‘Breaking Dawn’ by Stephenie Meyer
Editor’s note: This review contains spoilers. You’ve been warned.
Fans of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series finally got what they’ve been waiting for — the last installment, “Breaking Dawn.”
Meyer kicks the story into high gear right from the beginning. After all the “will they do it?” of the first three novels, I was surprised by the quick pace of the last book. Right off the bat Bella and Edward are married, on their honeymoon and copulating like crazed bunnies. And then what happens ... BIG SPOILER ... Bella gets pregnant.
I don’t know about other fans of the series, but this made me roll my eyes. It’s bad enough a teenager getting married but now she’s pregnant, too.
The book is broken up into separate sections, shifting narration from Bella to Jacob and then back to Bella. I liked this, especially since Bella can get on my nerves with her, “Waaa, I’m the center of attention and I hate it, poor me” whining. In Bella’s defense, by the third section, she has matured and is far less irritating.
Jacob continues his role as best friend, allowing Bella to tear his heart to pieces. I’d have told her to take a leap long before, but Jacob sticks by her like the faithful werewolf he is.
In the second section of the book, all involved realize that the baby, being half vampire, basically is going to claw its way out of Bella. The family, of course, wants to save Bella’s life and doesn't want her to have the child. But Bella is determined to have the baby, though it breaks her ribs from the inside. At the end of the second section, Bella has the baby, a girl named Renesmee (another eye roll, what a terrible name). Edward is able to save Bella by ... you guessed it ... turning her into a vampire.
The third section is all about Bella’s adjustment to her new life and the overwhelming happiness she feels with her new family. Of course, being only halfway through the book some other conflict has to arise. This time it’s the Volturi, the ancient vampires, who come to confront the family over the creation of an immortal child, which is against the rules. Maybe that’s not a plot shocker, but one surprise is that Jacob imprints on the baby, meaning they eventually would be mates after Renesmee grows up. Ick and ick.
There are a lot of other little twists and turns in “Breaking Dawn.” Despite the couple of eye rolls, I really did enjoy the book and was satisfied with the ending.
Meyer is a great storyteller. “The Host,” not part of the Twilight series, was quite a page-turner, too. I can only hope that after wrapping up the story of Bella and Edward, Meyer will take readers on another journey through her imagination.
What are your favorite or least favorite parts of “Breaking Dawn”? Share your views in the comments section at the end of this post.
