What is the book about?
Beaufort Swan moves to the dull, wet town of Forks to live with his dad. This is where he meets the mysterious and beautiful Edythe Cullen who seems to be hiding something. Beau thinks she hates him at first but he still becomes completely obsessed wishing she would like him as much as he likes her. Beau is determined to uncover her dark secret not caring about the consequences Edythe keeps warning about. After discovering the truth Beau grows closer to Edythe not worrying about what may happen because of his actions, and they become more than just friends. What Beau doesn’t realise is that the closer he is to Edythe and her family the more he puts his humanity on the line, and not just that but the lives of everyone he cares about. He isn’t frightened, or even concerned, about Edythe’s true identity and what he doesn’t know is that it might already be too late to turn back…
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
I absolutely loved the original book, Twilight, and as soon as I heard there was another retelling of the book I knew that I had to read it. Before I started reading I was a little concerned that I would find the book boring and would think that it wasn’t any good as it was (supposedly) almost identical to the initial one. However, I should have never even considered that because even though it had the same storyline, it was like reading a completely new book because all the characters were different. Just like Twilight I found it really hard to put down once I had started and was very intrigued to find out more. Although the book started very well, at first, it was a bit confusing to try and remember wo each character was because they were all gender swapped, so in order to understand, I had to reference to Twilight when I could figure out who it was.
Who was your favourite character and why?
Even though this book was fairly similar to Twilight, I found it much harder to pick a favourite character. In Twilight, I decide that Bella was my favourite character because she was selfless and was really caring and wanted to make sure that no one was left unhappy. I found that I also liked Beau for these reasons but it was different because of the gender. Beau was still protective of his parents, specifically his mother, and I thought that it was very sweet and made Beau better than all the other characters. Beau also had the courage to see past the vampire parts of Edythe and look for the good in her, even when she wouldn’t see it and would only think about the monster side of herself. I think that it was really brave of Beau to follow his heart but also a bit stupid and I think one major flaw is that he is oblivious of the danger his choices may lead to not just for himself but for those close to him. His flaw makes it strange to imagine that he is protective over his mother and wants to ensure her safety and happiness because he endangers her and changes her life in a terrible, unfixable way.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
My favourite part of the book was the end because of many reasons. Firstly, I think that it was the most interesting and action-packed part of the book and it is when many of the questions readers have, are finally answered. This was my favourite part in both Twilight and Midnight Sun because it is when the hunt begins. I think that I like this part mainly because it’s a bit mysterious and it reminds me a lot of the murder mystery books I read particularly of the moment when the characters know who the murderer is and are being chased. Unlike Twilight and Midnight Sun, Life and Death has an unexpected twist which answers new questions and shines a light on what could have been for Bella and Edward in Twilight. The final chapters of the book are exciting and full of suspense and reading this section made me enjoy the book even more.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall I really liked Life and Death and found it really interesting to learn that genders didn’t matter and the story would still be the same – or could be the same. After a while it got easier to understand who was who and I stopped having to refer to Twilight. One thing that I didn’t like about Life and Death was that too many parts of the book changed and, as I had the Twilight book events in my head, it got a bit frustrated because, in my opinion, the Twilight version is better. Another thing that was a bit upsetting was that a lot changed about Bella, not just her gender but Beau’s appearance was very different, for example he didn’t have Bella’s chocolate brown eyes; he had pale blue eyes. Even though there were a lot of things that I found I didn’t enjoy, I still really loved reading the book. Strangely enough, when reading Life and Death, I still felt it was necessary to read another chapter in order to find out what happens next even though I already knew all of the events of the book from reading Twilight and I really enjoyed all the cliff-hanger endings.
Which book did you like best: Twilight or Life and Death?
Even though I really enjoyed Life and Death I would never even think of it replacing Twilight. Life and Death was an amazing book but I think there is a clear reason why Bella and Edward were chosen for the original book instead of Beaufort and Edythe. I think the events of the book changed too much when Bella and Edwards genders changed and although the book was still really good I had read Twilight first and the original version of them was better. I think that some parts of Life and Death were much better than in Twilight, mainly because they had been reused and revised so some of the words that didn’t really fit had been edited so they would make sense. I also think this was because that had been altered to make the book better for Beau and Edythe so it made sense to have Bella and Edward gender swapped. Life and Death was really interesting and, although I don’t regret reading it, I still think that it changed too much and that the book was much better in its original state.
Would you recommend this book?
I would absolutely recommend this book, specifically if you are 15 or older and enjoy romance or fantasy novels. The book is definitely worth reading however advice reading Twilight first as it is the initial book.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
A reimagining of the amazing Twilight romance novel.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
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