Kattas reviewed Fascination by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight, #1)
Review of 'Fascination' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
When a book makes me stop reading because I have dropped into English-Teacher-Mode to consider how to best revise a sentence because it is unclear and bordering on grammatically incorrect, I cannot reasonably be expected to enjoy that book.
Bruised and beaten prose aside, I did laugh at a number of points. I'm not sure if satire was really the intent, but Meyer succeeded at that, at least. The characters seem to lack any significant personality traits, and while Bella has one redeeming speech near the end of the book where she asserts that there should be equality in a relationship, the rest of the book seems only to highlight how little she really cares about equality as she acts as a domestic servant for her father and as a passive admirer to Edward.
As a final note, the following traits were taken from a checklist meant to determine if a relationship is abusive:
Is jealous or possessive toward you.
Tries to control you by being very bossy or demanding. (Literally drags Bella around, issues commands rather than requests)
Tries to isolate you or forces you to cut off social contacts and friendships. (Lunch room scenes)
Is violent and / or loses his or her temper quickly.
Claims you are responsible for his or her emotional state.
Blames you when he or she mistreats you. (Less obvious, but the whole "I'm sorry, but you just smell so good." line seems to fit this)
Your family and friends have warned you about the person or told you that they are concerned for your safety or emotional well being. (Billy and Jacob)
You frequently worry about how he or she will react to things you say or do. (All the time)
Your partner "rages" when they feel hurt, shame, fear or loss of control. (Likewise frequent)
You leave and then return to your partner repeatedly, against the advice of your friends, family and loved ones. (Hasn't happened "repeatedly" yet, but I think the codependent nature of the relationship is obvious)
You have trouble ending the relationship, even though you know inside it's the right thing to do. (Again, not quite literally, but the whole dance around "I'm dangerous - you should stay away from me" thing Edward does seems to fit).
And that's not even getting into the whole breaking and entering/stalking behaviour.