Breaking Dawn
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My problem with this book - SPOILERS! PG13 rating for sexual questions
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So much for the willing suspension of disbelief. ;-)
Well first of all, vampires don't really exist so let's just throw out scientific reasoning towards them. This book was geared toward young adults and purely for entertainment purposes. Second of all, Meyer has already explained Bella's sudden popularity with her move. In Phoenix she was surrounded by perfect looking people all the time b/c the city is so big. In Forkes, the schools are filled with normal looking people, thus making her more appealing to the male population. She has always been pretty, but not in the barbie doll kind of way that Phoenix is filled with. Sorry to rant, but I just get frustrated when people do this to books...just enjoy them or don't read them.And by the way when a girl is on her period she is shedding uterine lining, not blood :)
And Edward was able to control himself when Bella got the paper cut/glass shards in her, so I'm sure it was the same when she was on her period. She also probably didn't go over to the Cullen house at those times. Alice was somewhat able to control herself- at least with the paper cut, so she probably also wasn't bothered too much.
Okay, I kinda see your point about the Phoenix/Forks comparison. I still feel like it's a little overdone, but I guess there is some sensibility behind it.To say that vampires don't exist and therefore nothing in the series has to be scientifically true only works to a point. I guess I should clarify my problem by saying that Meyer isn't playing by her own rules here. She's told us repeatedly that vampires don't have normal body functions, such as bleeding, sleeping, and breathing. The idea that they DO have functional reproductive systems just doesn't fit with the world she created.
And I sympathize with your complaint about people who pick books apart, but I gotta say, I'm not capable of "just enjoying" something or not reading it. I like to THINK about what I read :-)
With that said though...I did enjoy it. I just don't think it works.
I agree that it didn't work. I am very glad that they ended up married and that she turned to a vampire, however I didn't think the rest of what happened fit with the rest of the series. If she had it planned all along, then she should have prepared us better because in a way this book didn;t feel like her writing. Part of the reason I read the series is because of the feeling I get when I do- you all know what I am talking about. I didn't feel it at all reading "Breaking Dawn".. As the matter of fact I felt pretty sick most of the time because of the letdown with the writing feeling different. Overall, the plot was pretty shallow and didn;t go anywhere even though the book was so long. It could hav ebeen much shorter and done without the tedious vampire sex later on. I didn;t think that Edward was a very strong character in this, either. I wish we could have had more from him. The love they had for Reneesme wasn't very convincing for me- they were off having sex while Rosalie and JAcob took care of the new baby. I don;t know- this book just didn;t feel right to me like the others did.
I really enjoyed reading it, but there were many serious issues. The felt like the author just didn't have enough time or pages to do the plot proper justice. The Host must have taken some time away from BD. If felt like a rough draft, in need of some time and reflection and a serious edit/rewrite to make it as good as Stephenie Meyers' other books. That may have made the shocking twists a little more palatable. All in all, I was left feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the book in general. Still love the series, though.
I think SM was explaining why a female vampire couldn't get pregnant, not so much why a male vampire couldn't get a girl pregnant. Here's my justification, though - there may be no blood, but there's still at least one bodily fluid: venom. So maybe other things work as well. Could venom replace blood and sperm as the functioning fluid?
I know I'm grasping at straws here, but I'm a thinker too, just a thinker who is very good at believing the rather unbelievable. :)
I think you made a good point about the timing being bad for this to come out. She did say in an interview with "Entertainment Weekly" that she will never try to release 2 books in one summer again because it is too stressful. I consider "Eclipse" to be the end for me adn will still enjoy reading the first 3 books of the series.
I thought that overall the book was prety well written (not like Twilight though). But, I have some issue with this book. For starters, they ha a little too much sex in the book. These books were supposed to be young adult. I don't believe that some of the 10 year olds reading it would understand. There might be a selected amount of ten year olds that wouldn't say "eww, gross. Why do Edward and Bella find this pleasurable?!?" (but I highly doubt it). Well, now that I think about it, 10 isn't young adult, but they read it anyway. Meyers really made this one 14+ (mature 14 year olds that is).Another thing that I made me mad was Jacob's imprinting on Bella's girl. Since I am an all out Jacob Fan (we are of a rare specimen), I found this to be a little low on Jacob's part. I would be fine with it if he'd imprint on some random girl or even a vampire, but Bella's DAUGHTER!?!? I got so mad at Meyers for that, but then I got over it.
The last thing I want to say is that I have a theory on the pregnancy thing: the venom could somehow have sperm in it, or (I know this is far fetched cause she won't make the series longer) Jacob could have had sex with Bella. Again, I thought that this was a good book.
Ooh, I agree with you wholeheartedly. You've brought up some really good points. This just makes me dislike the series even more, aha. & I agree with Jessica too. The end was just horrible. In fact, I thought the last 100 or so pages were just boring, just going on and on about Bella being so amazing as a newborn vampire. Ugh. She's such a Mary Sue.
And, ohmygod yes, Reneseme is just a horrible name and I also thought Albus Severus was bad. -_-; Good Lord.
And, ohmygod yes, Reneseme is just a horrible name and I also thought Albus Severus was bad. -_-; Good Lord.
oh goodness. honestly, i didn't like the book. and yes i can see the whole venom thing in the biology part, but i mean. then they cant even make tears. and goodness you would think they would die in some sort of fire by then.. and the whole: theyre not werewolves, their shape shifters?! whaat?!? so then where does imprinting come from?! it just seems like she didn't really think things out. and yeah the whole volturi was anti climactic. and yeah. i was kinda mad when jacob imprinted on nessie b/c i was hoping he and leah would go against the norm and FALL IN LOVE with eachother rather than just imprinting. the plot was just.. there wasn't enough time. and the ending was awful. so the whole showing him her thoughts was kind of romantic.. but wouldn't he have heard them when they were against the volturi? no matter how distracted he would be. and i mean.. all we know at the end of the book is that they're gonna run off to have sex. GREAAT. i mean, c'mon we want a mushy gushy love story: why else would we like a person in this book who says things totally not normal (edward) if we just wanted some sex story :P
i don't know. everyone can form their own opinions. but i really liked eclipse, so i think i'm going to end everything at that.
harry potter: still on top.
I liked the book, I'm not going to lie, but I also see your point. Though, I think Navkiran has a good point- Bella is a Mary Sue. If she wasn't though, maybe Edward wouldn't have talked with her during Biology when Mike hinted that he wanted to go to the dance with her. Then the series wouldn't have continued, although some of you may not have cared much if it didn't. Again, Stephenie could have fixed that part, but she didn't. Oh well. Alexis, I completely agree with you. I so wanted Leah and Jacob to be together, shove that in Sam's face (I don't like him).
Bella wanting a lot of sex may not be your cup of tea, but that's not what makes this a poorly written book. Too many people confuse young adult stories with children's stories. Books intended for young adults should not have to censor themselves on the off chance that young kids are reading. After all, plenty of bright ten year olds are reading ADULT books. Do we need to take sexual situations out of those too? If parents have a problem with kids seeing that stuff, they should monitor what their kids read a little more carefully. And Jessica, I just laughed myself into a coma over your parody of the ending :-)
Forgive my ignorance--what exactly is a Mary Sue?I think that the reason that SM threw all those sex scenes in was to show the natural progression to their married relationship, which I thought was realistic, and to remind us that they are still in the story at all. I would probably been more satisfied with some romantic dialog and implications myself, at least after the original honeymoon scenes.
A Mary Sue is basically an author's "pet" character. They're usually very idealized and without any serious flaws. (Bella, for example, has the flaw of being clumsy for the first few books, but this is written as something endearing rather than annoying and just allows Edward to further baby her.) It's not unusual for a Mary Sue character to be extraordinarily beautiful (she might find, for example, that all of the area boys are in love with her). Mary Sue characters also tend to have special powers, such as the inability to be affected by vampires' abilities. To me, the main thing that makes Bella a Mary Sue is that she doesn't undergo any significant character changes over the course of the series. This implies that her character was perfect at the beginning.
I tend to agree with Tonya's thoughts. It seemed much more like The Host than the previous Twilight books. It didn't have the same tone as a young adult book, and I don't mean that because of the sex. Bella seemed very out of character, much more mature and adult, which I guess will happen to you when you're suddenly pregnant, have a baby, and become a vampire in a matter of a few weeks. But it made her narration of the events of the book very different than the previous books.I didn't like the pregnancy aspect not so much because it's illogical, but because I get fed up with every romance leading to a baby. Why can't a couple live happily ever after without procreating? People do it all the time!
But once the baby was there, I got over it and enjoyed the storyline, Renesmee's special abilities, etc. Except Jacob. The imprinting thing is a bit creepy, but what I really hate is the way he moves in and takes control of Renesmee's life even to point of making decisions over her parents' wishes. That is so not okay. I liked Jacob at the beginning, liked him less after he became a wolf, really started to dislike him in Eclipse, and just flat out can't stand him in Breaking Dawn!
Back to the question of why all the boys in Forks are in love with Bella when she moves. If you don't understand this phenomenon, you've never lived in a really small town. Imagine that your whole life, you've seen the same set of males/females growing up. You know their parents, their grandparents. You remember what they looked like in Junior High with braces. You remember that they were incredibly chubby all through elementary school. Now, someone new and relatively good-looking moves in. I can tell you from experience that every single member of the opposite sex wants to be the first one to get to know her better. And every single member of the same sex is aching to be her new bff. I must be the only person out there not bothered at all by Jacob's imprinting on Bella's child (I'm still too offended by her name to put it into printing more than necessary). It's not sexual at all! He just wants her to be happy and safe, like her best friend. Edward says repeatedly that he would kill Jacob himself if he even thought about the possibilities when the baby has grown. If there were any nasty fantasies, I guarantee Jacob wouldn't have survived the book.
I too was shocked by Bella's ability to conceive with a vampire based on what I thought Stephenie had said. But looking back and actually reading what she's said, I can see that she didn't rule it out for a male vampire, only for a female. And in the characters' defenses, if they thought there was any possibility of a pregnancy, they would have taken precautions or ruled out sex altogether until Bella had changed. I can see that if a man was changed in the prime of his life, maybe he wouldn't have semen, but maybe the sperm he had produced up to this point would survive. Honestly, to me, it brought up a good point about having sex. Any time you choose to have it, you have to consider pregnancy as a possible outcome, regardless of how "impossible" you think it is. I doubt the teenagers reading this will get that out of it, but one can hope..
I am by no means an expert on vampire lore, so my statements may be inaccurate. However, don't much of the "classic" myths involve a heavy sexual undertone - usually with a male vampire seeking the beautiful human girl. Although the event they desire most is their victims blood, it seems that male vampires have historically been portrayed in highly "sexed" ways. Thus, it may not be too much of a stretch to consider their behavior being influenced as much by hormones as that of the human male. And if you ahve hormones, is it a stretch to say you have sperm? In Meyers mythology, vampires don't have a heart, pumping blood, tears or sweat. They can breathe, but don't have to, so the lungs must still be somewhat operational. The senses aren't damaged at all - if you can smell, taste, see and touch, you must have working sense organs and an active peripheral nervous system (which you als need to move your muscles, though muscles should need blood to operate). And the brain also works, though a human brain would certainly die without blood. The mouth, throat and stomach are clearly used to drink blood (animal or human), but vampires don't need to go to the bathroom. Maybe the blood is absorbed directly from the stomach? Who knows.
So, in summary, the circulatory system is offline; the respiratory system is available, but useless; the digestive system is partially online; the nervous system is online (despite not oxygen being delivered by blood!). The adrenal system (hormones) is unclear (they can't grow & change, but can get the equivalent of an adrenaline rush & feel sexual attraction). Why exactly can't the reproduction system work?
Now, some people say we're picking apart the book for having issues with these story lines and inconsistencies, but I disagree.There's a difference between picking apart a book and pointing out obvious inconsistencies and mistakes.
And example of picking apart a book would be when fans started picking on JKR for messing up the date of the last Quidditch tournament (at least I think that's what it was) saying that it was like 700 years ago, not 450!
This mistake was inconsequential to the storyline and didn't change the plot in any way therefore it was unnecessary to make a big deal out of it.
But to base the WHOLE BOOK on an inconsistent plot like vampire reproduction (which is clearly impossible) is ridiculous and to point that out to the fandom is not picking apart the book in any way.
As a reader of vampire novels (but in no way an expert in a historical myth/folklore way), some vamp lore indicates that it is possible for a male vamp to impregnate a human woman. Some new vamp women can get pregnant in some tales. It really just depends on what strand of vampire story you are reading. And in many vampire romance novels it is clear that an erection is possible...
Renesmee Carlie is worse than Albus Severus, Hellkat14 so I agree.Once I found out she got pregnant from Edward, I decided not to finish the book and I've literally only just begun. Another disappointment like Deathly Hallows (which wasn't that bad, but it was pretty boring and too nicely wrapped up).
Laura, I'm sorry but I thought the uterine lining was made of blood or is all that red just for show? Sure smells and looks like blood to me.
Jessica, yeah, looks like she completely contradicted herself. I accidentally skimmed past and saw Renesemee and basically figured out who that was.
I agree with Kmarie:"So, in summary, the circulatory system is offline; the respiratory system is available, but useless; the digestive system is partially online; the nervous system is online (despite not oxygen being delivered by blood!). The adrenal system (hormones) is unclear (they can't grow & change, but can get the equivalent of an adrenaline rush & feel sexual attraction). Why exactly can't the reproduction system work?"
Why is it set in stone that vampires shouldn't be able to bear children? Perhaps the idea is a little upsetting, but it isn't an inconsistency in Stephanie Meyer's writing, because it had never happened, and then been accounted for, before. So, Stephenie Meyer wrote that the other vampires assumed it couldn't be true. Stephanie Meyer never said it was impossible for male vampires to bear children, after all she had the idea planned out before the second book came out anyway. Probably, much of Forever Dawn (her original sequel to Twilight) was similar to Breaking Dawn.
I thought that all the organs and bodily systems in vampires would have turned completely into stone and become useless. But after reading Kmarie's comment, it seems reasonable enough to believe that it is possible for a functional reproductive system, in male vampire's, to exist. Especially if there are other exceptions to a vampire's body, like having fully working sensory organs and an active peripheral nervous system.
Pheh, I liked it. I'm with PandaRanda and Kmarie, or whoever it was who said the whole thing about his sperm being frozen when he was changed and Bella's body thawing them. Both are perfectly reasonable solutions- what's wrong with them? are you people NEVER SATISFIED?????????? :) jkjk
but seriously ppl, why aren't they acceptable solutions?
(oh, and RENESME CARLIE??????? p-lease! prob the only thing i hated about the book! its just a tad ridiculous, seriously)
but seriously ppl, why aren't they acceptable solutions?
(oh, and RENESME CARLIE??????? p-lease! prob the only thing i hated about the book! its just a tad ridiculous, seriously)
but just for the record, i luv her nickname. GO NESSIE!
Hannah - Those solutions are fine. It's just that they weren't the solution that the book offered. If the book had said that stuff, I would have probably accepted it. The problem isn't that the vampire birth couldn't POSSIBLY be explained, but that it never WAS.
It would have been nice for Carlisle, a doctor, to give us (and them) the explanation on why Bella could get pregnant. If Stephenie did some research (but I'm sure she was really busy-so she might have put off the book or only released one book this year) she could have written in some of the myths. It would have been nice. I don't think she could have had those old myths along with the baby having super growth--so maybe she just decided to go out on her own!
I feel like Stephenie did no research and just made up the vamps in her head (which is fine). She also could have made up an entire world and basically stuck to what could and could not happen. I feel like she jumped the shark on that one, personally but again, it's just my opinion.
This book had a very different feel/style compared to the first 3, but that does not mean it was bad. It was hard for me in the beginning b/c I missed the nice young innocent feel from the earlier books. BD is more mature and that's fine just an adjustment from what I got use to with the earlier ones. Also, Bella gaining a lot of life experience, so I should've expected the transition.At first I didn't like the whole idea of Bella getting pregnant. I don't care about if it's possible or not, that wasn't the issue for me. I'm not sure how to explain why it bothered me, just that it seemed a little much.
I pushed through the book and ended up really liking it. I was excited to see how the end turned out. And I got use to Renesme (which I agree, the name was dumb).
ok, now that i've read the book a couple of times i guess i can focus more on the whole bellas preganat weather i like it or not, what erked me about it the first time was that SM said it was NOT possible.but anyways it bothers me now b/c in the other three books i just can't see bella as a mother. Human or Vampire. I mean human, well she'd have to overcome being a klutz all the time, but i don't think she was into kids that much anyway. Vamp., idk it just doesnt sit rite w/ me for some reason.
anyways, to me the bottom line is:
the begining of the series SM built up this clumsy, sensitive, character. In BD she was graceful, horny, and dead.
ok maybe im being a bit crude but thats just the way i c it. BD would've been fine if the 'changed' Bella was a bit more developed.
i expected her to be different but theres a line that was crossed. im my mind.
(omg! im sorry this was soooo long)
Ruby, I agree- Bella went from the gangly but somewhat intelligent girl to the hot chick. I wish the message had been that she was vampirish, and Edward loves her, but you don't have to be a super-model to be happy. Pretty isn't the end-all. (Esp. pretty, become a young mom and lose your brain all at the same time). Bad message- I think Stephenie's message was that motherhood rocks, but you ought to have the brains activated to handle motherhood, if possible!
"anyways, to me the bottom line is:the begining of the series SM built up this clumsy, sensitive, character. In BD she was graceful, horny, and dead."
LOL, my thoughts exactly. I didn't like the "new" Bella. I miss the old clumsy, awkward, endearing Bella. I knew she would be different as a vamp, but not like this. It bothered me.
okay, first of all...you are totally overthinking the books...you dont have to dissect the book to a paste...the books were absolutely amazing...and these boys that miraculusly fall in lvoe with her? well, she;s a new girl to a new school and thats just how the book goes...and yes the pregnant thing does not make sense but it made a good story...
wow!! i totally agree with everything!!! lol!! i just started a new topic b4 seeing this one about SM wrong concept of vampires!!u know, coming out at mornings and stuff...apparelntly u beat me to it!! ugh!! i feel ridicoulous posting a new topiv when its actually all here!!
You know, I never really thought about it, but the paper cut is quite different from a period in that with the paper cut you actually smell AND see the blood. It was probably the sight of it that did it. When all the girls around you are constantly menstruating they probably just smell more tasty, but you get used to it, because it's a constantly occurring thing.
Roxy - that makes sense. I'm still displeased with Meyer's immature response to that question, though.
Stephenie Meyer gives a very thorough explanation of vampire anatomy on her website under breaking dawn FAQ. A must read if you question her vampire's ability to procreate.http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/bd_faq....
On the period topic, as previously mentioned that menstrual blood is not exactly the same thing. Aren't we talking about tissue in the form of sloughed-off uterine lining? My understanding is that these vampires are attracted to the hot liquid circulating through heart and veins and arteries and have no interest in the flesh and tissues. In which case a menstruating woman may not be that much of a draw. That isn't what they feed on.
For the story's sake, I wouldn't want an explanation in the body of the book. The simple beauty of these books is the atmosphere and love story. I am willing to suspend my disbelief on this topic.
Agreed Helkat. Her avoidance of the topic entirely was really childish.
okay after reading half of this blog thing im highly irritated. we are argueing about a fictional book about pregnancy and what not. do we really need all the answers to these questions. it is a fictional book that stephanie meyer did an amazing job creating. everyone gets all huffy and puffy about why the hell could bella get pregnant issue but seriously? is this really an issue that matters? she got pregnant, end of story.and to the people that liked to completly rip apart every aspect of this book is just horrible to me. who are you to rip apart the babys name? jesus christ.
and the whole sex issue, its not like she went into complete detail about how the sex went. she just simply said, they had sex. and bella liked it. they are a married couple. since when is a married couple having sex an issue. and the book IS for young ADULTS. not meant for 10 year old girls.
people irritate me. if you dont want the fictional aspects of a book then go read a history book. not that hard.
Agreed Rissa...it's not for 10 year olds!
OK, here's what I heard...Period blood is "dead" blood. The stuff that flows through our arteries is active blood, it hasn't coagulated and clotted together. That was a simple explanation.
As for the pregnancy thing, I think it would have been better is SM had just said, "Not much is known of human/vampire unions, since few humans have survived to tell." Also, with all the great care Edward took with Bella, I'm shocked he didn't use more protection with her when having sex- SM said at the lexicon that all vampire's bodily fluids turned to venom during the change- so why wouldn't that include sexual fluids? Her lexicon indicated that in her personal correspondences. Semen is a living cell, it has to reproduce on regular basis through a male's life, where as eggs in a female don't multiply after birth. She has all her eggs at birth and will start releasing them at puberty until menopause. Did Stephenie know this when she wrote BD?
I'd have thought that if Edward got careless and had sex with Bella without a condom, it would be equivalent to him biting her- it would start the change because venom would be inside her body. That's why Edward never open-mouth kissed her, or so it was hinted.
As for what a Mary Sue is, she or he is often a spitting image of the author, only more beautiful and is static- as is in, never changes or grows as a character.
I have a friend who's LDS who pointed out that "combination names" are very popular in LDS right now, hence, Renesme. Renesme was born an adult- she could communicate by touch and could understand it when people spoke to her, which was a big thing. That was weird for me, but I always found the imprinting thing like pedophelia, although most would argue otherwise.
Overall, I felt like Breaking Dawn took the series from Romance genre to Anthro-Sci Fi, as I have said in my review. This was a huge disappointment for me. I was waiting for a romance, but all there was, was a creepy version of Edward married to vampire Bella, having sex with her nonstop. I didn't like that. That doesn't equal romance to me. Their first kiss took four pages to describe, but their first time was 'fade to black.' The foreplay, at least, could have been classily done without going too far for the teenage readers, I thought.
I was very disappointed that this is how she's ending the series.
Very good point about the genre switch Eleni!
Rissa - I agree with you about the sex thing. I feel like people are a little too sensitive about the way sexuality is handled in this novel. They argue that showing sex is inappropriate, but I'd say that showing sex between a loving and committed couple is a great way to deal with sexuality in a YA book. I actually commend Meyer for giving us a literary example of healthy sexuality for young people.As for the fictional thing, my issue is that I want the story to make sense. I don't have a problem reading about vampires and werewolves even though they don't exist, because it's fiction. What bugs me is the way these vampires were described as creatures who, in my mind, definitely shouldn't be able to reproduce...and then they do. I don't understand why that's suddenly possible, and its never explained.
i think that even though the whole series is fictional and shouldn't be realistic, at least bd itself should make sense in the series, and not contradict what we have read in the previous one. vampires reproducing just ..don't work
You know, it wasn't SM who created vampires who can reproduce. She found info on this subject from the internet. So did I. I was curious and googled vampires. There is information about mythological creatures (vampires) who can reproduce. So, I believe, that is what inspired SM to have Bella get pregnant. After doing this 'research' I've decided that she did a good job bringing this into play in the book. And having Bella survive, so to speak, after delivery was cool and intense. Not dying, like the one boy's mother. Dang, if he'd have just bitten her instead of the aunt, right.
Exactly, Khadija. Lori - true. I haven't read any other books in which this takes place, but I know they exist. I certainly hope they handle the sense-making aspect better than Breaking Dawn did.
Can you imagine the movie of Breaking Dawn. The whole birth part will be so bad! How could that get a pg-13 rating? I'll be interested to see what's happens! Needless to say, I'm sure the movie (Twilight) is going to be a huge success. I heard that Catherine Harwick said if it grossed over 150million there would be a sequel. I'm sure it will be the highest grossing movie of this weekend and should hit 100million over the weekend (most blockbusters do)-- It's sold out all over in my neck of the woods!
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Edward the vampire and the rest of his vampire family differ pretty significantly from the traditional Dracula-style vampire. They aren't harmed by sunlight, crucifixes, or wooden spikes. They don't have fangs. They can see their reflections, and they can come into your house without invitation.
Despite that, they are kinda cool. While the vast majority of this world's vampires do feed on the blood of humans, Edward and his family have chosen to go vegan. Meaning they mostly hunt cougars and stuff for sustenance. Also, some of them have special talents.
However.
While there are some good ideas, that in the hands of a stronger author might have been something really awesome, the story doesn't come together properly at all, and it leaves you feeling frustrated rather than satisfied.
To begin with, there are a whole host of scientific issues. The vampires all but lose their minds one day when Bella gets a paper cut. Apparently they can't control themselves when she's bleeding freely. Well, does anyone else see a HUGE problem with that?
A fan of the series did, and questioned the author as to what Edward does when Bella has her period. Meyer chose to disregard that question, simply laughing and commenting "gross." Um...kay? "Gross" clearly isn't an issue. Bella actually brings up the subject of her period in the fourth book, but not to resolve this question.
No, instead it turns out Bella is actually MISSING her period, which brings me to my second scientific question. Under no circumstances should one of Meyer's vampires be able to CONCEIVE A CHILD. Just...no. In fact, it's discussed, Rosalie laments the fact that her undead body prevents her from being able to have a child. Which makes sense. After discovering her pregnancy, Meyer has Bella consider that while women need to be able to grow and change to have children (something no vampire can do), men do NOT. Now, I'm pretty sure sperm are supposed to be both alive and replenishing in order to, you know, impregnate someone. Meaning that an undead person, with no organ function (we hear repeatedly about how their hearts don't beat, their blood doesn't flow, etc) has exactly zero active sperm count and thus cannot knock up his girlfriend.
For that matter, how is Edward managing to get erections at all without flowing blood? Sorry to be so crude, but that just doesn't make sense.
I could actually go on with the biological issues, but I have more. There's also the issue of Bella herself.
As the series begins, Bella is moving from Phoenix to the town of Forks. In Phoenix, she was an average person.
When she arrives in Forks, LITERALLY EVERY BOY SHE MEETS falls in love with her. They fight over her, they all want to take her to prom, etc. She is averagely good looking with an averagely good personality. In other words, nothing special. So all through the book I'm waiting to hear that there's some supernatural reason for her sudden popularity.
Well, there's not. Meyer apparently just thought it would be fun if everyone was in love with her character. It reads like bad fanfiction.
Eventually, Bella is changed into a vampire. She then proceeds to SKIP ENTIRELY the phase of vampire life involving out of control thirst, in which vampires pose a danger to humans. No reason is given for this, but they do spend about 125 pages marveling over it. "Bella! I can't believe you managed not to kill your own father! You're so amazing and superpowerful!" Apparently this has never happened before. They try to think of a few reasons it MIGHT be, but the best they come up with is "planning and preparation."
Also, Bella and Edward's daughter is named Renesmee Carlie, after her two grandmothers (Renee and Esme) and her grandfathers (Carlisle and Charlie). To me, this is more ridiculous than Harry Potter's "Albus Severus."