How Many Twilight Books Are There?

The Twilight Saga certainly took the world by storm when it was first released, similar to how the Harry Potter books rocked the proverbial boat.

Whether you first heard of the book series, or you learned about the fantasy world thanks to the award-winning movies, this vampire world has been pretty hard to ignore.

How Many Twilight Books Are There

There are thousands upon thousands of young teenage fans arguing over the most important question of the saga: Team Edward or Team Jacob? 

Now, if you watched the movies on the big screen first, you are probably interested in giving the books a go.

After all, there’s so much more detail and extra storylines in the novels that an hour and a half movie just can’t quite capture. And any movie fan will know that there are 5 movies to watch. But is it the same for the books? 

It’s not. While the movie has 5 parts, the Saga is actually only four books. This is because the final book is broken down into two parts for the movie since it’s much longer than the other three.

But if you’re looking to fill your Twilight fix, you’ll also be pleased to know that there are another three spin-off books that you’ll need to read. 

So throughout this article, we’ll go over all these books in a little more detail. 

The Twilight Saga Books

So, in the main storyline, you have four books. Twilight is the first. New moon is next, followed by Eclipse. And then Breaking Dawn is the final book of the series.

However, it soon became apparent that neither fans nor the author could let this story go quite just yet and so three additional books were released to keep the story alive.

Those books are The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined, and Midnight Sun. 

Spoiler Alert: In this section, we will be discussing the plot of each book and so there may be spoilers.

Twilight

This book was published back in 2005.  It is the first novel in the series. In this book, Bella Swan moves from sun-shining Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington.

But as she settles into her new home she soon starts to realize that the world she lives in is not as it seems when she falls in love with school student and ‘vegan’ vampire (!!) Edward Cullen.

Bella finds herself in a world much more dangerous than she ever thought.  With a boyfriend who thirsts for her blood however much he may fight it and a separate coven of dangerous vampires chasing and tracking her down, how will she ever survive? 

Conflicting love interests and dramatic payoffs aren’t specific to Twilight though. You might find the After book series interesting as well!

New Moon 

In the second installment of the saga, published in 2006, you’ll be reaching for the tissues as the love of Bella’s life abandons her for the sake of her own safety.

But when the Cullens leave does that also mean that the danger is gone? In this book, you’ll meet Jacob Black, who befriends Bella. But when Jacob turns into a werewolf things become a whole lot more complicated. 

Eclipse

In the third book, published in 2007, Bella must now try and decide between rivals Edward Cullen and Jacob Black.  She loves them both but their natural hatred for each other certainly complicates things.

However, both boys must put their differences aside and join forces to protect Bella as a Newborn Army of vampires is set to try and kill her. 

Thrilling and just a bit horrific, right? Well, speaking of thriller and horror, do you know how many books has James Patterson written? He’s one of the most prolific and successful thriller writers ever!

Breaking Dawn

The final installment of the saga was published in 2008. A lot happens in this book, which is why it is in two parts for the movie. The story starts by focusing on Bella and Edward’s wedding (ah!)

It then continues on to their honeymoon that takes place on Isle Esme. However, when Bella falls pregnant with a half-human half-vampire baby, the whole family becomes very worried as to whether she can survive the pregnancy. 

To survive the pregnancy, Bella finally becomes a vampire. Throughout the second section of the book, we start to learn about Bella as she transitions from human to vampire.

However, she doesn’t have long to adjust before trouble once again finds her. The Volturi are coming and they expect a fight – but who will win? 

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner was published in 2010. This spin-off book follows the events of the fight from Eclipse from a new character’s perspective.

We meet Bree Tanner very briefly in the third book and this book centers around her life and her story. It’s perfect for those who are heartbroken that they’ve finished the series.

It gives more insight into the Twilight world and hey, it’s more Twilight content to devour. 

Life And Death: Twilight Reimagined

In 2016, Meyer treated us to even more Twilight content. This book doesn’t follow the story of Twilight but instead is a fun new version.

In this book, the roles of Edward and Bella are reversed, and instead new male student Beau meets a beautiful female vampire Edythe Cullen.  This reimagined and clever story holds all the same magic of the first novel and is definitely worth a read. 

Midnight Sun

This is the book that we very almost never got. In 2020, Meyer released Midnight Sun which was the first Twilight book written from Edward Cullen’s perspective.

Now, fans had been waiting for this book for a very long time. 

Stephanie Meyer initially began writing Midnight Sun all the way back in 2008. However, the author stopped writing after a draft of the manuscript was leaked online.

Having sold over a whopping one million copies of the book, fifteen years after its first publication, it’s clear to see that the love for the story never died though in fans’ hearts. 

And speaking of love and stories, it would be a sin not to mention the Heartstopper book series. They’re centered on friendship, LGBT+ relationships, and mental health issues.

Final Thoughts

The Twilight Saga is a love story that has been well-loved by many. The popularity of the books can not be ignored, and if you haven’t read them yet, what are you waiting for?

There’s a whole vampire world waiting for you! Who doesn’t love a good vampire love story with horror elements sprinkled here and there? Speaking of horror elements, you might want to check out Stephen King’s pantheon of books. Some of them are about vampires, yay!

Sophie Andrea