I read the first book (okay, listened to the audiobook for those who want to be technical), and it wasn't my cup of tea. I love my creatures, sure. I am even in the process of writing my own werewolf novel. (I angst on it in my LJ. Exciting.) So the series isn't my thing so much, however... I freely admit that I am shallow and have seen the movies just for the beautiful cast. All of them.
In fact, I'm probably going to see The Last Airbender with a friend, and I'm going primarily because the lead character's best friend is played by the luscious Jackson Rathbone, who plays Jasper.
So yes. Aika = shallow.
The thing that does bother me is that some people, especially unthinking and parroting media, seem to think vampires and werewolves are a new craze in the wake of Twilight popularity. Um... no. It's been popular for a while, and as a fan of things, I haven't honestly seen a sudden increase in media.