Book Review: Stephenie Meyer's "Breaking Dawn": The Final Book of the Saga

So as you all know, I started reading the Twilight series and found myself becoming increasingly obsessed with them. They're just so readable! Also as many of you may know, I went to the midnight release of the fourth and final book in the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn.


Here are my thoughts on the final book.


First of all, I would like to note that I have ALWAYS said that while these books are a very addictive read, they are NO Harry Potter, as some people persist in claiming. This fact was reaffirmed by the midnight release. There were hardly as many people here as there were at Harry Potter. I was number 463 or something, and I got my book about 20 minutes after midnight, at the very latest. Harry Potter took hours and hours, and even then we still had to go to the Kroger to get it. Also - not as many nut jobs at this release as at Harry Potter. Far fewer people where dressed up or chanting at this occasion.

Second of all, I didn't review the 2nd and 3rd books of this series, but I don't really think that's an issue. I got the first one, and now I'm getting the last one. Just be content in knowing that 2 and 3 are pretty much par for the course. If you like the first one, you'll like the rest of them.

So onto the book.

I would like to say first off that while Edward really bothered me in the first book, and Bella not quite as much, there seemed to be some interesting inverse relationship that went on with the rest of the books. With each book, Edward annoyed me a little less, and Bella more. Finally in this last book, Edward hardly bothers me (still though - I would NEVER want to be in a relationship with him at all - Team Jacob! - except no Jacob for Bella, she doesn't deserve him), and Bella seriously just annoyed the crap out of me. I am happy to say however, that Bella reached her pinnacle of annoyingness in book 3. In this final book (due mostly to special circumstances that I will not relay so as not to spoil anything) Bella really let go of a lot of her annoyingness. But not really until the last third of the book.

Speaking of the thirds of the book - I take issue with the first third of the book. After finishing the book, I don't have a real problem with this books chosen plotline, but when things were getting put into place in that first third I SERIOUSLY thought that Stephenie Meyer had just taken it way too far. Not only did the plot seem like just a little too much for me, it made me quite uncomfortable. I'll tell you what - there were a couple of really awkward hours of reading in the beginning. But I got over it... reluctantly.

The second third of the book was better than the first but seemed extremely long and stretched out. I think Stephenie Meyer and her editors really could have made this section more concise. I get that she was trying to make us feel the same kind of tension and expectation that the characters were feeling from really stretching it out, but it could have been done just as successfully with a couple hundred less pages it seems. It put me in mind of the part in Harry Potter 7 when they're out in the forest and have no contact with anyone but eachother and you're just like, "Ok J.K. - I see what you're doing here, and you're still a genius, but I have GOT to get out of this forest!"

The last third of the book is where things really got good. Of course suspense ensues - will our characters live through ANOTHER intense vampire fight?! I won't give anything away concerning that though, I'll just say that it was a pretty edge of your seat scene. Exciting reading.

Overall the final book was just as enjoyable as the other Twilight books. Breaking Dawn was very fun to read suspenseful page-turner, and had even more great insight into the fantasy world that Stephenie Meyer has created. The book may have been extremely predictable, but I really just didn't care all that much. I think this book, as with all of the Twilight series, was a great escapist read. It's pretty easy for me to see why these books have gotten such a large following. Because I'm not going to lie - I wouldn't hate being a vampire if I could be like the kinds in these books. I just want to know what I would look like and if I would have any special powers! I've actually been musing on that alot - if I did have a special power as a vampire, what would it be?? I guarantee that you will be wondering the same thing if you read this.