Bree Tanner is a newborn vampire made by Victoria to kill Bella in the Eclipse book. Readers get a glimpse into her life as a newborn just a week or so before she dies at the hand of the Volturi. She has learned to be by herself in the group of newborns so she doesn’t get anyone’s attention and become the victim of newborn rage. But she meets Diego, another newborn who she is forced to spend time with by being the only two left behind when the group moves on, they follow. She learns to trust him.
The two of them realize that their leader, Riley, is keeping secrets from them and they investigate. Diego decides to ask Riley straight out what is going on, but Diego doesn’t come back after the conversation. Riley tells Bree he is just doing some special projects for the upcoming battle; Bree plans to meet him there and run away with him. The truth hits her when she reaches the battle and the rest of the newborns are being torn to shreds. Riley has already killed Diego. She is in so much pain that she gives up and surrenders to the Cullens. The Volturi aren’t as lenient with their rules and kill her once Jane has the information she needs.
The Downfalls of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
There are some disappointments with this book but overall it was fulfilling. It would have been nice to know Bree before she was a newborn; it would have explained a lot about the person she was as a vampire. Riley is much more mature in this book than he was in Eclipse. He really has a hold on who he his and what he’s about. In Eclipse he was just a follower. In the end, Bree refers to Edward as “the red head” and it is completely confusing. He is described in Twilight as having reddish-brown hair, not red. Anything but that would have been better.
The Point of View in The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The point of view is very interesting considering the reader finally gets to experience the pain Jane from the Volturi is capable of inflicting. Bella is not affected by it so we have never before heard what it feels like. Also an outside perspective of Bella and the Cullens, their relationship with a human girl that apparently smells beyond delicious to vampires, viewed through Bree’s eyes is revealing to say the least. It gives the reader a new side to the story from Stephenie Meyer’s mind.
Stephenie Meyer’s Writing
Stephenie Meyer’s writing flows so smoothly; it just drags the reader into the story. One cannot help but finish once they have begun. The final scene fits exactly with the scene from Eclipse. No embellishments or random explanations are thrown in. The ending is just perfect; it ends the moment she dies with an abruptness that is final and resolute.
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