Ah, Twilight...

As I may have mentioned before, I was on the vampire bandwagon LONG before Twilight was even a twinkle in Stephenie Meyer's eye. I do understand Twilight's relevance among teenage girls and bored housewives - I have been both! Twilight tends to remove almost all the drawbacks of being a vampire, and provides a blank slate in the character of Bella Swan, much as stated in "The Oatmeal-How Twilight Works" than any woman, young or old can place herself in. Later in the Twilight series, another character, Jacob Black, becomes more prominent on the scene - which is one thing I miss in the first book.
Anyone who has had any experience knows the general rules for vampires. Even if they're beautiful, they're still scary, they drink human blood, are very moody and tend to be rendered creosote by sunlight. I think Stephenie Meyer's approach, in which she has creatively changed many of the traditional rules of vampires, helps it appeal much more to the delicate teenage ego. Edward Cullen is beautiful to the point of other-worldliness. Yes, he is an emotional guy, despite the fact that he wants nothing more than to be with Bella for the rest of his life. Every teenage girl has felt this way about a crush they once had. Regardless of what anyone else in the world thinks, that particular guy, to one particular girl, is the most beautiful creature on the planet, and whether he shows true love or mild disdain for said girl, she will walk to the ends of the earth for him. Edward ideally should drink human blood, but in an effort to curb the 'monster' side of him, he and the rest of his family stick to hunting animals, thus making him more lovable to the reader. Another convenience Stephenie Meyers adds is Edward's reason for not coming out in the sunlight-they have no sensitivity to sunlight, but merely sparkle under bright light. Gosh, who could resist an angelically beautiful man with eyes only for you, who also happens to sparkle in direct sunlight? Any teenage girl with an imagination!
Bella Swan is so simplified that even in first-person, she tends to be non-descript, allowing for any female reader to be able to equate herself to the character, further entrenching the reader into the world of Twilight. She also tends to make stupid decisions, as I'm sure we've all done at some point during our lives, and happens to be going through an awkward 'phase', although said phase is sometimes equated to a permanent condition for her.
I must say I am biased against Edward, being a strong-willed modern women myself. He tends to stick to the old-fashioned way of thinking that was taught to him in the early 1900's. The one thing I feel that the first Twilight book is severely lacking is the presence of Jacob Black. He is portrayed as a sweet, teenage Quileute Indian with a superstitious and overbearing father, and is only present in three or four scenes. Jacob, as a friend and potential romantic interest for Bella, allows Bella to dig deeper into who she is, and gives her options for her future. Being born in the 20th century, he has a more modern outlook on a woman's role in society. He also has a great sense of humor, and even though he bitterly detests Edward Cullen, approaches the situation with a tongue-in-cheek attitude. If you can't tell, I'm team Jacob all the way-If Bella had a brain in her head, despite his partially non-human existence and short temper, at least he'd expect her to have an opinion!
I won't lie, Twilight has been a guilty pleasure for me, but primarily the fourth installment of the series - Breaking Dawn. The reason I like it so much more than the others is because Stephenie Meyers not only allows for the two other main characters, Edward and Jacob, to speak up, but it also truly becomes a vampire novel. Bella doesn't begin to act like a real woman until the very end, but when she does, she finally begins ti wield the true power that she should have known she had the entire time. I also like the sci-fi twist that the book takes - I will avoid too much description to keep from spoiling it for those who have yet to read the last or see the movie.
All in all, I do enjoy the romance of Twilight, but I still prefer a bit more para-normalcy to my vampire novels, as well as a stronger female lead. Such great female role models include : Anita Blake, for her sexuality and high morals as well as her powers as a necromancer, Zoey Redbird of 'The House of Night' series, who as a teenager is suddenly cast into a completely unfamiliar world, and given such immense power as to have an affinity for all four elements, and within weeks becomes more powerful than any full-fledged vampire known, and even Sookie Stackhouse, who stares down the faces of evil on a daily basis with southern hospitality and feminine wiles. These are the characters that I like to relate to!