When I saw the New Moon trailer and the fan reaction, I couldn’t help but laugh. These are some pretty excited fans:

Like a lot of Twilight skeptics, I have read the entire series and have remained largely unimpressed. As I continued to complain while reading, my husband would laugh and ask, “Why are you reading it, then?” (Note to people who may not want to know what happens in the series: the rest of this post does contain “spoilers.”)

Well, for a number of reasons. For starters, while I could care less about the lackluster protagonist and would simply turn the page if she were eaten by a vampire or werewolf or wild boar, Meyers has created a worthy story worth telling—aside from the chaste ogling and repetitive nature, the reader does want to know what’s going to happen. And, like with any fantasy novel, simple curiosity drives one to want to discover more about the creatures, the legends, and the actual non-humanness of the story.

Another reason is that I’m a big, big, big YA Lit fan—always have been, always will be—and I am very interested in what young adults like to read. I’ve ridden the Harry Potter wave all the way through—and though I’ve not enjoyed the films much, the books were wonderful. I also love the Septimus Heap, The Last Vampire, Artemis Fowl, Looking Glass Wars, and many other teen-oriented series, so I had to give it a try. (And am always open to new ones—feel free to post about your favorites!)

A former education major, I also normally love just about anything that will get kids to read. While I don’t think that the series starts out to be a very compelling reason for teens to pick up a book, I do understand the appeal—many teen girls would love to have a sexy, mysterious boy they’re “in love with” pledge their undying (literally) love, worship them, make sure they eat and sleep well, and not pressure them into sex.

And while “nobody has ever loved anybody the way everybody wants to be loved,” it’s still a creepy fulfillment of the fantasy with Edward’s stalking of Bella, watching her as she sleeps,  and generally maintaining the intensity of a serial killer. Bella herself is not the ideal role model for a teen girl, either, with her bland personality and infatuation over a boy as the main drive in her life. Her life’s dream? We have no idea what it could be before pre-Edward, but post-Edward it’s simply… to be with Edward.

Again, this is something that teens can relate to, but definitely not something they should aspire to. Where is the meaning, the purpose? I’m not saying that your goal in life should not be to get married and even have a family; I’ve done that myself and find it wholly satisfying. But surely there are other things that Bella is interested in than…Edward.

That said, the movies are sure to get more interesting, as the books grew in their own likeability as Meyers wrote more of them. Indeed, I found each one better than the previous volume, with improved writing as well as more action-filled storytelling. And Bella actually does become a warrior—first as a mother, then as a protector of many in a final battle—but this is after she completely disregards her entire existence throughout the series and only cares for the survival of her child.

Again, the desire to protect one’s child is not a bad trait—on the contrary, I’d do anything to protect my own child—but it still comes off as thinly-veiled preaching. Completely disregard myself; put everyone else’s needs first; attract and capture mate; retain mate; have child; protect child. Bella seems to be a product of the 1950s, only instead of wearing an apron, she’s wearing fangs.

So will I be watching the next Twilight flick? Probably. I did prefer movie-Bella to book-Bella on a number of levels, and I do really like the werewolf clan and look forward to seeing them portrayed on film. I’d love to see more vampire action too, though that’s probably out since much of it was not included in the first film, either. Then there’s the whole idea of Dakota Fanning playing an evil vampire—that alone should be pretty entertaining!

But we’ve already decided that if we do, it will be rented, not in theaters—as neither of us look forward to a theater full of screaming girls.