(If you haven't read it yet but intend to, this is full of spoilers and plot points. Remember that the book can be purchased for around $10 ($1 of which goes to the Red Cross) or read online for free until July 5.)
I just finished The Secret Life of Bree Tanner (Hereinafter referred to as SLBT) and it made for an enjoyable morning's read.
As we all recall, Bree was a very minor character in Eclipse. She was one of Victoria's newborns, spared by Carlisle only to meet her death at the hands of Jane. For Bella, Bree is something of a cautionary tale, a final warning before she takes the step of becoming immortal herself. Since Eclipse is narrated from Bella's point of view, all we know of Bree is superficial. Bella doesn't know her, or her thoughts. Edward, however, does, which we learn in SLBT.
I confess that, for me, Bree has always been a character who caught my imagination. Who was she? Did her parents miss her? She appeared to be about 15, younger than any of the Cullens, so what was it like to be made immortal when still so young? I learned some of the answers in SLBT, but I confess that in some regards, Bree's story left me unsatisfied.
SLBT serves an interesting function in the Twilight universe: it gives us some information that was factually lacking in Eclipse. We had the Cullen's suppositions, and Alice's visions, but they (and we) never got hard confirmation of the events that led to the invasion and battle. Like the promised (but still absent) Midnight Sun, SLBT provides us with a new narrator, but Bree is one (unlike Bella) whose vision isn't clouded by feelings of guilt or inadequacy; she also lacks the self-loathing that mars Edward's point of view. Bree is a completely unrepentant, non-conflicted newborn vampire, which I have to say is really refreshing.
Some of what we learned: the Volturi, specifically Jane, knew of Victoria and her plans in advance. Just as Edward hinted, Jane timed her arrival to give Victoria a chance to wipe out the Cullens. The timing of Victoria's attack was in fact dictated by Jane, which explains why Alice had the few days' warning she was able to see in Eclipse. The conversation between Alice and Jane was witnessed by Bree, who then "thought" it to Edward, which prompted Edward's unsuccessful plea for her life.
In addition to Bree, Riley, and Victoria, we also met others, most notably Diego and Fred. Diego is a newborn, but older than the others, and something of a right-hand-man to Riley. Fred is an utterly repulsive, disgusting vampire, but his repulsion is a result of a supernatural power: he repels others, which Riley sees as a valuable gift. In the course of the story, both Diego and Fred play a crucial role in Bree's life, but in completely different ways.
Something I don't care for in fiction generally (or life, for that matter) is a woman who values a man because he can protect her, or a man who wants a woman he can protect. Bree, however, is in a world in which protection is vital, as the newborns routinely attack and kill each other over the slightest issue. Initially Bree takes protection from Fred, braving the nausea and discomfort of his presence and sitting near him, which makes her as invisible as he. I like that Bree doesn't plead with Fred, or cozy up to him: she simply grabs a book and sits close to him. In time, his effect on her fades, but we learn that Fred is at least partially responsible for that, because he likes having her around.
When Bree meets Diego, it isn't quite love at first sight, but we all know where it is going. Diego is older (both in human and vampire time) and wiser, stronger, and more cunning. He takes Bree under his wing and a romance blossoms, but is cut off by Diego's disappearance when he decides to talk to Riley about some of the inconsistencies and lies they are being told by Victoria through Riley. When Bree realizes that Diego has been killed as a result, she loses all will to live in a very Bella-like train of thought.
Bree's star moment in Eclipse, retold from her perspective in SLBT, is also interesting, because we see the Cullens, the characters we know and love so well, through new eyes. To Bree, they are a fascinating window into a world she had no idea could exist. She quickly realizes that Edward is the "mind-reader," and she sends him the full version of the edited confession she offers Jane under duress. This prompts Edward to speak up for her, but as we all know, Jane is incapable of mercy. Bree closes her eyes and prepares to die, but she never really harbored hope for life, because her beloved Diego is gone.
On a scale of one to four, I would give this book a pretty solid three. It filled in some holes, provided some badly needed perspective (after four books of Bella's voice, tempered only occasionally with Jacob's, it's nice to get a different narrator), and gave some extra dimension to the saga's most interesting (in my opinion) chapter. I'm interested to hear what all of you thought.
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