Not a bad end at all, for Twilight

BREAKING DAWN is the fourth (and supposedly last) vampire book by Stephenie Meyer, continuing the triangle (and trilogy) of Isabelle Swan (a human girl) and Edward Cullen (a vampire) that are in love plus her best friend Jacob Black (a werewolf) who is madly in love with her, too.

First off I have to say that this book managed to surprise me, and mostly in a positive way. I had criticized her former two books (NEW MOON and ECLIPSE, respectively) for not delivering the consummation that was “promised” by the cover art and the plot – even the “last” book in the “trilogy” didn’t deliver the goods as a real ending where Bella would go past the point of no return.


THE PLOT (slight spoilers)

Bella and Edward have gotten engaged, and are soon to be married. They have reached an understanding that before she is to be turned into a vampire like Edward and his family, they will first consummate their relationship during their honeymoon. Edward is worried about possibly hurting Bella in the heat of his passion, but has given in anyway.

During their honeymoon, Bella starts having vivid nightmares that seem to resemble visions of the future or memories of past experiences more than dreams. She feels sleepy and hungry, and she thinks it is probably just because Edward is trying to tire her out so she won’t want to have sex with him again (last time Edward hurt her and he is worried that would happen again). Is this connected to the way Isabella is special (Edward cannot read her mind) or is he perhaps feeding on her without her knowledge? What actually happens is when things really get interesting.

In this book, everyone’s life changes. A lot. Some of the loose ends from the earlier books get tied, and Jacob finally gets imprinted (he finds his mate).


WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS BOOK (some spoilers, nothing very explicit)

I found this book more interesting and ultimately more *happening* than the last couple of books but also quite…epic, even tiring. As the story picks up it’s pace, it gets bloody, even gory …and not only in the way that you would expect from a vampire book. There is also a very gothic feel to the middle part, especially towards its end (at times I didn’t feel like I was reading a contemporary novel at all).

We finally have the consummation with its understated darkish eroticism (the way Edward keeps his control by attacking pillows or the headboard), though not entirely on the page or getting graphical. For that, this book could still be picked up by a younger reader.

The problem for me was that given the whole epicness of the story and everyone’s feelings, we are reading about people whose love is forever, that can and have fell in love with the first sight, and whose love is something that they just can’t choose or control (Bella, Edward, Jacob, Leah…). In this book/these books, love seems to be just about everyone’s biggest motivator (both in good and bad). Still, when Bella thinks of Edward and her reasons for loving him, most often she thinks about the way he looks – his perfect, cold beauty and his smell and the way that he tastes. It starts to sound an empty kind of love at certain points, where his personality doesn’t seem to even matter (meaning, it is never what she chooses to think about him when she thinks about her feelings and the reasons for them). If the book before, ECLIPSE, was at times like teenage soap opera, then this is the gothic epic. Feelings are big and uncontrollable and pure, and to enjoy this book we just need to accept it and move on with the story. To certain extent I was able to do that, but if the depth of the emotions had been greater and the reasons behind them would have been better explained/showed, this book would have been better and elevated into a whole another level.


Also, what came to my mind is that this would-be-final book of the series might be the 4th book and sort of an afterthought/extra after the trilogy for a reason - this wades into much more adult territory due to the whole subject matter. What I mean is that this way, the “original trilogy” can still be considered as a whole concept and more suitable for younger audiences, while this final book is something they could pick up later. Where the trilogy is full of little details about high school life, getting along with your parents when you’re forced to keep great secrets from them etc, BREAKING DAWN is about breaking free from them because you have to, in order to live the kind of life you choose to, and then about you actually living it. Parents don’t belong to this (supernatural) world.