, I still want Midnight Sun, too!). However, if you want (or expect) this to be another book or another story, you probably won't enjoy it - it really IS Twilight all over again, just with genders switched - and a change to the ending.

I thought the gender-switched version was quite well-executed, and that it helped show that the original gender of the characters wasn’t vital for the plot to work. I think it also helps refute those who saw Bella as weak or a ‘helpless victim”. I never did see her that way – in fact, her character resonated with me because I saw her as anything but! To me, she seemed independent, self-sufficient, intelligent, and a little eccentric but in a good way. She didn’t feel she had to fit in with high school social ‘norms’.

Here, Beau (shortened from Beaufort, similarly to Bella from Isabella) has the same awkwardness and lack of athleticism Bella has, as well as her intelligence - and her star-crossed attraction to a particular member of the Cullen vampire family.

As other reviewers have noted, most of the other characters are gender-switched too, and I enjoyed that feature. It was fun! Only Renee and Charlie remain the same gender-wise. It did take me a bit to get used to the name changes, in trying to keep track of who was who – with the Cullens, Rosalie is now Royal (a nod to the original Rosalie’s horrible ex-fiancé), Emmett is Eleanor, Alice is Archie and Jasper is Jessamine; Dr Cullen is now the female Carine, not Carlisle, and is married to Earnest , not Esme. I had a bit of trouble keeping track of Beau’s high school friends, with their similar gender/name changes (Jessica is Jeremy, Tyler is Taylor, Mike is McKayla, etc), although with the Quileute tribe members it’s easier because only Jules (not Jacob) and Bonnie (rather than Billy) Black make an appearance (Sam does too, but is still “Sam” though female.)

The original story is followed nicely, with only the necessary changes to fit in with the gender changes (i.e., instead of the apparent threat of rape by the hoodlums in Port Angeles, Beau is threatened with being shot, which seems more realistic). I found it great fun to read.

But then -
SPOILER alert – you may wish read no further, if you have not yet read the book but plan to:

The plot does change somewhat – primarily, everything speeds up within the time-frames of this book, since the author is not going to re-write all four books!

A few things took me a little by surprise as I read, especially Beau and Edythe's intense emotional and confessional openness with each other, which developed just a bit too quickly . The two key scenes where Bella learned a lot about Edward – the hillside they walked to near school one day, and then the meadow – are combined in one. As a result, there seemed to me that a bit of the original magic of the meadow scene was missing .

The rivalry between Edward and Jacob – er, Edythe and Jules – never happens in this version, again because the other books in the series aren’t going to happen. There’s just the hint that Jules, age 14, really likes Beau a lot and feels a bit wistful that she doesn’t get to spend more time with him. Billy Black’s keen alertness and concern, however, are carried very well by Bonnie’s character.

Things then speed up even more, and although the scenes with the tracker vampire (now Joss, not James) are basically the same, in this version Beau becomes a vampire as a result of what happens in the ballet studio. That’s okay, but as Edythe laments, he really had ‘no choice in it”, whereas in the original series, as time goes on Bella decides she does choose that fate - and also by then she's received a lot more education on what vampire life involves, what with meeting the Volturi and so much more. (The Volturi, also gender-switched, are only mentioned in this book.)

The ending, including Beau’s immediate and rather bizarrely casual acceptance of his fate, is really the only place where this version disappointed me.

My main gripe (Major SPOILER alert – definitely read no further if you've not finished the book!) is that the Cullens (and Beau) choose to do what was discussed by them in Twilight but rejected: that after s/he’s become a vampire, they arrange for Bella’s/Beau’s parents to believe s/he died. I not only really, really disliked this choice, but also found aspects of it not even logical (for example, why would Beau’s funeral be held in Forks, when he was “killed” in Phoenix, which was also where he’d lived for a much longer time?). I also found Beau’s laid-back, seemingly unconcerned acceptance of this arranged scenario - including never being able to see or talk to his parents again - much, much too easy. He almost seems to say “I’m watching my parents face the worst thing parents could ever face, but hey I have my new love, so, whatever!” Yes, he superficially acknowledges their hurt, but he doesn't seem to really feel anything or have serious conflict about it. That seems out of character for the character. I even found myself musing on the many alternative plot possibilities that could have avoided this outcome - allowing him to still see/stay in touch with Charlie and Renee from time to time while staying away from most everyone else - and still ending the book in this volume.

But – oh well, that’s not what happened. I'm not SM!

And in all, I really did enjoy reading the book - and I thought it achieved its purpose!

9 people found this helpful

Tiferet Sayar

Loved it; whether you like it or not will depend on what it is that appeals to you about Twilight.

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2015

Verified Purchase

I really did like this new "reimagining" of the Twilight story, though clearly not everyone does. (I'm laughing at all the reviewers who say they can't believe a teenage boy could be as awkward as Bella -- or Beau -- Swan. Clearly you guys did not grow up with my brothers, who were incredibly awkward during their teens as they grew into their new adult bodies.)

Many of the scenes are almost identical to those in the original book because one of Stephenie's intentions was to show that a human in Bella's position (surrounded by supernatural beings stronger, tougher and older that you, many of whom want you dead) would be "in distress" and need the occasional rescue regardless of gender, just because vampires in this universe are a natural predator of the human species and have many advantages in terms of physical power and resources that are not offset by the vulnerabilities of the more "traditional" vampire in legend, like sunlight, religious objects, wild roses and holy water. (Yes, yes, I know, that's one of the things some of you folks don't like about Twilight--but all the people who have written popular vampire novels have dropped SOME of the vulnerabilities--when's the last time someone in a novel by Anne Rice, Poppy Z. Brite, Bram Stoker, or Charlaine Harris got thrown of the trail because someone threw a handful of rice in the ashes and they had to stay there and count it and sift it all out until it was all separated? Legendary vampires have a boatload of problems but somehow nobody complains when Guillermo Del Toro drops some of them!)

A lot of people who complain that the book is exactly the same don't seem to have finished it. It has a very different ending and I actually prefer this ending for...reasons. (Don't worry, I won't spoil you.)

Of course, the main purpose of a review is to help you determine whether you are going to like the book or not, so this is what I have to say about that.

If you like the world of Twilight--with the different vampire factions, the werewolf situation (I wish she hadn't used the name of a real tribe because they are justifiably upset about the racefail perpetrated on their culture), and the ways in which her vampires and werewolves are different from old legends and earlier novels--you will probably enjoy this book.

If you are not attached to the idea of awkwardness and vulnerability and sensitivity as "female" traits and you are not attached to the idea of a forceful personality or of terseness and discomfort with emotion as "male" traits, you will probably enjoy this book. Edythe is no less terse, no less troubled, no more able to talk about emotion easily, no less direct than Edward. Beau is no less awkward, vulnerable and sensitive than Bella even though his language is less embellished.

If on the other hand you really liked the way the original book seemed to fall into traditional gender roles (despite the fact that Bella always gets what she really wants and never backs down from confronting Edward when she doesn't like his BS and forces him to accept that he can't control her, not even for her own good), you will probably NOT like this book. Some people really can't deal with a girl like Edythe who does not back down and keeps her own counsel. And the stalkiness of Edythe's pursuit is thrown into light when removed from the unfortunate cultural norms by which we tolerate a lot of bad behaviour from young men who are "in love", but nothing actually changes--you just have to deal with your own feelings about whether or not it's OK and why you might think that.

If the love triangle was your thing--especially if you were "Team Jacob"--you will NOT like this book. It is even more apparent in this book than in Twilight that Bella/Beau thinks of Jacob/Julie as a childhood friend/extended family member, NOT a potential romantic partner. Bella was never into Jacob that way--he just couldn't accept that as fact. There is even less interaction between Beau and Julie than between Bella and Jacob.

If you liked the power differential between Bella and Edward this book is not for you; particularly not if you're attached to the idea of Renesmee. (I like Renesmee as a character but I hate "imprinting" and I really hate the idea of Jacob sliding into another relationship without having to grow up and accept the fact that the Friend Zone is something MRAs made up to justify their bile and poor personalities and just being nice to women doesn't entitle you to anything BUT friendly interaction.)

But if you loved the stories of the Cullens, the history of the Volturi, and the fact that Bella (an adrenaline junkie who prefers the weird to the normal, yet for some reason is often accused of being a doormat) made Edward accept her point of view and forced him to stop trying to make decisions for her and treat her as an equal--you will like this book just as much and you may prefer the ending as much as I did. (Yes, aspects of this ending are cruel; but for the main characters as shown in the story they also make much more sense from a survivability/sensibility POV).

Some of the names are stupid. Some of the names of characters in the original Twilight series were stupid, too. Neither Carine or Carlisle makes much sense for someone who was born at the time this character was born. But people in Utah have their own ideas about how names oughta work, and the fact that you and I are not from Utah doesn't make it okay

5 people found this helpful

Steven M. Brown

An interesting twist to the original twilight story that may have surpassed it.

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2018

Verified Purchase

I did not read the twilight portion in this version at least because I just read it a week or so back before I took a break to read another book. When I came back to read the alternate version with the sexes switched and such I was surprised to find a story more interesting in a number of ways. Having read the stories nearly back to back and having read twilight on a number of occasions I found that the characters of Beau and Edythe we're a better fit for the story. It is odd given that this alternate version only came about because Stephenie Meyers wanted to write a rebuttal of sorts in the form of a story proving that twilight was more than just a damsel in distress story the one about the first love and the obsessions that come with it.

It was difficult not to hear Bella's voice or see her personality in the beginning. The idea of retelling a story with the sexes switched is interesting and comes with a great number of difficulties considering the female and male personality traits are usually fairly different. For example young guys, even those who are not car guys, are more likely to be embarrassed by the condition of their truck then if it is loud. In fact young high-school guys tend to be proud if their truck is loud LOL. It's weird but true. Also guys in high school after a growth spurt are notorious for packing away the food... they do not nibble and rarely do not eat even if something emotionally is happening.

However for the most part transitioning the story and making it into one led by male protagonist work fairly well. Some of the story felt new because it was. The dialogue was completely different or the situation changed to be more authentic. For example a dad treats his son differently than he would have daughter. These little interactions were quite fun.

What I noticed about Beau and Edythe the most was that their personalities or more assertive and better defined. Little changes in dialogue and in how they acted made story feel less like it was targeted at an audience or age range. while the story was a rebuttal of sorts of Stephenie Meyer's against those who complained that the original twilight was supposedly anti-feminist and fed into the damsel in distress tropes I felt that it was obvious that Stephenie Meyer has also grown as an author and in doing so major characters come to life more.

I will admit though that in both versions the main character still has some flaws such as a lack personal interest and future planning. Neither have dreams of becoming anything nor are they fascinated by anything in particular outside of generalization of books which are vaguely mentioned. I think this is done in part so that any reader can simply slip into the story and take it for their own. It is still a paranormal Romance in either version it's the little changes in the alternate version made it all the more interesting.

I found it amusing and how Edythe particularly was a bit more aggressive and sarcastic in some places, in another place is playful. She was not be brooding mysterious character as much as Edward was. And certain traits that Edward was given feel natural with a female love interest. All told it makes me think that the original could have been so much better if it wasn't particularly targeted at a certain audience and age group. However the fact that it made millions upon millions is enough proof of its success.

For those who have loved the twilight series reading this alternate version will come as a surprise in many areas and likely be very refreshing and feel a little bit weird... But in a good way. It is interesting to see how our perspectives change about the characters from all the little tweaks that occurred during the transition.

For any who decide to pick up this mission or simply read the alternate version you will find a complete story in and of itself. I do not want to get into spoiler territory but this is a one-off book that while leaving the reader wanting more has a fairly firm ending that does not necessitate the continuation of the series. Still I would very much enjoy seeing what Stephenie Meyers would do with these characters and how much different book four would be.

4 people found this helpful

Eliza Rose Goldman

I actually kind of liked it!

Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2015

Verified Purchase

Compared to the other reviews here, I'm giving it more than two stars, and I'm sure I'll get a lot of hate for it. Or maybe I won't. I vaguely remember reading the first book, and my memory of it is in large what I recalled from the movie (although I also spoiled that for myself by watching the Rifftrax version.) I do recall, as a character, Bella being angsty, sarcastic, defensive, and difficult at times, and it wasn't until she became a strong empowered vampire that I actually grew to like her (also, Kristen's acting improved for that character personality switch, so Bella grew on me even more.) In this book, which is in fact much more than a gender-reversal fanfiction story of her own fiction, Bella's male version is a quiet, nerdy, awkward OCD wallflower who is much more likable and is, outside of the awful name choice, a character I easily grew to like and appreciated on some level. He handles his over-bearing and possibly enmeshed mother well (and I early on figured he'd have real problems with that enmeshment later once he got involved in the relationship), and a lot of the father/son bonding moments are skipped over. I don't remember if that's true to the original Twilight or not, but Charlie seems to handle having a son and his role as a father much better than how he handled having a teenage daughter and his role as a father to her. That being said, Meyers doesn't give much of an opportunity for the interpersonal relationships between son/father/mother develop and a lot of that is breezed over (which could be a good thing.)

In the book, Meyers wrote in her foreward that when writing this book, it became much more than a simple gender-swap. She explains that she used this as an opportunity to go through and systematically correct passages, words, grammar, and relatable other things, that she wished she had done previously. That is the sort of thinking an author could be expected to do, especially after rereading earlier work. I never said the original Twilight was very good in the first place, from a literary standpoint (I'm not a professional in this, but just a reader), but in my mind this new version is *much* better. I feel the writing is mature, flows well, and feels overall less like fodder for hollywood and more of a true story. I still hate the names Meyers picked out for the entire cast, but after a while I glazed over the names and just accepted it as it was. I really wish she had written the original Twilight in this more experienced voice (but keeping the original genders and names.)

The last thing that I liked about this book was that, in addition to being an exercise in correcting past wrongs and putting things right, Meyers chose to go with an alternate ending (which basically makes New Moon and Eclipse impossible to exist in their existing forms). She explains this in the afterward, and in a way, this ending could have happened for Bella, too (but then there'd be no marketable trilogy to lots and lots of money off). Could a New Moon and Eclipse-esque series of sequels exist in Beaufort's world? Possibly, but I imagine Breaking Dawn would be so heavily altered that it'd be something extremely different from Breaking Dawn and would be unique to its own rather than a fanfiction of itself. She leaves the readers with a suggestion of making their own minds up about the future past this new Twilight, and I imagine fanfiction.net to be choked full of possible "what if" stories to follow this.

Overall, I'd rather she chose to finish Midnight Sun over recreating a rule 63 novel, but she seemed to enjoy herself in writing it, and it shows. A general flaw is that the book is *still* dialogue heavy between Bella/Beau and Edward/Edythe, especially during the meadow and woods scene, and half the time I don't know what the hell they are talking about (I didn't know during Twilight, either). There's a lot of "I love you"'s and a lot of excessive worrying on Edythe's part (plus she does come off as a controlling demanding girlfriend to a passive-aggressive boyfriend who's eager to please). The physical descriptions of the characters are largely over the top (same as the original novel), and a first time Twilight reader may want to consider watching the movie first before diving into Life and Death.

I stopped reading after I finished Life and Death's afterwards but I did note that the original Twilight book is included in the kindle bundle. I've no idea if any of the thoughtful corrections made to the reimagined book (and I don't mean the gender-swap) were applied to Twilight itself, and won't know until I get around to reading this particular publication.

My husband hopes there won't be a movie of Life and Death. I, however, am willing to wait and see (and yeah, I'd probably watch it if there was one.)

One person found this helpful

Sue

Intriguing new angle on the Twilight story

Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2015

Verified Purchase

I really didn’t know what to expect from this book. I’m a big fan of the original Twilight Saga books and although I was somewhat excited by the prospect of a new book from Stephanie Meyer, I was also scared of the numerous poor reviews this book has been getting. But I went ahead and bought it anyway, because, you know, Twilight ….

The first thing I must say is, wow, what a cumbersome book to read! It was a huge hardcover book, very awkward to hold while reading, and heavy. This is probably because it contains two books in one – the original Twilight story and the new reimagined version. But still, some thought into the presentation of this book wouldn’t have gone astray. If you’re not interested in collecting this book, or having a gigantic heavy hardcover book in your bookshelf, then I would recommend you get the ebook version.

Life And Death is not simply a verbatim version of Twilight frivolously replacing pronouns and names. It is a retelling of Twilight with some adjustments. Yes, the gender roles have been swapped, but also parts of the story have been changed as well, some scenes omitted, new ones included, and the two main protagonists are somewhat different.

While reading the first few chapters, I admit I did have a hard time reading this book because I kept trying to work out which of the new characters matched the original characters. Bad idea! Once I stopped doing this and treated this book as a new story with new characters I have never met before, I was able to read on with no problems and just enjoyed this version of Twilight for what it is – an enjoyable, young adult, paranormal romance.

Life And Death is told from Beau’s point of view and he is not Bella. Beau tells everything as it is, there are no romantic, flowery descriptions here. This is the world through a young man’s eyes. Beau is his own person, he has a different personality, and different relationships with the other characters. There were a few traits similar to Bella in the original story, but otherwise, Beau is a very likeable guy and a good character to tell the story. Likewise with Edythe, she has a few similar traits to Edward from the original version, but Edythe is a different character as well although I didn’t like her as much. The same can be said about the minor characters of the Cullen family, the Black family, and the friends at school – they weren’t in it that much so I didn’t get a chance to know them better, and Beau seemed to have a different relationship with them all and this altered the story a little as well.

I felt Life And Death was a refreshing read and I found it interesting seeing Twilight from a male’s perspective, with several modifications. Stephanie Meyer has also written a completely different ending to Life And Death which neatly finished off the story but also left some things to your imagination.

I was glad that I did read this book and not let other people’s negative opinions dissuade me from buying it. It’s certainly not perfect, and nothing beats the original Twilight story of course, but the storyline is good, the book is well written, and the characters are intriguing.
If you have never read the original Twilight book, then I think you would be more open to the reimagined version and likely enjoy reading this wonderful story. If you have read Twilight and didn’t like it, then I would say you most likely wouldn’t enjoy this version either. If you have read Twilight and loved it (like me!) then give Life And Death a go, just don’t have high expectations and don’t fall into the trap of trying to work out which of the new characters matches with the old, just treat it like a new story with new people and you’ll enjoy reading it.

One person found this helpful

See more reviews

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	Amazon Advertising Find, attract and engage customers	Amazon Business Everything for your business	Amazon Drive Cloud storage from Amazon	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services

Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities	Amazon Photos Unlimited Photo Storage Free With Prime	Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands	Warehouse Deals Open-Box Discounts

	Whole Foods Market We Believe in Real Food	Amazon Renewed Like-new products you can trust	Blink Smart Security for Every Home

Amazon US

Image Unavailable

Follow the author