While I'm a big fan of the
Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, I wouldn't call myself a Twi-Hard or anything. But ever since hearing about
"The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" — a minor character from the
Eclipse book — I was interested to read more by Meyer and more about the world of vampires she had created. As the title of the book implies, it takes place during the time between when Bree Tanner is changed into a vampire and when she ultimately dies at the hand of the Voluri.
In this novella, Meyer brings to life the concept of newborn vampires and gives light to the desires and tendencies of newborns with a first-hand account. While the reader knows much about normal newborn life from the primary Twilight characters, we never hear a narrative from their perspective until now. Even Bella, who is changed into a vampire in the final book in the Twilight Saga does not react the way more newborns do.
The Short Life of Bree Tanner spans only about 1 week of Bree's short three month vampire life. In it we learn that some vampires cope better with the thirst than others, that they are capable of love and that there are even more types of special abilities than we readers knew about.
I give this book a reluctant 3 1/2 stars out of 5. Partly because the ending is so sad, but it there is nothing that could be helped about that due to the original ending in the Eclipse book. I had hoped we might see a bit more interaction between Bree and her new-found friend Diego. Had they learned more about their own abilities I would have been more pleased with the book.
