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Penny's Reviews > Breaking Dawn
Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, #4)
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Penny's review
bookshelves: paranormal-romance, should-never-have-been-published, reviewed-books, zombies-aliens-vampires-dinos, marysue-protagonist, wish-i-could-unread, i-think-i-m-gonna-be-sick
Aug 07, 2008
bookshelves: paranormal-romance, should-never-have-been-published, reviewed-books, zombies-aliens-vampires-dinos, marysue-protagonist, wish-i-could-unread, i-think-i-m-gonna-be-sick
** spoiler alert **
I wanted to love this book; to read it over and over until my head exploded. I tried to love it, even after page 360, and my complete disappointment of Jacob imprinting--on Bella’s mutant baby, no less. But I kept reading because I just knew that Stephenie was going to make it up to me.
The more I read the more difficult it became for me to finish. I am ashamed to say I endured the torture ‘til the bitter end--and, oh, was it bitter! Or rather, so sickeningly sweet it caused me to throw up in my mouth a little. Don’t get me wrong, I am all about happy endings but not at the expense of a good plot.
Breaking Dawn could have been a pretty good ending to an okay series. To say I am disappointed with this book doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel. In all honesty, this book ruined the entire series for me. I no longer have the desire to pick up any of the other books--which I quite liked at one time. There is no way I could read them again now that I know the ending is so ridonculous (rE-D'on-kU-lus; Adjective, used when the word ridiculous just isn't enough).
This book started off okay, with Bella angst-ing about having to drive a flashy car and getting married at such a young age--Classic Bella, am I right? But after the wedding and even the majority of the honeymoon, things went downhill. Bella, pregnant? Really? But, I was willing to forgive that particular plot twist even though it defied Mrs. Meyers canon about vampires. And she never said it ·É²¹²õ²Ô’t possible for a human to get pregnant after having sex with a vampire, so I simply shrugged my shoulders went with it.
I’ll admit that I liked the Jacob chapters, despite the fact that Edward offers Bella to Jacob so long as Jacob can convince Bella to abort the abomination that they’ve created with Edwards magical vampire sperm--Edward was watching his 'true love' die and it was torturing him, so of course he lost touch with reality. Totally understandable (although completely icky as well) so I hand-waved that. Forgave it. I started getting aggravated when Bella was totally drawing Jacob back in (unbeknownst to us, the readers, it’s only because she’s pregnant with his future bride. More about that atrocity later) and setting him up for more heartbreak--classic selfish Bella that we love to hate.
I really hoped that Jacob would find the ability to move past his love of Bella on his own. I don’t know about anyone else but I am getting sick of the I-cannot-live-without-you kind of “love� (more like freaky obsession) that has been going on in these novels. It is actually possible to heal from a broken heart and, you know, MOVE ON!
It seemed as though Stephenie was going to have that happen, that Leah and Jacob might deepen their friendship and discover that they actually care for each other. But that would erase Jacob from Bella’s life and we couldn’t have that. No--Jacob gets to imprint on the abomination that is Renesmee. Lucky him! Now Jacob doesn’t actually have to work to heal his broken heart. Oh, and of course, lucky Bella for not actually having to sacrifice anything. Three books full chalk full of Bella's fears, about having to give up all her human relationships, was really all for not (I hate you Bella Swan-Cullen. And I really hate Little Brown Books for screwing me out of all that money).
Now on to the delivery of Renesmee: WOW, talk about a joyous occasion! What with Bella vomiting a--I kid you not--'fountain of blood'; the breaking of bones (Bella's back was snapped); the c-section preformed with Edwards mouth (yes, I just said MOUTH); little Renesmee--who, creepily enough, is actually born with a full set of teeth--gives new meaning to the words 'breast feeding', and mama flat lining after all was said and done. It really is too bad they didn’t get the whole thing on film.
Renesmee, hmmm…where to start? I’m not even going to touch the subject of her name with a ten-foot-pole. I’m just going to say that the way she’s described in the novel sounds more like the Bride of Chucky instead of some super cute baby. All the rapid growing, blood drinking and mind-melding was in no way endearing, it was weird.
Considering that the romance was non-existent in the last 3/4 of this novel, it totally lacked in cute Bella and Edward moments. All we got was not-sexy, kinky, tantric, vampire sex that had the potential to go for days, or even weeks (yes, Bella actually thinks about that being a possibility). YIKES AND...JUST YIKES!
Isn't it just super great that Bella gets to keep Charlie in her life? It proves that you really can have your (disgusting blood) cake and eat it too. I love that the sheriff in town doesn't even want to know anything about the vampires in town--unless, of course, it is entirely necessary. Which, I'm sorry but when a huge group of vampires descend on the area 'round about, I'd say that's a need to know basis. But does anyone tell Charlie? No. Apparently ignorance really is bliss.
Oh, and I loved how Renee, Bella's mom, just disappeared into obscurity. She didn't even call when Bella was supposedly in lockdown with some deadly Brazilian disease. Seriously though, when did Renee go from being the overbearing mother who would FREAK OUT about not hearing from Bella every day, to one who couldn't care less what the crap happened to her?
The epic battle was more like an epic failure. The whole book was building up to the fight in the woods and then nothing happened. Talk about anti-climatic. I found that I was just as disappointed as the Romanian vampires were. The only casualty was Irina and it's not like she was important enough to be broken up over.
Despite the fact that I am a huge Jacob fan, I would have been okay with him dying to protect the little monster he'd imprinted on. I mean, JK Rowling killed DUMBLEDORE for crying out loud. Stephenie could have killed just ONE of her precious characters. By doing so, she would have been able to breathe some life into this flaming pile of garbage.
And it seemed to me that by avoiding a fight the Cullens just woke a sleeping giant. Based on the conversation they were having after the "battle" it seems to me that they knew the Volturi were going to come back and attempt pick them off one-by-one. Wow, talk about a victory! But why worry when Bella has mad vampire skillz? Am I right?
Worst line from this book: "Goodbye, Jacob, my brother... my son." *dry-heave* *shutter* *cringe* *shutter*
The last few pages when Bella lifted her "shield" for Edward, so he could read her mind, wasn't all that bad. I kind of liked that part, to tell you the truth. I also liked learning more about Leah Clearwater (in the Jacob chapters). In all honesty, it was the rest of the book that was full of fail.
TWO ENTHUSIASTIC THUMBS WAY DOWN!
(Edited on Sunday August 17, 2008)
The more I read the more difficult it became for me to finish. I am ashamed to say I endured the torture ‘til the bitter end--and, oh, was it bitter! Or rather, so sickeningly sweet it caused me to throw up in my mouth a little. Don’t get me wrong, I am all about happy endings but not at the expense of a good plot.
Breaking Dawn could have been a pretty good ending to an okay series. To say I am disappointed with this book doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel. In all honesty, this book ruined the entire series for me. I no longer have the desire to pick up any of the other books--which I quite liked at one time. There is no way I could read them again now that I know the ending is so ridonculous (rE-D'on-kU-lus; Adjective, used when the word ridiculous just isn't enough).
This book started off okay, with Bella angst-ing about having to drive a flashy car and getting married at such a young age--Classic Bella, am I right? But after the wedding and even the majority of the honeymoon, things went downhill. Bella, pregnant? Really? But, I was willing to forgive that particular plot twist even though it defied Mrs. Meyers canon about vampires. And she never said it ·É²¹²õ²Ô’t possible for a human to get pregnant after having sex with a vampire, so I simply shrugged my shoulders went with it.
I’ll admit that I liked the Jacob chapters, despite the fact that Edward offers Bella to Jacob so long as Jacob can convince Bella to abort the abomination that they’ve created with Edwards magical vampire sperm--Edward was watching his 'true love' die and it was torturing him, so of course he lost touch with reality. Totally understandable (although completely icky as well) so I hand-waved that. Forgave it. I started getting aggravated when Bella was totally drawing Jacob back in (unbeknownst to us, the readers, it’s only because she’s pregnant with his future bride. More about that atrocity later) and setting him up for more heartbreak--classic selfish Bella that we love to hate.
I really hoped that Jacob would find the ability to move past his love of Bella on his own. I don’t know about anyone else but I am getting sick of the I-cannot-live-without-you kind of “love� (more like freaky obsession) that has been going on in these novels. It is actually possible to heal from a broken heart and, you know, MOVE ON!
It seemed as though Stephenie was going to have that happen, that Leah and Jacob might deepen their friendship and discover that they actually care for each other. But that would erase Jacob from Bella’s life and we couldn’t have that. No--Jacob gets to imprint on the abomination that is Renesmee. Lucky him! Now Jacob doesn’t actually have to work to heal his broken heart. Oh, and of course, lucky Bella for not actually having to sacrifice anything. Three books full chalk full of Bella's fears, about having to give up all her human relationships, was really all for not (I hate you Bella Swan-Cullen. And I really hate Little Brown Books for screwing me out of all that money).
Now on to the delivery of Renesmee: WOW, talk about a joyous occasion! What with Bella vomiting a--I kid you not--'fountain of blood'; the breaking of bones (Bella's back was snapped); the c-section preformed with Edwards mouth (yes, I just said MOUTH); little Renesmee--who, creepily enough, is actually born with a full set of teeth--gives new meaning to the words 'breast feeding', and mama flat lining after all was said and done. It really is too bad they didn’t get the whole thing on film.
Renesmee, hmmm…where to start? I’m not even going to touch the subject of her name with a ten-foot-pole. I’m just going to say that the way she’s described in the novel sounds more like the Bride of Chucky instead of some super cute baby. All the rapid growing, blood drinking and mind-melding was in no way endearing, it was weird.
Considering that the romance was non-existent in the last 3/4 of this novel, it totally lacked in cute Bella and Edward moments. All we got was not-sexy, kinky, tantric, vampire sex that had the potential to go for days, or even weeks (yes, Bella actually thinks about that being a possibility). YIKES AND...JUST YIKES!
Isn't it just super great that Bella gets to keep Charlie in her life? It proves that you really can have your (disgusting blood) cake and eat it too. I love that the sheriff in town doesn't even want to know anything about the vampires in town--unless, of course, it is entirely necessary. Which, I'm sorry but when a huge group of vampires descend on the area 'round about, I'd say that's a need to know basis. But does anyone tell Charlie? No. Apparently ignorance really is bliss.
Oh, and I loved how Renee, Bella's mom, just disappeared into obscurity. She didn't even call when Bella was supposedly in lockdown with some deadly Brazilian disease. Seriously though, when did Renee go from being the overbearing mother who would FREAK OUT about not hearing from Bella every day, to one who couldn't care less what the crap happened to her?
The epic battle was more like an epic failure. The whole book was building up to the fight in the woods and then nothing happened. Talk about anti-climatic. I found that I was just as disappointed as the Romanian vampires were. The only casualty was Irina and it's not like she was important enough to be broken up over.
Despite the fact that I am a huge Jacob fan, I would have been okay with him dying to protect the little monster he'd imprinted on. I mean, JK Rowling killed DUMBLEDORE for crying out loud. Stephenie could have killed just ONE of her precious characters. By doing so, she would have been able to breathe some life into this flaming pile of garbage.
And it seemed to me that by avoiding a fight the Cullens just woke a sleeping giant. Based on the conversation they were having after the "battle" it seems to me that they knew the Volturi were going to come back and attempt pick them off one-by-one. Wow, talk about a victory! But why worry when Bella has mad vampire skillz? Am I right?
Worst line from this book: "Goodbye, Jacob, my brother... my son." *dry-heave* *shutter* *cringe* *shutter*
The last few pages when Bella lifted her "shield" for Edward, so he could read her mind, wasn't all that bad. I kind of liked that part, to tell you the truth. I also liked learning more about Leah Clearwater (in the Jacob chapters). In all honesty, it was the rest of the book that was full of fail.
TWO ENTHUSIASTIC THUMBS WAY DOWN!
(Edited on Sunday August 17, 2008)
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
August 3, 2008
–
Finished Reading
August 7, 2008
– Shelved
February 25, 2010
– Shelved as:
paranormal-romance
February 25, 2010
– Shelved as:
should-never-have-been-published
February 26, 2010
– Shelved as:
reviewed-books
February 27, 2010
– Shelved as:
zombies-aliens-vampires-dinos
September 16, 2010
– Shelved as:
marysue-protagonist
September 16, 2010
– Shelved as:
wish-i-could-unread
September 16, 2010
– Shelved as:
i-think-i-m-gonna-be-sick
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by
Christina
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rated it 5 stars
Aug 08, 2008 04:41PM
did you dislike it so much Penny? Didn't seem so when we first talked. :(
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I just can't like this book. I tried, I really tried. But, I just can't like it. There is so much that bugs me about this book. I expected more from Stephenie Meyer and now I just feel let down. And please don't accuse me of not liking this book because Bella doesn't end up with Jacob (seriously, PLENTY of people have already done so). I already knew THAT was going to happen and I came to terms with that. I can't even express in my own words what I dislike about this novel. I am going to paste another persons review here so you can understand what I am saying.
Annalisa's review
rating: (one star)
recommended for: girls who like a happy ending at all cost
I was so disenchanted with Eclipse I almost didn't read this book, but I had to know how it ends. I decided to hold off judgment in hopes the conclusion would redeem the series. The verdict? Gag. Hard-to-swallow soap opera. But a car crash you can't stop staring at. So bad I started taking notes on all the plot holes because I couldn't keep track.
You can't fall in love with your characters so much that you save them from the dilemma you created: the impossibilities of vampire and human love, the instinctual need to destroy between vampires and werewolves, the girl who has to choose between two boys in opposing worlds, the boy who gets left out, the girl who has to make massive sacrifices for her choice. You can't save them from the plot by taking it all back and saying "never mind the rules I created, you can all have it all without giving anything up for it." When you do that, you take an exciting premise, take all the fire and excitement out, and ruin the story. As an author, you have a responsibility to your story, your characters, your fans, even yourself as a creator, to let the story be.
I recommend you write your own fan fiction. Or better yet, take your book back and get your money back. If everyone does, maybe Meyer will pretend it was all a big joke and rewrite a plausible ending to the saga. And maybe this time her editor will actually read it. By the errors I found in the book (not even searching) numbering in the double digits I doubt he or she did.
So here's my advice for the rewrite (or your fan fiction):
1. The big dilemma. In Eclipse Meyer finally showed the downfall of becoming a vampire. Bella has to give up her family, the potential of her own family, her friendship with Jacob, and the ease of human life out in the open. Most importantly she takes on the internal moral struggle of an instinct to kill people, of being a monster. This is serious sacrifice and I would like to see some soul searching, some grieving, some preparation for death from Bella.
2. Vampire sex. Vampire trying not to kill human sex. Newborn vampire with unquenchable passion sex. No harlequin romance graphic, but like Twilight explored kissing, explore how they can possibly do that.
3. One scary newborn vampire. Murderous screaming during the transition after a bite from Edward to save her from death. The rage, passion, strength, and most importantly thirst that overpowers all that is human. I want to see Bella going after a human, preferably someone she knows, and have to be tackled and restrained. I want to see the true monster that is vampire take shape before learning to control the beast.
4. A good showdown. Eclipse robbed us of the vampire battle. I don't care if it's the Volturi coming after Bella or the werewolves coming after Edward. I want a good fight and I want people to die, maybe even Jacob sacrificing for Bella. Isn't killing the vein of their existence? Let's see some death.
But alas that is not the story. I think I may have to start denying that I've ever read the Twilight saga. I was going to buy the boxed set if for nothing else than it would be a pretty addition to my bookshelf, but now I'm truly embarrassed to have even heard of Stephenie Meyer.
review continued on next post...
Annalisa's review continued:(Spoilers to follow...)
I know I've cried wolf before, but this time I really am calling wolf. This is not Jacob's story. This is Bella and Edward's story and Jacob is a distraction. I'm sorry that you like him too much to hurt him, but that doesn't mean you have to ruin the story for him, much less give him half the book. Making Bella still love him hurts them all, makes her self-centered, and Edward seem like an indulgent parent with the screaming brat because he can't say no. It diminishes their love to volley back and forth. Everyone I love together? I don't buy it. Bella said goodbye to Jacob at the end of Eclipse; leave it at that. Sacrifice for Edward. That's love.
The way Bella treats Edward (and Jacob) is only as infuriating as his indulgence of it. His idea for resolution of her nudger (gag!) is ghastly. For a second I thought Meyer was going to go down that road and I was sickened. I take issue to her comment about insemination. How is that gross or worse that pimping her out? Bella seemed more like Wanda in The Host: trying to portray her as too kind which is just blindly selfish. She should have written The Host after and not confused the stories or writing style.
The way Meyer saves Jacob while not extreme enough to be pedophile is creepy, much worse considering Jacob's comment about seeing Bella naked or that they were Bella's eyes. This is not a southern joke where your father is your uncle and your grandpa too. It doesn't excuse Bella's unhealthy possession of him and it doesn't smooth over the hatred with Edward. My brother, my son? Gag.
As much as I did not like the extent Jacob was in the book, the other vampires were more disappointing. All the old albeit shallow side characters were replaced with a freak show. I thought this was a book about vampires not superheros? The "rare" gifts everyone has got more ridiculous from one to the next--at least the original gifts connected to human traits. And the flaws. Alice's ineptitude at her visions was not consistent. Bella? Willpower? Bella's "holes" didn't make sense either. It made me question Jasper's power to affect her. She should have stuck to developing the Cullen characters.
The vast amount of vampires didn't jive. First the vampire world seems small and familiar (they travel a lot), even if it doesn't explain stranger nomads in Twilight. But hundreds of vampires in the world on a feeding frenzy without the Volturi reducing numbers makes less sense. The Volturi are the only vampires who seem like creepy monsters, but that was only because Meyer wanted them to be the mafia bad guys, obvious villains but everyone supports them. She didn't defend that well.
I was so disappointed with the lengthy Volturi scene, the only thing with any hope of excitement that only built and tiringly built and then fizzled. I half expected the spawn of Satan to destroy the Volturi alone. It seemed to be more "The Incredibles" than Bella and Edward at that point and a Jack Jack ending seemed right in line. It didn't resolve anything and only put them all in graver danger but she still shoved a happily ever after down our throats.
Vampires don't have blood; they don't drink or pee or sweat; they have no liquid in their bodies. Beyond the complications of sex for those reasons (which I wouldn't have questioned if that's as far as it went) or the likelihood of Rosemary's baby, don't turn "the thing" into an angel, particularly one who appears more werewolf than vampire. And how can Bella never consider Edward's worry for her? She knows how she'd feel if he died.
You know in soap operas where babies get in the way of the storyline so they magically grow up so the parents don't have to deal with childhood? Sacrifice is what gives you undying love for children; they are not convenient plot ideas. Nothing about that child made sense and I thought Nellie, considering its monster ties, was a vast improvement on a ridiculous name. And EJ? It's not sweet. It's obscenely selfish.
Not being a newborn vampire is not a gift, particularly for a vampire who needs to have a myriad of other gifts to save the story. It's an excuse to not have your characters suffer. But instead of making characters stronger, it weakens them. It robs them. You can't soften that blow. And denying that turning into a vampire is painful robs people of the opportunity for compassion. Turning to the person you love most in your worst hour is love. That is what strengthens relationships.
Being a newborn vampire isn't all Meyer cracked it up to be. If it were, they never would have let a strong newborn go hunting with only one guardian. Since the thirst doesn't seem all that powerful with her so easily distracted from it, there should have been some good loving going on in that forest. The thirst never phased her. Being a vampire isn't torture; it's fun. I want to be a superhero vampire.
Sacrifice is what Bella knew she was undertaking when she picked Edward. But she gave up nothing. Everything is twisted for the sake of convenience: children, newborn desire, imprinting, human family, special gifts, a cast of new vampires, everything. Would a police officer who detaches his daughter's battery so she doesn't sneak out plead "don't ask, don't tell" with the scary supernatural threatening his community and his daughter? The only reason this bogus aspect is even in the story is because Meyer couldn't bare for Bella to lose anything. But I guess if Edward, and Bella, and Jacob are all out of character (more like Host characters), why not Charlie?
Meyer tried to add plot twists, but she couldn't commit to the consequences of them. With all the conflict removed for Bella, there is no drama; Meyer tries to create it with ill-placed childish mood swings. There are no monsters in the book. Vampires are sparkly happy supermodels. Werewolves are snuggly tame pets. Even the werewolf-vampire antagonism seems to have dissipated. The head-butting between Rosalie and Jacob seems more personality conflict than the innate drive to destroy each other. Werewolf imprint on vampire hybrid? They all want to sit around the campfire and sing. Couldn't at least some Volturi sinister be burning in that fire?
There is more to complain about, but I am out of room. I'm appalled it has more stars than New Moon. I guess some girls care more about a happy story than a good one. I didn't buy the book and I still want my money back. I feel robbed. Not having the guts to finish what you started, not only ruins this book, but previous installments too. I will give her this: she used a dictionary to add a few big words and she kept it clean. But I can't read her books anymore.
I see you point there Penny. I was totally not going to give you a hard time about it though, just wondering what changed you initial reaction of a 3 or 4 to a 1. I do agree with the posts that you left though, and I do think that it could have been done better, but I do admire Meyer for finishing the book the way she wanted to. Being the really good friend of an aspiring Author, I know that you have to be true to yourself first, because that is who you are really writing for in the first place. Oh well, at least we are done right?! :)
Loved your review, it gave me a good giggle!
Leah & Seth & Jacob 4ever! (And no Renesmee.)
