BEVERLY HILLS —In light of the epic success of “New Moon,” fans are anxious to know if the new sequel next summer “Eclipse” will be as exciting as “Twilight” and “New Moon.” In order to know that, we’ll have to wait until next summer for the release of the motion picture. However, we can take a look at the novel that precedes the release and this week that’s what we attempt to do.

Little Brown Books says the following, “The third episode of Meyer’s vampire-romance series finds heroine Bella Swan anxious to become a vampire and live forever with handsome vampire Edward. Obstacles arise when Edward demands marriage and werewolf Jacob declares his love for Bella. Eventually, the Cullen vampires and the Quileute werewolves unite to face off against a pack of uncontrollable vampires seeking revenge on Bella. Kadushin portrays kindly Edward in soft, warm tones and voices teenager Jacob in more brash, edgy speech patterns. She captures Bella’s uncertainty as she wavers between her love for Edward and her intrigue with Jacob. Kadushin’s performance is particularly stellar in passages where Bella is cold and her words come out in a chattering fashion or when she is upset, causing her to sob and hiccup.”

However, when I sank my teeth into this vampire tale, I tried to put out of my mind what the publisher was telling me about the book. I also tried to put myself in a young person’s mind, the way they see the films and the love they have for this book. Again the author Stephenie Meyer reaches the height of excitement while also giving such broad and incredible background to each of her well fleshed out characters. No pun intended. In this book the enemies of Edward and Bella are not so clear, and when you think you have them figured out, new circumstances appear that make people’s allegiances and alliances change.

“Eclipse” reads much better to me than “New Moon,” since we really get to know the characters much better. Edward’s family, the Cullens are not totally what they seem. That was a big surprise for me in this book and also seeing the nemeses Edward and Jacob band together to fight the deviant vampires that are after Bella, seeking revenge for what they perceive as her curse on their kind.

“Eclipse” is already a bestseller and I’m happy to say I can see why. For those who want to read a romantic story that is filled with excitement and even macabre humor, “Eclipse” is the book for you. I give it my thumbs up, as a must-read for young people and their parents.