Breaking Dawn
by Stephenie Meyer
Published by Little Brown
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Reviewed by Andrea Sisco
I doubt there is anyone in the land of readers that does not know that Breaking Dawn is the conclusion of Stephenie Meyer’s series involving the girl next door, a were wolf and vampire–and the complications of their lives
Breaking Dawn is the only review I’ve ever written where I didn’t summarize the plot (sans spoilers) and just broke into my thoughts on the book itself. Somehow, boiling down the book would feel like springing forth with spoilers. And the folks who are going read Breaking Dawn will do so, not because of reviews, but because they’ve read the first three books and have excitedly awaited the publication of the finale.
I loved Twilight, Eclipse and New Moon, even with their flaws. There’s the wordiness, failure to really grow the characters and arc the story, and occasionally Meyer’s story just went over the top. But I loved them anyway. Meyer is a good storyteller and presented readers, who were bereft of a good and unique read, with something different. And no one can deny that Edward, Bella’s vampire love, is a hunk with admirable qualities. And then there’s Jacob–I love Jacob.
I too awaited Breaking Dawn and unfortunately was disappointed. Everything went soooo fast. Engagement, marriage and the …(no spoiler here about what comes next). The novel was hundreds of pages too long. The plot stagnated in places. I didn’t care about the characters as much because they haven’t grown and developed over the course of the series. And (no spoilers allowed) there is, at the end, something that just registered on the ‘creep factor’ for me.
All in all, fans will and should read Breaking Dawn. As for me, it wasn’t Meyer’s best novel to date. Not even close. I would recommend, however, Meyer’s adult novel Host. It’s a love story between three people, with two bodies involved. Delicious!
Armchair Interviews says: Perhaps the pressure of getting the book done was too much.
Author’s Web site: http://www.StephenieMeyer.com