As a librarian who works with teens and as a HUGE fan of the "Twilight" books I am very familiar with the vampire/supernatural publishing phenomenon. Vampires have always held a fascination for readers. There is something dangerous and sexy about them that pulls at the female psyche no matter how much of a feminist we consider ourselves. Whats interesting though about the "Twilight" series though is that as much as it is about vampires and a vampire mythology what it really is, is just a really good epic love story. The love story between Edward and Bella is not just vampire and human - it is an amalgmation of Romeo and Juliet, Elizabeth and Darcy and Catherine and Heathcliff. Meyer's has her characters feel everything and express everything - every sigh, every kiss, every facial expression has meaning and resonance behind it and they are not afraid to tell each other the true depth of their feelings. They are soulmates in every sense of the word and because Edward is a vampire and has the power to make Bella they are soulmates that can be together FOREVER - what love story is more epic or more gothic than that? Ultimately, the Cullens' vampireness is the backstory to their love story. When fans of her books come looking for what to read next - I do give them other vampire books and they like them well enough but in the end what they really want is to find other characters that make them swoon they same way as Edward and his romantic rival, the very hunky werewolf, Jacob Black. Unfortuantly, the plethora of vampire novels that are now engorging the YA market tend towards the romantic comedy side, the contrived side and not towards gothic romance and thats a disservice for Meyer's fans.