Breaking Dawn

Before I delve into Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer, the fourth book in the Twilight series (like you've never heard of it) I thought I would get you up to speed on the basic plot if the series. It's basically this: Bella meets Edward, Edward is a vampire, Bella falls "irrevocably in love with him" and eventually decides she would rather become a vampire and spend the rest of eternity with him than live out her dull human life in Forks, Washington. There is also a werewolf who falls in love with Bella in the second book but eventually settles on being her friend. There are some conflicts and complications, but the story really centers on Bella's desire to be with Edward and Jacob's desire to be with Bella until a sort of deus ex machina fixes the situation entirely.

Breaking Dawn begins with Edward and Bella's wedding. Bella is still human because of an agreement she and Edward had, but there is another side to this bargain. Bella wants to have a certain last"human experience" before she is changed permanently into a vampire. The first few chapters center on their (ugh) marital relations over their honeymoon. Apparently it's fine to describe sex in a novel meant for middle school students if the characters are already married. Anyway, Bella, having made love to Edward while still human as per their agreement, discovers she is pregnant with a half-vampire half-human child. Unfortunately, Bella's human body cannot handle the child and she becomes weak.

Meyer tells the second part of her book from Jacob's point of view. This device was used at the end of the third book as well, but I never really grasped why it was important in that part of the story. This time it actually makes sense because at this point Bella has become incapacitated by her baby. Jacob is probably the most likable character in the series, and I appreciated Meyer's attempt to see the world she created from the view of an adolescent male. Jacob describes Bella and the unborn's descent into ill health. He eventually becomes the one to bring her out of it by inadvertently suggesting the baby may need blood to live. Bella starts drinking blood, and the baby grows. However, Bella's human form is entirely too weak to bear the child, and Edward eventually turns her into a vampire to spare both their lives.

The final part of the novel focuses on Bella's experiences as a newborn vampire as well as the final threat to her, her child, and her family. I don't feel like going into the details, but suffice to say there was a huge buildup that didn't really seem to lead anywhere. This seems to happen throughout the series.

I mentioned "Meyer's unfortunate writing style" in my first post. Maybe I am being too harsh, but I would like to explain myself. My main problem with the way these books are written is that Meyer seems to feel the need to describe her characters the exact same way almost every time they are mentioned. I am constantly reminded that Edward is "angelic" with "granite skin," while Jacob has "russet skin." Meyer also seems to have favorite words and phrases which she repeats throughout this book series. Examples include "incredulously," "ghosting," and "his/her eyes tightened." If you're bored sometime go through the series and count how many times these words and phrases appear in their various forms.

I seem to complain a lot about these books, but I did in fact read them all. I really did want to know how the story ended, and even though I was slightly disappointed it's still good to have read it. This series, and this book in particular, has the same draw as a soap opera or certain anime series. The story sucks the reader/watcher in, and in the end the only way to get out is to finish. Meyer's ideas are quite original, which is also a plus. I just wish the execution had been a little better.

Next week I will be taking the leap from "vampire fantasy" to "19th century love story" by reviewing Persuasion by Jane Austen.