-Twilight Series, Book 4-
(New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008)
Hardcover, 758 Pages, Young Adult Fiction
Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age
The child is grown, and puts away childish things.
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.
—Edna St. Vincent Millay
From the Cover: When you loved the one who was killing you, it left you no options. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt the beloved one? If your life was all you had to give, how could you not give it? If it was someone you truly loved? To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare women 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 pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fate of two tribes hangs. Now that Bella has made her decision, a startling chain of 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? The astonishing, breathlessly anticipated conclusion to the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn illuminates the secrets and mysteries of this spellbinding romantic epic that has entranced millions.
My Review: Well, here we are again. It’s been a long, strange trip to get to this point. Back in October 2007, I never dreamed that I would have ever have gotten caught up in the exploits and adventures of Bella Swan. Getting hooked in by Twilight came as a complete surprise. Who knew that a teeny-bopper book could be so engrossing? Then came New Moon and I was drawn deeper than I ever could have imagined into the whole Edward Cullen-Bella Swan-Jacob Black triangle. Eclipse came next and once again Stephenie Meyer sucked me in by broadening her world and expanding her vampire-werewolf mythos.
It astounded me (and angered my sister-in-law who is now determined to write her own vampire novel) that a woman with no real writing talent—her plots are contrived and her writing style is no great shakes—could draw literally millions of Readers into her world, make them hang on her every word and then cause them to show up at bookstores across the nation dressed in their prom finery and best vampire chic well before midnight on a Friday night to await the 12:01 a.m. release on August 2 of Breaking Dawn. We were out of town at the time, and so were unable to attend any of the release parties, though we did make time on Saturday in between my sister’s wedding ceremony in the morning and the reception that evening to head to the store and pick ourselves up a copy. Obsessed much? Maybe a little…
My wife and I then proceeded to bicker over who got to read it when the moment we got back in the car (she “conveniently” “forgot” her driver’s license and I had to drive back to the motel room while she got to read in the car, hmmph) … though I got it on the hour and forty minute flight from Oakland back home to Salt Lake City (ha!). We soon hammered out visitation rights and a custody battle was averted (mainly because I read faster than she does (nyah!)).
I tried very hard to avoid any exposure to others’ opinions, explanations or reviews of the book, so as not to be influenced (or spoiled) in my reading. I wanted a pure and unspoiled reading of the book. I did a pretty good job of it though, inevitably, some comments slipped through my defenses. However, these were so cryptic that (1) I had no idea what was really being said, and (2) even after finishing the book, I still have no idea what the person was talking about.
Now, getting to the book: my expectations for this novel in terms of Meyer’s writing skills, in terms of her characters, in terms of her plots, and in terms of closure for the series were set kind of high (I wasn’t expecting too much after Twilight and New Moon, but Eclipse and especially The Host gave me hope for Breaking Dawn) and were all met and then exceeded. Breaking Dawn is Meyer’s strongest and most mature novel to date and is a far cry from where it all started back in Twilight.
Regarding Meyer’s Writing Skills: Four novels have obviously matured and seasoned her writing. Breaking Dawn is a strong novel with a well-developed and intriguing story. Meyer has strengthened her ability to tell an exciting story with compelling characters and keep the Reader turning the pages. The difference between Twilight and Breaking Dawn is amazing. In Twilight it was the characters that kept me turning the pages even while my brain was balking over the melodramatic language and simplistic plot. In Breaking Dawn the characters are still there (and better than ever) but Meyer’s writing is so improved as to be nearly unrecognizable from the original book (kind of like watching The Simpsons from 1989 and then seeing The Simpsons in 2008) that it adds to the overall pleasure of reading the book. Add to this that the story is told in what amounts to three different and distinct voices: Bella, which has a voice much like the previous three novels; then the middle portion of the story is told through Jacob Black’s eyes, and the tone and voice of the story changes, which is quite a feat for an author that has previously been unseasoned as Meyer has been; then the last third is again told from Bella’s point of view, but with a twist that makes the voice sound just different enough from the first part of the novel and underlies the evolution of the character from the beginning to the novel to that point. (I know, I know, that’s cryptic … but I’m trying not to spoil it for others, okay?)
Regarding Meyer’s Characters: Since first reading Twilight it has been the characters—Edward, Bella, Alice, Jacob, Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Charlie, Victoria, James, Laurent—that have pulled me through these novels (especially the dreck that was the first half of New Moon). In the past Stephenie Meyer has compensated for poor writing and plots with her characters, and while Breaking Dawn has broken the mold in writing and plotting, Meyer’s magic in creating characters has only gotten stronger with the practice. All the old favorites are back and are even more developed (I was especially please with the changes/growths in the characters of Bella, Alice and Leah Clearwater) and there are a lot of new and exciting characters. Some of my favorites among the newcomers were Benjamin, Siobhan, Zafrina, Kate and Garrett. (I would really love to see a spin-off featuring Garrett because the idea of a Patriot vampire fighting the British during the American Revolution sounds like a lot of fun.) Though, in spite of all of Meyer’s talent in creating characters, Meyer’s falls short in Breaking Dawn in one respect: the naming of one character in particular. I don’t want to spoil it, so will only say that Meyer’s Mormon Roots are showing because she falls into the stereotypical Utah quirk of choosing “odd” names. (Further examples of the Utah Naming Phenomenon can be found HERE. Warning hilarity and confusion will ensue.)
Regarding Meyer’s Plotting: Both Twilight and New Moon had simplistic plots and borrowed heavily from Romeo & Juliet (Twilight) and Wuthering Heights (New Moon). Eclipse was somewhat better, though it still came down to standard tropes and plot devices (and Eclipse was further weakened by Bella’s inability to act at a crucial and key moment in the book’s climax). It is clear that the maturity of plotting evidenced in The Host was, as I had hoped, put to good use in Breaking Dawn. This is Meyer’s most intricate and involved plot. It moves smoothly with no slow-downs, and when the novel hits the last third it really takes off and does not stop until the final page. There are some true surprises in the novel (I’m looking at your characters in particular, Jacob Black and Alice Cullen) and since there are some plot points that you see coming a mile off because they are covered in neon with flashing signs, the true surprises come as a real treats for the Reader to savor and enjoy.
Regarding Closure for the Series: As I’ve said before, Breaking Dawn is—without a doubt—the best and strongest novel in the series (and is easily the equal of The Host). Meyer does a superb job of closing everything up that she started in the previous three novels. There are a few minor loose ends left hanging after the novel’s final confrontation (mainly to do with the Volturi) but nothing worth rioting in the streets over (plus those loose ends leave hope for maybe a future fifth novel … possibly). I found the final scene in the book to actually be quite beautiful and a wonderful payoff for those fans who have stuck by Meyer and the series from the beginning. I am at peace with the Twilight Series and will be content … until, that is, The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide (created by Stephenie Meyer) is released on December 30, 2008 and then whenever she gets around to finishing and releasing Midnight Sun (which is Twilight told from Edward’s point of view).
Overall I am very pleased with Breaking Dawn, though there is one little thing I would like to talk to the parents of potential Breaking Dawn Readers about.
Send the kids to their rooms and meet me over here.
Are they gone?
Good.
Breaking Dawn is, as I’ve said repeatedly throughout this review, a much more mature novel than Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse, and as such it is not a novel that, personally, I would allow anyone under the age of 14 or 15 read. Breaking Dawn is for high school students and above only. The sexual tension that has been building up in Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse is finally released in Breaking Dawn; and while Meyer is not Anne Rice-explicit, there is still no doubt as to what Meyer is writing about, so be advised. However in spite of this caveat, I won’t try to dictate to you, and am just telling you what I think, personally. You know your child best and know what he or she can or cannot handle.
Okay, you can let the kids back into the room.
The bottom line is that if you have been holding back from reading the Twilight Series for any reason, take it from me: the payoff in Breaking Dawn is worth suffering through the first three.
This review can also be found at Bryan’s Book Blog
