Breaking Dawn...My Review

Easily my most anticipated moment this summer was receiving my copy of Breaking Dawn in the mail. It was a bit like a drug for me. I remember how engrossed I had been with the first three books, and felt a little guilty premeditating how I would neglet...er....otherwise occupy my child, because I knew once I started I would not be able to stop.

The package came in the mail yesterday, luckily around nap time, so I would have at least two free hours of [uninterrupted] reading. By the time I went to bed last night (at around 1am-which I had to make myself do, because I could have easily kept myself up all night to read...but I have a 2 year old to take care of) I was a little more than half way through the book. I finished today also around nap time. I'm sort of regretting not making it last a little longer...Guess I'll just have to re-read all four of them...

Anyway, on with the review...

(!!!!!!!!!!!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I really liked the book. I was so excited to be in the Twilight world again, to share in Edward and Bella's life just one last time. There were aspects of the book that were a little different and weird for me. The pregnancy thing threw me for a loop. I was not expecting that at all! I remembered that vampires couldn't get pregnant, because it involves so much change to a body, so I just assumed that they couldn't get someone pregnant, either. I read some interview, somewhere where Stephenie Meyer explained the physiology of it all, but I can't find it, so just trust that its out there. I know a lot of reviews raked Stephenie Meyer over the coals for putting the pregnancy in there, and for a lot of other aspects of the book, but I have to tell you, they are her characters. She created them. I'm pretty sure that she knows them better than any of the readers out there. I trust her judgment that she knew what to do with the characters that she created and has known more intimately than any of us could ever even dream of.

Ok, I'm ff my soapbox...for now...

That said, the pregnancy was still a little creepy to me, what with how fast the baby grew and kept breaking her ribs...its making me hurt just thinking about it. Like some of you, I kept picturing an alien baby that was going to eat its way out....Ew. Ew. Ew.

Another thing that was a little different for me was the whole Book 2. I've never really been a big fan of Jacob. Quite honestly, I find him to be a petulant child, but that's just me. I found myself skimming an awful lot of Book 2, kind of like I did in New Moon, until Edward came back. I didn't quite get why she would change the points of view right in the middle of the book, and why Jacob?? Then I read this interview with her. If she had put Book 2 in Bella's point of view it would have been very boring. Just her being sick. If she had put it from Edward's point of view, it would have been depressing. He was sure she was killing herself for that baby. Most of the Cullen's would have been the same. So I guess Jacob made the most sense. At any rate I was glad he finally quit being so petulant. And I have to admit that his interaction with Rosalie was pretty entertaining. It had me laughing out loud at some points (the dog bowl!).

The imprinting on a baby again...that was just weird. It happened with Quil, but it didn't make it any less weird when it happened with Jacob. Although, it was explained that they have no romantic feelings for the baby, and who could ask for a better older brother?? I mean nothing is going to happen to Renesmee; what with vampires as parents and a were-wolf as an "older brother"...who's going to mess with that child??

I am so glad that it was actually Edward that Bella finally ended up with. I've been a member of Team Edward from the very beginning. The wedding and the honeymoon (oooo lala!) were probably my favorite parts of the book. Their love is beyond compare. The last two pages, where Bella is finally able to let Edward read her thoughts were particularly touching, where he finally gets to understand how she feels about him.

I'm also glad that there was a happy ending and that we didn't lose any of the principal characters. I'm a sucker for those kinds of endings, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The almost-battle with the Volturi was intense enough for me without there being an actual battle. In those moments just before the battle where Bella was explaining to Renesmee why she had to go with Jacob, it was heart wrenching. I kept picturing Nessie as Hailey and myself as Bella, and I kept crying. I was so glad that Nessie didn't have to lose her parents and that none of the family was lost.

I'm glad that Bella was no where near as annoying to me in this book as she had been in the previous three. She grew up a lot, and I was glad for that, because sometimes in the other books, I kinda wanted to smack her.

I was also glad that Bella got the happy ending: [finally] becoming a vampire, a baby, Jacob as a part of her family, a husband and still able to see her mortal father. I read a review that said something to the effect of "Is this the example that we want to set for young girls? That its ok to get married at 18, have a baby and everything will work out just right for you?" Come on, people! Really??? This is fiction! Not something to base your lives around. If the young girls that read these books aren't that smart, then...well, quite frankly, I'm afraid for our future.

Well there's my review...a long one I know, but...its my blog, so...well that's all the explanation I need... :)