The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

by Stephanie Meyer
Published: Little Brown, 2010
Pages: 178

For those of you that do not know, this novella is part of the Twilight Saga.  Stephanie Meyer apparently got attached to one of the newborn vampires in Eclipse. 

Bree Tanner is a newly made vampire.  She has no idea who created her or why she was created.  All she knows is that she is continuously thirsty for blood, and that she feels alone.  Along comes Diego and her sense of her surrounds change.  She begins to question what she has been told, taking the chance to find the truth about her "rebirth."

While I did not really like the Twilight series, I must say that I tried to go into this with an open mind.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Stephanie Meyer should have written about Bree Tanner instead of Bella Swan. 

 It was kind of fun and definitely entertaining to see how this story fit in with Bella's version of Eclipse.  It is a treat to be able to see what was happening in a different part of the vampire world, making it much more well rounded.  I think it is neat that Stephanie Meyer knew about some of the other characters' backgrounds and decided to share it with her readers.  As an avid reader, I like to think that most authors know everything about the world they created.

Bree Tanner's voice makes this story altogether consuming.  The reader just gets sucked into the story and does not come back up for air until it is over.  She her smart thinking keeps her on her toes, effectively drawing the reader in further.  Bree is smart and quick on her feet; she is a character worth reading about and rooting for.

My one complaint is that Bree seemed to trust/fall in love with Diego suddenly as if she imprinted on him.  I'm not sure, but this does not seem even remotely realistic, but then again this book is about vampires. 

Bree Tanner may have had a short second life, but her story will forever grace the pages of this novella.

Stars: 3/5

Praise:

"Meyer has, like one of her vampires, turned into something rare and more than merely human.... People do not want to just read Meyer's books; they want to climb inside them and live there."
                  -Time

"Piles on the suspense and romance."
                 -USA Today