“Try not to get caught up in antiquated gender roles.”
Title: Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Series: The Twilight Saga # 5
Publication: October 6th 2015 by Little Brown
Pages: 442
Source: My bookshelf
Summary from Goodreads:
Celebrate the tenth anniversary of Twilight! This special double-feature book includes the classic novel, Twilight, and a bold and surprising reimagining, Life and Death, by Stephenie Meyer.
Packaged as an oversize, jacketed hardcover “flip book,” this edition features nearly 400 pages of new content as well as exquisite new back cover art. Readers will relish experiencing the deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful love story of Bella and Edward through fresh eyes.
My Thoughts:
Okay, so for this review, I’m going to do something a little bit different. If you don’t know already, while I was reading this book I was live tweeting my reactions as I went. For this review, I am going to use the screenplay of my reactions. I tried to do screenshots first, but I couldn’t make them big enough. I don’t really know how else to showcase what this book did to me. I love Twilight, I always have and I always will. When I found out about this book, I flailed and screamed and raged. I was so excited!
I got the book two days later in the mail, and boy, let me tell you, it was so worth it. I was afraid, and somewhat skeptical about starting it, but as soon as I did, I remembered why I loved Twilight so much in the first place. Not only that, but while reading this, I completely fell in love with it all over again. In fact, if I were to be completely honest, I love this book so much more than the first Twilight. I love Beau and Edythe more than Bella and Edward and I am not ashamed in any way, shape, or form to admit it. So, without further ado, feast your eyes on the my sarcastic commentary running through the wee hours of the night.
| “Well, I just got a giant paper cut when I went to start #TwilightReimagined Coincidence? I think not” | ||||
| 10/08 | page 0 | 0.0% | ||
| 10/08 | page 1 | 0.0% | “@SamanthaReedsYA: So James is a chick? Awesome. I love female villains “ | |
| 10/08 | page 3 | 0.0% | “Ohhh… New metaphor about Forks being a prison. Nice. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/08 | page 3 | 0.0% | “And our new Beau admits that he is melodramatic and has an overactive imagination on the first page. Sweet #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/08 | page 4 | 0.0% | “His eyes are blue? WTF? What happened to the “gorgeous chocolate brown”? #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/08 | page 6 | 0.0% | “Entertaining confrontation at the airport that was previously nonexistent. Nice touch. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/08 | page 10 | 1.0% | “Nice dig at Charlie, Beau. Way to be an ass. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/08 | page 11 | 1.0% | “So even the lady at the front desk of the high school is now a dude. Interesting… #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/08 | page 14 | 1.0% | “So that’s why his name is Beaufort. It’s pathetically tragic but it makes sense. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/08 | page 15 | 1.0% | “Enter Edythe… And so it begins. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/08 | page 15 | 1.0% | “Rosalie’s man persona has a man bun! I repeat, Rosalie has a man bun! #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/08 | page 18 | 2.0% | “So Bella’s old school, Eve, is Adam for Beaufort. Funny Stephenie, real funny. #SparkleFest #TwilightReimagined” | |
| 10/09 | page 24 | 3.0% | “At least Beau is aware that people are into him… and he calls a girl “sort of pretty and everything” #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 24 | 3.0% | “But he is redeemed! He knows he can’t base reactions off of outward beauty. Brownie points for Beau. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 25 | 3.0% | “So The Rock would not dare whistle at female Kellan Lutz (AKA Eleanor) ? Please “ | |
| 10/09 | page 26 | 3.0% | “*puts on Grammar Police badge* confusing comma splice alert! Code Red!” | |
| 10/09 | page 26 | 3.0% | “Beau is significantly more athletic than Bella considering he takes the stairs 2 at a time. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 31 | 4.0% | “Beau goes for soda rather than lemonade, I’m disappointed. Lemonade is the bomb. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 33 | 4.0% | “Edythe has “long eyes”. WTF? Is that supposed to mean sad? “ | |
| 10/09 | page 34 | 4.0% | “Beau at his finest: “Why couldn’t my blood just stay in my veins where it belonged?” #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 34 | 4.0% | “Why is there so much emphasis on Edythe’s handwriting? #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 35 | 4.0% | “Cue the ship… Oh no! Save me! I’m starting to catch the feels “ | |
| 10/09 | page 37 | 4.0% | “”Not a good enough reason to use the word penetrate” – Fat Amy meets #TwilightReimagined page 37. #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 38 | 5.0% | “Beau’s got some snark in him. Page 38: “I repeat… And?” #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 53 | 7.0% | “Beau calls himself stalkerish when it comes to his obsession with Edythe. At least he is self aware. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 56 | 7.0% | “Beau admits once more that his obsession with Edythe is pathetic and unhealthy. I like him more than Bella #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 61 | 8.0% | “”She was fantasy and I was the very most mundane kind of reality” Beau again aware of his boring nature. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 63 | 8.0% | “Haha Beau… “Was she sadistic?” Close enough “ | |
| 10/09 | page 66 | 8.0% | “I have noticed that instead of saying blushed, Beau says patches of red appear on his face. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 70 | 9.0% | “Oh my god, Beau getting “blotchy” is really freaken annoying. Stop it already!! #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 83 | 11.0% | “Edythe makes a joke about Beau warming her “cold heart”. Yay! #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 83 | 11.0% | “Haha..”The smooth roll of her hips was just as hypnotic as her eyes.” #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 86 | 11.0% | “Annnd Edythe is light fingered. She stole the key to the truck out of Beau’s pocket, lol. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 89 | 11.0% | “I like guy Lauren more. He’s actually teasing Beau, it’s quite entertaining #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 92 | 12.0% | “Jacob is Julie… And I find the crush a lot creepier now that Beau is a 17 year old guy & Julie is 14/15 #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 96 | 12.0% | “Wolf Sam = 19 year old female Samantha. I am officially in Twilight bitches! #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 101 | 13.0% | “*sews Grammar Police badge into shirt* Stephenie Meyer, you are under arrest for using too many commas. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 107 | 14.0% | “I’m really liking the way Beau is trying to figure out if Edythe is a vampire. He is smart & rational. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 108 | 14.0% | “Beau admits that he doesn’t know how to feel the right kind of fear. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 108 | 14.0% | “Haha, foreshadowing. Beau opens his window and finds that it opens soundlessly. Hmm… #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 110 | 14.0% | “It’s bro code, Beau. Not man code. Get it right. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 110 | 14.0% | “It’s bro code, Beau. Not man code. Get it right. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 111 | 14.0% | “I was unsure of how Beau would end up in Port Angeles. Cue bro movie date & corsage hunt. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 117 | 15.0% | “So Beau getting attacked in Port Angeles makes so much more sense with how it plays out in this version. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 118 | 15.0% | “Haha, Pirates of the Caribbean reference. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 121 | 16.0% | “Cue the feels..”You’re not going anywhere without me.” Just turn me into a fangirl puddle, why don’t you? #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 125 | 16.0% | “”No ones ever accused me of hypnotism by dimples before.” = Edythe dazzling the host. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 128 | 17.0% | “Edythe gives Beau her scarf = Edward giving Bella his jacket. Cue the D’awwws #TwilightReimagined #Reign” | |
| 10/09 | page 133 | 17.0% | “This is killing me with all the feels. Like, DAMMIT! I’m not supposed to feel this way. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/09 | page 135 | 17.0% | “Edythe: “Try not to get caught up in antiquated gender roles.” Yaass. Edythe=feminist=awesomeness #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 153 | 20.0% | “Instead of Jess wanting to know if they’re dating, Jeremy wants to know what base Beau has gotten too. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 154 | 20.0% | “Why is tasered capitalized? WTF? Don’t make me break out the grammar police badge this soon #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 154 | 20.0% | “I hate McKayla a lot more than I ever disliked Mike Newton. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 156 | 20.0% | “”Man up, Beau. Or rent a tux. Your choice.” Haha…I liked that one. McKayla gets some points back. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 159 | 21.0% | “Beau’s attempt at chivalry did not go as planned. Edythe 1, Beau 0. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 170 | 22.0% | “Beau in class: “You couldn’t just go around touching people because the lights were off.” #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 176 | 23.0% | “Wait, what? Did Beau just have a naughty dream about Edythe? Haha. I didn’t think he had it in him. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 179 | 23.0% | “Beau has a backbone. Nice improvement from Bella. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 180 | 23.0% | “Beau is now having naughty thoughts while conscious. Nicely done, haha. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 183 | 24.0% | “Dude… Beau needs to control his hormones. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 192 | 25.0% | “Archie is still described as walking like a dancer, nice to see some things stay the same – not. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 197 | 26.0% | “Beau is 90% sure things won’t end badly. Cue Clary slapping him for the other 10%. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest #Shadowhunters” | |
| 10/10 | page 197 | 26.0% | “Beau does not think real vampire attacks are like Hollywood depicts. *slow clap* #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 199 | 26.0% | “I wonder what said mix of ice and acid actually sounds like. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 200 | 26.0% | “I can die in peace now, Beau has officially described Edythe’s breasts. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 200 | 26.0% | “I can die in peace now, Beau has officially described Edythe’s breasts. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 218 | 28.0% | “Beau refuses the piggy back ride because Edythe is so tiny, so she chucks a boulder. Lol. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 239 | 31.0% | “Beau just implied that he wants to do very naughty things with Edythe… Lol. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 242 | 32.0% | “Now Edythe is giving Beau the run down on vampire sex… OMG #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 243 | 32.0% | “Annnnd Edythe just asked Beau about his sexual prowess and if he was a virgin. I think I might die. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 245 | 32.0% | “Edythe: “Your hair also has the ability to defy gravity. It’s like your own superpower” #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 250 | 33.0% | “Beau yelling at himself to be careful while making out with Edythe is pretty entertaining. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 253 | 33.0% | “Archie’s nickname for Edythe is Edy. That’s adorable. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 260 | 34.0% | “Dude… Carine/Carlisle’s new backstory makes me want to cry. WTH Stephenie? #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 270 | 35.0% | “Haha, instead of Edward holding Bella in his arms Edythe pins Beau down and straddles him. Bring it on. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 278 | 36.0% | “Beau being a guy has totally changed the dynamic with Charlie when it’s time to meet Edythe. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 282 | 37.0% | “Damn, Edythe is a little seductress… #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 292 | 38.0% | “Lauren = Laurent, Victoria = Victor, and Joss = James. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 306 | 40.0% | “I like that add in about how Edythe doesn’t fight fair. She seems much more badass now, lol. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 318 | 42.0% | “Archie: “I like to believe that if I was a criminal, I was both a mastermind and a prodigy.” #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 343 | 45.0% | “That last line on page 343… Haha, poor cheeseburger. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 345 | 45.0% | ||
| 10/10 | page 345 | 45.0% | “Beau’s arm is broken by the tracker, not his leg. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 347 | 46.0% | “And now we actually get a detailed description of the tracker biting Beau, awesome. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 347 | 46.0% | “And he smashes the camera so no one will ever see the video of his torture. Aww.. Beau can be a hero, lol. #TwilightReimagined #SparkleFest” | |
| 10/10 | page 352 | 46.0% | “Duuuuddeee…. That ending though. Why couldn’t actual Twilight end like that? Oh my god “ |
So, what did I really think about it as a whole? Well, I fucking loved it. As I have already said, this book made me fall in love with Twilight all over again while reminding me why I loved it so much in the first place. Edythe is amazing, I swear. I love her ten times more than I ever loved Edward. She is a hardcore feminist and she hates being treated like the small female she is, it was amazing. Beau was also a breath of fresh air. The biggest difference, besides the fact that he is a dude and now thinks with the brain between his legs half the time is this: he isn’t a whiny bitch. Bella whined about exiling herself to Forks and about how horrible it all was, about how she wasn’t normal and never would be. Beau, on the other hand, gives us detailed explanations of his old life and how he used to take care of his mother. We get to see how he feels useless now because of it. Beau is also amazingly self aware, he knows that he is being creepy, stalkerish, obsessive, and pathetic while mooning over Edythe. A huge improvement over Bella if you ask me.
Also, don’t get me started on the ending. OH MY GOD! Okay, like…. holy shit. Why couldn’t Twilight end like that? Saved us all the money and three more books? Jeesh, I don’t think I will ever be able to look at it the same way again. Also, Beau is just so much better than Bella – simple as that.
Overall, this gender-bent Twilight was hilariously entertaining and a wonderful use of my time. It took the things I hated the most about Twilight and turned it on its head. If you are as big as a fan as I am, I highly recommend reading this version. You will find yourself dying of the feels just as much as I did (ask my roommate if you don’t believe me). This is also perfect if you have never read the original book before in your life. This revamped (haha, see what I did there?) version of the old story is such a wonderful way to introduce yourself into the world of Forks, Washington and its vampire inhabitants.
Reed's Reads & Reviews 
I’m also VERY skeptical about this, but you might have just convinced me to give it a go! As long as it doesn’t ruin the original Twilight for me…
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It’s worth it ❤ I loved it so much! The only reason it "ruins" the original Twilight is simply because I ended up loving this one more : ) I mean, I miss a lot of things from the old one ( Alice and clothes as an example), but stuff is still incorporated – it's just subtle.
Trust me, if you loved the original you'll love this too. At least I hope so, lol 😍
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oh no, i had no intention of reading this book but i think you just convinced me otherwise!
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It’s worth it ❤️ Thank you so much for reading my post : )
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Another clever thing I didn’t see you mention… “Bella” is Italian for beautiful and “Beau” is French for beautiful.
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I didn’t even know that XD haha. Thanks for pointing it out!
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No worries 🙂 I loved it more by the way. I was thinking the whole time how they might resolve the “female vampires aren’t getting pregnant” future-problem, but they resolved that pretty straightforwardly.
Did you read the epilogue too? That was one of the best bits.
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I absolutely loved the book : ) It made me realize just how much I liked Twilight in the first place. The epilogue was one of my favorites ❤ Especially because of how Steph changed the ending
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