The fourth and last book of the Twilight series was released a little over two weeks ago. I had pre-ordered it several weeks before, and from the day it was released until the day I finally received it, I would check the mail every morning, hoping to find the book in the mailbox. I avoided all articles, websites, and blog posts about Breaking Dawn, trying to stay unspoiled. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite manage to do that, and while what I found out about was something I would have never expected [so it would have been a real surprise for me], it was luckily something that didn’t happen too far into the book, so it didn’t spoil the end for me. The book finally came in the mail on Saturday, and I started reading it right away. I had been a bit wary, as, what I knew of how the book was received by fans, many didn’t like it as much as the previous three, and some even hated it. I ended up finishing the book at about 2.15am on very early Sunday morning, so one thing you can definitely say it was just as gripping as the other books. These are my thoughts on Breaking Dawn and the Twilight series as a whole.

SPOILER ALERT +++ DON’T READ IF YOU HAVEN’T READ ALL OF THE TWILIGHT SERIES +++ SPOILER ALERT

If you didn’t get it, stop reading now, if you haven’t read Breaking Dawn yet.

Still there? Okay, I assume you have read all of the series or don’t mind finding out what happens via a blog post instead of the books.

So, first of all, I am still in love with the series, and most importantly Edward. There were some things that bugged me about Breaking Dawn, but then these things already bugged me about the other books as well.

First of all, Bella … Her constant Oh-Edward-I-don’t-deserve-you did get a bit old after a while. It got even worse when he proposed to her, and she was so reluctant in accepting because … what will other people think?! Seriously, since when does she care what other people think? And I’d be seriously hurt if I had to talk someone into marrying me like Edward had to with Bella. All this really only got better when she finally became a vampire in Breaking Dawn. hen, Edward … Okay, I get he is beautiful and handsome and hot, but sometimes it was a bit much how this was repeated so often.

I did read some reviews after finishing Breaking Dawn, and I saw that most people seemed to have an issue with how the ending was too perfect, how Bella gets to have it all, that the message sent out by the book is that it is okay to get married at 18, have a baby and then be fine!

Well, maybe I am old enough not to take a fictional novel too seriously, but somehow I doubt that too many readers do get this out of the book. This is fiction. Actually I would even consider it a fairy tale for grown-ups, and usually the main characters in fairy tales do get it all. And do we [the readers] really want to read how Bella goes through three years of being a dehumanized newborn vampire, killing a dozen humans on the way, before she can control herself? Or that she loses Jacob?

I actually found the way Meyer did this quite well-done. Jacob imprints on Renesmee [don't get me started on that name, though, seriously!], and imprinting on a baby / toddler was introduced before [now I believe that it was actually introduced so it would not seem weird when Jacob does this]. In fact, I knew in the moment that Jacob looked at the baby, what had happened. I personally don’t find it weird, it was explained that this imprinting business is not necessarily of sexual nature, and people who still scream pedo at this need to take a look at themselves, in my opinion. I liked [even though I didn't expect it] that this forced Jacob to rethink his position towards vampires / the Cullens, and that it enabled him to stay in Bella’s life and the she didn’t lose him as a friend. Though I suppose, that would have been the part I could have easily dealt with [and actually expected] if it hadn’t ended so happy, if that would have been the part where Bella does have to give up something to get a happy ending with Edward. I will just quote from a review on Amazon that phrased it best:

Some have suggested that having Jacob imprint on someone else would allow Bella to make a sacrifice by finally fully letting him go as well as remove that feeling some reviewers have that she gets everything. I do see this point, and perhaps this happening would have made it a more critically acclaimed book, but as I was reading the story, I was fully involved in watching Bella’s story unfold and these things did not negate my enjoyment of the book.

That Bella is able to deal so well with being a vampire is a good idea as well, she essentially skips the newborn phase, and can go right to enjoying being pretty and strong, and having lots of sex with Edward. Yes, it is unrealistic, but gosh, so is the entire series! Vampires, hello?! I sure prefer this over Edward feeling guilty and torturing himself [like we know he would] over seeing Bella suffer for three years while she is getting used to being a vampire.

As for the baby? This is actually the part I managed to spoil for myself. I did know that Bella and Edward would get married and that she would become a vampire, but that was not a surprise. I knew pretty much from the start that Jacob would not have a chance, and it sounded like Edward wasn’t going to give in on his condition either, neither was she on becoming a vampire. But the baby? Sure was a surprise. I don’t particularly care for this plot line much, but I don’t mind it either. I realize that without it, there wouldn’t have been so much of a plot for Breaking Dawn, and I don’t mind how it was done. Bella almost dying in the ‘birth’ made it inevitable for her to be turned into a vampire which is something I like, because it was not merely her choice, so no one [Edward] has to feel guilty for taking something away from her. I do not think it was that irresponsible of Edward or Carlisle not to foresee and prevent this [by telling Bella and Edward to have safe sex] as it was not something I personally would have ever expected, and clearly, neither did they. I did think that the twist with Renesmee being taken for an immortal baby was quite good, clearly that was why the history was told in the first place. I like when something gains new meaning later on in a book or series.

The end? I was a bit disappointed that the climax of the confrontation with the Volturi was just resolved like that. I would have loved to see the Cullens and their allies kick some Volturi butt, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. At least this does leave the end open in a way, that if Meyer should ever feel like continuing the plot, she can.

The very end? I loved it! I thought it was just so beautiful that Bella found a way to let Edward see into her mind, a very romantic and powerful scene and gesture.

I don’t think the series is really out to send a message to kids that they can have anything they want and will get it. I take it as a romance novel, a fairy tale, and typically these have happy endings. It’s fantasy, it’s a fantasy.

I do know that no book [series] has ever captivated me this much, not even Harry Potter [cue inevitable comparison]. While there is no doubt that the HP series is better as far as plot and writing goes, it is the Twilight series that really touched me with its characters [not that the HP series didn't, but not as much], that - this is from the same review [that I quoted earlier] that I wholeheartedly agree with -

… feel intensely real. I was able to lose myself in the story through all four books. … the characters remained almost tangible people that I cared about and rooted for throughout. 

And that is what made the Twilight series so great and enjoyable, really addictive, to read to me. Now how do I get rid of that crush on Edward?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 11:54 and is filed under Books. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.