How To Read Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Series in Order

The Twilight Series is a collection of books by renowned author, Stephanie Meyer. Originally from Hartfod, Connecticut, Stephanie now lives in Arizona with her husband and her sons.

The Twilight Series Which Order To Read The Stephanie Meyer Twilight Books

She studied at Brigham Young University and graduated with an English degree in 1997. She then set about writing the Twilight series.

It initially received limited interest, but eventually Stephanie was offered a three book deal.

The Twilight Saga became a popular book series. Stephanie’s fan following gained even more traction when the process began to adapt the book series into films.

Her books became a phenomenon overnight, making her the highest selling author of 2008 and 2009. The Twilight Series has now sold over 100 million copies across 50 different countries all over the world.

About The Twilight Series

Twilight Series Stephenie Meyer 6 Books Collection Set (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, The Short Second Life Of Bree Tanner, Midnight Sun)

The Twilight Series is a story about a human girl and a vampire who fall in love. There are many obstacles which threaten to separate them, but their love defies all.

Whilst love is an important theme of the book, it also focuses heavily on loyalty between family members, on the importance of friendship, and on mending rifts between different groups of people.

The two main characters are Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen. Bella reluctantly moves from Arizona to Forks, a small town in Washington town.

She has to stay with her Dad while her mum stays in Florida with her baseball playing boyfriend.

Bella quickly attracts the attention of Edward Cullen, a classmate at the local high school.

Bella notices something unusual about Edward, and discovers that he is a vampire.

This doesn’t stop the two of them from falling in love, despite Edward’s constant thirst for Bella’s blood.

Edward and his family are ‘vegetarian’ vampires – they survive on animal blood rather than human blood, which is an unusual choice of lifestyle for vampires.

Over the course of the books. Bella and Edward must face many difficulties in order to be together.

Many people want to tear them apart including the most powerful vampires in the world, a scorned ex-lover, and Bella’s best friend, Jacob, who happens to be a werewolf.

When they eventually get the fairy tale ending they hoped for, it all threatens to fall apart when the unexpected happens.

The Twilight Books In Order

This is the recommended order to read the Twilight books to ensure that you get the most out of the storylines and characters.

Twilight

Twilight: The Twilight Saga, Book 1

Twilight is the first book in the series. When Bella moves to Forks she finds it hard to fit in, and her relationship with her Dad, The Sheriff, is strained.

Meeting Edward changes her perspective, and she quickly falls for him.

But Bella knows that Edward is hiding a secret. When she uncovers the truth and finds out that Edward is a vampire, she isn’t scared.

Edward knows he should stay away from Bella – the scent of her blood drives him crazy – but he has never felt this way about anyone before, never mind a human.

And hers is the only mind that he cannot read thanks to some sort of glitch in his psychic ability.

Edward’s family are also vampires, and they are concerned about the blossoming love between him and Bella.

But when a vampire from out of town tries to hunt Bella down, the Cullen family must work together to keep her safe.

Pros

  • This is an exciting first installment of the series and gets you immediately hooked on the love story between Bella and Edward.

Cons

  • The romance develops very quickly and feels a little rushed

New Moon

New Moon

New Moon is the second book of the series and begins with Bella’s birthday.

Edward’s family invites her over for a party, but things go wrong when Bella cuts her finger.

Jasper, one of Edward’s brothers and the newest to convert to the ‘vegetarian vampire’ lifestyle, tries to attack Bella.

No harm is done and Bella forgives him instantly, but Edward is distraught.

He decides that it is not safe for Bella to be around him and his family, so he ends the relationship and they all leave town.

Bella is broken-hearted, and sinks into a depressive episode. The only person who is able to help her is her best friend, Jacob.

But he is also dealing with issues of his own, as he finds out that is part of a tribe of werewolves.

Bella is caught up in the pack drama, and is also the unwilling recipient of Jacob’s romantic feelings.

After a sudden and unexpected turn of events, Bella finds out that Edward is in grave danger.

She is the only one who can help him, and she rushes off to Italy with Alice, Edward’s sister.

After saving Edward, Bella is introduced to the Volturi – the most powerful vampires in the world.

They want to kill Bella, as she knows their secret, but agree not to on the condition that Bella is turned into a vampire in the near future.

Edward agrees to turn Bella into a vampire, but on one condition – she agrees to marry him.

Pros

  • You learn a lot about Jacob’s character and he goes on an emotional journey

Cons

  • Edward doesn’t feature much in the book which some fans don’t like

Eclipse

Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3)

In Eclipse, Bella is caught in a love triangle with Edward and Jacob.

Jacob has feelings for Bella, but Bella is in love with Edward and has accepted his marriage proposal.

They are keeping their betrothal a secret.

Edward wants Bella to continue her friendship with Jacob, but fears for her safety when she spends time with the werewolves.

Meanwhile, an enemy is building an army of newborn vampires to attack the Cullen family, including Bella.

Victoria is seeking revenge for the death of her partner, James.

Edward killed him in the first book to stop him from hunting Bella.

Victoria wants to kill Bella to take Edward’s true love away from him, just as she lost her love.

When the Cullens find out about Victoria’s plans, they must learn to work together with the werewolves to protect Bella, the family, and the people of Forks.

Tensions reach a boiling point between Bella, Edward and Jacob, just as the battle begins.

Bella gives Jacob false hope of a relationship between them in order to give him a reason to keep himself alive, but this hope is destroyed when he finds out about Bella and Edward’s engagement.

The Cullens and the werewolves manage to defeat Victoria, but Jacob is left with a broken heart.

Pros

  • This is an action-packed and exciting story

Cons

  • Some of the plot points seem a little unrealistic

The Short Second Life Of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella (The Twilight Saga)

The novella tells some of the events of Eclipse from a different perspective.

Bree Tanner is a young girl who is reluctantly recruited to join Victoria’s army of newborn vampires.

After reading Eclipse you will already know Bree’s fate, but this book gives you more insight into the other side of the battle.

Pros

  • This books gives you more insight into the newborn vampire’s lives

Cons

  • Bree’s character is not very interesting

Breaking Dawn

Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4) (The Twilight Saga (4))

Bella and Edward get their fairy tale wedding and he whisks her away on honeymoon.

But their holiday is cut short when they realize that the impossible has happened – Bella is pregnant.

The baby is half human and half vampire, and the pregnancy takes its toll on Bella’s body.

In a traumatic delivery, the baby is born, but Bella doesn’t survive. In a desperate attempt to save her life, Edward turns her into a vampire.

As a vampire, Bella finally feels like she is where she belongs. She has a beautiful daughter, and Jacob is back in her life.

Everything is perfect, until the Volturi decide to start a war with the Cullens. Can Bella protect her family and the life she has made?

Pros

  • This is an epic conclusion to the main books in the saga

Cons

  • The book is very long which some readers might find frustrating

Midnight Sun

Midnight Sun (The Twilight Saga, 5)

The final book in the series is Midnight Sun. It is a re-telling of the events of Twilight, but from Edward’s perspective.

This was a much anticipated release and gave fans an opportunity to re-immerse themselves into the world of Twilight.

It is great to understand Edward’s point of view and to learn things about him that you might not have known before.

Pros

  • It is interesting to see things from Edward’s perspective

Cons

  • The events of the book are already very familiar

Summary

Some people choose to read the original saga first – Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.

They will then read The Short Second Life Of Bree Tanner and end on Midnight Sun.

This is the order that the books were published. Whilst you can read the books this way, it is not the best order to enjoy the story chronologically.

Reading The Short Second Life Of Bree Tanner immediately after Eclipse means that the content is relevant and the characters and events are still fresh in your mind.

If you wait until after Breaking Dawn then your mind will have already moved on from that part of the story.

The order set out above is the best order to really enjoy the flow of the story and the development of the characters, and is the correct way to read the Twilight books.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions about The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer.

What Inspired Stephanie Meyer To Write The Twilight Series?

The idea for The Twilight Series came to Stephanie Meyer in a dream that featured a human girl and a vampire falling in love.

She wrote chapter 13 of Twilight based on the dream, and then wrote the rest of the first book.

Do You Have To Read The Twilight Books In Order?

It is best to read The Twilight Series in the correct order, especially the original 4 of the Saga.

People have different opinions on where The Second Short Life Of Bree Tanner and Midnight Sun fit into the order.

Which Book Of The Twilight Series Is The Best?

Fans generally prefer book 1 of the series because it is where the story first begins. It also has the highest number of positive reviews on Amazon.

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Noah Burton