'Twilight': A snap judgment on 'Breaking Dawn'

(This is spoiler-heavy. Consider yourself warned.)

It’s virtually impossible not to draw parallels between "Breaking Dawn," the concluding installment in the “Twilight” series, and the final “Harry Potter” book. Both involve revolve around mythic worlds and young, ill-prepared protagonists headed toward a supernatural showdown between good and evil. 

The problem is Stephenie Meyer is no J.K. Rowling. We who’ve enjoyed the work of both authors have known this since we picked up “Twilight.” (I like Edward too, but there’s only so many times I can read how “beautiful,” “perfect” and “dazzling” he is.) But with these final chapters, in which both authors really swung for the epic, Meyer’s bunted.

Things looked promising at first. The pace is swift and the curve balls surprising and frequent: Bella and Edward finally get busy, we get inside Jacob’s head, Bella joins the Cullens in immortality, Jacob finds his mate.

But all the while, a larger story arc is missing. The love triangle is, sadly, summarily dealt with, and once the romance is over we’re left only with Edward and Bella’s child Renesmee -- even the name, well, it’s no Hermione is it -- and all the conflicts she so quickly and disappointingly resolves. Edward versus Jacob? Over and done with. Vampires versus werewolves? One big happy family. Bella being a ravenous newborn? She’s not going to eat her kid!

So what to when you’ve written yourself into a corner? Meyer is forced to more or less start over and she spends the second half of “Breaking Dawn” going for outright thriller. The second half of the book singularly involves the mystery of Renesmee and shielding her from the threat of the Volturi, an enemy initially so full of literary potential. Bella, Jacob, Edward and the rest of the “Twilight” characters become little more than Renesmee’s anxious protectors. 

Bogged down in the new, too convenient mythology -- Bella’s new power is the only one that will matter -- the book winds up faltering under its own weighty aspirations. Bella’s covert operation, the additions to the Cullen camp, the unique powers of the new vampires are explained so thoroughly yet serve so little dramatic effect that “Breaking Dawn” could easily have trimmed off 200 pages and reached the same anticlimactic ending. What’s worse, the new guys are there merely to populate the side of good for a battle that -- the big spoiler -- never happens. That's right. No blood shed. No deaths of loved ones to kill readers in the gripping way Rowling did in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

At least when you get to page 735 -- where you’ll find the resolution neatly tied up -- it’s more a confirmation of what you saw coming rather than simply a letdown. And as for the final scene, Meyer writes this one like she's already imagined it on the big screen, with the swelling of sappy love song and a fade to black.

We would have much preferred the whole thing to end in book three, "Eclipse," with yes, some happiness for Bella, but also some angst, some heartbreak, and a dark, ominous future looming.

-- Denise Martin

Related:

'Twilight' video: Jacob and Edward fans sound off

'Twilight': Scenes from the 'Breaking Dawn' release party

Comments

[Althea Francisco]

Honestly, I think that people need to stop comparing Twilight to the Harry Potter books. Sure there may be similarities ,but Harry Potter isn't the only Fantasy YA novel out there to be compare to and people need to realize that. Also every author has their own writing style and it should not be forgotten that the essence of the story can be applied to any others. The story contains star-crossed lover; so does Romeo and Juliet, it talks about supernatural beings; so does The Silver Kiss and Lord of the Rings. Plus one could relate to the Twilight books, just minus the werewolf and vampires. Harry Potter is also a good read however, its focus on magic is more pronounced that in the Twilight books.

[Teh Only Mail Twilight Fan]

I couldn't agree more, the it ended all questions in the first third of the book. Renesmee is a terrible name and I coudln't believe when they introduced it, I was like Oh rily?!?!
Seriously though, no epic battle? That's one big thing as a male fan I was looking forward too, the Volturi shoulda got handled but didn't...

[Liz]

(spoiler warning below!)

I'm a huge fan of the series, but I kind of feel the same way about "Breaking Dawn". Explaining all about the visiting covens was a little unnecessary. And maybe Bella's parents should have found out what she did - not just "halfway".

I hate to see "Breaking Dawn" not do as brilliantly as "Eclipse" or the other books. Overall, it was good - and pretty funny. But there was definetly *something* missing...

I still love the saga though :)

[Kelley]

I liked the ending. It's happy just like any girl reading the book would want it to be. So I definately disagree with this above assumption

[Jen]

I liked the over all book, but agree there should have been an epic battle scene.
Additionally, I agree.. stop comparing it to Harry Potter!

[Micaela]

so ya i desagree..yes it was a bit of letdown...but most important i found it satisfying.....i really hope she does another book...i dodnt want it to end there.....yes eclispe was the best but breading dawn wasnt bad......but i do see your point of view

[ekkostar]

To all those who say "WHAAAAAA! Stooooooop comparing it to 'Arrryyy Puhterrrrrr!, please shut your traps. Harry Potter set the standard. If it wasn't for JK Rowling, your beloved Stephenie wouldn't have had the chance to be successful. Neither would have Lemony Snicket, Christopher Paolini or others currently in the genre. I think that Twilight fans really need to get their crap together and realize that Twilight would just be another hokey teen anthology just collecting dust on store shelves if it wasn't for Harry Potter. Actually, on second thought, why don't you also thank RL Stine. If it weren't for him, this fantasy/supernatural/horror YA genre wouldn't have legs to stand on!

[Bridget]

I just wrote a really long post about my complaints with the ridiculousness of the story in Breaking Dawn, but decided to delete it and just state a few things;

Bella and Edward's child, a half-human half-vampire with a warewolf partner (who used to love her mother), is called Renesmee Carlie Cullen. She is called Nessie for short.

You reaction to that name is probably going to be your reaction to most of the book, where you can be treated to vampire/human sex so energetic headboards break and bruises occur, and where uterus' are eaten through to ensure the safe delivery of baby/immortal Nessie.

The anticlimax is also a let down, we spend a good 200 pages building up to the BIG BATTLE SCENE, but instead the enemy run away once comfronted with Bella (the new vampire who has noooooo trouble adjusting) and her Protective Shield Of Doom.

Despite what I've written I did enjoy the book, although I don't know why... I think it's my love of the characters more than anything, despite many of them behaving like morons throught the book, or having nothing to say.

The book as with the rest of the series, is strangley addictive; Stephenie Meyer does what few authors can do, she tells a story. Well. The way she decides to tell it may be unsatisfactory for some, but for me, at least I can say I didn't see anything coming.

[bonnie tai (new zealand)]

I TOTALLY AGREE.
breaking dawn was alright, but it could have been a hUNDRED TIMES BETTER.
easily, i'm a huge twilight fan, i got to the book store as soon as it opened to pick up my pre ordered copy of breaking dawn, read it in one night, and didnt find myself wanting more...but...wanting to cry because it was just so not what I was expecting.

[Beth]

I agree. I was looking forward to some bloodshed, maybe some kind of fight, but it all just ended a little too perfect. Don't get me wrong, I still love the Saga and loved Breaking Dawn, however. Overall, though, the entire book was too happy, and a lot of the characters weren't the way they were supposed to be.

[Anne]

I would just like to say that I really liked the book! It wasn't the best and I don't particularly like the name Renesmee but I think that SM saw that some people wouldn't like that and that is the whole point of "Nessie" (Sorry If I spelled it wrong) I am also a fan of Harry Potter and I don't really see the things that people are comparing it with. I am GLAD that none of the Cullen’s died. And I think Irena will be happy with Laurent somewhere else. So PLEASE stop criticizing the book. I think that SM did a GREAT job!!!

[lacy]

I loved the 'Breaking Dawn' Book SOOOOOO!!!!! much. I finished in less than 2 days. I cannot believe that bella has a kid. I never imagined that would happen.

[deathberry]

Why do you guys always compare Twilight from Harry Potter? Stephenie Meyer and J.K. Rowling are bothe gifted writers and they can do whatever the hell they want with their novels.

Rowling wants death, Meyer didn't make Bella kill her child. So what?

If some of you think that there should be an angsty thing will happen in Twilight, well, write your own novel and express whatever you want.

Both Harry Potter and Twilight are great books and there is nothing to compare between them.

[kate]

I completely agree with the article. The reason that Meyer's readers kept coming back for more, was issue with the Bella-Edward-Jacob love triangle. But NOPE, that is fixed up nice and tidy a third of the way through the book.

PLUS: did anyone else find it a little creepy that Jake imprinted on Bella's DAUGHTER? ew.

I got seriously tired of hearing about how wonderful Edward was.

There was very little PHYSICAL action... a suspensful pre-battle argument, but no bloodhsed, none. nada.

and I KNOW that no one wants to compare Breaking Dawn to Harry Potter: but if Meyer was worried about killing off characters and keeping the reverence of the book... J.K. did that nicely. It was tragic losing a Weasley twin, Tonks, Lupin, and the other beloved characters who were killed off...but it was done with a certain grace that kept the series alive for so many readers, as opposed to dying with a *thunk* on the final book.

In Meyer's defense though, there was a TON of hype about this book. Big shoes to fill.

End of the day, my personal opinion: she should have ended with Eclipse. There was still personal agony about Jacob, but she still had that ever connected bond with "her Edward" ....

[Matthew]

"Breaking Dawn" was somewhat a let-down. I mean, Bella, getting pregnant? What the hell is that about? She's 18, dating a vampire who is a century older than her, claims she is so in love, marries, has a damn kid that nearly kills her, the kid grows "way too fast" for her age, talks perfectly fine for not even a year old etc etc..

Stephanie spent 250 pages on Bella preparing for this major "catastrophy" bound to happen. I will be honest, I skipped a couple pages in the vampires/coven part. It was boring.. People want to hear about Edward and Bella's love for eachother. The book was too.. happy. I wouldn't even say there was a climax. For those who have not read "Breaking Dawn", let me tell you this, it IS overrated.

I want to come to conclusions, I think Stephanie was running out of lines on what to write- therefore, she rants on Bella being a vampire, and how she was "nothing like the Cullens' have ever seen." Oh, please, what a coincidence! Who knew, right?

What shall I give this book? 2.5 stars out of 5.

[Dawn]

I honestly agree with the review. I love the Twilight Saga by heart, but Beaking Dawn wasn't do it for me. For some reason when I read the book, it kind of remind me of the "The Underworld" and "Blade." Plus, I don't know if anyone ever read the fan fiction versions of the story on the Internet, mainly the one that Meyer come up with is very similar to the ones on fan fiction. Same story plot: Bella get pregnant, Jacob imprints on Bella's kid, the Cullen fights against the Volteri. However Meyer missing out on all of the actions: from the love's triangle between Bella, Edward, and Jacob; Bella's transformation; and last but not least, the battle agains't the Volteri. One common, " this could been better because there are a lot of holes in the book. It doesn't bend together very well."

[ooamandaxmarieoo]

I have to say that I loved breaking dawn. It upsets me how people feel like it's not a good story just because nobody was killed!?
Are you serious?
It just goes to show that our culture feels that everything needs to be a huge drawn out battle edning in bloodshed. Wouldn't it be nice if everything didn't have to be that way?
I admit some things were predictable, but you can't tell me you saw Bella getting Pregnant. I was just like WHOA. And thought it was a great twist. Stephanie is an amazing story teller and did her job spectacularly. She drew everyone in on her first book, made you want to read through the entire series, and then had a happy ending that left you feeling satisfied and happy for the characters.
This is a love story. Wouldn't you want your love story to have a happy ending?

I also thought it ended the love triangle well. Everyone knew from the beggining that Jacob would imprint and not want to be with Bella anymore. Remember Sam & Leah? What better then it to be sombody close to Bella?

I believe everybody is entitled to their opinions but I feel Stephanie is not getting the reconition she deserves. Thanks Steph for a great series that leaves us all hoping that everything will fit together, and it is possible to be happy.

[Kristi]

Ok if there had been a big battle than everyone would have compared it Deathly Hallows. They are 2 completely different types of stories. Get over it and enjoy HP for what it is and Twilight for what it is.

What is so wrong with a happy ending? It is more of a love story that just happens to include vampires and shape shifters.

[Angela]

Okay, first off, if Stephenie made Bella kill off cute little Renesmee, where would the story have gone afterwards? Nessie was the reason the Volturi even showed up in the book, and besides, isn't it gratifying that vampires CAN have children? I thought that was a great relief, considering none of us thought it possible. As for the name ' Renesmee' I actually ADORED it! It has a great ring to it, and if you think about it, your name wouldn't sound as great if you heard it for the first time ever, or even said it a couple of hundred times over and over again. Stephenie Meyer might just have created a name parents will be naming their kids in a few years.

Overall, yes i agree the story could have been a bit better, but we are all HUMAN ( unfortunately), and even though J.K Rowling is being viewed as the greatest writer alive (according to some people, not me) she probably isn't! In my opinion, books are things that people take time to write in order to get an important message across in a way that both entertains and sheds some intelligence. BOTH authors did those things in different ways, but I have to say I've read better than on both accounts. Regardless, we have to understand that not all great minds think alike, despite whatever people may say. That is why I believe both authors should not be compared, their works are different and so are the standards. You can't expect everyone to be capable of the same great things, because in the gist of things Stephenie Meyer and JK Rowling are EXTRAORDINARY people.

[Amanda]

First of I love the HP series! I think there will never be anything like it! However, it's not fair to compare the two stories they are different.

I disagree with some posts that the story should have ended at Eclipse. Who wants to read a series or story that is never resolved in someway or another? It's like watch a long tv series after years and then the show just getting canceled without explanation. I am glad she wrote Breaking Dawn.

I will agree the first two books of breaking dawn were much more interesting to me than the last. I also agree there should have been some sort of battle. She could have had a battle and still had the happy ending I liked and wanted. I really never warmed to the character or renesmee... she kinda creeped me out. Plus the name really is awful.

All in all I was happy with the way the series ended minus the things I have already mentioned. Bella was with Edward... Check! Jacob found someone to love of his own... Check! Bella became a vampire... check! She didnt try to make the story all romeo and juliet in the end... Check!

Cant wait for her next books!

[Brandi]

First things first, I wish people would get over this ridiculous comparison. Twilight isn't Harry Potter (Many thanks to God for that). In my opinion, it's a hundred times better. As for the "let-down" Mrs. Martin spoke of, she isn't taking into account just how intelligent the Volturi are. They won't fight a fight they can't win. It would have been out of their character for Stephenie Meyer to allow the fight to happen. You have to understand that Mrs. Meyer wrote Breaking Dawn (and all of her books) according to what the characters would do. If she strayed from the characters natural actions, she wouldn't be being true to the characters she loves so much, that we all love so much. So really, the only let-down I can see is that this is it. It's over. We won't find out what happens next. Incontestably, that is the most depressing thing. Trust me, I'm feeling it.

[Emi]

I completely and utterly agree. Meyer hands down cannot touch Rowling. Even when not comparing the two the book and series lack. Breaking Dawn tiring and uneventful. It was full of the same amount of action any fan writer can produce in the amount of a day. this book wasn't a let down it was an eye opener for those who couldn't see the faulty plot line foreshadowing within the first couple of pages. It had potential but it didn't make. I hope it's the end and she doesn't attempt anymore with this series. It has been laid to rest for the best.

[brittany]

well, yea, i liked the book a whole lot, and did enjoy the ending, but i think stephenie meyer could have twisted it up a bit more, like maybe, the vampires vs werewolves (actually, shapeshifters) could have happened but everyone healed from it, and the wereolves showed up unexpectedly to support them, and she threw in alot of information that you didnt really need, i kept thinking of how that could make a turn in the book as i read it, but none happened, she could have thrown something else in there to support it better, or she could have not put it in there at all,
but over all it was still a good book, but it could have been much better.

[Amy AKA Disappointed Fan]

Sorry Steph, I have great respect for you, but what you did for your characters in this novel was atrocious.

Bella goes all manipulative (I mean, come on, crying so Edward will sleep with her?!), Edward goes all psycho (although I do admit I felt so sorry for him, he didnt want this in the first place) and Jake gets mushy feelings (paedophilia anyone?).

What was meant to be complications set up in the first three books is gone (yes, I agree with you people). The love triangle, the massive war, Bella and Edward running off to university (which is forgotten for the first and second parts of the book, and is only mentioned when Bella is blackmailing Edward to sleep with her!)

Overall, I think some parts are fantastic (any parts with NO Bella in them anyway), but I'm so disappointed that Stephenie felt the need to bring in a Bandaid Baby to solve a lot of the problems. What she has implied from the start as impossible (i.e- VAMPIRE BABY) is explained in a way that carefully folds in all the corners. Bah humbug!

Steph, please come forward and say this book is a hoax, and that it was written by an overzealous fan. Please say there will be a release date for the REAL Breaking Dawn.

[sydney]

Well i think that breaking dawn was a great book ,but i think that the ending was kinda stupid just have a happy ever after. I cant deal with that the saga is done , i could deal with it if someone died i think . so i think the saga shouldnt be over its so addictive. Even though its nice to have a happy ending but i think that it shouldnt be over. beacuse i want to know what reneseme would be like when she's older and also what is edward and bella doing like did they go to college also what are they doing forever,and also that the voltrie said they were maybe going to check on reneseme . also wat about her and jacob????? so their is alot of unanswered questions. so hopefully mrs meyer will write about it a new book or saga???

[Angela]

Oh yes and one more thing! I like Stephenie's writing style. THINK ABOUT IT PEOPLE.Her storytelling is fascinating! It's so real, it's magic! Yes, she did spend 200 pages preparing us for something that in the end didn't happen, but that's just life. We spend so much time worrying about the things that could happen all the time, that in the end we find out all our worrying was just our nerves acting instinctly! Instead of saying you didn't like the book for that, think about it from Stephenie's and Bella's point of view. Put yourselves in their positions. I believe it was her plan all along to get us all anxious for the scene, so it would subconciously make us worry for her characters. Admit it, you guys probably love the characters too much for something bad to happen to them anyway. I mean there was a month's time in which Stephenie had to prepare the characters mentally, so 200 pages seemed accurate and according enough for me. When I read her books, I put myself in the main character's shoes, so I worried when she did, cried when she did, laughed when she did, and hurt when she hurt. It really was a relief when I read through the book, I don't regret spending hours reading the book at all. That is what storytelling is about, the feelings and the characters. If you only read books for entertainment, bloodshed, tears, you have something wrong with you. I read because it brings me such joy, and when I read a book and the ending is happy, it makes me happy too. I don't know, it may just be personal preference, but that's why I'm telling you to take it easy on the author. Like I always say, ' If the writer writes a book, let her finish it the way she wants it to end, and be happy about it.'

[Matylda]

Finally, someone who actually has some common sense! I met some readers who were greatly disappointed with the end of Breaking Dawn, yet I also met the other idiotic half of the Twilight fanbase that thought the ending it was fantasic and mindblowing. I don't know what these people are thinking! The end of Breaking Dawn was so horrid, it made me want to vomit the ramen noodles that I had eaten hours ago upon myself.

I'm clearly getting sick and tired of people backing up Breaking Dawn just because they don't want to see any negative comments about it and because they believe 'It's the best series out there'. (If you think that, something is seriously wrong with you.) In my opinion, Twilight started off badly from the start and needed a lot of work from the beginning (I'm trying my best not elaborate on my reasons why.) Now, they're saying that they LOVED Breaking Dawn? These people clearly do not know the meaning of 'good literature' - but I can understand why because most people my age (I'm a sixteen year old girl) are warped into the romantic fantasy world that is Twilight series and can't seem to break themselves from their trances to realize the book has extreme flaws.

Aside from that, Bella was annoying as usual and Edward as awkwardly perfect as ever.

Altogther, the series was irritating. If the fans of the series weren't trying to push the book onto you, they were ragging at you about how your opinion didn't matter just because they didn't want to agree with it. And to wrap up my post, I would like to say that I already saw the failure of this series coming way before Breaking Dawn even showed up.

A doomed book is DOOMED to fail.

[Old Twilight Fan]

Breaking Dawn in my oppion was wonderful.

Why does every book have to have people die that do not need to in order for it to be good. The Best part about Breaking Dawn is that not one thing I expected happened with the exception of Bella becoming a Vampire.
As for the imprinting of Bella's Daughter... You could have stoped reading when Quil imprinted on Claire. You were warned it could happen.

Yes Bella was diffrent. That was the whole point of the series!

As for compairing Stephanie with other writers. Oh Boo Hoo. She is a Wonderful and talented person and her novels will stand on thier own. She did not take anyones ideas and make them hers.

Yes the ending was sappy but here is a hint. it is a Young Adult story about a girl in High School. It isn't about a blood bath, kill all, Vampire book. Let it have some elements of "true High School dreams come out" not all of us sat in class wondering how to kill everyone but dreaming of the one unusual person made just for us.

All in all ,Because Stephanie ended the story the way she wanted to makes it her own work of art and not what a bunch of blood thirsty fans wanted!

Thank you Stephanie for writing a book I didn't have to cringe over and I could still allow my children to read!

Yes I have read the book twice and will continue to read it again when I need a enjoyable book to read.

[Meghan]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it ended the series perfectly. I much preferred this to the last Harry Potter, who wants to see all their beloved characters killed off. Stephanie Meyer wrote this book beautifully just like she did with the last three. Just because both series deal with the supernatural doesn’t mean that they are alike at all and they really need to stop being compared like that. Bella having the baby was a twist that you really weren’t expecting and everything that followed was just as unexpected. Who would have thought that Bella would take to being a vampire so well that was not expected because everyone thought she would be just like every other newborn. I loved this book and was so excited and happy when I finished because it was ended just the way that it should have, true twilight fans should be proud that everyone lived and that Stephanie didn't just end it by killing everyone but like the 3 main characters.

[Elibeth]

I just completed the book. I have got to say this before i continue about the book. What do you expect to happen when a people have sex? I was under the impression that vampires couldn't have kids. It was a blow. I admit. it was not something i EVER imagined. but what can you do.

I would like another book from this series because

1- Bellas first year is not over. I want her parents to find out more information than they know. I want some more conflicts there.

2-I wanted bella to go to dartmouth.

3- i find edwards and jacobs relationship funny.( however i did not enjoy Jacob imprinting on a baby the was that about?)

4- i want to know what is going to happen to all the character....their happy endings.,,,not just bella's and edwards

[courtney gallery]

i agree, twilight series and harry potter series may have some simliar qualities but obviously because they are both dealing with a fantasy world and mythical creatures. First of all stephaine meyer is a very good writer i love the plot to the story, the entire idea of a normal girl falling for a vampire. They are both totally different writer and should be credited for their success rather than being compared. Most of all stephaine should not be insulted with her writing just because it did not have the same ending as Jk rowling. I am rather happy that bella and edward ended up together, i admit that i would have been disappointed if they did not. It really frustrates me that they are being compared not because i enjoy one better than they other, because i am obsessed with both. People should be open minded and not assume that since it is similar to harry potter it should have around the same ending!!!!!!!

[kitty]

THANK YOU.

[Kamantha]

I personally liked that ending. It was pretty good. And that storyline...

:D

'Twas amazing, in my opinion.

Steph is amazing and you should give her more credit. She probably worked really hard on it and you make it look like she just put it together like a random fanfiction.

And I don't really like comparing Harry Potter and the Twilight Saga, but I'd like to say that Breaking Dawn had more surprises and better twists than HP had. With Harry Potter, there was a lot of things that were DESTINED to happen. Too many, in my personal opinion.

The only thing that I didn't like were all the..er...*COUGHSEXCOUGH* scenes... I'd have to say that that was..um...a bit much. It was in almost every chapter pertaining to Bella & Edward.

But I really liked Renesmee. She was adorable 8D
And her name was really...unique.

"Amanda" was right. There will never be anything like the HP series, but Stephenie Meyer did a wonderful job of telling Bella's story.

Meyer's a phenomenon in her own right.

[Nicole]

I was wondering what the majority of the book was going to be about because I'd heard the wedding scene took place early on. I was totally blown away though when I found out that Bella'd gotten pregnant and that Jacob had imprinted on Renesmee (woah! And for the record, not "ew" as a previous commenter said, but rather as Meyer already covered that subject with Quil and Claire it isn't so taboo).

Anyways, it's pretty clear to me now that she's been setting a lot of this stuff up for awhile - Jacob and Renesmee, Bella's powers...so now that I've had time to think about it, I'm pretty pleased about it. (And it was really awesome how she switched narrators!) People who think they are missing out on a concluding super battle, imagine what would've happened if the Cullens had taken down the Volturi... now THAT is too perfect of an ending.

Speaking of which, I'm not sure exactly what Meyer's comments have been about writing anymore books that are later in the "Twilight" timeline. It did sound to me like she was leaving a few open threads for material - obviously besides Jacob and Renesmee, Edward's haunting statement, "The Volutri will probably hunt us down, in the end." In any case, I'm still looking forward to reading Midnight Sun whenever that comes out.

[adriella.]

First of all, I don't mind Twilight being comparied to Harry Potter storyline-wise. However, if you compare the literary value of Twilight to that of Harry Potter, JK doesn't stand a chance. Stephenie has both wonderful qualities--she can create an amazing plot and characters, and she can do it using writing techniques that are truly truly amazing.
Second of all, if the only thing that kept fans reading was the love triangle, then why did anyone decide to read New Moon. Jacob did not confess his love to Bella in Twilight. Bella wasn't forced to make a decision between werewolves and vampires in Twilight. There weren't even any werewolves in Twilight. This being said, why in the world did you people who think the-only-thing-keeping-fans-reading-was-the-love-triangle even pick up New Moon. If what you are saying is true, then you probably thought "Oh, there isn't a love triangle in Twilight. I can't possibly force myself to read New Moon because I can not possibly enjoy a book that doesn't involve some serious were-wolf/vampire hatred and best friend love/boyfriend love competition." However, seeing as how you have read Breaking Dawn, that probably means that you didn't think that. The love triangle wasn't, in fact, the determining factor in whether or not you liked the book.
Third, even if Stephenie had ended with Eclipse (which she couldn't've done because Breaking Dawn existed long before Eclipse did), the story would still be the same. This is Stephenie's story, and she decided that this is how it was going to end. Actually, she let the characters decide how this was going to end, (and she did a pretty good job at it too.)
Fourth, you are not all writers. I doubt very seriously that you have ever wrote a series that was popular with millions of people across the world and then you were forced to finalize said series, knowing that for a whole year, those millions of people were waiting for the "best book in the world." If you have, then I'm sorry this comment offends you.
Fifth, if you think Stephenie did such a terrible job, then what would you have liked to have happened? Would you want a huge action scene killing one of the Cullens? Or someone from another coven? Or from the Volturi? Would you have liked for Jacob to have to deal with the pain of seeing the girl he loved first marry someone else, then have a daughter, then become his declared enemy? Would you have liked for Renesmee not to exist at all, leaving Jacob with no one to love and with the eternal pain of losing Bella to Edward? Would you have liked Jacob to convince Bella to love him and see Edward go through the pain of losing Bella? If anything in this paragraph seems appealing to you, then go for it. Try to come up with a story that is utterly perfect, that pleases you and every other twilight fan across the world, taking only one year to write, edit, and publish you "perfect" story.. Just try--I dare you--to come up with a solution to all of your petty problems and then end the book perfectly, not disturbing, angering, or hurting one fan. Just do it, and then, when you do, you can come back on this site and complain some more about Stephenie and how terrible a writer she is.
Sixth, Renesmee is an awesome name. Some of you who are complaining probably know someone named something far worse than that. Shoot, you probably have kids named worse than that. You heard of Apple? Knox? FleurdeMay? Monoxide? And plus, Renee and Esme were her mothers, and now she's the mother of Renesmee.
Seventh, get over it. All in all, it was just a book. You spent, at most, 22.99 for it, you spent hours reading it, but who cares. You spend more than that on stuff you don't even need, then you spend days and days cleaning out your house to rid yourself of the build-up of junk. If you're going to complain about the junk, then don't buy the useless stuff in the first place. No one FORCED you to read this book. Nobody MADE you spend time discovering the plot. And even if they did, if you failed to appreciate the wonderful, amazing thing that is Breaking Dawn, you can easily go back to your life. Just a book, that's it. You didn't like it, so what? You thought it should be destroyed? Destroy it. You thought it was useless? Make it useful. There are billions of sites suggesting treacherous things that you can do to that book; I'm sure that one of them will work for you. But if you didn't like it, deal with it, and move on.
Sheesh.

[adriella.]

Also, ekkostar, without RL Stine and JK Rowling, Twilight would still be a hit. In fact, Stephenie would've opened up the door to the supernatural a lot better than her preceeding authors. She is truly amazing.

[Penny]

Alright people, here we go.

Someone said that if it weren't for Renesme that the volturi wouldn't have even been involved. So many people agree that they wanted Bella's parents to find out what she was; if the volturi had caught wind of that, which I'm sure SM could have made possible, then they would have come into the picture & the epic battle we all wanted would have ensued.

Second on the issue of Renesme, are you kidding me? The vampires don't have a heart beat, no longer circulate blood, have no need for breathing, cannot sweat, cry or produce any other moisture from their body, but they can create kids? That doesn't even make sense. If none of the rest of your organs, glands or body works the way humans do then why would a vampire's reproductive organs still function?

This book had way too much FLUFF and not enough appeal. I've been complaining about the book since I began reading it because it did not catch my attention at all. I could have skipped so much of the book and still understood the ending. I'm definitely disappointed.

[TJ]

Couldn't agree with Denise more--with the exception to the comparision to Harry Potter. I've been horribly annoyed from the beginning with regard to this comparison. Stephenie Meyer is no JK Rowling. The two books are TOTALLY different and the two authors should not be compared in the skills. Stephenie can write a good teen angst--and she had a few good lines here and there. But poetic, she is not. It's the sexual tension that moved this entire series along, not overall exceptional writing skills.

I think Stephenie failed with this being the closure. I feel no connection to this book what-so-ever. Eclipse was the last one for me. I would rather have had no resolution to Eclipse than the one that we got. I really wish I hadn't read it. I'm going to consider it a piece of second rate fan fic and end with Eclipse. Then I'm satisfied.

[Dacenay]

It was a little wierd yes, but I really did enjoy it. This is the only book series I read (not a big reader), and these are the only books that grab my attention. As for Harry Potthead, those bored me to tears.
Beautiful vampires vrs nerdy ugly magicians...no contest

[Jessie]

Okay here's a few things to think over:

Number 1: I am a HUGE fan of Harry Potter and Twilight, and I don't think it's fair to compare the two series. They are extremely different stories with two very different authors. Basically the only thing they have in common is the "genre." Although there are some similarites in the final books, I don't think Stephenie would appreciate us comparing her to J.K. Rowling. Stephenie wasn't writing Deathly Hallows. She was writing Breaking Dawn.

Number 2: Personally, Breaking Dawn was my least favorite book in the series. It was great and I understand that that's how Stephenie wanted to end her series, however I think there should have been a fight! The entire book was leading up to a fight and suddenly, now they just have a "friendly confrontation" and fix everything? I think at least one character should have died. I think they should have had an epilogue in the future so we could have seen how things truly ended up. But most of all...I didn't like that three random people "saved the day." Suddenly we just get to know these people Alice brings back, and I hated how they just got to fix everyone's problems.

A bit too happy for me. Too perfect.

I still consider myself on "Team Jacob" though. He was awesome this whole book.
:D

[Laura]

Alright people. First of all for all of you commenting on how gross or disgusting it was the Jacob imprinted on Bella's daughter...did you not read the other books. We already knew it was possible for a werewolf to imprint on a baby. And as it said in the book, it's not that Jacob would have fallen in love with Renesmee in a pedophile way...it was that it would start off as a big brotherly love when she was younger, progress to a best friend when she was a little older, and when she fully matured it would then turn into the kind of love Bella and Edward have. It's not that hard to accept if you read and appreciated the books. And it was better to have him find someone then to be lonely and mopey Jacob forever. Yes, it was a little disappointing that there was no big vampire battle at the end. But, the plot of these books centered around Bella and Edward's romance. So since they ended up together with their big happy family, no one should really be complaining. If she had written the book differently and included a huge fight scene where main characters got killed, then you guys would be complaining about that. So to sum up, give Stephanie Meyer the credit she deserves for writing such a fantastic series that made us all fall in love. It's not like any of us could have written four books of that magnitude.

[Desire]

Omg.. quit your whining.. it was a good book.. im Sooo glad no one dies. and i say that with no sarcasm.. im tired of the war books.. maybe we should take a hint.. i wish it was better but it was still great. i Love Twilight.. and i Cant wait for the movie! Hope everyone has a good day/night.. the author of this blog is complete crap. end of story..

good night and good luck..

Des

[Shameem]

OMG!!!! So W-H-A-T.....it wasnt the BEST book of the series but seriously Bella needed to have Renesmee. She needed to marry edward...She NEEDED to be changed into a vampire ........AND MOST OF ALL....JACOB and BELLA had to GET OVEEER EACHOTHER.(this my favorite part)

AND YES there were so many boring parts that literly made my fall asleep BUT if you took all of those parts out NO ONE would want to settle for Eclipse ending it.

Even though I absolutly hated that STUUUUUUUUUPID JAKE imprinted on Edwards daughter it might have satisfied team Jake.

I LOOOVE EDWARD AND BELLA AND ALWAYS WILL SOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!
COMMENT..........

[Steph]

***spoiler alert***
Personally, while a few things made me cringe (the name: Renesmee Carlie, Jacob's imprinting [gross!], and no ultimate battle between good and evil) I truly loved the book. There were about 30 different things I wished that could have happened but ultimately it ended the way it should. I hate the comparing between J.K. and Stephenie but personally I was thrilled there was no appalling epilogue to stomach, it ended in a way for the reader to make their own choices about them. Bravo to Stephenie Meyer...At first I was absolutely disgusted that she told it from the POV of Jacob I'm glad he moved out of the picture of torment while the whole imprinting thing was gross. But it is what it is and I thoroughly enjoyed it more than I imagined.

[mac]

okay, in my opinion, this book was brillant!
everyone found their own happiness... edward and bella were meant to be (as SM said... the love she had for jacob was strong, but not in the way it was for edward - she was willing to marry him and not see jake... she was sacrificing what was important to her for true love!)

jake imprinting on renesmee was something that i thought would happen... and i was glad it did! he still remains close to bella and will always be her best friend... so they no longer have to worry about their relationship.

i was very pleased that none of the cullens died... that would have been a major let down if any of them had. it was also awesome to see bella become officially one of them... though i was surprised to see the wedding so close to the beginning of the novel.

it was nice to see that bella wasnt as ravenous as most newborns... because that in itself would have dragged the book on unnecessarily... it was good that she didnt NEED the human blood and could resist it for the love she had for her family.

as for the name renesmee... yeah it's different, but it's also a lovely tribute! as was the middle name carlie!

i thought it was cool that steph really described the transformation and the pain. though some things could have been described in more detail (eh hem *wink wink*)

all in all, it was a very fantastic book! i was so glad to see that things (however conveniently) tied up in a neat little bow! everyone ended up happy... minus some of the denali clan for losing irina... it was also as if jacob needed bella in the end, though not quite for the same reasons he had initially hoped... and edward and bella lived happily ever after! (as the last chapter title states!)

[Stacy]

Personally, I think that Breaking Dawn was a little disappointing. Maybe it's because we expected so much; as it's the final book of the series, but it felt rushed and I thought it didn't seem to flow right. Though I did LOVE that we got some of it from Jacob's point of view. He cracks me up!

Also normally I'm not a person that votes for violence, but still, half the book has us practically skipping pages, looking forward to action of some sort and when the time finally comes...nothing. An overdose of new characters were kind of just shoved in for the battle that never happened.

And I honestly didn't even have a problem with Jacob imprinting on Renesme. Most likely because I consider Renesme a child and Jake a big brother like figure; the way he is always looking out...and hovering around her. Also because imprinting isn't necesarily a romantic kind of thing, though that may develop. Jacob said so himself when he was talking about Quil imprinting on Claire. He could be her best friend, her brother, her protector...all that she needs.

But what bothered me the most was that the characters we all grew to love, seemed to lose something. The Cullens are Bella's family, yet she never seems to connect with them the same way she did in the previous books. Oh sure, they interact but it doesn't feel the same. Then again, it may just be me.

In the end, while Breaking Dawn had some interesting parts, (like the wedding and Jacobs interation with his new "pack") it just didn't do it for me.

[Bree]

I completely agree, I actually just finished the book and I asked myself... "Was this really Stephenie Meyer writing this? It can't be, because what i just read was not up to her personal best standards." While i was reading the book... it was so expectant. What was she thinking having everything lovey dovey at the end...? I think Stephenie was writing more from the movie aspect as a script than from an actual book point of view. I was very let down by the entire book, sure there was some funny parts- I'm not going to lie Emmett making fun of Bella and Edward having sex made me laugh- but the first like 200 pages of the book were just of them having sex... Really? like is that all what their life is about?... and with Reneseme and the birth.. WAYYYYYY too graphic for my thoughts-- i really wanted to throw up. All in all, i think the book was held to a high standard and Stephenie just did not bring her 'A' game.

[bre]

I agree more than wholeheartedly with the review.

I disagree with some statements about the Twilight series being better than the Harry Potter series. The only reason people would think this is because Meyer wrote things much less complicated (in other words, with less underlying themes, symbolic meanings, intertwined stories and such..) and the reader would not be able to understand the intricate writing of Rowling. Not to mention, Rowling wrote seven books, and had it so planned out, that even the slightest, most overlooked details of book one would even wrap around to the seventh and have some weight on the plot.

Anyways, back to the review...Breaking Dawn was a let down. Plain and simple. I feel that Meyer opted out of writing a battle scene (as they are clearly not her forte,) and the hard transition that Bella was supposed to have after becoming a vampire. I mean, please, is it just too coincidental that Bella was able to magically contain so much self-control and have such a power that would threaten the Volturi? Or how about the fact that the Volturi --who had been, according to Meyer, unstoppable when they desired something-- just agreed to leave after the short story of the other half-vampire? Yes, I believe it was a major cop out.

And, like other readers, I did get tired of hearing how amazing Edward was. I also wasn't a huge fan of the typical fairy-tale happy ending. I would have much rather there been an epic battle with the Volturi, a main character tragically dying, and there being some resolve in the end. But ah, to each his own. This novel simply did not entertain me. I would have been much happier if she had just ended it with Eclipse.

[aspeth]

I must say, Twilight fans are the brattiest in the world. "I wanted blah blah to happen! It didn't happen! I wanted...." They act like Twilight is the second coming or something, They bash you when you hint that you didn't really like Twilight.

And Twilight itself is one huge peice of moderately well-written fanfiction that has only gained success by preying on the fantasies and hormones of teenage girls. Overall it's just trash, people. Really. It has all the cool elements, like super perfect mystical boy with a mystical romance, lots of cool action sequences, but overall no substance, and practically drowning in cheesiness. It's addictive, but otherwise poor crap.

I used to be in love with the series. The fact that I got over it (yes, got over it, like over a boy) just proves that it is what it is.

[Sydnee]

ok...
Breaking Dawn. No, it wasn't her best. No, it wasn't exactly what I wanted. Yes, she made mistakes. It was still brilliant. She did what she set out to do, and she ended it in a way that wouldn't infuriate her legions of fans. STOP comparing her to JK Rowling, and furthermore STOP acting like JK Rowling is God. Newsflash, she's just an author, just like everyone else. True, the world wouldnt be the same without Harry Potter, but we would still be surviving, children would still be reading, and people would still want to know what happened at the end of STEPHANIE MEYERS SAGA. I agree with a lot of what I read; there should have been a fight (that doesn't mean that Cullen's die). Jacob imprinting on Renesmee and becoming Bella's son in law, kinda gross. He could have imprinted on someone elses newborn. Yes Renesmee was almost as gross as Nessie, and she could have come up with better. And it didn't have to end up so tied with a ribbon perfect. No matter, I was still riveted, I couldn't put it down, I laughed, I cried, and I can see that it was a very satisfactory ending all around. Good job Mrs. Meyers.