Breaking Dawn

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Age: 15+

Synopsis (From Amazon)

In Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final installment in the series, Bella’s story plays out in some unexpected ways. The ongoing conflicts that made this series so compelling--a human girl in love with a vampire, a werewolf in love with a human girl, the generations-long feud between werewolves and vampires--resolve pretty quickly, apparently so that Meyer could focus on Bella’s latest opportunity for self-sacrifice: giving her life for someone she loves even more than Edward. How close she comes to actually making that sacrifice is questionable, which is a big shift from the earlier books. Even though you knew Bella would make it through somehow, the threats to her life, and to her relationship with Edward, had previously always felt real. It’s as if Meyer was afraid of hurting her characters too much, which is unfortunate, because the pain Bella suffered at losing Edward in New Moon, and the pain Jacob suffered at losing Bella again and again, are the fire and the heart that drive the whole series. Diehard fans will stick with Bella, Edward, and Jacob for as many twists and turns as possible, but after most of the characters get what they want with little sacrifice, some readers may have a harder time caring what happens next.

Review

Before I started reading Breaking Dawn, I had heard from numerous people that it was either a book you loved or hated. I have found this to be pretty much true. The book had its flaws but I basically loved it.

To start with, I really enjoyed the overall plot of this one. Breaking Dawn was exceptionally refreshing in comparison to the other books in the saga. It was very exciting and always held my attention, but I also felt it had a slightly more mature aspect to it. I thought it was interesting that she wrote part of the book in Jacob's point of view. I loved getting to see everything from his perspective. Different, but I liked it.

As for the characters, I felt they were all much better developed in this final installment than in the previous books. Bella was far less whiny and more realistic. I loved her character so much more in Breaking Dawn. Before, I had always felt that Jacob was the more well-rounded character of them all. Meyer voiced Jacob's perspective exactly how I would have hoped. I also enjoyed getting to know the wolf pack a little better. Especially Leah. Her snide and sarcastic remarks were written so well that I was even annoyed by her at times. However, I also pitied her because I knew her bitterness was her way of coping with the hurt of a broken heart.

The ending left somewhat to be desired. How do you rush an ending in a 768 page book? I just don't get it. Leave it to Stephenie Meyer to do it though. I also would have liked the ending to have been slightly bittersweet rather than the fairy tale "Happily Ever After" she decided to give it.

Series Review

Personally, I don't like Stephenie Meyer's actual writing technique. From the first book, I have believed this series to be inadequately written, despite her captivating story lines. She reminds me of the kind of person who likes to use big words to make themselves appear smart. For example, the word "chagrin" was used far too often and really disrupted any rhythm that her writing might have been starting to gain. When she does this, it messes up the flow of the rest of the book. Besides, what 18 year old says the word "chagrin" anyhow. Most young adults probably don't even know what it means, much less use it in their daily vocabulary. Not to mention her poor sentence structures.

Overall, I thought that this was a fun and exciting series despite its poor technical merit. Though the books are long, they are very fast paced. 'Course, I'll never understand why I like these books as much as I do. Although, I do agree with the critics in saying that this series portrays bad messages on relationships. More specifically, the first two books. The love between Bella and Edward is more similar to obsession than true love. Edward also has some serious control issues. It isn't until Eclipse that Bella finally grows a spine and stands up to Edward. Eclipse is also when I feel her obsession with him turns more towards the direction of love. I would definitely put the last two books as being the best of the series. I do not recommend these books to those under the age of 14, and then I would still take into consideration their maturity level. I have seen too many people become ridiculously obsessed with these books.

Grade

Characters: B+

Writing: C

Plot: A-

Ending: B-

Cover: B- (Pretty but I just don't get it.)

Recommendable: B

Series: A

Overall: B