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Breaking Dawn (Twilight #4)

Stephenie Meyer

3.69 · Rating details · 1,139,955 Ratings · 45,172 Reviews

To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, she has endured a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife to reach the ultimate turning point. Her immi ...more

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Hardcover, First Edition, 756 pages

Published August 2nd 2008 by Little, Brown and Company

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Aug 03, 2008 Karene rated it did not like it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. If you loved Breaking Dawn and don’t want to see it criticized, I’ll warn you now not to read my review. That being said, let me begin by saying that when I first read Twilight, I was hooked. I read New Moon in one sitting. I awaited the release of Eclipse with great anticipation. Sadly, Eclipse was the beginning of the end. It left me disappointed enough not to have high expectations for Breaking Dawn. Even at that, Breaking Dawn shattered my lowest expectations. I am stunned at the depths to w If you loved Breaking Dawn and don’t want to see it criticized, I’ll warn you now not to read my review. That being said, let me begin by saying that when I first read Twilight, I was hooked. I read New Moon in one sitting. I awaited the release of Eclipse with great anticipation. Sadly, Eclipse was the beginning of the end. It left me disappointed enough not to have high expectations for Breaking Dawn. Even at that, Breaking Dawn shattered my lowest expectations. I am stunned at the depths to which this once-revered author has plunged! From this point on I will refer to Breaking Dawn as B.D., aka “Bitter Disappointment,” or, if you prefer, “Boring Depravity,” “Bloody Drama,” “Brain Drain,” or my husband’s personal favorite, “Bloody Diapers”.

Where do I begin? How about with my least favorite character, Bella? She began the series with a lot of promise. Sure, some people said that she wasn’t well defined in the first book, but I never had a problem with her. Throughout New Moon and Eclipse, her character starts to decline. In B.D., Bella becomes intolerable. This girl is unbelievably selfish. She begins the book whining about the beautiful, expensive car Edward bought her. She whines about the wedding preparations, the dress, the ring. Poor thing has to *gasp* marry the man of her dreams! The injustice! She is far more concerned about nameless, faceless people mocking her for getting married young than she is about the happiness of the man she claims to love more than life itself. And her treatment of Jacob! Where to begin? This is a good kid had the misfortune to fall in love with her and though I had issues with his manipulation of her emotions at the end of Eclipse, still, he’s a teenage guy and you have to cut him some slack. But come on, Bella! Once she realizes she loves him, but that she loves Edward more, she chooses Edward. Fine. So let the poor guy go! Let him move on with his life! But no, she has to have her cake and eat it too. She hurts both Edward, the one she has chosen, and Jacob, the one she has rejected, by refusing to cut ties with him. She claims to hate herself for hurting him, says at one point that it’s “criminal” to injure him as much as she does, but will she love him enough to let him let go and move on? Nope. She wouldn’t “feel whole” without him, so she continues to cling to him. Even after she’s married. The culmination of this extreme selfish lack of consideration for anyone’s feelings but her own is when she slips and refers to the unborn baby as “EJ”. Did she even think to consider whether Edward would be happy about having his child named after his rival? No, she just did what she darn well wanted to do, and gave no thought to what Edward would want. Bella has become a tyrant. What Queen Bella wants, Queen Bella must have.

Now, a little bit about Edward. He was what made Twilight so magical. He was mysterious, romantic, beautiful, all the many things that the hero of a good book should be. Edward stole the hearts of most of the female readers of this series. Yet, by the time you finish B.D., you find yourself either feeling terribly sorry for him because he chose such a lame heroine, or just contemptuous of him for becoming a doormat, a slave to Bella’s whims. I thought I’d scream if I had to hear him say “If it makes her happy, I’ll do it, even if it’s not what’s best for her” one more time. In B.D., the author sends the message through Edward that love and blind devotion are the same thing. They aren’t. Truly loving someone isn’t giving them free reign to stomp all over you and everything in their path, just because they think it will make them happy. Real love encompasses the occasional appropriate guidance of the loved one away from self-destructive desires toward a better way. But here, we are taught that if you love someone, you let them have what they want, all the time, without exception.

As for the story development, my greatest frustration is that the author created a very intricate world, complete with detailed descriptions of what could and could not happen in it. Then she decided not to play by these rules. Yes, I am referring to the sudden and inexplicable ability of a vampire to father a child. This felt very contrived and unbelievable, and introduced such a bizarre, nightmarish chain of events that I could hardly believe I was reading the story that began as Twilight. This baby feeds on the blood of its mother and slowly sucks her life away? Bella has to drink human blood, while she’s still human, to save her life and the life of her child? And she LIKES IT? This is the same, human Bella that turned green and almost passed out while doing blood typing in Biology class, right? Okay, I could see that her aversion to blood was going to go away after becoming a vampire. But while she was still human? Really? I felt sick the whole time I read about her drinking gallons of blood a day to sustain the child. Bleh. I still don’t get the whole scene where Edward asks Jacob to offer to make babies with Bella. What?!? Again, is this the author’s attempt at showing us the extent of true love? It was twisted and disturbing.

And the delivery of the baby…that was just plain disgusting. Bella vomiting gallons of blood, her bones snapping right and left, blood vessels popping in her eyes, Edward biting into her womb to get the baby out, and the tender moment when mommy sees baby for the first time is marred by said baby taking a bite out of her mommy. Ick! And I’ll just join the legions of people who are saying, “RENESMEE?!?” You’ve got to be kidding. This from the author who tastefully chose names like Edward, Bella, Carlisle, Alice…why didn’t she just name her “Brangelina” or “TomKat”? Or “Bedward?” I will also join the protests against Jacob imprinting on Bella and Edward’s daughter. I could see when the concept of imprinting was introduced that it would be the author’s way of making a happy ending for Jacob at the end of the story, and that was fine. I like a happy ending, and of course I wanted to see Jacob happy. But are we so inflexible that we can’t be happy with Jacob imprinting on a nice, new girl to the story? No, Bella must have her way. She can’t be happy without Jacob as a part of her life. And we’re supposed to feel happy and satisfied that she gets her way in the form of Jacob as her son-in-law? How is that a happy ending?

At the top of my list of grievances is the destruction of the message that was communicated so clearly in the first three books. Once Bella falls in love with Edward, she is confronted with some very difficult choices. If she wants to be with Edward, she must choose to leave human life behind her and become a vampire. The value of Eclipse was that it forced Bella to look long and hard at what she was choosing if she decided to become a vampire. She would have to cut ties with her human life…her mother, father, and everyone human that mattered to her. She could never have children of her own. She would have to deal with the bloodlust of being a newborn vampire. She would spend a significant amount of time developing the self-control and restraint that the rest of the Cullens had achieved. One of the most compelling elements of the first three books is Edward’s angst, his agonizing about the state of his soul as a vampire. He grieves what he sees as the loss of his soul. This is at the heart of his great reluctance to change Bella, the reason for his disappearance in New Moon. All the vampires who have chosen not to feed on humans hate what they have become. They are conflicted about who they are. None of them who remember life as a human can say with conviction that they wouldn’t go back if they could. Bella has to confront all of this and choose to sacrifice the value of her humanity for the love she feels for Edward. All of this is well and good and presents a very thought-provoking storyline. Then, in B.D., every one of these issues is neatly sidestepped in order to create an obstacle-free path to a happily-ever after ending for Queen Bella. First of all, from the moment she opens her eyes as a newborn vampire, everything is better. The world shimmers. She experiences everything so much more intensely, things are more beautiful, more colorful, more wonderful. What’s not to love about being a vampire? Within minutes, she is exhibiting the self-control that everyone else took decades to achieve. And how about the whole I-have-to-have-sex-before-I-become-a-vampire-because-all-
my-human-emotions-will-be-gone-for-awhile? Nope! Not only does she still experience all the emotions and passions she had as a human, but they are intensified! By the time we’re finished reading about Bella’s new life as a vampire, we have to wonder why anyone wouldn’t want to be a vampire. All the build-up for Bella to grow and mature through sacrifice and self-denial, wiped away. So much better for her not to have to suffer through that stuff, right? And she manages to get immortality and a baby, to boot. We have to wonder if everyone who claimed that becoming a vampire was a serious, heavy choice was just delusional. The nobility of the message is sacrificed in order to create a neat, happy ending for everyone.

I haven’t seen much, if any, speculation on what the cover of the book is trying to communicate to the reader, so here’s my take. The big white queen is, you guessed it, Queen Bella, the white vampire. The red pawn is you (or I), the blood-red reader, about to be sucked dry in the wake of the Queen’s destruction. Beware!

I wish Stephenie Meyer had ended with Twilight or at least an extended version of New Moon. I think I’ll be hauling my copies of the last three to the local library as a donation and trying to just enjoy Twilight for what it was before the rest of this mess came into play. ...more

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Aug 15, 2008 Jenne rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya

oh yes, so VERY many spoilers! and unladylike language, sorry.

p.1: god help me. Here we go.

p.8: yep, Edward is already "going overboard" protecting Bella.

p.20: Her parents think it's a good idea for her to marry this weirdo at 18? They never think ANYTHING is a good idea.

p.33: Vampire babies! creepy! in a good way.

p.58: Jacob!

p.72: I swear Bella never just goes anywhere, you always have to DRAG her like a toddler.

p.85: I think they just had sex!! OMG!!

p.86: now of course we have to suffer throug ...more

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Aug 02, 2008 Annalisa rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: girls who like a happy ending at all cost

Shelves: chick-lit, young-adult, fantasy, romance

I was so disenchanted with Eclipse I wasn't excited for this read, but I had to know how it ends. I held off judgment in hopes that the conclusion would redeem the series. The verdict? Hard-to-swallow soap opera. A car crash you can't stop staring at in hopes that something salvageable comes out of the wreckage. But nothing does. So bad I started taking notes on all the plot holes because I couldn't keep track. What happened to the story that captured the hearts of girls everywhere?

You can't fal ...more

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Feb 23, 2008 Jillian rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: anyone wanting to spoon their eyes out

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. [pardon any grammatical/spelling errors, I'm not reading this over again--I didn't get much sleep obviously:]

If I could give this book a lower score, I absolutely would. When you create a book series, there tends to be an issue with the next book that comes out in the series having to be better than the last. Of course that is always a possibility for stories such as Harry Potter, where the plot is laced through all of the books and leads to an ultimate climax and resolution in the final book. S ...more

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Oct 16, 2011 Natalie Monroe rated it did not like it

Shelves: not-worth-the-hype, reread-for-the-nth-time, protagonists-i-want-to-laser-face, possible-creepers, wtf-concepts, way-too-many-love-interests, watch-out-for-puddles-of-angst, i-m-your-barbie-girl, i-spy-something-pointy, what-the-hell-was-that-endings

Robert Pattinson hates Twilight so much, it's hysterical.

Interviewer: “Millions of Twilight fans, they cannot wait to see this, it’s almost heartbreaking because they don’t want it to be over. It’s a little bittersweet, isn’t it?”

That look on his face is pure, unadulterated joy.

And let's not forget this:

From the mouth of the guy who plays him.

Or these:

And of course, the rest of the cast:

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Jun 18, 2008 Janae rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Die-Hard Twilight Fans, not appropriate for young teens.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Where do I begin? I LOVED this book. It was even better than I even imagined. So many surprises! I picked mine up at midnight when it was released and could hardly put it down.

So first off...the wedding was beautiful. The honeymoon was even better. Stephenie Meyer did an amazing job of writing a "tasteful" honeymoon scene. It wasn't dirty at all. It was beautiful. You knew they were able to have sex and that there was a definate strong "intensity" during these moments but she didn't go into too Where do I begin? I LOVED this book. It was even better than I even imagined. So many surprises! I picked mine up at midnight when it was released and could hardly put it down.

So first off...the wedding was beautiful. The honeymoon was even better. Stephenie Meyer did an amazing job of writing a "tasteful" honeymoon scene. It wasn't dirty at all. It was beautiful. You knew they were able to have sex and that there was a definate strong "intensity" during these moments but she didn't go into too many explicit details which leaves much to the imagination (I loved the quote by Bella, "Why am I covered in feathers?"). It was PG-13. Plus they were married when it happened so that made it even better. I have to admit I was a little shocked she wrote the sex parts. I didn't think she would go there but I am so glad she did because it just made the bond between Edward and Bella even stronger if that was even possible. It was hot and sexy for sure! I am so happy Edward and Bella got their proper wedding & honeymoon and more importantly....that I got to read about it like I was right there! Does that make me a pervert? Oh who cares! It was amazing!

So what I never dreamed of happening was a pregnancy! This is when the story goes from pure happiness to total uncertainty and even sadness for some. Bella is adamant that she would keep the baby even though it was killing her, hoping she could keep her heart beating long enough so she could be turned into a vampire to save her. I have never felt so horrible for Edward. To say he was in agony would be an understatement. Chapter 9 was very hard for me to read because Edward was in so much pain. Pain isn’t even close to describing what he was feeling. Not that I doubted before but it was in this chapter that really solidified that Edward would do ANYTHING for Bella no matter how much pain it caused him. Pain he feels he deserves. I felt awful for him.

Chapter 18...the birth was by far the most intense chapter of all the books in the series for me. I was literally shaking as I read it. It was pretty graphic with Bella’s bones cracking and breaking, her spine shattering, throwing up all the blood she had been drinking to feed her unborn child. She was dying. I was on the edge of my seat wondering if they would be able to save the baby and at the same time save her. I always hoped Bella would become a vampire but I always had this feeling that Stephenie wouldn’t let that happen. I am so happy I was wrong. One of my favorite parts from the chapter was when Jacob was giving Bella CPR after the baby was born….

“Move your hands, Jacob,”

I looked up from Bella’s white eyes, still pumping her heart for her. Edward had a syringe in his hand-all silver, like it was made from steel.

“What’s that?”

His stone hand knocked mine out of the way. There was a tiny crunch as his blow broke my little finger. In the same second, he shoved the needle straight into her heart.

“My venom,” he answered as he pushed the plunger down.

You could feel that at this moment Edward was very somber. He was turning the woman he loved into a vampire. Something he had fought against for a long time because he didn't want her to have to give up any human experiences and eventually regret becoming a vampire. Now he did it to save her. There was no other way. I wish I could have been in his head at this time though it would have been very depressing I'm sure. Jacob too had to give in to letting her become a vampire to save her.

So now not only was Bella changed into a vampire, but she
was a mother and a wife. So many changes so fast. This all shocked me but nothing shocked me more than when Jacob imprints on Bella & Edward’s baby...Renesmee(not fond of the name...but thank goodness it wasn't an Edward Jacob! That name irritated me even more). I have to admit though it kinda freaked me out at first. I don't blame Bella for wanting to tear him apart. Like me I don't think she could have ever imagined this happening. This event was so significant. It released all the pain Jacob had to endure by being in love with Bella but knowing she would never be his. At the same time it tied him to her permanently. He still loved her but in the way it should have always been. He loved her as a friend and nothing more. Also with her change into a vampire & birth of Renesmee brought a release from the pull she felt to have Jacob as part of her life, though he would still be because of the whole imprinting thing but it would never complicate things between her and Edward’s relationship again which I was very grateful for. She loved him as a brother like she always wanted. Everything was as it should be.

So in the end the challenge was the Volturi. They were coming to kill all of them because they believed Edward & Bella had created a youngling. Changed a child into a vampire when really Renesmee was the biological child of Edward and Bella. I cried (the ugly kind, I was hysterical) at a point when Edward and Bella said their quiet goodbyes to their daughter and Jacob when they thought they were about to die. It was heart wrenching. It was so touching when Edward said to Jacob, "Goodbye Jacob, my brother.....my son." What a wonderful gesture from Edward to Jacob. Luckily in the end they were able to conquer because of Bella and her amazing gift to shield everyone she loved from the "special" gifts of the Volturi. I thought it was wonderful to see Bella so powerful and strong. That for once she was able to be the protector instead of the one being protected. She got to be the savior. This too made the unbreakable bond between her and Edward stronger. Because of her they were able to beat the Volturi and save their daughter that they loved more than anything. Their family was intact.

One of my absolute favorite parts (there are so many I have to say) was at the end when Bella removes her "shield" so Edward can read her thoughts. Edward was NOT expecting this. Not being able to all this time has driven him mad at times. Especially when it came to Jacob. He always wondered if Bella made the right decision. Now he knows without a doubt that she always loved him and that nothing can or ever will change that. Edward got to experience all the feelings she had for him as far back as she could remember. He can know now without a doubt that they truly belong together. What a wonderful gift to give Edward. Oh I just LOVE Edward! That Bella is one lucky vampire.

I was so glad this book had the Happily Ever After ending. Especially after all the horrible things that have occured in the past. Everything came together beautifully. I loved it. I liked Jacob a lot more in this book in fact I laughed out loud several times at him. I also liked Bella a lot more when she became a vampire. She wasn't as selfish and winey. I wanted to strangle her at times in the other books because of the way she treated Edward and even Jacob. The pain she caused both of them in the past because of her own selfish desires. Everything for the characters is balanced or in line how it should be in their relationships. I feel closer with the story now which I needed badly. These books totally consumed me to say the least. This was my favorite of the series by far. It was filled with love, suspense, true friendship, loyalty, sorrow, happiness and so much more. I look forward to reading it again! I don't think I will ever be able to find a series again that has affected me like this. These books are my favorites above all others!
...more

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Aug 13, 2008 James rated it really liked it

Shelves: modern-fantasy

Reviewer update Aug 2009: I have demoted the book from 5 to 4 stars. My confession/explanation is at the end of the original, unedited review.
___

Yes, I gave it 5-stars. This is partly because I was so pleased by it compared to the last two books in the series that I overreacted. But I also approve of her approach to the book and have rated it so highly in order to counteract those reviewers out there who hated it because they felt Bella was a bad example to young girls.

***THESE TWO PARAGRAPHS SP ...more

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Jun 03, 2008 SR rated it did not like it

Shelves: interpersonal, brain-candy, absurd, ya, lady-author, fantasy-were-shifters, fantasy-vampires, badfic

Page 318 - Had her body changed because she was a werewolf? Or had she become a werewolf because her body was wrong? The only female werewolf in the history of forever. Was that because she wasn't as female as she should be?

Okay, it's always been obvious that the only things Smeyer finds important in life are marriage and babies, the younger the better, but what the fuck, y'all. I am beyond disgusted at this. (edit - this is kind of unclear, mostly because at the time of typing I was too angry t ...more

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Feb 13, 2011 Lissa added it

This is a direct quote from Seth, Stephenie Meyer's brother and the person who runs her website.

"In an attempt to keep the books clean and not make young girls think about things that they don't need to think about, no other book mentioned anything about reproductive systems."

Hear that, girls?

You're not supposed to think about things.

Especially not sex.

Don't think about sex. Ever.

Or you will be thinking about things you shouldn't be thinking about.

Don't think about boys. Thinking about boys lead ...more

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Aug 06, 2008 Abby rated it did not like it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Breaking Dawn just might be one of the worst books I have ever read. Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse can stand together as a fairly pleasing, lovable trio. Breaking Dawn seems almost unrelated to the series, like some crazed, over-the-top fan fiction. In the first three books, Stephenie Meyer creates this world of seemingly realistic magic – realistic because it is bound by explainable rules, and the characters within the world have retainable qualities from book to book. Though New Moon shows h Breaking Dawn just might be one of the worst books I have ever read. Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse can stand together as a fairly pleasing, lovable trio. Breaking Dawn seems almost unrelated to the series, like some crazed, over-the-top fan fiction. In the first three books, Stephenie Meyer creates this world of seemingly realistic magic – realistic because it is bound by explainable rules, and the characters within the world have retainable qualities from book to book. Though New Moon shows how utterly weak and pathetic Bella is sans Edward, it seems a natural progression of her needy personality that was introduced during the development of their relationship in Twilight. It seems as if in Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer ran out of ideas for her characters or else decided to completely remake them and ignore the logistics she created for these magical creatures. It might as well have been named Breaking Rules.

First let’s start off with Bella’s personality. Though her aversion to the wedding ceremony is over-done and her self-deprecating attitude by this point is impossibly trite, it seems like the classic Bella. By the time she finishes her honeymoon with Edward, she has gone from being this average teenager who is in love enough to marry her boyfriend but doesn’t want to jump into a marriage for fear of being thought of as “small-town”, to a married, pregnant eighteen year old who is so intent upon keeping her incubus child that she is willing to die so that the thing can live. Oh, and she has also become somewhat reminiscent of a crazed sex-addict. She is annoyed that Edward wants to go out and explore the island with her, snorkeling and hiking and doing fun activities. She would rather just stay in the house and have sex all day, every day, for weeks at a time. That’s disgusting. Also defying any sort of logic is the fact that once she realizes she might be pregnant, it is confirmed by the fact that her stomach has a little bulge and she feels the baby kick. The five-day-old embryo. Right. It’s almost like Stephenie Meyer wanted to stuff five years of normal life into Edward and Bella’s magical existence for the sake of not having to write a fifth book. Although Bella’s pregnancy was a surprise to the vampire world, the event seemed utterly contrived. By the time I finished reading the honeymoon scene, I was having to shut the book to collect myself. I felt my mind had been violated, like Stephenie Meyer had just mind-raped me through nearly 100 pages. I had to force myself to continue reading. It only got worse.

I was annoyed that Stephenie decided to use a whole third of the book for Jacob’s perspective. What sort of structure is that? It’s just a lame excuse to develop the plot from an easier angle. It’s a total cop-out. Why even write a version of Twilight from Edward’s perspective if you can just throw in alternate perspectives wherever it makes things easier? Once Bella becomes pregnant, she ceases to be Bella. We see most of the pregnancy through Jacob’s eyes, and Bella’s stubbornness is annoying. I didn’t even feel compassion or sympathy for her. Edward speaks of it as a “thing”, Carlisle is afraid of it, they say it’s an incubus and not even a real infant, that it eats its way out of its mother’s womb, and yet Bella wants it, is willing to die for it. What? Since when did Bella want to be a mom? Since when did she not care about the whole “small town” image? She doesn’t seem to see how this child could complicate her life, much less end it. Plus, the thing grows at an alarming rate. Within a week or two, Bella’s stomach is large enough that she “cradles it” in her arms. This image disgusted me. First of all, I would rather not imagine a pregnant 18 year old, married or not. Second of all, the logistics of it bother me. Like oh, of course she gets through 9 months of pregnancy in roughly four weeks. Way to go Stephenie, it’s obvious you’re not anxious to speed the plot along or anything. Plus, with Bella’s personality it seems like she would have a hard time wrapping her head around the idea of impending motherhood, let alone be absolutely ready for it in four weeks’ time.

Then the birth – grotesque, disgusting. Edward biting open Bella’s womb to free the child. Um, sick? I can only hope the movie version of this saga ends with Twilight. I can't imagine them trying to dilute the honeymoon scene, let alone the birthing scene. I can just picture the awkward energy radiating in the theatre during a movie like this. I wouldn't be surprised if there were nothing but crickets at the end, moviegoers awkwardly shuffling out of the theatre, avoiding eye contact with those they came with. But moving on, how about the lovely celebrity-coupleish name they burden her with? Renesmee. Gag me. I wonder what Stephenie Meyer was even thinking. And to further her perverted, illogical tirade, Stephenie has Jacob imprint on the infant Renesmee. Wow, didn’t see that one coming. Of course, how perfect for Bella. She can have Jacob in her life AND have him be happy. Wow. Applause. Great solution. Not. I would rather he imprinted on Leah. That would have made much more sense.

Once Bella becomes a vampire, she continues to remain the exception to every rule while being utterly oblivious to the fact. Bella! You’re so under control! Really? I am? What? Bella! You are unusually graceful! Really? Was that jump good? Bella! Your mind can block everything out, you have super powers! And oh, you can conveniently use them to protect the ones you love! Really? Is that good? Am I being modest enough? Gag me. How convenient to the plot that Bella can skip over all the newborn vampire nonsense and just be herself. How convenient that her passions for Edward only intensify. Who needs human experiences? How convenient that Charlie gets to know the Cullens are not human. How convenient that he happily accepts that two months after giving his daughter away, he already has a grandchild the size of a 3 year old. Right. Because infant Renesmee is not nearly as interesting or cute as talking toddler Renesmee who appears to be a baby Einstein that prefers to “show” her thoughts rather than speak them. And suddenly Bella has the mental maturity of a 30 year old mother though she’s still an 18 year old who got pregnant four months ago and has a daughter who is progressing at least 5 times as fast as a normal infant. The whole plot line reminded me of a child who got bored playing the same old story with her Barbies and suddenly decided that Barbie and Ken were going to have a baby, and that baby was born and became a functioning member of the family within two minutes of play time.

I was a little hopeful when the Volturi arrived for what seemed to be an inevitable war. I recalled back to when Bella mentioned something about not being able to imagine the Cullens without their head, Carlisle. I thought for sure Carlisle would make some ultimate sacrifice to save Edward and Bella. At least one major casualty would have breathed some feeling into this book other than “everything is perfect because Bella and Edward defy every bit of logic.” But no. In true predictable fashion, Alice returns and saves the day. Bella grows some balls and radiates her “shield” over everyone. Pathetic Bella, the damsel in distress, the one who always had to be protected and saved, now the one protecting and saving everyone else. How convenient. No fighting occurs, Renesmee is assured a life of immortality and will conveniently grow up extra fast for Jacob. Bella and Edward live to have more sex. Everyone lives happily ever after.

...more

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Mar 27, 2018 Miranda Reads rated it really liked it

Shelves: twihard, ya-series, 2018-popsugar-reading-challenge

Oh the memories. The angsty teen memories. They're all flooding back.

It should come as no surprise that I have a dark and dangerous past - I was a Twihard.

I loved this series with every beat of my teenage heart. I had a poster, I had a vegetarian vampire shirt, I had a themed birthday party, and (worst of all) I did this to a book:

I can't even open it anymore for fear of the pages falling out and the spine splintering...yet I can't bear to throw it away.

And now (ten years later), I'm revisi ...more

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Jul 24, 2011 Teresa rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: People that would jump off a bridge just to meet Edward

****For you ~~dumbasses~~ people that look up to Bella Swan and think she's an inspiration (if such people exist in the world), read this:

12 Things That The Twilight Series Taught Me

1. It's okay to abandon your parents after graduation (literally)

2. When a vampire wants to kill you, hide out on a mountain and run for your life while your boyfriend's family fight to protect you.

3. It is the most romantic and beautiful thing in the world when a guy you barely know oils your bedroom window to watch yo ...more

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Aug 04, 2008 Ann rated it did not like it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Dear lord. "Didn't like it" is a terrible, terrible understatement. I cannot believe I wasted my time with this book. The deeper and deeper I got into the absurdness of it all, I realized what it reminded me of: a bad fan fiction.

Let's start with the *shudder*...pregnancy. GAH! GAH GAH GAH! What was Meyer THINKING, making it possible for Bella to be pregnant? What the hell was she thinking?

Now that I read Meyer's statements more carefully, I realize that she never actually said it was impossible ...more

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Nov 01, 2007 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: paranormal, vampires, ya, shape-shifters, 2008, urban-fantasy, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'll preface by saying that I did enjoy this book - I love the story overall, and the characters, and the premise and all of that. I don't have a problem with Bella, and it was funny seeing her through Jacob's biased eyes - on the contrary, I like Bella. I wouldn't be able to read these books if I didn't. What really bothers me most about this series are the obsessive fans.

This is one of those series where the obsessive fans take the story away from the author, writing their own versions, coming ...more

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Aug 04, 2008 Lauren rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: Nobody

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I gave Breaking Dawn several days' worth of chances and it did nothing but stun, anger, and disappoint me. I enjoyed the first three books, despite how badly written and full of grammar mistakes and typos they were, because they were fun and exciting and took me away from a sucky year at college. Breaking Dawn, however, was so shockingly awful that I actually burst into hysterical laughter every time something drastic happened. I actually was unable to read it in one sitting like I wanted to bec I gave Breaking Dawn several days' worth of chances and it did nothing but stun, anger, and disappoint me. I enjoyed the first three books, despite how badly written and full of grammar mistakes and typos they were, because they were fun and exciting and took me away from a sucky year at college. Breaking Dawn, however, was so shockingly awful that I actually burst into hysterical laughter every time something drastic happened. I actually was unable to read it in one sitting like I wanted to because my brain couldn't handle the ridiculousness for more than an hour at a time.

Not even considering how insanely bad the plot and writing were, the morals the book presents made me wonder how Stephenie even managed to get it published.

Moral #1: Marriage is easy. Bella doesn't have to pay for, take care of, or do anything in the way of keeping her marriage going. Not even touching on the whole Mr. Perfect issue.

Moral #2: The only thing worth staying alive for is sex. Bella never stopped considering her choice to become a vampire until she had sex with Edward and then suddenly wanted to hold back. Crying and begging him to screw her because her happy dream was over? Come on girl, have some pride. Pull yourself together, Bella. Sex isn't everything.

Moral #3: Women are only good for babymaking. "Had her body changed because she was a werewolf? Or had she become a werewolf because her body was wrong? The only female werewolf in the history of forever. Was that because she wasn't as female as she should be?" Are infertile females less female because they can't make babies and that's all women are good for? Stephenie thinks so.

Moral #4: All of your problems will be solved for you, so don't try to fix them. That year of wanting to drink human blood? Don't worry about it, you'll just skip it anyway. That baby who's killing you from the inside? Don't sweat it, Edward will just make you a vampire and then you'll be fine. Annoying cub boy won't fall out of love with you? Chill out, he'll imprint on your babies and then you won't ever have to worry about them getting in the way of your perfect love life again. And that leads into #5...

Moral #5: Pedophilia is okay! Just wait until they get old enough (or in Renesmee's case, wait until they're 6 years old because then they'll look old enough) and you're good to go.

I could keep going with the morals but I feel the need to touch on the fact that the ending was the biggest and most awful cop-out I could've imagined her writing. The other books had incredibly kickass, awesome action scenes that pulled me in and wouldn't let me stop reading. Breaking Dawn just built up and built up and then the Volturi just decided, whatever, no battle. Go home with your mutant baby. See you in six years when she tries to make babies with the werewolf and we get pissed off at you again. There were no struggles. There were a lot of solutions springing from midair and the preparation for sacrifices that were never made.

And that is why Breaking Dawn ruined the Twilight series for me. ...more

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May 25, 2008 Denys L.H. rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: crackheads

The last book of the series. You would think this would all get better, eh? It hasn't for the most part. But yeah, there is a happy ending (no doubt about it). Yeah, they DO IT (Bitchface and Edtard). Yeah, Bella turns into a vampire. How come I'm not surprised? The novel ended all too neat and too predictable. But in the middle of the book, there was a whole load of unfortunate and turning events going on. And no, I didn't see THAT one coming...

In the beginning of the book, Bella is bitching (o The last book of the series. You would think this would all get better, eh? It hasn't for the most part. But yeah, there is a happy ending (no doubt about it). Yeah, they DO IT (Bitchface and Edtard). Yeah, Bella turns into a vampire. How come I'm not surprised? The novel ended all too neat and too predictable. But in the middle of the book, there was a whole load of unfortunate and turning events going on. And no, I didn't see THAT one coming...

In the beginning of the book, Bella is bitching (of course) about this really awesome car Edward brought for her that many people are asking about (good way to start, amirite?). She and the Cullens are planning the big wedding day, and she's also bitching about that. She just wants everything to get over with it so she can DO IT with her beloved vampire 'lover.' However, she hasn't told her father or her mother that she's getting married yet. When she finally does, she tells her father first (with Edward along her side). His reaction was just unbelievable. He wasn't comfortable with the idea, but he accepted it. WHAT!? YOUR DAUGHTER'S MARRYING SOME SPARKLY BOY THAT SHE'S ONLY KNOWN FOR A YEAR. SHE ONLY WANTS TO DO IT WITH HIM BADLY. The once, strict Charlie that wasn't too crazy about Edward has vanished into thin air. And then Bella tells her mother she's getting married. Her mother assumes that it's right for Bella because she's always making "good" choices for herself. If only you knew, Renee. If only you knew.

So then, we speed things up to the wedding. I admit, I was dazzled when I was reading it, but it's only because I ignored the fact it was Bella and Edward's and made them change positions with my boyfriend and I (silly, I know). The wedding starts to get more interesting when Jacob comes (yaaay). He dances with Bella and she casually tells him she will be having a honeymoon. Jacob worries about Bella, because she might get killed by Edward when they're DOING IT. Alas, she doesn't listen. Edward the meanie had to escort Jacob away. >( All in all, I had only one complaint for this. The wedding was written very short.

Next, we go to the honeymoon. Finally, Bella can fulfill her wishes and have dreamy sex with her new husband. But that's all she cares about though. That's the reason why she's even married to him, just to have her lustful, selfish ways with him. Edward refuses to have sex with her at first, since he thinks he'll hurt her, but Bella the sex-obsessed puppy doesn't care. She acts like a friggin' horn dog for crying out loud. They finally do it, but we never get the details on it (sorry for all you erotica fans out there). In the morning, Bella's awoken with bruises everywhere courtesy of Edward. He even ate a pillow because the sex was so immense. LOL.

Bella wants to do it again (hormonal, much?), but Edward does not. Bella practically cries and begs to have Edward make rough love to her. D; They do it again. This time, Edward breaks the bed. And an amount of days later, Bella starts vomiting and getting her period late. She also has a big bump on her stomach. This probably means she has cancer, or Edward has super mutant sperm after all those years of being a virgin.

Bella is pregnant. Their honeymoon is over. They go back to the Cullens to get an abortion, but Bella doesn't want one. Edward thinks the little freak inside her will kill her, since it's half vampire. Bella doesn't want to hear the fact that her little precious bundle of a monster might be "killed." It's giving a secret pro-life message, I tell ya! I thought vampires weren't suppose to have babies though. Stephenie Meyer has even broken her own rules in order to make this all go happy.

We got into Jacob's point-of-view now. His point-of-view isn't so great, infact, it's superlame. He talks to other werewolves telepathically and that gets very annoying after awhile. He gets news about Bella being killer pregnant and then he hurriedly comes by her side. We could see Bella isn't looking so good and that the little 'nudger' is doing more damage to her. Edward tells Jacob to try to convince Bella to get rid of it and have another baby, but this time, with Jacob. First of all, WHAT ARE YOU DOING EDWARD!? Shouldn't you be talking to this with Bella first, to see if she'll be okay with the idea!? AND JACOB, why are you agreeing to this!? I know Edward wants to protect her, but c'mon! Let Jacob move on already! He doesn't need this.

Of course, Bella doesn't agree to this. She clearly states to Jacob that she rather have Edward's baby, than some "stranger's" (he didn't clarify). So then, Bella's bones get broken by this baby. Y'know, at this point, I'm getting tired of everything revolving around Bella. It's making me feel sick just listening to everyone tend to that ungrateful, unappreciative broad. She's not a heroine, and never was. She's just a retard who can't make proper decisions for being an 18 year old.

So then more stuff happens about Jacob that really doesn't matter. And then Bella gives violent birth to a baby girl that she named "Renesmee" (how do you even pronounce that!?). Seriously, the birth scene was so disgusting to read about. She drinks blood for her baby, and she enjoyed it. BLEEEEEEH. Bella is then dying, but Edward finally turns her into a sexy vampire. They take Nessie (Jacob's nickname for Renesmee) away because they're afraid Bella might hurt her, since Nessie's half-human. But Bella's aware of this, so she doesn't have those side effects that newcomer vampires have when they're newcomers. Mary-Sue FOREVA. Those two don't even have a mother/daughter bond! They're not that into each other. Jacob and Rosalie are more caring of Nessie than Bella is. And what's worse is that Jacob IMPRINTED on Nessie. WHAT THE FUCK, JACOB!? That screams out pedophile. I don't care what the fangirls say. It's pedophilia.

We go back to Bella's point-of-view. More shit happens, like her first hunt, she has lame-ass powers, she does it with Edward again, and Nessie fully physically matures after 6 days. Again, what the fuck!? Bella loved it even more when she did it with Edward as a vampire. If you could've done and loved it more when you're a vampire, WHY DIDN'T YOU BEFORE TURN INTO ONE BEFORE!? I don't really care about the events going on with the Voultri because they're very unimportant. I just skipped towards the ending. And, oh yes, there's a happy ending. They continued peacefully into their small, but "perfect" piece of whatever.

The whole novel sucks. My love for Jacob totally went down 100 points, Nessie was just a plot device, and Bella and Edward live on forever. EVERYONE'S FUCKING HAPPY. I don't get why some twi-hard fans are in love with this book! They're only preoccupied with the happy ending! It went from a high-school romance,into a bloody-love fest. This whole Twilight series officially sucks ass. This was all to expected, and all too obvious. I hope Stephenie Meyer loses a lot of fans with this crap...... ...more

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Sep 28, 2015 Cait • A Page with a View rated it did not like it

Shelves: paranormal

WHAT. No, seriously, what just happened. Like the entire book (and series) built up to this huge final battle. They're all lined up ready for some epic fight and then... (view spoiler)

It just kept fading to black any time something remotely interesting could've happened. This might be the most anti-climactic ending I've ever found.

Plus, most of t ...more

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Jul 06, 2008 Meredith rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: a masochist and a moron

Recommended to Meredith by: I'm going to shoot them in the face

Shelves: ya

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I cannot describe the depth of my disappointment and disgust.
A baby?
A(nother) pedophil-esque imprint?
THIS IS WHAT WE WAITED FOR??
ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
THIS WASN'T AN EPIC NOVEL, IT WAS A CONTAGIOUS RASH.

Everything we came to know (and presumably love) about the characters and the way their stories were told in the first three books completely sh*t the bed in this one. It was impossible to bond with any of the characters in the book, especially Edward, who became no more than a peripheral sperm ...more

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Mar 12, 2018 Mari rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2018, snark-squad

The fact that this has an above 3 rating on this website is a travesty.

It's taken Snark Squad over a year to read and recap this book, in large part because it was actively awful. Listen, this isn't hating on a popular series because it's cheesy or a love story or any of that other nonsense. This is an actual garbage story.

First, it's PROBLEMATIC, which is consistent from the previous entries. Bella and Edward "can't" have sex while she's a human, because if they have sex, Bella will probably The fact that this has an above 3 rating on this website is a travesty.

It's taken Snark Squad over a year to read and recap this book, in large part because it was actively awful. Listen, this isn't hating on a popular series because it's cheesy or a love story or any of that other nonsense. This is an actual garbage story.

First, it's PROBLEMATIC, which is consistent from the previous entries. Bella and Edward "can't" have sex while she's a human, because if they have sex, Bella will probably actually die. For the entire series, Bella's sexuality is held hostage to Edward's rules and whims. Then, they finally get married, and instead of backing up her IF YOU HAVE SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE YOU WILL DIE BUT SEX AFTER MARRIAGE IS COOL message, Stephenie Meyer just makes sex horrible period? Bella isn’t allowed to enjoy sex. She can’t bring herself to talk about sex with her partner in a mature or adult way. Edward lords sex over her as a means of control. When she finally "gets to" have sex, it's physically dangerous for her. After she has sex, she has to repeatedly apologize for it. Bella enjoys sex, but she's "too fragile" to have it. Bella has to beg, plead and scheme her way into more sex. Bella gets insta-pregnant and it kills her. WHAT IS THIS? WHAT IS THIS MESSAGING?

Breaking Dawn is also racist in a lot of little, strange, micro-aggressive ways. And then it's racist in very overt ways. Stephenie Meyer made the Native Americans in her story werewolves, and then spends the entire series calling them feral, wild, dogs, smelly and assuring us they are the lesser supernatural race. Then, in this book, we get vampires from all over the world, and all of the people of color are wild or described in the most painful and stereotypical ways.

And then, in the worst turn of events ever, Jacob imprints on A BABY. And if anyone tells you "it isn't like that," question their reading comprehension, because it is LIKE THAT AS HELL. At BEST, it is child grooming. At worst, we have to read about a pedophile over and over again. "But they are supernatural beings who don't follow our rules." Like, okay people. If that's what you need to tell yourself to feel good about reading a man fall in love with a days old baby. I, for one, hated it. It's gross, especially because it's meant to be this epic love. Imprinting as a concept is messed up because it robs agency from especially the women in the equation. It's extra gross when that woman is actually A BABY. You guys, it's implied that the entire reason Jacob even liked Bella was because of a pull toward HER UNFERTILIZED EGG? LIKE W H A T T H E H E L L.

But okay. Let's say you don't care about all the awful messaging in this book, from misogyny to pedophiles, and racism in between. This also is not a good story? It's nearly 800 pages of NEXT TO NOTHING HAPPENING. 800 pages and we rush past the marriage (the ceremony is skipped over), get a chapter of honeymoon, then she's pregnant and we get the pregnancy and delivery FROM TWO DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES WHY, and then the Volturi take MONTHS to get to Fork and I swear to god, at one point the vampires spend an entire night staring at each other. I'M NOT JOKING.

In the last 30ish pages, we get the big "showdown," but after gathering all of these incredibly powerful vampires, the big showdown is a bunch of people talking in a field for 4 chapters. And then that's it. And then it's over.

AFTER 800 PAGES.

It was boring, plot-less, repetitive, Bella consistently cheats her way through narration, knowing things she couldn't possibly know. Meyer plays fast and loose with her own vampire rules. Bella is immediately the best at everything, so there is absolutely no tension there. We spend 3 books building up to OH NOES BABY VAMPS ARE DANGEROUS! And then in like one hot second it's like "lol, it's okay, Bella is too special to be dangerous." Wow. Payoff.

Nothing makes sense, everything is the worst, why do people like this, please send help.

Full recaps here: http://www.snarksquad.com/category/bo... ...more

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Oct 22, 2009 Manny rated it it was ok

Shelves: children, science-fiction, trash, blame-jordan-if-you-like, mentions-twilight, older-men-younger-women, life-is-shakespeare, pooh-dante

There's a nice progression here, anyway. I lent Twilight to Cate-across-the-road; we gave her New Moon as a present, and she lent it back to me; most recently, she bought Eclipse, and I borrowed it after she finished. I suggested to her father that the logical next step would be for me to sneak in through her bedroom window and steal Breaking Dawn. I'm not entirely sure he found this funny.

____________________________________________

I am shocked, dismayed, not surprised at all to discover from U ...more

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Mar 24, 2009 Katrina Passick Lumsden rated it did not like it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 22, 2008 Fabian rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: Only those who have read the first three

Recommended to Fabian by: Someone who obviously didn't know my taste

You read the first 200 pages & tell yourself: Cronenberg could be proud. Am I witnessing the biggest twist in literature history? This was the equivalent of Frodo Baggins losing the ring or Hannibal Lecter coming out of the closet! The book begins in foreign, even (gasp!) exciting territory... something so outlandish... in the right hands it just might have worked. Or at least redeemed the three prior mediocre novels. Meyer does neither.

This belonging in the long, half-assed written series s ...more

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Aug 03, 2008 Syl rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: Airheads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'd like to start out this review with three simple words that pretty much give away my feelings for this particular story (for those of you who have no desire to read my rant).

I hated it.

My friend --who stayed up reading the night it came out -- called me very early the morning of the 2nd and told me quite a bit of the plot.

I was horrified.

I wasn't even going to read it until she threatened to gouge out my eyes with a plastic spork. Quite honestly, I'm starting to wish I'd agreed to the spork ...more

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Nov 06, 2015 Ramona rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, love-this-series, fantasy-paranormal

The first book from this series comes with a great and unique story line that will leave you hanging until the last pages, but believe me, the torture will be worth it.

I am a big fan of the series and of the movies, but the books always had a special place in my heart because it is impossible to capture all the details of the plot in just 2 hours of shooting.
So, because of this, the book rock and give you a complete image of the Twilight universe.

In Breaking Dawn, we have the great moment we all ...more

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Mar 25, 2008 Elizabeth rated it did not like it

Shelves: ya, recently-read, paranormal

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm going to say right off the bat that this review contains spoilers.

Spoilers ahoy.

I'm not even sure where to start. Should I start with the contrived pregnancy? Should I start with the ridiculous name "Renesmee"? Should I start with Jacob imprinting on the vampire hybrid infant/toddler/whatever of the woman he loves? Or should I go right to the only really good part of the book, which was meeting all the different vampire clans, covens, and nomads, in preparation for a confrontation with the V I'm going to say right off the bat that this review contains spoilers.

Spoilers ahoy.

I'm not even sure where to start. Should I start with the contrived pregnancy? Should I start with the ridiculous name "Renesmee"? Should I start with Jacob imprinting on the vampire hybrid infant/toddler/whatever of the woman he loves? Or should I go right to the only really good part of the book, which was meeting all the different vampire clans, covens, and nomads, in preparation for a confrontation with the Volturi, only to have it build up to exactly nothing?

Stephenie Meyers has betrayed her readers on a scale that I have only ever seen from Laurell K. Hamilton. A series about choice and sacrifice has as its final volume an elaborate piece fanfiction that includes every cliche you can think of, in order to tie up everyone's stories with a neat little bow. Now, I am a married woman with a child, but I certainly don't think that's something to hold up to teen girls as something they should have done by age 18. I was never thrilled with the marriage plot, although considering Meyers' background I could have lived with it, but I found the pregnancy plot ridiculous, and worse, a cop-out. Meyers could have created the same conflict with the Volturi by having Bella decided she wanted a few more years of humanity- as she almost does decide, before the pregnancy angle comes into play. She could have resolved Jacob's story by having him fall for Leah- which would have tied up that poor girl's loose ends, too. She even still could have included Bella's change as a method to placate the Volturi, only to be too little, too late. Unfortunately, instead the author seemed to decided to take the most outlandish ideas she could come up with and run with them.

The good: reading the middle section from Jacob's POV. It was refreshing to have a realistic teenage voice and realistic teenage reactions to things. I also appreciated the plot involving the wolf pack, especially Leah and Seth. Unfortunately, this was mitigated by having Jacob's section focus almost entirely on Bella and the pregnancy, and ended with the most horrific delivery scene I've ever read and Jacob's imprinting on baby Nessie (no joke about the nickname, sadly). Another good aspect of the book I already mentioned, which was seeing all the various vampires from around the world, and reading about their interactions. Unfortunately, they came in to prepare for the most anticlimactic scene yet in this series.

Overall, I would categorize myself as horribly disappointed. I'm still shocked that what I just read was the real book and the true conclusion to Edward, Bella, and Jacob's stories. What a waste of 756 pages. ...more

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Mar 17, 2014 P rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult

“I want you, and I want you forever. One lifetime is simply not enough for me.”

I want to start this review with reminiscing my good old days when I was a teenager and had been waiting the movies to come out. Twilight was more than just my childhood imagination, it was likely my second world to escape the truth and live my life in the small town where supernatural creatures are real. Everyone wants to be someone important for those you love. This book also answered each question that I've kept ...more

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Jul 28, 2010 Kiki rated it did not like it

Shelves: books-to-use-as-weapons, ya, ew-vampires-no, love-stinks, mayhem-and-misogyny, papa-dont-preach, lolwut

I saw the movie for this the day after it came out, because for some reason my mother's ideal 50th birthday experience was to go watch Bella drink blood from a Slurpee cup. D'you know what? It was the best movie so far. A true cinematic masterpiece, deep with emotional nuance, dark and gritty themes of power and family ties, and this scene where a bunch of talking wolves argue with each other and I just can't even keep typing, because just thinking about that scene where this bunch of fucking do ...more

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Dec 06, 2010 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, childrens-young-readers, 21th-century, romance

Breaking Dawn (Twilight #4), Stephenie Meyer
Breaking Dawn is the fourth and final novel in The Twilight Saga by American author Stephenie Meyer. Divided into three parts, the first and third sections are written from Bella Swan's perspective and the second is written from the perspective of Jacob Black. The novel directly follows the events of the previous novel, Eclipse, as Bella and Edward Cullen get married, leaving behind a heartbroken Jacob. When Bella faces unexpected and life-threatening ...more

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Jul 04, 2008 Holly rated it did not like it

Shelves: not-for-kids-only, supernatural-critters, bleah

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 29, 2008 Heather rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Serious Twilighters Only

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. ***DEFINITELY contains SPOILERS***
Sorry so long, but I had a lot to say about the end of one of my favorite series.

This is a hard one. Overall, I got what I wanted – The wedding, Bella’s change, Jacob imprinting, and minimal loss of life. It was the perfect fairy tale ending with a ‘happily ever after’. So I should be happy, right?

To begin with, I think the book was too crowded and rushed. It could have easily been 2 books, giving us so much more in every aspect. Everything was too neatly taken ***DEFINITELY contains SPOILERS***
Sorry so long, but I had a lot to say about the end of one of my favorite series.

This is a hard one. Overall, I got what I wanted – The wedding, Bella’s change, Jacob imprinting, and minimal loss of life. It was the perfect fairy tale ending with a ‘happily ever after’. So I should be happy, right?

To begin with, I think the book was too crowded and rushed. It could have easily been 2 books, giving us so much more in every aspect. Everything was too neatly taken apart and put back together, and I really think SM could have been more creative with that if she had more time and space for it. It just seemed a little surreal and disjointed. If she had some of these things planned all along, she really should have prepared her readers a little better. Honestly, this book didn’t feel like her writing; in fact, it felt a little shallow. However, there were a lot of surprises and twists, and I was on the edge of my seat throughout a few of the chapters, which is one reason I won't say it was bad.

Bella & Edward – Not enough romance…at least not once the honeymoon was over. Their relationship is my favorite part of the series and it just went forgotten in this book. Part of the reason I read this series is because of the ‘feeling’ I get when I do (you know what I mean), and that was lost after the first 200 pages or so. I’m so happy they got married and she was changed, but it stopped short there…and the rest of the book didn’t really seem to fit with the rest of the series because of this desertion.

Edward – Did he DO something to SM? I mean, I feel like she TOTALLY slacked on his character in this book! I always thought he was her favorite as well, but he was just not a strong character in this book at all. Edward is what made Twilight so ‘magical’ for me. He was mysterious, romantic, beautiful, clever, intelligent; he was everything a knight in shining armor should be. Edward stole my heart by the 4th chapter. So much of that was lost in BD. You almost find yourself feeling sorry for him for becoming Bella’s loyal lapdog. It just didn’t feel right.

Bella – The clumsy school girl turns perfect vampire in record time? Seriously? Where is the angst, sorrow, pain and sacrifice we were expecting? This is what made the love between Bella & Edward so fantastical, their willingness to sacrifice EVERYTHING for each other. Then there is no sacrifice? How is that fair. Everything was just too easy for Bella in this book. I realize now that Bella is SM’s favorite character, not Edward. Bella gets to have the love of her life, amazing human sex, a baby (and we didn’t have an inkling she WANTED to be a mother), and become a super powerful vamp with no ‘newborn’ stage at all (although I was happy to finally discover her immunity to the powers of others is actually a special talent of her own…even though she did gain control over it a little too quickly for a newborn vamp, it’s nice to have an explanation nonetheless). We should all be so lucky. It was very hard to get past how everything worked out so perfectly for Bella. Even the pain during her change was overshadowed by the fact she was capable of hiding it from Edward, she was that strong already. It was actually a little annoying, I guess. The conflict with Jacob is also easily repaired as he falls out of love with Bella the moment he realizes he has imprinted on her baby daughter. But as much as Bella can’t live without Jacob, this news isn’t good news for her; she’s upset that it’s worked out so perfectly for everyone. Like I said, a little annoying.

Renesmee - I actually liked the chapter of Renesmee’s birth the best. I was surprised, shocked, horrified, disgusted, absorbed, hopeful, worried, and much more. I actually felt SOMETHING, which is what was missing the most from this book compared to the others. I am in the minority, I think, in that I was happy to find out Bella was pregnant. Before I realized the fear Edward possessed over this unknown, I thought it would take a different direction. I should have known better. Either way, I still thought the surprise was a good one, and I didn’t focus on the irrationality of a vampire siring a child because, well, come on people, we’re talking fiction…fantasy…supernatural already, our minds should be open to all possibilities. I thought the explanation of why this was ‘possible’ was pretty believable. I also liked her special talent and how it was directly related to the talents of both her parents. However, I am NOT in the minority when I express the opinion that I despise the child’s name. Renesmee? Are you kidding me? Thank goodness Jacob nicknamed her ‘Nessie’ and everyone followed suit, so I had to read that name less. Why not Carlie? I mean, really!

Jacob – I actually liked Jacob more in this book than any other, I think. I was always ‘Team Edward’ when it came to Bella, but I still wanted Jacob to be happy. I kept hoping he would imprint on some nice girl and they would go double date with Bella & Edward. I even started to wonder if Leah was imprinting on Jacob and how that would work? I thought that would definitely be an interesting story line. But no. Things are tidied up nicely and Jacob imprints on Bella’s daughter. Are we supposed to believe this is why they cared about each other SO much, because of his already existent attachment to her unborn child? And now he will become their son-in-law. Does that seem weird to anyone else? I expected this once we found out Bella gave birth to a daughter, but it was still a bit disappointing. I think Jacob could have ended up happy without Bella in a much more pragmatic way, personally.

The Cullens – First I’ll say I missed Alice tremendously!!! I said before BD came out that someone had to die, it just had to happen, and I speculated it would be Rosalie (I was right that someone had to die, luckily I didn't care about Irina one tiny bit). I figured she would be the easiest loss for the readers to swallow. So I was definitely surprised at the more frontline role she actually played in this book, and disappointed that Alice disappeared for so long. I also wish there was more story around the Cullens helping Bella as a newborn. Having her get control so quickly and easily was actually disappointing. I was looking forward to the expanding roles of each Cullen family member helping her through that time with their different strengths. I also wish we’d had more of the other vampire tribes, I thought it was very interesting having them come together with different talents, histories and personalities. I go back to why this could have been two books, one giving the story of the wedding, the honeymoon, the baby, the change, and more of the newborn years…yes, I wanted years; another giving more of the story of these new tribes and the battle against the Volturi.

With all that being said, I want to reiterate that I did enjoy the book and I was very happy with the way it ended. I just wasn’t as pleased with the story leading up to my desired ending. I wanted the ‘happily ever after’, but I wanted it to be more supernatural/vampire/even horror and less ‘fairy tale’ I guess. I hope SM gives us more of our favorite characters though, and that she takes a little more time to do so.
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topics	posts	views	last activity
i hate reneseme !	400	1477	Apr 27, 2018 08:37PM
Charlie and Sue?	27	116	Apr 21, 2018 08:49PM
Who thinks Bella should have ended up with Jacob?	258	627	Apr 14, 2018 08:32PM
What species would Renesmee and Jacob's children/child be?	90	343	Feb 13, 2018 08:17PM
the whole "vampires can't have babies" issue.	238	1676	Feb 10, 2018 08:22PM
Who thinks Jacob Black and Leah Clearwater were made for each other???	69	224	Feb 08, 2018 08:37PM
The Worst Bestsel...: Episode 82 - Breaking Dawn	4	23	Sep 29, 2017 05:21PM

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About Stephenie Meyer

Stephenie Meyer

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I was born in Connecticut in 1973, during a brief blip in my family's otherwise western U.S. existence. We were settled in Phoenix by the time I was four, and I think of myself as a native. The unusual spelling of my name was a gift from my father, Stephen (+ ie = me). Though I have had my name spelled wrong on pretty much everything my entire life long, I must admit that it makes it easier to Goo I was born in Connecticut in 1973, during a brief blip in my family's otherwise western U.S. existence. We were settled in Phoenix by the time I was four, and I think of myself as a native. The unusual spelling of my name was a gift from my father, Stephen (+ ie = me). Though I have had my name spelled wrong on pretty much everything my entire life long, I must admit that it makes it easier to Google myself now.

I filled the "Jan Brady" spot in my family--the second of three girls; however, unlike the Bradys, none of my three brothers are steps, and all of them are younger than all the girls. I went to high school in Scottsdale, Arizona, the kind of place where every fall a few girls would come back to school with new noses and there were Porsches in the student lot. (For the record, I have my original nose and never had a car until I was in my twenties.) I was awarded a National Merit Scholarship, and I used it to pay my way to Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah. I majored in English but concentrated on literature rather than creative writing, mostly because I didn't consider reading books "work." (As long as I was going to be doing something anyway, I might as well get course credit for it, right?)

I met my husband, Pancho (his real name is Christiaan), when I was four, but we were never anywhere close to being childhood sweethearts; in fact, though we saw each other at least weekly through church activities, I can't recall a single instance when we so much as greeted each other with a friendly wave, let alone exchanged actual words. This may have been for the best, because when we did eventually get around to exchanging words, sixteen years after our first meeting, it only took nine months from the first "hello" to the wedding; of course, we were able to skip over a lot of the getting-to-know you parts. (Many of our conversations would go something like this: "This one time, when I was ten, I broke my hand at a party when--" "Yeah. I know what happened. I was there, remember?") We've been married for ten-and-a-half years now and have three beautiful, brilliant, wonderful boys who often remind me of chimpanzees on crack. I can't write without music, and my biggest muse is, ironically enough, the band Muse. My other favorite sources of inspiration are Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, Coldplay, The All American Rejects, Travis, The Strokes, Brand New, U2, Kasabian, Jimmy Eat World, and Weezer, to mention a few. ...more

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