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Marisa's review

Breaking Dawn (Twilight Series, Book 4)
by Stephenie Meyer

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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1162543.Breaking_Dawn?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Breaking Dawn (Twilight Series, Book 4)" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416pfGGLM0L._SL160_.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1162543.Breaking_Dawn?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Breaking Dawn</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/941441.Stephenie_Meyer">Stephenie Meyer</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/26975785?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 1 of 5 stars Okay, so I FINALLY just finished this book after having started it like two weeks ago. That in and of itself speaks to how I felt about this final book in the series. I devoured the other books in under two days. Let me explain why this one deserved one star (I'm fresh off of finishing it and am feeling pretty strongly right now...forgive me for the novel that will now follow).
 
 What I liked:
 
 1. Compared with the rest of the book--I liked the way that it ended. The whole volterra thing wasn't quite as dramatic as it could have been but I did like the little twist there and the ending redeemed (somewhat) a book that was a big letdown. That said, I still like Stephenie Meyer and admire her for making readers out of a large handful of people who otherwise wouldn't read books. Her first three books in this series are fun, quick, easy and entertaining reads. Perhaps she should've just stopped this series there... This last book was a huge disappointment for me.
 
 What I didn't like:
 
 1. I HATED the separation into the different books. However, I understand that with Bella's plot line consisting of her getting pregnant, having the baby, and immediately becoming a vampire--there wasn't much else to do with her character from the way she was developed in this book. 
 
 2. The Jacob book was utterly awful. I hated every part of it! I hated the italics of the wolves thoughts--who in the world was speaking? I wished that she had played out the conflict between picking Jacob and Edward a little bit more as there was absolutely no climax or intensity in the plot until like page 600?!? Maybe she could've vacillated just a little bit about marrying Edward so young and all that. Maybe she should've gone to college and grown up some. I just got sick of Bella.
 
 3. I got weirded out and icked by (how predictable was that?) Jacob imprinting on Bella's baby. It was just WEIRD. And speaking of her baby...she just weirded me out. The whole pregnancy period was very strange and then I just never really connected with Rennesme's character. I was not a fan of how Jacob adored her and all that--weird, weird, weird (did I already mention that)? Who wants to marry someone that their mom loved and made out with? Weird! I hated that this was the way that Jacob could stay in her life--as her son-in-law. Didn't she just kiss Jacob a few months before this? Weird!
 
 4. The middle part was so slow and it could've been about 300 pages less than it was. It just lacked emotion and intensity for me. We had all predicted many different ways this could've ended and the way it did was just such a letdown--couldn't they at least have conquered the volterra or something? 
 
 5. I hated all of the ways that she had to change the rules that were set up in the first three books. Every reason for not becoming a vampire (such as not seeing her family and friends, the murderous newborn years, not having kids) that she had to grapple with in the previous three books were thrown to the wind as she defied all of that. What? What in the world was the whold struggle in those other books about? It felt like this book was just a way to create a sappy, happy ending at all costs.
 
 6. I could clearly see the ways that Stephenie Meyer would/could (or was forced) make spin offs or even another book from this book. How about the set up between Rennesme and the other half-vampire and Jacob (another triangle)? Or how about the Volterra coming back to hunt them down individually? I know she's said she's done telling Bella's story--but I just wasn't a fan for some reason of all the different things thrown in the end to make other books possibly. Why not finish this series well instead?
 
 So there you have it. This book was a letdown. Thanks for hearing my rant :-)!
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/986041?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Marisa's review
rating:

** spoiler alert ** Okay, so I FINALLY just finished this book after having started it like two weeks ago. That in and of itself speaks to how I felt about this final book in the series. I devoured the other books in under two days. Let me explain why this one deserved one star (I'm fresh off of finishing it and am feeling pretty strongly right now...forgive me for the novel that will now follow).

What I liked:

1. Compared with the rest of the book--I liked the way that it ended. The whole volterra thing wasn't quite as dramatic as it could have been but I did like the little twist there and the ending redeemed (somewhat) a book that was a big letdown. That said, I still like Stephenie Meyer and admire her for making readers out of a large handful of people who otherwise wouldn't read books. Her first three books in this series are fun, quick, easy and entertaining reads. Perhaps she should've just stopped this series there... This last book was a huge disappointment for me.

What I didn't l...more Okay, so I FINALLY just finished this book after having started it like two weeks ago. That in and of itself speaks to how I felt about this final book in the series. I devoured the other books in under two days. Let me explain why this one deserved one star (I'm fresh off of finishing it and am feeling pretty strongly right now...forgive me for the novel that will now follow).

What I liked:

1. Compared with the rest of the book--I liked the way that it ended. The whole volterra thing wasn't quite as dramatic as it could have been but I did like the little twist there and the ending redeemed (somewhat) a book that was a big letdown. That said, I still like Stephenie Meyer and admire her for making readers out of a large handful of people who otherwise wouldn't read books. Her first three books in this series are fun, quick, easy and entertaining reads. Perhaps she should've just stopped this series there... This last book was a huge disappointment for me.

What I didn't like:

1. I HATED the separation into the different books. However, I understand that with Bella's plot line consisting of her getting pregnant, having the baby, and immediately becoming a vampire--there wasn't much else to do with her character from the way she was developed in this book.

2. The Jacob book was utterly awful. I hated every part of it! I hated the italics of the wolves thoughts--who in the world was speaking? I wished that she had played out the conflict between picking Jacob and Edward a little bit more as there was absolutely no climax or intensity in the plot until like page 600?!? Maybe she could've vacillated just a little bit about marrying Edward so young and all that. Maybe she should've gone to college and grown up some. I just got sick of Bella.

3. I got weirded out and icked by (how predictable was that?) Jacob imprinting on Bella's baby. It was just WEIRD. And speaking of her baby...she just weirded me out. The whole pregnancy period was very strange and then I just never really connected with Rennesme's character. I was not a fan of how Jacob adored her and all that--weird, weird, weird (did I already mention that)? Who wants to marry someone that their mom loved and made out with? Weird! I hated that this was the way that Jacob could stay in her life--as her son-in-law. Didn't she just kiss Jacob a few months before this? Weird!

4. The middle part was so slow and it could've been about 300 pages less than it was. It just lacked emotion and intensity for me. We had all predicted many different ways this could've ended and the way it did was just such a letdown--couldn't they at least have conquered the volterra or something?

5. I hated all of the ways that she had to change the rules that were set up in the first three books. Every reason for not becoming a vampire (such as not seeing her family and friends, the murderous newborn years, not having kids) that she had to grapple with in the previous three books were thrown to the wind as she defied all of that. What? What in the world was the whold struggle in those other books about? It felt like this book was just a way to create a sappy, happy ending at all costs.

6. I could clearly see the ways that Stephenie Meyer would/could (or was forced) make spin offs or even another book from this book. How about the set up between Rennesme and the other half-vampire and Jacob (another triangle)? Or how about the Volterra coming back to hunt them down individually? I know she's said she's done telling Bella's story--but I just wasn't a fan for some reason of all the different things thrown in the end to make other books possibly. Why not finish this series well instead?

So there you have it. This book was a letdown. Thanks for hearing my rant :-)!...less

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message 1: by Stacy

08/27/2008 07:58PM

I need to rewrite my review to go over exactly what I did and didn't like, but I'm going to comment on a couple of your points.

I loved the Jacob books! I thought he was so funny. I would welcome a book written from his point of view. I'm sure it's coming she wants to please the Jacob fans some how.

Imprinting, yes, totally predictable and creepy.

Rules changing, yes agree! You can't change the rules because it's easier.

Fight with the Voltuterra, HUGE let down.

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message 2: by Amanda (last edited 08/29/2008 10:28AM)

08/29/2008 10:27AM

AMEN Marisa! I actually returned mine to borders and I have never returned a book. It was just awful...

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message 3: by Marisa

08/29/2008 12:46PM

I loved your blog post about how depressing it was after you read it. I totally agree. What a letdown!

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message 4: by Ann

08/30/2008 05:33PM

Hey Maris,
I loved all your comments!! In fact I had a hard time giving it 3 starts I went back and forth between 2 or 3 stars. I was BORED with this book also! I also HATED the Jacob section and thought that most of the book was predictable. It took me forever to finish the end in fact it was soo hard for me to even want to finish it. When I was giving it stars I guess I was thinking of the few good points I liked. Now sitting on it a few weeks I would agree with the 1 star.

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