I waited anxiously for this book to arrive at my doorstep. My friend Lesley pre-ordered it for me for my birthday so it was supposed to be o my doorstep on Aug 2nd. It was not. My neighbors probably thought I was insane with my head peeping out the door every hour to see if it was here yet. I was like a kid on Christmas morning. Alas, despite my constant vigil of my doorstep, it never arrived. The 3rd was a Sunday, so no book then either. I could feel myself mentally breaking….avoiding the internet to keep myself from spoilers.
Lesley, ordered hers from the same store she ordered mine from. I won’t mention it by name but it rhymes with schmalmart. She could wait no longer and went to the bookstore and bought her own copy. If I had a job where I was actually making money I might have done the same thing. But, no job=no book. She of course finished it in record time and passed it on to me. Maybe it was her reaction that set the mood of the book for me. She handed it to me and said, “Eh.” Now she had been so excited about Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse, I was a bit worried.
I had to resist the urge to start reading as I was driving at stoplights. I figured since it is now illegal to talk on your phone while driving, reading was probably frowned upon as well. I read for about an hour before eating dinner and I was pouring through it. I only read until about 10 that night, but I was a little over half-way through. Finished it the next morning by 10 and 10 minutes after putting the book down, the doorbell rings and there is the UPS man with my very own copy of Breaking Dawn…just a few days late.
Okay, so now that I have the saga of how I acquired the book out of the way, I can get on to what I thought about it.
I had already read the first chapter from the special edition on Eclipse that I refused to buy, but instead sat and read it at the bookstore. So on from that, we head straight, and I mean straight into the wedding. We go from Bella being so unsure and wishy washy and dreading the whole thing to BAM….here is the wedding scene.
No excitement there really Bella looks gorgeous and so does Edward. They love each other, we already knew that. Everyone and their grandma are at the wedding including some of the Quileutes. The wedding is pretty typical; cutting of the cake, dancing, etc. Then Bella gets a surprise visitor, Jacob Black. He had of course been missing since before the wedding (see final chapter of Eclipse.) He remains pretty composed until he finds out that Bella and Edward are going to have a “normal” honeymoon, including consummating the relationship. This sends Jacob over the edge and off he goes again.
We move on to the honeymoon, which of course Edward had elaborately planned. I did love the romantic ‘swept-off your-feet’ planning that Edward does for Bella. I think Natasha Maw (www.mawbooks.com) said it best in her review of the book that it is a bit of escapism literature at this point. Most women want someone to come in and show them this level of romance. I mean c’mon a private island honeymoon?!? I feel lucky if my birthday or anniversary gift comes wrapped instead of in the bag it was purchased in.
So it turns out vampire/human relations can exist. With a bit of bruising, pillow ripping and headboard destruction. Edward started to annoy me at this point. This is where I feel I lost the Edward that I fell in love with in the first three books. He was angry that he hurt Bella and really got almost mean. Eventually he comes around and they get the hang of things. Then IT happens.
I wish I could say I didn’t see IT coming, but I just had a feeling this is where the author was going to take it. IT being the half-human/half-vampire spawn that begins growing in Bella’s womb. Now this really had me thinking. I pondered. I still haven’t figured it out. Now, maybe I have a sick mind for taking it to this point, but I was under the impression that when you became a vampire, your bodily fluids froze, hence the cold granite skin. Now, last time I checked, semen was a bodily fluid, and semen is necessary for impregnation. So…I don’t know how this happened. (***I’m coming back to this point later.)
Edward rushes Bella home to Carlisle. Bella knows that all of the ‘family’ will want her to abort the baby to save her life. That is all but one, Rosalie. Bella finds her protector in Rosalie. Bella wants this baby, and Rosalie wants Bella to be able to have the baby. It is on a slightly selfish note that Rosalie helps her, but that is pretty much written in to Rosalie’s character.
The Bella/Edward spawn grows at an exponential rate. As it grows, Bella is slowly dying. Finally they figure out that the fetus wants blood and when they start feeding Bella straight blood, she gets a bit better. Here’s another point where I went ~wait a minute~ in the other stories, the sight, smell or mention of blood made Bella faint, but now she is drinking it?!? Well, as a mom, I have done things myself that I would have never done in the past. For example, using my own hands to catch vomit so it doesn’t hit the carpet.
Now that the baby is growing, it starts breaking Bella from the inside out. It cracks ribs, nearly breaks her pelvis and bruises her from the inside out. Edward, at his wits end, tries to get Jacob to talk some sense into her. He even offers to let Jacob father a child with Bella if that’s what she wants. Anything that will stop her from killing herself for this child. Jacob is of course unsuccessful, but upon his return to the pack, Sam sees what is going on and decides that this child must be killed at all costs.
Jacob is devastated because clearly, ‘at all costs’ means Bella loosing her life. Jacob finally decides to take his rightful place as pack leader and defects from Sam’s pack. Seth, who was one of my favorite characters in this book, joins him. Jacob hadn’t expected anyone to actually join him, but eventually welcomes Seth to join him. They warn the Cullen clan of Sam’s plans, and start to figure out how they will prevent it.
Eventually Leah, Seth’s sister comes and joins Jacob under the pretense that she is protecting her little brother. We find out that she really just needed to be away from Sam. Her love and rejection from Sam is so similar to Jacob’s love and rejection from Bella. They connect on a deeper level than either of them anticipated. I really liked this part of the book. We really get to understand Leah…and a bit more about Jacob.
Finally the big event comes, in horrifying fashion. Blood everywhere, baby trying to bite it’s way out, Edward getting the baby out via his teeth (ew)(***I’m coming back to this later), the baby breaking Bella’s spine. Bella stays alive long enough to name the baby girl one of the most horrible names ever…Renesmee. I get it, Renee and Esme smushed together. But hmmm I’ve heard worse I suppose. Rosalie whisks the baby away and leaves Jacob and Edward to transform Bella into a vampire or risk her dying.
Edward jabs a syringe full of venom into Bella’s heart to jumpstart the process and then begins biting her all over. Jacob helps by performing CPR until the venom has a chance to work. Eventually it does and TA DA Bella is an immortal. Supposedly this process takes over a couple of days, but the way it was written it seems like 30 minutes passed. Maybe that was intentional.
I did not like the way that Bella wakes up suddenly immune to the bloodlust and craziness that all newborn vampires experience. What the heck? That’s her talent? To be able to control herself? She didn’t seem to be able to do it as a human. I wanted some craziness. I wanted to experience the newborn vampire feel. At least a little bit. But no, Bella is perfectly fine, goes hunting with Edward, controls herself from attacking humans and goes back and takes care of her baby.
So, not only did this baby grow astronomically in-utero, she is growing at a rapid speed over the past few days. She has a special gift, as if that wasn’t expected, she can show you mental images of what she is thinking. Then, Bella notices that Jacob is still around. All the other Cullen’s think this is funny and that Jacob has to tell Bella himself. Jacob has imprinted on little 3-day-old Renesmee. I’ve never liked the idea of imprinting since Quil imprinted on little Claire in Eclipse. It’s just kind of yucky, in a pedophile kind of way. I look at it this way, even if Jacob can control his aging so that he will remain the same age until Renesmee is old enough, it would be like marrying your brother, or step-father, or creepy uncle. You shouldn’t be able to remember changing your girlfriend’s diapers. Again, I don’t mean to sound like a know-it-all, but I saw this one coming too. If Jacob couldn’t have Bella herself, he had to get the next best thing; her daughter.
So now that Jacob has imprinted on Renesmee, her trouble with the wolves is over. No wolf will kill the object of imprinting of another wolf. Okay, problem solved, time for happily ever after? Bella and Edward are given their own cottage so they can be ‘alone’ and experience each other fully. At this point the innuendo is that vampire sex can last for an infinite amount of time. So back to those **** questions, infinite amount of time=no climax, no climax=no ejaculation, no ejaculation=no impregnation. Sorry again for thinking technically here. I actually enjoyed the intimate scenes with Bella and Edward. They left a lot to the imagination, and in my opinion were appropriate. I didn’t feel like I should feel dirty reading about it.
So back to the happily ever after…No, of course not. Irina, the mate of Laurent who tried unsuccessfully to kill Bella in New Moon only to be killed by the wolf pack, sees little Renesmee, Bella, and Jacob hunting in the woods. She believes that Renesmee is an immortal child (a child turned into a vampire that is uncontrollable; think Kirsten Dunst in Interview with a Vampire). The creation of immortal children is against vampire law and she is so infuriated with Jacob, who killed Laurent, hunting with a member of the Cullen pack she skips her investigation and goes straight to the Volturi, the vampire royalty.
Alice envisions the problems to come and the Cullen clan jump into action. They see the only way to get the Volturi to listen is to gather a large gathering of vampires to ‘witness’ for Renesmee and prove that she is not an immortal child. They begin with the Denali clan and move out from there. Alice and Jasper appear to abandon them…but seriously, did any reader believe this? We know Alice and Jasper would never do this, but all the characters in the book seem to think so. Vampires start appearing from all over. Renesmee shows then her gift and shows them she is not what she appears to be. They all decide to stand behind them and witness for them.
During this time we learn of other vampire gifts and Bella discovers her ‘shield’. Initially it only covers her. This explains why Edward can’t read her mind and Jane and Aro of the Volturi have no effect on her. The other vampires help her learn to expand it to include others and eventually she gets it.
Oh yeah, nearly forgot, Jacob does one of those moves that makes you want to smack him. He goes to Charlie, Bella’s father and tells him what is going on. He actually even phases into a wolf in front of him. Charlie decides that he wants only to know on a ‘need to know basis’ and nothing else. This made me very mad at Jacob. It wasn’t his decision to make. So Charlie is partially protected because he only has the ‘need to know story.’ I’m writing this still wanting to smack Jacob. It was kind of like a little brother tattle-tale move.
The Volturi show up, with full guard. I was expecting some grand battle. My expectations were not met. It was much more a war of words. It was clear the Volturi were there for more reasons than the existence of Renesmee. I really was bored during this part of the book. I was waiting for something big to happen. Bella learns how to control her shield so that the entire clan witnessing for the Cullen’s is protected from Jane and Alec, the Volturi’s most dangerous weapons. Bella had made secret plans for Jacob to run away with Renesmee, even getting them fake passports with the help of good ‘ol Alice. Then, just before she sends them to run, Alice appears with something unheard of. Another half-human/half-vampire hybrid. He is fully grown and exhibits full control, unlike an immortal child would.
Nahuel’s father had created several hybrids on purpose feeling her was creating a superior race. He did not care that the human mother’s of these children would die, which they all did. Nahuel was raised by his aunt, Huilen, whom he bit shortly after his birth. His bite was venomous and turned her into a vampire. The Volturi ask if Renesmee was venomous and Bella quickly answers, “No, she bit me while I was still human.” But that got me thinking, (***back to those stars above) shortly after Renesmee tried to bite her way out, Edward, who is venomous bit his way in. Wouldn’t that have started the process or at least made it confusing as to where the venom came from. And possibly making the syringe to the heart unnecessary? Hmmmm.
The Volturi seem convinced that Renesmee is not an immortal child and seem more interested in Nahuel’s father, Joham and his intentional creation of half-breeds.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot! We find out that Jacob and the rest of the Quileutes are not true werewolves, or ‘Children of the Moon’, as Caius calls them. The true Children of the Moon are the bitter enemies of vampires and they have hunted them to near extinction in Asia and Europe. Edward, who apparently knew this all along, points out that it, is the middle of the day. They are merely shape-shifters who choose the shape of a wolf. They could have been hawks or panthers or something else but chose the wolf form by chance. Apparently none of the Quileutes knew this either….ahhh Edward’s wisdom. Edward continues to point out that they inherit the gene from their fathers, unlike true werewolves who create more werewolves by infecting others.
The Volturi’s exit leaves an opening for a return if Stephenie Meyers ever decides to write more to this series. THANK YOU FOR NOT ADDING AN EPILOGUE. (Hint hint J.K. Rowling) Even if she writes no more in this series, it allows each individual to use their own imagination about what may or may not happen.
We do find out that Renesmee will grow to full maturity in about 7 years and can survive on either human food or ‘vampire’ food, but her parents, and the rest of her family seem to want to take one day of immortality at a time.
My favorite part of the book is Bella’s surprise for Edward at the end of the book. She ha been working on a way to open her shield and let people in. She gives her mind as a gift to Edward and shows him her feelings for him. Everything, from the beginning. I get my Edward back at that moment. His passion is back and he is elated with the gift she has given him.
Now, in comparison with the other books, not my favorite. I felt disconnected from the characters. I don’t think it was horrible either. I thought there were parts that felt rushed. Parts that felt unnatural for the characters. I didn't like the change from first person to third person in the middle of the book either. They best way I can describe it was smushed. I know it was over 700 pages, but it was definitely smushed. Oh, and I was left thinking about poor Leah. I finally felt sorry for her and now without Jacob or Sam…I just wanted to know what happened to poor old Leah.
I still love the series. I still hope they turn all 4 into books (we’ll see…it doesn’t look like the 1st will be butchered….think Eragon…so I’m hoping for 4 movies.) I’m hoping Stephenie Meyers continues writing Midnight Sun, Twilight, from Edward’s perspective. I’m excited to read that. Okay my rating for this book is a B-. (p.s. the others had A or A+)