[Review] The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Mystery & Thrillers
Author:	Stephenie Meyer

This novella acts as a supplement to Eclipse. In that book, the Cullens continued living in Forks, Washington. All the while, Bella was awaiting her high school graduation. However, conflict arrives and they were forced to fight a group of new vampires. They termed it as newborn vampire army. And Bree Tanner was a a member of that army.

However, Eclipse only showed the Cullen's side from Bella's perspective. It didn't expound on the tactics of their enemy. Reading Eclipse alone is incomplete. That's why this novella is a must.

'The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner' is about the story of the newborn vampire as indicated in the title. Her story is presented in the first person perspective. Her world as a vampire is very different from how the Cullens live. There was chaos, pain, and gore. And worse, she felt like she didn't have a choice but to live with it. On the bright side, she had two friends from her coven: Diego and Fred. At first, it was only with Diego whom she talked to. Together, they sought to find out the truth about their creator, only known to them as 'her'. There was a lot of mystery uncovered, until Bree found out the truth but it was too late. As the title suggests, it's not a happy ending for her.

Of course, the whole plot and character development evolved only on Bree. Her thoughts and emotions were mostly of fear, angst, and confusion. The delivery was good as I was able to feel with her. She also fell in love, but unlike Eclipse, this novella is not cheesy.

This novella by Stephenie Meyer is the first one that I have ever made the effort to actually analyze and solve the puzzle. I give her credit for that. I got logical and emotional during the climax of the story. The mind reader, whom Bree called as 'the redhead', played a significant role in it. I was able to appreciate the mind reader in this part rather in any other Twilight book. His skill of hearing thoughts far surpasses any purpose in this novella. Through Bree's awareness of the mind reader, she revealed the whole truth in an unexpected way.

This book, however short, tells a good story. It can even act as a stand alone story from Eclipse. You can finish this book in one sitting. It is highly addictive as it allows you to feel and think at the same time. And as you progress, you will get to feel how it is to be Bree Tanner herself: a wild hunter, a confused newborn, and a good friend.