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28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A new direction, but still a good one., Aug 22 2008
I got started reading the series about a month ago. I sped through the first book in one sitting. I received the final 3 books a couple days ago and devoured 2 and 3 instantly. But I was nervous about starting the 4th book. I had read such negative reviews, I was apprehensive about the book. But I knew I wanted to read it anyway. Now that I am finished it, I am very glad that I did. I'm 23. Older then the books target audience, but I think that might be why the 4th book worked for me. Bella was being more grown-up then she had been previously, and I could relate to it. It is true, that there was not as much action as there had been in previous books, and I'm not sure if I would have taken the book in this direction, but it does work. The ending was a bit Walt-Disney for me, but at the same time, that very thing helps me deal with the fact that their story is stopping.
*spoilers*
There are reviews on here that say how Bella didn't care for Renesme. Its true, initially Bella didn't go near her daughter -- not because she didn't want to be, but because she was afraid of what she would do to her. Once she had established that she wouldn't hurt Renesme, she was with her all the time. And as for saying that the bedroom scenes were all she was concerned with, she seemed to be balancing Renesme and Edward evenly. No she wasn't with Renesme 24-7, but does any parent really stay with their baby 24-7 and avoid their partner if they really loves them?
I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of action in the book. A good fight between the combined covens and the Volutari could have been good, however, I am okay with how it turned out. And that Bella did not have any 'growing pains' after becoming immortal. But even that kind of goes with what Bella's character is.
Over all, the book was better then the reviews on here led me to believe. The book has a different tone then the previous ones in the series, but that change allows for the story to reach its full maturity, and not leave me wondering 'what would have happened in book 5'. The story is wrapped up for me.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not bad for fiction, Nov 17 2008
I haven't read all of the comments to see if I am the oldest one to leave one, but at 50 yrs old, I just might be. My son gave me the first book for my birthday because he knows I read a lot, and read vampire stuff. He probably heard kids talking at school and thought it would be a good choice for me. At first I wasn't sure if I would finish it or not when I found out the characters were still in high school because most of the books I read have characters in their mid-twenties and up. Well, I finished the book in 1.5 days and had all 4 of them read within a week. Regardless of the age of the characters, I liked how the stories blended together and how the vampire/werewolf characteristics were portrayed...even if different from the general vampire perceptions.
I have to admit that I rolled my eyes a few times over how Bella reacted to stuff, but not sure if I match what others thought. Firstly, Bella gives the impression of low self-esteem when starting high school. I got the distinct impression that she isn't an attractive girl at all, but Edwards comments about "what others are thinking" gave me the clue that she may not have been a "plain jane". This perception of being outside what is popular or attractive is probably as accurate for todays kids as it was when I was in high school, but disturbing all the same.
I also found the obsession Bella has with only being with Edward to the exclusion of all else gave the wrong impression as well. Unfortunately there may be young girls that identify with this (I do remember my high school days), and I agree that it is not a healthy way of having a relationship. But considering this is fiction, balance it out with how unusual Edward is. Vampires are known for their "mesmerizing" personalities and that the heroine usually lost focus for everything around her (there are some dominant males around that can still do this). Having Edward as a boyfriend that your other friends avoid (again very possible), but whose siblings don't mix well with the local crowd gives the sense of separation. All of these things combined create an environment for Bella to have a very narrow field of focus.
To bring the book down because Bella doesn't aim for a career and college, and only wants to be with Edward isn't fair either. Out of 4 grown daughters (married, etc) 3 went to college and only 2 finished. One married while still in high school, one shortly afterwards, and one cut her college career short specifically because the boyfriend wanted her home (he was afraid to lose her). All of them are still married with kids. We told all of them to aim for a career and college/university education...just like Charlie does with Bella....but I also know from experience that an opinion is only that...an opinion, which can be accepted or ignored to suit the situation and the ending the person wants to achieve. Heck, even Edward wants her to go off to college for the experience!
There were great parts in the books and parts that were a little young for this 50 year old, but a good story anyway. I love happy endings and if you can manage to remember that it is just fiction...it is a good read.
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46 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A Terrible Ending to a Mediocre Series, Aug 3 2008
When I read through the three previous books in this series, I felt they held a certain fanfiction-like quality. They were entertaining, but the writing was nothing to brag about, the characters lacked depth, and the plot was very predictable. I expected something along those lines for Breaking Dawn, but I gave Meyer the benefit of the doubt that she would have improved by this point.
Unfortunately, Meyer's writing seems to only have declined. This book was worse than all the others in the series by a long shot. I'll avoid direct spoilers here.
The beginning is, to be fair, not all that bad. It starts off in the same style that Eclipse, the prequel, ended. Only a few chapters in, however, do we hit the insanity. For one thing, Meyer contradicts herself in this book. She has stated multiple times, it seems, that certain things are impossible in her vampire world and yet these same things happen in Breaking Dawn. It completely defies science and logic without a single justifiable explanation for it. Plus, what could have been a good potential to develop her characters was abandoned for more crazy plot twists that were more disturbing than interesting. Bella, the main character, made a complete 180 in personality and felt more than ever like a self-insert (for one, Bella didn't previously hold all the same moral and religious beliefs as Meyer, but in this book I felt as though Bella had become a Mormon out of nowhere). Edward also seemed to have lost the little personality he previously had and acted in ways that were extremely shocking, and not in a good way. The only one to stay remotely in-character was Jacob, who was quite clearly the best part of this entire book. Sadly, Meyer even ruined Jacob. More crazy plot twists and some more bad writing later, Jacob fans are in outrage for what Meyer has put him through.
What was one of the only deep themes of this book was shred to pieces. Bella's choice of becoming a vampire was always a subject of controversy: Should she be with the person she loves for eternity, while giving up her pulse, her future, and her family? Or should she remain human and retain all those possibilities, while saying goodbye to a life with Edward? There were sacrifices on both sides and yet at the end of Eclipse Bella is dead set on one, knowing full well what she was giving up. It made her decision more poignant and let her grow a bit as a character. In Breaking Dawn, her decision was rather pointless anyways for she gets everything she possibly could have wanted without a single sacrifice. Breaking Dawn could have been a very touching story about what Bella was giving up and the things she learned from such sacrifices, but it ended up being a shallow, perfect, fairytale ending. If Bella wasn't already enough of a Mary Sue (the flawless character), she definitely redefined the term in this book.
Before I start gushing out actual spoilers, I will say this: Meyer seems to have lost it. I'm frankly quite disturbed by some of the messages she sent out, possibly unintentionally, to all the young girls reading this book. I'm very much an open-minded person but some of the things in this book made me feel sick to my stomach. Meyer glorified some terrible ideas and for what, over 700 pages of bad fanfiction? I do NOT recommend this book in the least. The first three were passable as easy, fun reads, but this is just crossing the line into twisted story telling. There are too many good reads out there that this too long piece of unintelligent writitng is not worth the money at all.
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