'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

[Twilight Maniac!!!!]

You people honestly need to take like the biggest chill pill a human can possibly take. 1) Breaking Dawn and Harry P. are two different books by two different authors who have the most creative writing styles ever. Stop comparing the two! 2) SM didn't want her love story to be gory and bloody. And??! Not all books with vamps and werewolves HAVE to come to a point where everyone eats someone else!
Although it may have been a disappointment to some, including me, it has a beautiful finish and if that's how Steph Meyers wants it then that's the way it should be. (yet, Bella sleeping with Edward and having a kid was a bit....too informing and....a bit much but whatev)

[betyouwish]

Didn't even know these books existed two weeks ago, and now I have read all of them. I must say I enjoyed them too...even Breaking Dawn. I guess because I had little to no expectation I would like any of them at all, and then was pleasantly surprised at the draw that the books held for me. It was a fantasy book which I rarely read so it was just nice to have a book end happily for once. It has been a long time since I've read a book (in high school or college) that wasn't completely tragic in one way or another...of course I was just coming off my toni morrison phase so 'happily ever after' was the Prozac I needed. That being said, from the get go I wasn't expecting an epic tale, just her writing style or lack thereof alone was almost to much for me...how many times can you use the word chagrined? (wince...) or smoldering? getting so bad to the point she actually wrote "his eye's did that smoldering thing again." (hahhahhahhahhahahhahhha) So you see my friends what we should all take out of this is just what it is an emotional roller coaster for women that finally had a feel good ending. Try not to set your expectations so high on a teen romance novel...that might help you in the future to enjoy the books...worked for me!

[laznier]

speak for yourself when you say those personal thoughts. not for every twilight reader, and please don't compare it with HP

[bianca]

ok i love both 'Twilight' and Harry Potter but i dont see how u can compare the both of them harry potter is wizards and witches yeah it has werewolfs but your forgeting that jacob isnt really a werewolf his tribe could have picked any animal but they chose the wolf and twilight is more of a love story while harry potter is action yeah it has love in it but thats more of an extra to it jk is a great writer and same with meyer but they are two different writers with two different writing styles ok i love both so i dont mean to dis any1 but i hate that people are comparing these 2 they r so different so just leav it alone and enjoy it

[Fikar]

i think this book is really good, and i'm not agree if you comparing this book with harry potter, it totally different, SM and JKR had their own story and i think both of them is the best novelist, and i think breaking dawn is all the answer for the readers who waited for this, and i hope it soon will translated into indonesian, cozni'm from indonesia

[Jackie]

poopie. twilight is the best. the sex was great. mmm lovessssss itttt.
i want more.
stephenie meyer, my hero, please write another one. pweaseeeeeeee.

[Mickey Collins]

Hey people! Stop giving Stephanie Meyer all this crap! Those of you who think Breaking Dawn is a bad book are jelous as far as I'm convinced. Or you have never read a bad book. BREAKING DAWN ROCKED MY WORLD! Although I loved Harry Potter, Twilight pretty much saved my life (literally, I was depressed and didn't want to go on in life). My friend suggusted the Twilight Saga to me, since reading is something I have always enjoyed. I started Twilight, and finished it in the same day. I was addicted to the Twilight Saga. It allowed me to live in a world where everything I have dreamed of seemed possible. It gave me hope that clumsy, shy, athletically challenged brunettes can find happiness in this world. I needed this hope more then anything. I have read the Saga six times. I think that people need to stop compairing Harry Potter and Twilight to one another. They are not alike and should NOT be compaired.

Stephanie Meyer, I must say, you are my hero. You saved my life and gave me the hope I needed to keep living. Thank you so much. Words could never express my thanks.

[Liliyflower]

This article was totally right. To me, the only good part good BD was book 2, Jacob. The so called "battle" can be summarized in a sentence "Bella shields everyone, Caius gets mad, Aro convinces him Renesmee's not immortal, happy,sappy,ending, as usual" Plus, Bella having a kid at 18 is realistic. All the HP kids were born at a (fairly) realistic time in their parent's lives. It tied up neatly, unlike HP, which leaves you wondering"What happens to the Malfoys? How do the Weasley's react to Fred's death etc.", and I liked that. Plus, I didn't understand why Meyer spent pages describing all the visiting vamps powers when they weren't really used. Of course, if there is a sequel to BD, I may change my mind.

[shhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

there was no point in breaking dawn. i think that eclipse should of had a couple more chapters and thats it.no offence but i think stephanie meyer went a little too overboard with braking dawn. and by the way i agree that you should stop comparing twilight to harry potter because we all know harry potter is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better than twilght.

[T.Reavis]

I would just like to say that I am so happy that I have read a book(s) that goes the way I want it to. I am usually disapointed to some degree when it goes the other way.

[alexa]

i lllloooooooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeee jacob and edward . breaking dawn could have been better it was okay

[Ben]

I was also looking forward to the epic battle at the end from the same perspective, you're not the only guy twilight fan. there are plenty, but u and i r some of the only ones who will openly announce it.
by the way, i don't consider any guy a true twilight fan unless he can tell his friends he read twilight and liked it without embarrasment. i have done this, so don't get all cocky.

[Lara]

I know exactly what pulls me to the Twilight books, the writing and the characters! SM has a unique way of writing that pulls you, well me at least, into the story I cared about the characters and fell in love with Edward. My only complaint is what is with the name Renesmee?? (sp?) That's just insane! lol.. anywho. Other than that they were great. I think it would be interesting to tell Renesmee's story now...

[chavonnc]

I read the series just to see what all the fuss is about. and i am still wondering. I have been reading books for 16 years, some of the best stories and series by some of the best authors in the world.
I can see why young middle school girls are obsessed with the series because it's easy to read and there's not much depth to it. plus, at that age, they probably haven't read or heard of any of the greats.
I've heard that it's 'very descriptive' but that is only when describing the beautiful vampires.
I had a hard time getting through the first book and the second was worse when bella, who is the exact opposite of what a strong female should be, becomes whiney, selfish, obsessed and co-dependant. She is always caught in some dramatic feud and anytime she tries to help, ends up being carried home to lenient, unsuspecting father. She is the worst femal character ever written. And the movie was so bad, I went to sleep.

I had to skip over pages, and thought about a better vampire series written by Christopher Pike called The Last Vampire. It amazes me when young girls are so obsessed by this fictional character Edward Cullen. I stress the word FICTIONAL. Get a life!

[kristall]

i saw the movie first before actually reading the books because the movies are always WAY different and i didnt want it to ruin it for me. i disagree wit all the criticism on breaking dawn. i thot it was a really good book. i loved how everything worker out for the best and i loved how jacob got to stay in the picture (the end of eclipse killed me when he left). i did wish they had gotten into a fight with the volturi just to see how things would turn out. jane needed to get her butt whooped lol. i also wished that we got to hear more from emmett and alice and the rest of the cullens. i read midnight sun's first like 264 pages and fell in love wit it. as i read the twilight saga i was always wondering what edward was thinking. when reading from edwards point of view you got to see what the others thought as well and i liked that. the shift in breaking dawn to jacobs point of view was strange at first but i fell in love with it because i always liked jacob and i wanted to hear his opinions on the subjects between him and bella and edward.

so i guess what im saying is that people critisize just a little too much because you need to be open minded when it comes to the way people view things, especially when they express their imagination for all to see, like all authors do.

i really doubt stephanie meyer would stoop to that level of staging a catastrophy just to attract attention towards her and her AWESOME books. she seems like a very honest and strait-foreward person and i think its rude for people to judge her like this especially when they dont know if those accusations are true. im sorry if you dont agree with what im saying and im sorry if it seems like im overly deffensive on this topic but you should know that it takes alot to do what stephanie meyer has done and i feel you cant talk trash unless you can prove you can do better. have a nice day :-P

[kristall]

i saw the movie first before actually reading the books because the movies are always WAY different and i didnt want it to ruin it for me. i disagree wit all the criticism on breaking dawn. i thot it was a really good book. i loved how everything worker out for the best and i loved how jacob got to stay in the picture (the end of eclipse killed me when he left). i did wish they had gotten into a fight with the volturi just to see how things would turn out. jane needed to get her butt whooped lol. i also wished that we got to hear more from emmett and alice and the rest of the cullens. i read midnight sun's first like 264 pages and fell in love wit it. as i read the twilight saga i was always wondering what edward was thinking. when reading from edwards point of view you got to see what the others thought as well and i liked that. the shift in breaking dawn to jacobs point of view was strange at first but i fell in love with it because i always liked jacob and i wanted to hear his opinions on the subjects between him and bella and edward. the only thing that really made me sad about breaking dawn was the fact that IT ENDED!! lol

so i guess what im saying is that people critisize just a little too much because you need to be open minded when it comes to the way people view things, especially when they express their imagination for all to see, like all authors do.

i really doubt stephanie meyer would stoop to that level of staging a catastrophy just to attract attention towards her and her AWESOME books. she seems like a very honest and strait-foreward person and i think its rude for people to judge her like this especially when they dont know if those accusations are true. im sorry if you dont agree with what im saying and im sorry if it seems like im overly deffensive on this topic but you should know that it takes alot to do what stephanie meyer has done and i feel you cant talk trash unless you can prove you can do better. have a nice day :-P

[Amy D.]

Breaking Dawn is a major let down, but the number one thing that really matters is that Smeyer broke her own rule: Vampires have venom, it's the only fluid they got in their body. If she had actually gone by her own rule, the Renesmee or what ever that freak of a baby is should have been born.

[Sammy]

Unfortunaly, JK and SM cannot be compaired. It would be like compairing Mozart to Britney Spears.

I am a firm believer that Twilight was a good novel. It was a little different, had a nice little Romeo and Juilet theme to it and still managed to stay slightly original.

However...that's where everything went down hill IMP.

SM has nothing on JK. Septh Meyers created a new idea on Vampires. JK created an intire universe. They can't be compaired, not just because they have different writing styles but becuse JK goes for dramatic hard hitting realism (wrapped in the fantasy world she created) whilst SM goes for simply, no brain, no conflict romance.

With the lack of epic battleness that SM showed...hmm...people are saying that they like the no death version but personaly I think that major character deaths, espcially those that are close to the main characters would work as a perfect affirming motive. None of SM's characters have ever lost anything. They've never had to sacrifice anything. They've never earned anything! They really don't deserve the ending she gave them.

Struggle, pain and sacrifice are what make the most inportant things in life worth living. The non-breathing, non- eating, non-sleeping, non-aging, blood drinkers of this world are pretty much devioid of all life. Not just in there being but in there mentality. They have no souls. And are there for not related to anything in real life which we can all connect to. JK's noves give us human characters with extra abilities, not inhuman characters with supper abilities and that have no merit in the real world.

The most honorable part of life is enduring it. These characters don't endure life, they turn their backs on it and adopt the easy fair tale solution of eternal undeath. which they have never had to earn. Some may say that they went through their trials and tribulations but in the end they came out just fine. They never really had to give anything to get their happy ending. To me, that just makes the whole series something that shoud be put in the 'Way out there' section in your local libary.

I also don't liek the fact that SM went against her own canon and allowed a Vamp to have a baby. But that is another matter. All in all, Harry Potter delivered all the way through the series, Twilight did not!.

[sara]

i'v read breaking Dawn twice and i read it slower the second time to let it sink in. I LOVED IT 100% BETTER!!!!i couln't put it down,i couldn;t believe bella turned into a vampire.happy but sad at the same time.THIS WAS A GREAT STORY.i AAAAABBBBBSSSSSSOOOOOLLLLLLUUUUUTTTTTTTTEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYY LLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDD IIIIITTTTTTT

[Crystal Garner]

I think Breaking Dawn was fabullous....i loved every single second of it. the most disappointing part for me were the words the end. i have no idea what to do with myself now that i have finished the books. i got so involved with the stories...best books i have ever encountered..no contest

[Shannon Strickland]

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! though i do agree it could of cut off 200 pages but i glad she didn't i really had an idea that Steph Should write a book About Renemesme

[Audreyyy]

I honestly LOVED the happy ending. That's all I really ever wanted for edward and bella, for them to be together forever and to be happy. I would be very sad if stephanie had someone die in battle, all the cahrachters in the book were very kind. It would be extremely out of place if the volturie had attacked being over powered. & the love triangle. Wow. I can't believe people actually wished it would drag on further, yes bella loved the both of them, but she obviously couldn't live without edward. Even if she wrote another book, it would be a waste because I know we would all hope for the same happy ending someday. Sure it could have been more interesting if thre was a killer fight scene included, but having one without wanting any beloved characters to die would be pointless. & if the volturie were killed it wouldn't have me thinking about what they planned on doing after that, they are obviously not the kind to give up, I think that she should write another book about them finally finishing off the volturie. But then again, I couldn't bare have one of the cullens dead. I believe she made an excellent choice in her writing, if she made it any different I would intensly dislike her for it.

[BEF]

Great review- I was also disappointed when I read this after the first three. Even though the entire series allowed the whole supernatural/fantasy element, this book just got way too rediculous.

It was almost like an entirely different story altogether.
The other books just seemed so much more down to earth I guess and as a reader it was much easier to relate to the main characters and be attached to them in the first three. I feel that Bella becoming a vampire so she could live forever with Edward ruined the integrity of her character. I had a glimmer of hope for her when they were on their honeymoon and Bella decided she wanted to go to college before she knew she was pregnant with a child that would lead her to inevitably die or be changed. I really enjoyed Jacob's perspective as I had been rooting for him since the middle of New Moon, but I was utterly disgusted when he imprinted on Bella's daughter, then the his whole personality and love struggle just vanished...lame!

The whole thing with all of the vampires coming from around the world in the end to fight the Volturi was just silly, and I found myself skimming through those characters stories. I agree with you about Renesmee and it was annoying the second half of the book was about her. This book was definately 200 pages too long.

BD was a certainly an interesting way to end the series and have EVERYONE live happily ever, but I would rather skip all the weird, predictable, and corny stuff and just pretend that Bella got over Edward in New Moon and just ended up with Jacob, who was REAL at the time whether he's a werewolf or not because Bella and Edward are so in love with being in love, it's almost sick.

[Becky]

You know what? Im getting really annoyed at some of the brats that sit there and trash talk Steph! *cough!*hak!*ekkostar!*hater! I mean, seriously!

I agree with makayla and Marisa, what they said really stood out to me:

Yes, it is a ROMANCE series, you can expect that love, kissing and more than likely, and yes I CAN see you cringing, sex! If you want to read about blood and gore, why did you pick up a romance? Get your fill of carnage and slaughtery somewhere else! Go read "It" by steven king cuz i hear it's gross and i hope you death loving hypocrites get nightmares!

Plus, if you don't like the book, PUT IT DOWN! sell it on e-bay! Give it to a friend who appreciates good quality or something! I don't care what you do with it but you don't have to be so hostile!

What gets me angry is how irrational people can be! Yes, fine, okay, you didn't enjoy the book, and that is your personal opinion, I understand, but what makes you think that you are so much better than everyone else that you can insult Stephenie meyer like that? It's not even a matter of expression anymore, that is just plain rude! Calling her work crap? That's cruel! She worked HARD on this book! I'd like to see many of you insignificant critics try and write a world-wide best selling series! Really, there are no words that can describe how malicious that is! When an artist puts their heart into a peice and then reveals it for the world to see, and the world comes back with nasty remarks such as "crappy", "let down", "atrocious", "overrated" and painful comments like "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." that is such a heart wrenching feeling...

Also, what I can't comprehend is that some of you shameless people call yourselves fans...

My opinion on Breaking Dawn is that it was immaculately written!

Concerning the love triangle, I'm glad that Bella is no longer hurting Edward and Jacob! I'm happy that Jacob found someone to love in the end! (What was many of your prefrences, that he be alone for the rest of his life? Did you not feel the pure pain that Steph was TRYING to portray to you? I guess you were to busy taking notes from "How NOT to Care"! ) I think it was perfect! It completely resolved why Jacob was so attatched to Bella! It made complete sense!

Pertaining to the Honeymoon, some of you find it hard to believe that Bella and Edward would actually have a "real" honeymoon. Well, uh, are you living in plastic bubbles? Teen pregnancies are very common, so common that there are many specific organizations that tend to pregnant teens. (but back to Twilight) I respect that Stephenie had Bella and Edward married first. Most teens aren't married first. Also, Bella KNEW that Edward would NEVER leave her, lot's of teen couples split up. And, Bella and Edward didn't know it was possible for them to actually have a child. ALL HUMAN TEENS KNOW THE REASON FOR SEX IS TO MAKE BABIES! To conclude, not only is Bella Edward's drug, but I think it goes the other way too! Steph even says it in the book, for Bella, Edward was a NEED! Oh, and for when they are vampires, EDWARD IS STILL ONE OF BELLA'S NEEDS! That's too bad if you are to immature to understand that these two (yes even though they are fictional) are in love.

Regarding the last book, I found it the MOST interesting. Consider it for a moment, since the very first attack in "Twilight", we have been waiting (and I don't want to speak for anyone but myself and people that agree here) and yearning for Bella to be a vampire, and she makes it through the "crushing death" and the "burning fire" by the skin of her teeth! Then she is FINALLY an vampire! It is amazing! The description is phenomenal! Could YOU, critics, have come up with something so origional? Would YOU, critics, have thought to add the SEPERATE COLOR ON THE SPECTRUM? Would You, critics, have marvelled at the floating dust molecules in the air? Could YOU, critics, have come up with something so beyond the stretches of human imagination? Or in other words, what it would feel like to be a vampire? See if it were up to YOU, critics, I would be left a thousand times less satisfied with the book!

On that note I am a little dissatisfied.......................with the new release date of Midnight Sun. But I agree with Steph that it was not that person's right to release that copy. But I wish she wouldn't postpone the release date, she still has her fans to think about (or at least the ones who won't insult her). But I guess we are lucky we're even getting this book, which I don't think was part of the plan((?)I don't want to assume but that's the impressoin I'm gathering, personnally) I have read the Rough Draft LEGALLY on her website, and so far, it's giving me butterflie in my stomach. I've always secretly wanted it to go to Edward's point of view. Kind of get inside his head. It's fascinating to know what he's thinking, and funny the way he missinterprets Bella's body language. It will be akwerd, though, reading about kissing Bella....Stephenie will have to be careful about that, or that may bring up another stupid blog uprising......Whatever...However she decides to write it, I'll read it and give it a fair chance, I'm faithful that it will be amazing, just like ALL her past novels.

Shout out to Meagan (who would probably be just as outraged as I was with some of your rediculous comments)!

And to answer your question: Yes, I am an outrageous Twilight fan and loving it!
Forever Team Edward! <3

[Becky]

Oh Ya and I also read the Harry Potter books, all of them, and although I found the last one exquisite (but grotesquely gory) I felt like the whole story went on to long. It was the same problem seven times over. At least Twilight had SOME change in threats. after a while, I was like "Voldemort die already!!"

Oh and I found it to be pointless for Tonks and Lupin to die and the same with the twins and all of them even Dumbledore! The torture and slaughter of the sixth and seventh books was getting old and now I'm afraid to take my sister to the movies, they are headed farther away from the magic I fell in love with and more toward the horror movies that are to sick for even me to watch. But at least Voldy did end up dead after Harry came back to life ( which was wierd). And it's good that-Hey wait a minute! All of you that were complaining about Breaking Dawn having a happy ending...Harry Potter has a happy ending too! Ugh!!

PS I am NOT COMPARING HP to Twilight okay? I was merely pointing out a difference in the threats I know they are WAY DIFFERENT!

PPS for all you who know that robert who plays Edward in Twilight also was Cedric in the 4th HP(which doesn't help the non-comparison thingy) and he is killed by avada kadavera (which sounds like abra kadabra don't you think?) okay, okay, this is funny maybe not to you but to me it is (i didn't make this up i got it from an AWESOME twilight website I found)

it is a little square with a green lightnign bolt going across it that says:
"so avada kadavra doesn't kill you, it turns you into a super hot vampire that runs fast, smells delicious and sparkles? Cool! Me next! Me next!"

AAHH!! I loved it!! I loved it! It's awesome!!

OKAY so ya sorry

Harry Potter went on for too long and Tilight didn't go on long enough for me thats what I wanted to say...........yup

(NOT A COMPARISON)