Breaking Dawn

In preparing to read this novel, I was reminded Entertainment Weekly's assessment. They gave it a D, said it was convoluted, and jumped the shark.

I didn't quite agree with them. It's long, to be sure. But when you really enjoy characters, you don't want the story to end so soon. And it was a tad convoluted in spots. At one point, you had 20+ vampires to try and remember. And it's told by Bella, then by Jacob, then Bella again.

*Spoiler alert*

I'll try not to blow every plot point. But I have to talk about some.

EW had issues with the vampire/human hybrid that Edward and Bella birthed. It all seemed too Rosemary's Baby, to some. The only part I didn't get (and still don't) is, how does a vampire impregnate someone? If they are dead? Dead men have sperm? What? I think the idea was, he was an Incubus, a mythical angel/demon who impregnates humans. Bella describes him as an angel throughout, and Edward describes himself as a demon (condemned to Hell)...so..is he both? I'm still unclear on how a dead person procreates...but, this is fantasy, after all.

In creating this child, all of the conflicts that were so nicely set up all along (vampire/werewolf feuds, vampire in-fighting, Jacob vs. Edward for Bella's love) are very nicely resolved and all tied up in a neat little bow.

I think if you really are reading for the character development, you'll like this book. All of the characters evolved, and in good ways.

Bella: Finally grew that strength I wanted her to have all along, just as I predicted she would.

Edward: Managed to not be so smothering, and to be more tolerant.

Jacob: Managed to mature...but still had a lot of wolf-boy in him. Jacob was my favorite character. I loved his narration, and wished it hadn't ended. He was funny, silly, but also loyal, and loving. And if it were me, I'd totally go for Jacob! Tall, muscular, Native American, who, in his other self, is a cuddly wolf...my kind of guy. Well, maybe "cuddly" isn't quite accurate. More like, "Cuddly when he wants to be, but also ferocious." I'm an animal lover, much more than a blood-draining dead person lover. I don't care if he does look like a God.

Which brings me to the point: Bella gushes over Edward so much that you feel you're getting diabetic, and describes him constantly as the most beautiful man ever, God-like, perfect and marble, and blah blah. I love Robert Pattinson. Don't get me wrong. But God-like? We all picture him now, and I assume Meyer approved of the casting. I'm curious what image was in Meyer's head as she wrote. I guess, reading this without a movie to implant images, one could picture Edward how they wanted, within the parameter of hair and eye color. But when I think of a God-like man, I think of Brad Pitt, about 10 years younger, or maybe even 15 to 20 years younger. In the physical sense, ideal. But see, that's ideal to me. I guess that's one reason I just didn't buy the obsessive love story...he's cute, sure, but he wouldn't blind me to the point that I couldn't speak. And Jacob's got the much better personality.

So that makes me one of the "Team Jacob" fans, I suppose. Mostly, though, I rooted for all of them, as they all came together nicely as comrades, and even brothers, by the end.

A word of complaint to Bella and Edward: Treat Alice better!!! Alice is my second-favorite character; she is always doing incredible and nice things for Edward and Bella, and all they can do in response is be annoyed with her. Grr.

In the end, I can't agree that the book "Jumped the shark." It was a very complicated story, and she managed to resolve it very nicely while throwing in a ton of vampire/werewolf lore. I'm geeky like that; I like monsters and mythical creatures and stories that are complicated and maybe implausible. If anything, I think maybe the final book could have been broken into two books. But, as it was, it left me feeling sad that it was over.

There's room for another sequel...even though things felt resolved, there were one or two things that could evolve into another story...if she ever wanted to write it. I, for one, would run out and buy it in a heartbeat.