By Monica Cheng
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As a New York Times Editor’s Choice, Amazon’s “Best Book of the Decade…So Far,” Teen People’s “Hot List” pick and Publishers Weekly “Best Book of the Year,” the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer has gained immense popularity among young teenagers around the United States since it was published in Feb. 6, 2008.

An avid reader myself, when I first heard about the book, I was curious to read it to see for myself exactly what made it stand out from the other popular teen fiction novels. While some readers were captivated by the plot, the hopeless romance and the “practically perfect” male hero, I could not say I was duly impressed. Even as I turned the last page of the book, I was still sadly disappointed.

Nonetheless, a similar response from an overwhelming majority of Twilight fans prevailed when the movie Eclipse came into theaters on June 30. In fact, I have even seen kids not even in their teens yet go in a craze over the vampire series.

Although the Twilight saga certainly has accomplished a huge feat by renewing a vast public interest in the vampire fiction genre, especially in the year after the first book was published, it also shooed away a number of others, namely the males.

Perhaps I am the type of person who prefers action to romance. Or, perhaps I favor more humane qualities to allow for more character development over the “perfect” hero. After forcing myself to read through the entire series, —I am the type of person who cannot abandon a series, no matter how bad, once I pick up the first book— I came to the hasty conclusion that vampire fiction was simply not my type.

Being that the Twilight saga was the first vampire-related series that I had read, it simply did not give me a good first impression. Thus, it was with a closed mind that I initially refused to read another vampire novel when my friend recommended it.

In many occasions, from visiting new towns to meeting a person for the first time, a special emphasis is often placed on first impressions. Many have heard of the saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Too often, however, people judge too hastily based purely on first impressions.

The same is held true in the literary realm. A bad first impression of one genre, in my case the vampire fiction genre, should not be representative of another book of the same genre. When people become close-minded by hastily grouping things into one category they deemed “bad,” they are more likely to miss out on a great deal.

So when I gave vampire fiction a second chance under my friend’s recommendation, I found that the book she recommended, Vampire Academy, was not bad at all. In fact, it was more than that. It was actually a good book and is one of the best books I have ever read.

If I had not given the genre a second chance, I would not have been able to read such an amazing book. Likewise, if people remain close-minded and refuse to give second chances, they will miss out on all the great things in life.