Breaking Dawn (Twilight #4) by Stephenie Meyer (2008)
YA Fiction | Paranormal Romance
Blurb:
“To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, she has endured a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife to reach the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or to pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fates of two tribes hangs.
Now that Bella has made her decision, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating and unfathomable, consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella’s life – first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and torn in New Moon and Eclipse– seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed… forever?”
–Goodreads
How to write a review on the Twilight Saga…that is the question. Honestly, I suppose I shall have to write a two-part review for each book in the series: a) How I felt when I first read the books at age 14 and b) How I felt when I re-read them at age 18. Yes. Yes that shall be my format for the following four Twilight Saga book reviews. Now let’s proceed.
Book One: TWILIGHT
pooled ink Review:
AGE 14: If every vampire in the world tells you that sex with a vampire is a bad and potentially deadly idea then you need to take their word for it. I mean, if he has to concentrate on not crushing your hand when you’re just casually walking down the hall then unleashing such powerful emotions and expecting him to control himself and enjoy himself seems utterly ridiculous. Basically, Bella, you’re an idiot and you don’t know what you’re talking about and because of your ridiculousness honestly you probably gave Edward the most stressful and awkward honeymoon in the world and you almost died which almost led to Edward dying and an all-out vampire-werewolf war plus an international vampire show-down. Bella, you need to get your priorities straight. I mean, why the hell couldn’t you just wait until you became a vampire?? Literally everyone said it’s the same but better soooo…??????
But it was pretty cool learning and meeting vampires from other parts of the country and world. Way cool. I wish we got more time to explore all that. And the intensity of Alice’s visions and the oncoming battle was insane and had me amped up from start to finish! I really wish this book (and some of the others) had been told in multiple POVs, actually. But overall this book is an exciting conclusion to an epic romance. (Although I still think the first half of the book is ridiculous).
AGE 18: This book is the most awkward and disappointing thing to ever be seared onto the flesh of trees. It pushed me onto the verge of supporting book burning. The honeymoon and baby part? Incredibly awkward beyond belief, also so gross. I don’t know if I’ve ever cringed so much in one sitting, or in my life. The vampire battle? The most disappointing event that never happened in fictional history. Breaking Dawn, GET OUT.
…Okay I’ve been spitting lots of hate and I feel a tad bad about it so I will say that I genuinely like the characters Charlie, Alice, and Carlisle, and Sam…and yeah I guess Jacob and Edward half the time (when they’re not being overprotective idiots). I think Stephenie Meyer can write (well at least she can write fitting the cookie-cutter molds the industry insists on and she’s certainly not the worst like some people claim) and they’re definitely filled with a lot of imagination and creativity. Plus they’re part of the initial wave of books that really paved the way for the revolution of the Young Adult genre and brought it a dominating place in the literary industry.
I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again: I really liked these books when I was 14 so I get it. But I grew up and it was like I took my head out of the sand and finally saw all the cracks and chipping paint and I began to develop my own mind, my tastes changed, and yeah I found issues with these books so no I guess I’m not really a fan anymore (though these books will always have a place in my book-loving heart). But hey, if these are your faves then grand. Every book should have someone who loves it besides the author.
Cheers.
Purchase here:
P.S. The movie Breaking Dawn, Part 1 is even more awkward than the book and also way more gross. The spinal snap? I still want to throw up. The movie Breaking Dawn, Part 2 is infinitely better than the book. The director (and apparently Stephenie contributed to this brainwave) made a clever choice, the audience’s collective gasp in the movie theater was priceless, and there was an epic vampire battle! Woo!!! Brilliant directing choice.
Check out the rest of the series: Twilight (Twilight #1), New Moon (Twilight #2), and Eclipse (Twilight #3)
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