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Narrative Opportunity Shocker! Operatic Tragedy Swapped OUT for a Happy Ever After Ending: "I just shake my head at the missed opportunity." - The Epic Endings Enquirer

I read this book the first time out of curiosity and the second in an attempt to understand its popularity.

Unfortunately it only gets 1 star for the worst HEA ending I have ever had the misfortune to read. In fact I hate the ending with a passion. I would have much preferred a titanic battle full of storm and blood with a massive death count across all sides.

I.e. Alice's plan would fail, leading to a massive dramatic escalation into the final climax for the highest stakes.

Jacob and Edward would fight side by side to defend Bella and 'Renesmee,' (possibly one of the worst names in literature... but trivial vs the missed dramatic opportunity in the story) against the best that the vampire rulers had to offer.

It would have been a lot more meaningful for Jacob to cough out his last breaths surrounded by the heaped bodies of slain vampires while declaring to Edward, 'We are just brothers in love with the same woman.'

Edward would shed tears, and whisper, 'Fare thee well my brother.'

And everyone would cry and cry and cry at the heroic tragedy of it all.

Then a devastated Edward would make a last ditch attempt to defend Bella and Res, losing while Bella looks on in ultimate horror.

The surviving handful of wolves attempt to save her, but fail while killing the last of the vampires.

Much weeping - a poetic, epic, dramatic ending rich in meaning and power...

The youngest wolves survive to light the funeral pyres, remember the dead and defend their noble tribe.

Sadly, such grand, operatic tragedy was overlooked in favour of drowning in the sweetest of sweet vanilla syrup.

EDIT: (12/July/2017): Why do I think these novels were the success that they were? Because they tapped into a basic mythic structure known as the 'The Refusal of Suitors - Joseph Campbell' - Look it up on the web, or youtube. It's a good six minute outline of the trope.

I.e. Bella refuses the local lads - they don't attract her, she's looking for something else, and she gets it in spades via two supernatural suitors. She ends up with the positive inflexion of the myth in that her marriage to Edward reveals her supernatural "shield" nature that would never have been revealed if she had married a local lad, or remained human with Jacob.

If Edward had been a lot darker, we could have had the negative inflexion of the myth, where she would have had to escape a horrific union... but that option was also (in another massive fracking disaster) overlooked...

Not Recommended. 1 'Wet Blanket on a Cold Night Ending,' stars.