'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

[JennE]

I loved the first book, like the second book and threw the third across the room. I read the fourth hoping it would redeem the ending in the third. I agree with most of Breaking Dawn's critics. Bella drove me crazy with her whiny immature behavior throughout all of them. Edward reminded me of a stalker (come to think of it so did Bella). Reneseme?? Good God! And ditto everything else that's been written . . .

ON THE OTHER HAND, I did read Breaking Dawn, and despite it glaring problems and the occasional bouts of boredom I suffered through, I enjoyed it regardless. But, and I think this is a big but, I did have to remind myself throughout that I was reading a YA novel. I'm 37 and do not have a daughter (I came across the book browsing in the YA section with my son). If I did have a daughter I'd talk to her about what a lousy example Bella sets.

But if I was sixteen, I would have loved the ending. And I'm fairly sure I wasn't so impressionable that Bella would have made me want to run out and meet a boy who'd take care of me at all times (gack), ditch college, and have a baby. It's like sex. Fantasy is called fantasy for reason. And most of us know that.

I think people have lost site of the fact that the book was written for a young crowd. Bad role-models aside, some stories just aren't written to teach us all a lesson. And thank god for that. The YA crowd is entitled to a mindless escapist story like the rest of us message seeking grown-ups. And Stephanie Meyer is darn good at giving them that.

[chellzy]

/I just completed the Twilight series. I am a librarian for a public library and we are planning a "Twilight" party in conjunction with Teen Read Week. The theme is "Get a book with bite @ your library and this seemed so fitting. I was given the heads up by on of my teens that Breaking Dawn was a disappointment. I disagree. I found the whole series very enjoyable!!! Yes, it provided a vicarious way to once again be 17 and completely in love. Being 45 now, that was awesome. Bella was an incredible character. Okay, maybe a little incredulous that she went to being from incredibly plain to being the most beautiful new girl in school, but it is very believable her attitude of feeling so plain next to Edward. Edward is perfect. Of course, he's old fashioned and over protective, that was the era he grew up in. Jacob is played out very well too as a boy who is experiencing some serious life changes right in the middle of puberty. My 14 year old son shows some of the same characteristics as Jake. Headstrong, know-it-all and ultra-sensitive. His easy going attitude has changed as well, where he can be easily offended and quick-tempered. How much more for an adolescent who now turns into a wolf every time he feels threatened or angry. I loved the fact that Bella had Reneesme. It was difficult to stomach what she had to go thru but as a parent of 3 sons, I can believe her fortitude. When you are pregnant, and feel that "nudge" NOTHING can compare, not even Edward's electrifying touch. As far as Jake's impressing on Nessie.....perfect sense! I was thrilled with the entire outcome of the book! Right down to Charlie and Sue finding each other. I guess you are never too old for fairy tales!

Just one more note.... I will never hear a missing persons report the same again! : )

[Anonymous]

I don't get it? What does 'imprinting' mean? Does it mean that Renesmee thinks Jacob's her dad?

[Katie]

really i can't understand the comparison thing one bit. i'm a lover of hundreds upon hudreds of books, and i've never thought for a second to compare authors or "epicness" or whatever. no two books are exactly the same. and besides, i love many things that arent "epic" or "profound" in any way. i have a thing for stories, and filling my head with other peoples opinions and fantasies and views of the world, not popularity and epic endings.

i personally love both the harry potter and the twilight STORIES. [however, i never really did get into the harry potter books, ive only read one. im more into the movies.]
the twilight books kept my attention from beginning to end. probably has something to do with a personal preference of romantics. everybody's different and everybody enjoys different things. another reason you cant compare things, especially things so different. the only thing the stories have in common is mythical creatures, and not even the same mythical creatures at that. the stories have absolutely nothing to do with one another.
so why should two things so different end exactly the same?

besides, a battle was predictable and expected. nothing, in ANY of the twilight books, is what i expected it to be. they are so filled with twists and turns.
but then...if the unexpected is expected and the expected becomes unexpected because of it, then maybe a battle was the right way to go? it would be the ultimite twist, using the once expected ending that became unexpected because of its predictability.
wow...i think i'll be contemplating that for the next hour or so....

ANYWHO

now im not going to sit here going on about how the twilight saga is the most amazing piece of literature out there with such incredible characters and plot lines, and you all are idiots for voicing your opinion about your dislike for it, because it isnt the greatest and you have every right to dislike it. i think a lot of kids are mistaking these for "the greatest books in the world" simply because they're the only books they've ever read. it isnt my absolute favorite and i have read better. but i still adore it with all my heart. true there are minor flaws in the story line - not major - but stephenie meyer does a great service clearing these up in her Q&As.
the only real issue with me, which isnt even exclusive to this series, is poor editing. but like i said, that isn't twilight exclusive. nearly every book i've ever read has a decent sized handful of the STUPIDEST spelling/grammar mistakes in history. so i cant only hate on twilight for it, though it is my greatest pet peeve, and breaking dawn does have quite a few of them.
after reading it the second time, i had the strongest urge to take a red pen to breaking dawn and edit the hell out of it >=[ ...but instead i gave it to my mother to read. eh. i might get around to it eventually.

either way, i love the series. not for the amazing literary quality, but, call me a sucker, for the love story. it's heartbreakingly beautiful. i could go on for hours about how different and incredible edward and bella's relationship is [aside from the obvious vampire/human thing] but i think ive already done enough rambling for one night.

i do wonder one thing though, ive read more than one comment saying something along the lines of "the entire series sucked, it was horrible from the very beginning"
....really? biased opinions aside, i have to wonder, if you hated twilight so much, then why on earth did you buy and read all four books? if i dont like one book i cant imagine feeling the need to waste my time on the entire series. is it just to have something to complain about it? that's sort of pathetic, and im sure you could have found many less time-consuming things to bitch about...

and, call me crazy, but i absolutely love the name renesmee. what can you do?

[Sara]

Breaking Dawn was awful.

[Su-Wen]

I thoroughly agree with the review written by Denise Martin. However, it is not entirely fair to compare Breaking Dawn with the HP series because Harry Potter was more of a fantasy/action/adventure novel while the Twilight series was meant to be more romance oriented and less action based. Nonetheless, it is stll no excuse for the book falling way flat of expectations, after the thriller that was Eclipse, Frankly speaking, most of the book was pretty boring (did she really have to spend so much time detailing everyday of Bella's pregnancy? and the visiting covens?) and the pace really falters towards the middle. The book is just lacking a certain cruch factor and the ending was altogether too happy. No epic battle scene and everyone lives happily ever after. Boo hoo.

Rating: 6/10

[Alissa]

I thought the pseudo fight scene sucked. I thought the whole vampire-baby idea sucked. I thought the Jacob-Renesmee thing was weird on so many levels. Somebody should have end up hurt or dead. It was all entirely to happy. At least one of the Cullens or maybe even both Edward and Bella could have died together and Renesmee could have ran off with Jacob or something. I mean be a little creative. If we wanted happily ever after we'd watch a Disney movie...

[Shelby]

i'm with everyone who said that the ending of Breaking Dawn sucked.

[Claire]

I agree with some of the facts in this article. No, Stephenie Meyer is not a J.K. Rowling. She has her own identity, and although I love Harry Potter people need to get it into their heads Twilight saga doesn't equal Harry Potter. I also think that maybe a better confrontation witht the Volturi would have been interesting. But we all know that had anyone died, Stephenie would be getting hate mail. She can't please everybody. And as for you, Ms. Denise Martin, you are just being rude. Stephenie Meyer is a phenomenal writer. Man, people, please give her a break!

[Claire]

Quote:

Posted by: Micaela | August 04, 2008 at 06:02 PM

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!

Really, you don't think the Twilight series would have taken off without Harry Potter? You are sadly misinformed. What about Dracula? Romeo and Juliet? Legends of the supernatural and magic dating back into the B.C.'s? Harry Potter wasn't first. Newsflash chick, J.K. Rowling or R.L Stine didn't come up with the genre, it's been around for quite a while. I love Harry Potter, but isn't it possible that there could be another saga with supernatural elements? Harry Potter and Twilight are both great series, and it will be debated forever which is best. But, come on please, let's not go around making assumptions that have no basic in fact. Yeah, say your opinions, but don't be stupid. Go read.

[the bohemian]

and here i was thinking i'm the only who thought BREAKING DAWN is a far cry from how the twilight saga should end up.

i'm with most of you guys. the ending is just TOO good, sappy and perfect that it killed the essence of the whole VAMPIRE situation. i mean, with vampires in the story, do things really end up as simply as that? OH REALLY? Right. A little sweet tragedy would be nice. A little tug in our hearts would be good, too.

nevertheless, thanks to stephenie for the miracle that is EDWARD CULLEN. I really couldn't care less about the other characters, especially bella (who annoys me more and more with every book that i read). How helpless could she get? And can't she just do ANYTHING useful for once? she's such a terrible mess all throughout the books. even when she became a vampire, she's still that annoying bella. you thank God edward loves you.

more power to stephenie!

[Donna]

Here are my points:

1) There is NOTHING wrong with happy endings, pro-Breaking Dawn team. What we all meant here was that the happy ending has to be DESERVED. I didn't see the challenge at all. Where was the climax there? Every dilemma that SM created in the 1st three books just all seemed to have been dealt with EASILY in this book.

2) I'm just 19 years old, but I live a life that's taught me how you you can't get anything if you don't WORK for it, if you don't SWEAT for it. I understand that some readers here are just teenagers who don't seem to know anything about life and sacrifice yet, living comfortable lives, depending on their parents and getting all or almost just about everything they want, so I get how you'd all want these Disney-ish happy endings. But to set the record straight, NO. Life is a battlefield. It's not worth anything if it's just butterflies and flowers all the way.

3) Okay, so this book is for young adults, probably for their own convenience or for SM's own convenience, whichever. But still, ANYONE has a right to criticize this book. Anyone is entitled to their opinion. So, if you have something good to say, then fine. But if some people have something bad to say, then respect that. It's called constructive criticism, something you should all learn when you grow up and read more serious books.

4) I loved Twilight, and I just continued reading the other books anyway for the love of Edward. I actually feel for Jacob, too, because he is SO human. And that's something I can't stand. Because I wanted to feel Edward, not just gush over how incredibly handsome and dazzling he is. I wanted to understand him, to feel him. But then again, he is a vampire after all and he has no soul. What's most disappointing is his obsessiveness over Bella. No. Challenge. There. Aside from his beauty and perfection, that's all he's ever contributed to the book (which put the saga to fame).

5) I guess, with the turn of events in the first three books, people really expected something GREAT with this one. You can't blame us for being disappointed. As the saying goes, a beauty without a flaw is a flaw in itself. Same with this book. It was just too perfect and fairy tale-ish that it lacked the soulfulness that we expected. Sorry.

[Grace]

I totally agree with this review, Breaking Dawn was a massive let down. Also, you really can't compare Twilight to Harry Potter - for one thing, JKR can actually write. Renesmee makes even Albus Severus' name bearable.

IT seemed as though all the characters had become really 2 dimensional, and the jacob imprinting on Renesmee thing was not only seriously creepy, but a massive cop-out. I thought Steph M was building up to a massive battle, but they just stood around talking?? I mean, what was the point?

Why was Renesmee portrayed as a little boy for the first half of the book? That was really unnecessary. How was she even concieved? Edward can't even cry, so how can he manage to get Bella pregnant?

I'm not going to continue going on about how awful the book is, because it speaks for itself.

[Denise]

I really enjoyed the first three books I couldn't wait for the fourth. Now I am disapointed with reading Breaking Dawn.

I thought the romance within the story was wonderful. Everygirls dream. By the way I am a mother with 17 year old daughter and could see how teenagers could bring this story into their own lives the boy the parents like vs not like. The ideas of who our children should be with vs not. The polite young man vs the misunderstood deliquent.

I enjoyed the first book immensly I had to get the second book the next day. Two days later eclipse was already read and on the bookshelf. Stephanie Meyer became pretty predictable by the end of Eclipse. We all knew Bella was to become a vampire, Jacob would imprint with someone, that the Volturi would be in the story somewhere and Bella would have a special power when she became a vampire. However Breaking Dawn sickened me. First of all Meyers took a story which could have some meaning in a girls life twists it and turns it into a freak show.

Bella's humanity was the plot of the whole saga. The one thing you didn't want to see her lose. I think she would have been better off finding a ending that would work so she could still have the best of both worlds. The what Bella wants Bella gets.

The baby human/vampire what a disgrace.

Jacob imprinting on the offspring. His character deserved better than that.

The big fight that never comes.

What happens with everyone else?

She could of thought of something better.
I hope this book doesn't become a movie. What would the rating be? PG PG13 R or NC17 or beyond.

It really is to bad she ruined her own story with something so delusional and sickening.

BTW. If I had a younger daughter tween. I wouldn't have even let her read the last book.

[Amy Barradas]

Despite all of the negative criticism that Breaking Dawn has acquired ever since it was released, I will personally state that I simply loved the book. Many of the readers were expeciting a certain way for Breaking Dawn to go on, but honestly I think I would have been more dissapointed if the book was EVERYTHING I had expected. What's the fun in that? So here are some of the things which I will try to, as unbiasedly as I can critique and congradulate Meyer for and an overall review of the book.
Although the fact that like myself, many teenage girls were hoping for a little bit more of a description of Edward and Bella's REAL honeymoon (and don't deny it, you know you were too) we also have to understand Meyer's position concerning that particular situation. I have grown tired of reading reader's angry reviews towards Meyer because of it. Meyer has realized that many of her readers include tweens and young teens, whom it would have been innapropriate to read an X-rated scene of Edward and Bella's honeymoon. So bravo to Meyer for handling the situation as gracefully as she could. (Come on, there was so much flair on Facebook begging Meyer for a 2-3 page description of Edward Cullen naked, that you have to expect some dissapointed, angry fans!)
Something else which seems to have bothered many who read the book was Bella's pregnancy and THAT plot twist. Although the physiology of something like that being possible was rather sketchy and something I, like many readers, had thought impossible, Meyer's plot takes the unexpected twist to shock us all, in a good way. The twist in the story presents a conflict in the book which is to be expected. No conflict? Then what is the point of the book? As sad as this is to say, it seems that many who read the book were dissapointed by the thought of adding a child into the equation because many young readers enjoy a love story that is free from the hassles of a baby being added into the twist. Despite Meyer's attempt to soften this image by making Reneesme every parent's dream, I still can't help but think that this twist in the plot is making some readers biased, especially the young teenage girls who tuned in to the book. What we have to realize is that, although the book is based on impossible vampires and werewolves, Meyer also has to keep the balance between that and reality; and lets face it; An apparently very able-to-reproduce vampire is having relations with a human. What could you expect? Unfortunately, and correct me if I'm wrong, but is the negativity of this really coming from the fear of almost every teenager's dream: An unplanned pregancy?
One of the things which I have noticed is that some readers are dissapointed by Book 2's narrator, Jacob Black. Like many, I groaned when I realized that the final installment I had been dying to read for months had part of it in Jacob's narrative, taking valuable pages away from my favorite characters to look into, what I thought to be, his very immature mind. Despite my pre-dispositions, Book 2 contained some of my favorite parts out of the whole book and you really do get an inside perspective of what Jacob was really thinking and sympathize with his pain. It gave the love triangle a whole new perspective and made the situation just that much more powerful once you look into how Jacob feels about it. We also have to realize that many of the fans in love with the Twilight series were simply NOT rooting for Edward, and instead has fallen in love with Jacob. Meyer had to do something to accomodate these fans in the best way she possible could and even gave Jacob his happy ending by having him imprint on Reneesme.
Speaking of imprinting, the whole situation with Jacob imprinting on Reneesme, and his then therefore lack of character in Book 3 really did dissapoint me. Although Meyer had given Jacob his happy ending, and was almost glad that Jacob would stop hurting, it almost made me sad to realize that it almost seemed like Jacob no longer cared about Bella after Reneesme was born. I felt like Jacob had been thrown on the back burner and had become, in Book 3, a background character, simply there to go along with whatever Reneesme wanted.
Still on that note, I would also like to discuss Meyer's name choice for Edward and Bella's baby. RENEESME? Yes, although I will admit that it was rather strange and a little embarrasing, it was like Rosalie stated in Book 2. She will be an exceptional child, (almost) one of a kind. Although I'm not sure how Meyer came upon this creation, we also have to realize that the book should not be judged on what Meyer decided to name the baby. It is simply a name. Should that really have that much bearing on your perception of the rest of the book?
Something else to address is how many seem to have found Reneesme's birth too gruesome for some readers. By now I have learned that Stephenie writes according to some truth along with the fantasy surrounding the book. What we have to look at is that this scene had to be gruesome. Bella's baby was half of a vampire, and untrained and non vegetarian vampire, who more of less enjoyed the taste of blood. Fortunately for some of the weaker-stomached readers, you also have to look at the fact that the baby did NOT eat its way out of its mother, but was instead taken out (think vampire C-Section). Unfortuntately for the weak stomached, you have to realize that there was gonna be blood SOMEWHERE. Get over it.
And now, last but not least, reader's biggest complaint. The Fight Scene That Never Happened. I will say this, all of that anxiety and anticipation for nothing made me just a tad bit angry. We were expecting blood shed, carnage, and yes, even death. However, it is as Meyer has commented on her website. Many MORE readers would have been even more dissapointed with a fight scene, because, to be honest, if there had been a fight, there really would have been no survivors. We simply cannot ask Meyer for something, but not expect the consequences. Like I stated earlier, Meyer is extremely realistic in the way she writes and when she comes up on certain situations, she simply cannot help but very bluntly follow the solution that would most likely occur. So I would have hated an ending in which my beloved characters would have been burned to death by the Volturi all in a matter of minutes.
Despite all of the criticism, I think Breaking Dawn played itself out in the way it should have. Some people may argue that this was partly because Meyer cornered herself when it came to the story and maybe those people are right. However, as a fan I also have to look at what the story means to me and draw my own conclusions. Simply put, I loved the book. :)

[Unknown]

Okay,
I know plenty of people who...have read Twilight and the other books in the Saga,
male and female from 12 all the way up to my grandparents...
pretty much all enjoyed them. Now i'm not taking sides, Harry Potter was good, and Twilight was as well, they are both different and have different things involving in them. I'm not going to take sides, Breaking Dawn was a little strange i will say that and so was the Deathy Holllows, it was too depressing...me i had to stop after Harry's owl got killed, was there a point to killing her? and what's wrong with happy endings? Just a question. and for those out there who say that Twilight's author is better then JK, my gandma has a saying that is, "Your no better then the person beside you," and i agree. Their to different people with two different series, two different points of views on their books. I just began reading Twilight the beginning of this month and alread i'm done with them, i'm now waiting for the movie. But yet it took me longer with Harry Potter because 1 it is a longer series, but that doesn't matter, and also, Twilight and Harry could have survived without each other, considering the different (like i said above) and...There was many who came before them, like Bram Stoker, he was i belive not positive, was one of the first ones to write a book about a vampire. A fight scene probably would have been a little better for the ending but, if that happened i wouldn't have wanted one of the Cullen's die, or Jake, sense i have a liking for all the chracters not just Edward, or Bella, or just one, but all chracters we're different and that's what made me keep reading, and that it had supernatral beings in it, but mostly because the feel of the characters, same for Harry Potter. I don't mean to bash anyone's opinion but i happened to like the happy ending, but it was a little to happy, if that make any sense...usually when you think of vampires you think of death, destruction, and blood, lots and lots of blood. however, i don't mind some blood in battles and what not but large ammounts of blood is a little much, how many here have seen the previsouly axed show Moonlight? he was a vampire and it was a romance, so many people loved it and then it was staked because of the people out there that wouldn't give a different type of vampire genre a chance....and i think its truly sad.

[melissa]

I LOVE "BREAKING DAWN"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i dont understand why everyone is diddin it thats just wrong!

i give "breaking dawn" 5 ota 5 stars!

[Aditi]

Breaking Dawn was a HUGE dissapointment. I hated it up until the part where Bella becomes a vampire and ever that part has it's flaws. I resented how Bella was a "perfect" vampire. Renesmee was such an awful name and Jazz and Em were really bugging me. The whole book felt like a 12 year old written fan-fiction except for the Volturi scene which was REALLY DISSAPOINTING. If the Volturi were just going to agree to what they were saying, then what was the point of those approx. 150 pages of preparation for them? I was hoping that SM would kill two or three of her beloved characters so that we would have something to dwell on. After reading this book, all I'm left with is a bit of uneasiness with the fact that the characters I worshipped for like three years ended up how they did. I am extremly annoyed with the outcome of the final installment in the Twilight Saga. SM HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US?!

[Ms. Fluffy Butt]

Okay. i love the book, but not as intensely as to the first 3 ones.

There were holes in the story but i can still read it through.
Personally, i like the thought that it was a happy ending, a perfectly really happy one. and that was different, at least, there is this contentment that -- "hey, they're happy, i'm happy, and it's finished." -- though i have to agree that there was no thrill, full of romance, but where's the suspense?

The bella getting pregnant part was okay for me, i mean, what do you get from a married couple who are soulmates and exceptionally and drastically/dramatically in love with each other? That is very realistic for teens/couples in our time.

Renesmee Carlie's name actually came from Rene/Esme and Charlie/Carlisle, it isn't weird. Ever heard crazy baby names today?

Bella being a vampire is already given. Bella wanted to be a vampire since the first book. Though some things didn't really get to me about her change in personality for being a vamp. And that she-calling-Jasper-ugly part, i didn't like that. That was totally UN-Bella.

I agree. If they really did fight, then nobody will be left alive. Either they all die, or there will always be revenge, and the book stays unfinished. Though i prefer having a fight, it was right that they didn't. I mean, how do you win peacefully after fighting the head vampires without making the other vamps think ill of you. Then the story just goes on and on.

But then again, twilight saga is just really amazing. Thank you Stephenie Meyer, you owe my gratitude and thanks for this dazzling book.

And, oh yea, Jacob imprinting on Nessie? ew. i didn't like that. she should've erased that one.

[Twilight lover 123]

OK! I love the twilight series and Stephenie Meyer but I am not crazy about Braking Dawn so far. I have not finished and I do not like it as much as the rest but I like the story line so far. I also agree that she does ramble a bit but that is just to show the tension! and I do not think it was such a great idea to make it from 2 differant perspective there should have been moe about bella and edward.

I can not wait for Midnight Sun to come out (if it comes out) but I erge every one to atleast give it a chance if it does come out. maybe the brek will be good or her writing(lets hope so!

And everyone please stop comparing twilight to the freakin harry potter series. I mean I like Harry Potter to bu idont thing they are alike at all!!

Sephenie please continue and ignore the bagging moron they dont know what they are talking about everyone else love twilight so please finish!

[onswa]

Meyer must have been really bored or turned lazy in the last book.... she probably thought, this will the get it over with book... LOL I have not read it yet.

[Nisha]

In my conclusion, Breaking dawn was an interesting book in its own right. But it wasnt anything like the first book. Twilight was the best out of the series. In New Moon, that book was just depressing. In Eclips the book was good. But felt that it was to over the place! Each book so far, i have felt doesnt need the other ones in the series to go on. The books didnt really join up all to well. I have decided that i dont take as much interested in Stephaine Meyers new writing style. Its a little depressing. The book though new and good. Was a little hollow. The other charactors wernt there as much, it was built up to a huge battle? Where was that? And the romance? that simply went to almost nothing. And the inprinting with Nessie? What was that??????? I read the book because i, like many others are devoted readers. But i wish she could rethink some of the ideas before putting them into action, and also check her writing style. The book was just to rushed!

[JampesP7]

Well of course you can't compare Harry Potter and Twilight, simply because Harry Potter is so far out of twilight's league. Harry Potter defined reading in our day and age. The end. There is no comparison. If Harry Potter never happened, no one would know what Twilight was. Wake up people, it's just a fad. Harry Potter is the classic of our generation.

[cassie milano]

first of all, what's the problem with the name 'renesmee'? like hello, there are MANY like TONS of crazy and so-not-making-sense baby names out there and now you're complaining about 'renesmee'? personally, i think that the name is actually very unique and of course you cant expect too common name.Happy ending is not entirely bad although it's sort of stupid when the volturi and the cullens solved everything just like having a friendly meeting * i expect some battlefild going on like in 'eclipse'*

SOMEHOW, edward can make bella pregnant. I was laughing non-stop actually when bella discovered that she's errmmm...pregnant. AND SOMEHOW, edward can produce semen..THat's kind of unbelievable..im speechless in that. Anyway, the romance between edward and bella is actually amusing. Maybe for teenagers, they will like the honeymoon and all those romantic parts *so am i* but for adults*or only some*, i seriously don't think that they will like it. No offence; its just what i think

I am also tired of edward being 'perfect'..'beautiful' and blah..blah...blah... LIKE DUH...don;t have to repeat that again and again...WE KNOW THAT..=) Another one, jacob imprinted on renesmee? Its just sounds stupid. I mean why not they just come out with simply one new female character in breaking dawn *a female werewolf probably? * and make jacob falls in love with that female character; forgets about bella *Bella & Edward already married so like honestly Jacob & Bella can only be friends* and this jacob with that female character live happily ever after.Maybe you can say about edward, bella and renesmee attend their wedding ceremony and renesmee becomes the flower girl..*LOL,,sorry for my "outstanding" imagination* It sounds so much more better than imprinted on bella & edward's daughter.

Overall, Stephenie Meyer really did a good job and PLEASE don;t compare her with JK Rowling.They are two different person and of course their writings are different.=)
BTW, im TEAM EDWARD XD...GO EDWARD!!!

[mj]

i am not COMPLETELY agreeing with the post. why? because no matter what the comparisons made between Stephenie's Twilight series and JK's Harry Potter series, they are still DIFFERENT stories that made us enjoy literature more.

come on people.. it's a FREAKING FICTION. F-I-C-T-I-O-N. anything can happen in a fiction. and what can you do if the author has different ideas from what her readers wanted? right?

so anyways, i AM disappointed with the ending of DEATHLY HALLOWS. i hate it that there are lovable creatures who died (like fred. he really made me cry. :( )

so back to the book that matters, i am very much satisfied with the ending of BREAKING DAWN, and i loved the story. there are parts in the story that surprised me, there are those that are really unexpected, and since i don't like having violence in whatever i read (moreso if it's a love story with maybe a little bit of suspense (not a thriller!). ) i preferred to not have any bloodshed from the battle between the cullen coven and the volturi, although it'll really be a big twist. i-just-don't-want-anyone-to-die!

renesmee's a cute name, imo. also, jacob imprinting on bella's daughter is quite.. funny actually. :D i really enjoyed that. also, i took into consideration that renesmee will be a fully grown lady in just 7 years.. a great trait for being a half human and half vampire.. what with a shapeshifter as the one she is destined to have and that shapeshifter will not grow old unless he wanted to give it up. speaking of this relationship between renesmee the half vampire and half human and jacob the shapeshifter (or werewolf if you prefer it more), have you ever imagined what their children will be? will some have vampire traits? will the others have the werewolf/shapeshifter gene? or will they just be plain human? or both, ust like renesmee, but with jacob's shapeshifting abilities. oh! and what do you think are their smell? will be sweeter (like a vampire's) or like jacob's (like a wolf).

although there really are parts that are quite boring, it is still an enjoyable to read book. it gives the happy ending bella and edward deserves (after such a lot of tragedies happened on their lives) plus their own child renesmee (a really unexpected one) to have and to love for the rest of their existence, and what with jacob finally being into bella and edward's family, when the time comes (ofcourse, he has to be, with renesmee as his 'fate' or 'destiny', what can you expect them to be in the future? be like brother and sister? oh come on. it is said that imprinting is a powerful thing.) also, edward finally accepted that fact, he even called jacob 'my son'.

i think i would like to know what will happen to them in the future, say 20 years after that. what will happen to renesmee and jacob? charlie and sue? renee and phil? edward and bella? the rest of the cullens? the half vampire? the volturi, will they come back? did leah finally found the one she's destined to? the other werewolves? to the denali sisters, with kate found her man, will tanya finally have hers too?

lots and lots more are left for us to wonder and wait if there will be a written answer to it all, or maybe, they're just left for our imagination. this is really a good book, and we are all entitled to our own opinions. just say what you want and be satisfied that you've said what you wanted, yet you know it will not be what everyone is agreeing upon, although there are those who will back you up and support the opinion.

that's all. no offence intended. thank you! :)