The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

By Stephenie Meyer; Little, Brown Young Readers 2011

Summary: This must-have hardcover edition--the only official guide--is the definitive encyclopedic reference to the Twilight Saga and provides readers with everything they need to further explore the unforgettable world Stephenie Meyer created in Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. With exclusive new material, character profiles, genealogical charts, maps, extensive cross-references, and much more, this comprehensive handbook is essential for every Twilight Saga fan.

My Review:  I found this book to be very helpful in better understanding the Twilight Saga. I loved the background stories of the characters, the histories of Vampires and Werewolves, and the illustrations are beautiful.  

In this Official Illustrate Guide there is an extended interview with Stephenie Meyer by Shannon Hale. This interview is a good 60 pages, but it explained so much about the books and where she got her inspiration from.

There are four man sections in this guide: Vampires, Werewolves, Humans, and Origins and Inspirations.

 In the Vampire section it gives explanations on the histories, abilities, characteristics, and more information on the Vampire covens.  I enjoyed reading the backgrounds of the Cullen Coven. It all made so much more sense about their characters and everything.

 In the Werewolves section it gives explanations about characteristics, abilities, histories, packs, and tribes. In this section I better understood the phasing of a Werewolf and the whole imprinting thing.

 In the Human section it gives information about friends and family of Bella, teachers and students at Forks High School, residents of Forks, residents of Seattle, and residents of Brazil. I loved the quotes, personal descriptions, and personal histories.

 In Origins and Inspirations it gives a timeline of events that happen from the beginning to the end, a Key Plot Points, Cars, and Inspirations.  I loved this section because it gives Stephenie’s inspirational music playlist! I love listening to songs I haven’t heard before.

For some bonus material there is a Fan Art Gallery, an International Cover Gallery, Outtakes, and Frequently Asked Questions.  Loved the art galleries! There are beautiful pictures of scenes and characters in Twilight.

Watch Out for: Vampires, Werewolves, and background stories that mention rape, attempted suicides, death, blood, fighting, killings, stalking, and mental institutions.