Stephenie Meyer's "Breaking Dawn"

by Sariah S. Wilson

SPOILERS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS BLOG - IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK AND DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED, PLEASE STOP HERE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

So, I read "Breaking Dawn." My reaction? Meh.

I will admit right now to coming from a place of small bits of author jealousy. As much as you want other authors to succeed and are happy for their successes, sometimes (for me at least) a small part of you feels jealous. I've always had this sort of awestruck/envy thing for Stephenie Meyer, particularly since we're the same age, went to the same school, have the same number of children (similar ages), same faith, both writers, etc. I wonder if I could ever reach the level that she has, if I could ever write a story that would grip people by the throat the way "Twilight" did.

With that disclaimer in mind, my thoughts on "Breaking Dawn."

First off, Renesmee is quite possibly the stupidest name EVER. Seriously. Hard to say, tough to look at - I would trip over it every time I came across it. And Nessie was not much better - I kept getting Loch Ness images in my mind.

Jacob imprinting on a baby, which felt like a total cop-out to me so that the Jacob/Bella issues didn't have to be resolved, grosses me out. I was grossed out when Quil did it. I don't care how she tried to explain it or justify it or make it okay, it wasn't okay with me in the last book, and it wasn't okay with me in this one. Particularly since ew...he was madly, totally in love with Bella. They kissed. He warmed her up while he was naked. Mommy used to kiss your husband? Your husband used to fantasize about mom and wanted to be with her? That just doesn't fly with me. I know it's a fantasy, I know it's not real, but again I say ew. (I actually wanted Jacob to imprint on that female werewolf (Leah?) because it would have resolved a lot of pain for both of them.)

I was a little surprised with characterization - how Bella was so adamant against marriage, yet when she got pregnant, hey, no big deal. No need to worry or fret or think she might be too young for something like that. I'm pregnant, it's growing at a superhuman rate and killing me, but it's cool. I think Publishers Weekly summarized it better than I could - "Essentially, everyone gets everything they want, even if their desires necessitate an about-face in characterization or the messy introduction of some back story. Nobody has to renounce anything or suffer more than temporarily--in other words, grandeur is out. This isn't about happy endings; it's about gratification."

I think probably my biggest issue with the book was the final battle (and you know how I like me some ancient weapons and fight scenes!). The entire book, as the family gathers up allies to testify for them against the Volturi, we're introduced to all sort of mutant abilities. On the good guy side, one has the ability to force everyone to see illusion. Another can conduct electricity. A third can actually manipulate the elements (but he isn't that good at it yet). Bella discovers that she is actually a shield and can create a forcefield to protect her allies from whatever the bad guys may throw at them. The werewolves (who have the ability to destroy vamps) show up in greater numbers than ever before.

On the bad guy side, the Volturi have spent millennia gathering up the most special/talented vampires in the world. One Volturi has his own personal shield to protect him. Another vampire can manipulate emotions/attachments. A third can daze and confuse. Another can cause unimaginable pain with her mind. Someone else had the ability to control fire.

So as we're building to this great battle, as I'm waiting for the big X-Men/Fantastic 4/magical powers blow-out, what happens?

Nothing.

Seriously, nothing happens.

For pages and pages and pages and pages as we watch the vampires use their powers and prepare and discuss strategy, as Bella prepares for an outcome where she won't survive, everything is leading up to this final conflict.

Now, while the real world solution of nobody gets hurt and nobody dies and the bad guys just go away is a nice one, it's not a very exciting one after you got me pumped for a giant vampire smackdown. I read that, literally shaking my head and flipping back to make sure none of my pages were stuck together. For me, you can't build up to a climax you have no intention of delivering on.

Particularly since I think the Volturi will always be a threat to the Cullen family because they covet the Cullens' abilities, it would have been nice to see them wiped out rather than out there as a constant worry.

Speaking of the final fight - Alice not telling Bella about her visions was also dumb. Obviously Bella could keep a secret from Edward (as she did with what little information Alice gave her) and so there would have been no way for the Volturi to find out. A whole lot of hoopla for nothing.

I wanted to see Bella dealing with Renee. Didn't happen. I thought that would be fairly significant with her new lifestyle choice. I was also bothered by how important Rosalie had been to protect Bella and the baby, but dropped from the story after Bella was vamped.

I wasn't engrossed in this one as I wasn't engrossed with "Eclipse." I could put it down and walk away from it. So much of what made "Twilight" and "New Moon" so enjoyable for me, the themes, the characterizations, all of it was just gone with the last two. I'm glad that Bella got her happy ending (I did think there was a chance that Meyer might actually kill Edward and Bella in the final battle and let Jacob the Yucky Imprinter raise their little girl), got her baby and got her man and gets to live happily ever after (literally).

I'm glad that after all the hemming and hawing that Bella did finally become a vampire (although at the point she became unrelatable as a normal, typical, average girl), and that she was happy. But I was frustrated with the book; I think Meyer could have done better (and has).