****SPOILER ALERT****So the wonderful world of
Twilight has to come to an end. This isn't what I expected ... but that doesn't mean it wasn't good. I went into this book wanting two things - that
Bella and
Edward get married and having
Bella change into a vampire. I got both. So I'm satisfied with that.
I will admit that the book isn't perfect, but it is a nice ending to the saga. Does it have flaws?
Yes. Could it have been better?
Yes. But if you read it for the enjoyment alone, forgetting any fanfiction you may have read or any preconceived notions of what "should" happen, it is an enjoyable read.
I was totally absorbed throughout this book. It was a complete, 12 hour roller coaster ride of feelings and I left it pretty satisfied. It's a mythological fiction, after all, and as such,
Ms. Meyer took liberties with the qualities that her characters have in their lives. Fine. It's her story and she has that right.
I like the way
Ms. Meyer divided the book into 3 separate books. The first book is from
Bella's point of view. We have the wonderful wedding and a romantic honeymoon. By chapter 5, the deed was - if you know what I mean - and by chapter 7 there were the first signs of morning sickness. I did not see that plot line coming. Many people have written bad reviews - mainly centering around
Bella's pregnancy - but I just saw it as a story arc I had not thought of.
The second book is from
Jacob's point of view and I loved the range of emotions this part of the book took. From
Jacob's rage and hatred of
Edward,
Rose and the rest of the
Cullens to his eventual understanding of the situation and desire to work with the family for the good of Bella.
I did wonder why
Dr. Cullens didn't think of giving
Bella blood before he did - you would think a doctor would think of that, especially a vampire doctor. As far as the pregnancy complications, as the mother of 3 daughters it was killing me that
Bella was keeping all this from her parents. Even if she is of age, I thought her parents should have been involved.
During
Jacob's part of the story, I thought for sure the underlying tension between
Jacob and
Leah was going to lead to him finally imprinting on her, especially when
Leah burst in and started ranting to
Bella. But I guess I should have known that if one werewolf could imprint on a child, then the possiblity of
Jacob imprinting on a baby was very real.
When we returned to book 3 - again from
Bella's point of view - I was also taken aback when
Bella hunted for the first time. For some reason, I just can't see
Bella killing anything, even to quench her thirst. I felt for sure she would end up drinking human blood - from blood bank donations - like she did when she was pregnant. So it was kind of shocking to me when she made her first kill.
I was distressed when
Alice ran away with
Jasper. I really didn't think she had abandoned the family, but I wasn't sure. I was disappointed there wasn't as much a focus on
Alice in this book as compared to the other three books.
I believe that this book was about fighting for what you believe in; your family, your children, your way of life, and life itself - even if you have to die for what you believe in. Is this book unrealistic? Absolutely - that's why its fantasy. But if you don't put so much stock in "what it should be" and just read it for the fun of it, you will enjoy it. Yes, this book wrapped this fairytale love story with a neat bow, but didn't we all want a happy ending?
Like many, I'm sad to see the story end, but we can all use our imaginations to continue the saga in our own minds, knowing that
Bella and
Edward live happily ever after. Overall I liked the book ... and not just because I'm a huge fan of
Stephenie Meyer. I got my happy ending and most of my questions were answered. As a stand alone book, I probably wouldn't rate this book as high as the others, but as an accompliment and ending to the official saga I think it lived up to the hype.
This book meet the requirements for several of my book challenges:
****SPOILER ALERT****
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (4th book in the Twilight series) - released August 2, 2008. Ms. Meyer is one of my newest "favorite authors" of the past few years. The Twilight series is about the American girl next door - Bella - and her long-time boyfriend - Edward - who just happens to be a vampire. There is also Bella's best friend - Jacob - who is a werewolf. I have had a love of supernatural books since I read Stephen King's Salem's Lot when I was 12 years old.
39 Clues: Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan (author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series) released September 9, 2008. Mr. Riordan writes one of my favorite children's book series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. 39 Clues is a new series which will have a total of 10 books.
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini (3rd book in the Inheritance Cycle) - released September 20, 2008. The Inheritance Cycle started with Eragon and Eldest, which are exceptional books, considering Mr. Paolini was a young teenager when he started this series.
Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell (15th book in the Kay Scarpetta series) - released October 7, 2008. Ms. Cornwell is one of my favorite authors and I love her Kay Scarpetta books.
Swallowing Darkness by Laurell K. Hamilton (7th book in the Merry Gentry series)- released November 4, 2008. Ms. Hamilton is my number one favorite fiction author. She writes the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series and the Merry Gentry series.
Just After Sunset by Stephen King - released November 11, 2008. Need I say more? Mr. King is the undisputed King of Horror and I have been reading him since I was 12 years old.
