Customer Reviews

Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)

5 star:		(694)
4 star:		(128)
3 star:		(66)
2 star:		(63)
1 star:		(88)

 

 

The standard is set from page one and it's poor. Meyer has had a complete pacing by-pass. The wedding scene takes place in excruciating detail, to the point of moving in slow motion and not for effect, but just because of a dire lack of editing.

This looks like a first draft that has been hurried through. If you're expecting Meyer's writing to have improved by book four - think again. This is the worst of the series and the longest.

I loved the first book, which made me feel 16 again. It wasn't the best writing, but it caught the mood of teenage, angsty love and added vampires - what's not to love!? And despite Bella being the most annoying heroine in history, Meyer set up some great conflict and interesting vampire lore with the Volturi. But Breaking Dawn unravels all that.

Once Edward and Bella are married and she's a vampire, all the tension that made the romance so compelling is gone. There is no conflict within Edward, as they go hunting together. Didn't he love her humanity? I felt it would have been more interesting if they hadn't just slipped into domestic, undead bliss.

The whole book is leading up to a confrontation with the Volturi. You almost live every second in real-time. That's how painful it is and I had to skim read sections, just to avoid pointless exposition ("he was clearly thinking this" and "alice looked puzzled because she was thinking that"). Ten pages from the end, still NOTHING had happened and I wondered how she was going to wrap it all up. There is no wrapping up, it all just fizzles out.

This has to be the most disappointing ending ever. All the conflict Meyer builds up over the course of 4 books just dissolves. It's the worst bit of plotting since "I woke up and it was all a dream". The worst thing is, I think she betrays her characters and their motivations, leaving the rader feeling cheated.

This book is an endurance test. I read it just because I'd read the other 3, but it would have been easier to just read the Wiki plot synopsis.

Save yourself some time and avoid this. I don't think I'll even bother with the last two movies - it's that bad.

OKay, so I am 27 years old and was an original "I am not bothered about some tortured teenage romance story! I am a Grown Up!"....but once I read Twilight I was hooked. I have now read all 4 of the series and Breaking Dawn was the best. In Eclipse we left off with Bella & Edward arranging their Marriage (well, Alice was) and were looking forward to seeing them live Happily ever after....Forever. Simple....or so we thought. The book is split into 3 parts, first Bella's story, then Jacob's, then back to Bella. There is a huge reason for this and I don't want to spoil too much but anyone who has read Eclipse probably already has an idea about why this is the case. It's a great twist! I expected (there's a clue) the first part of the plot but the second hit me like a juggernaut!! It was sensational...and also made complete sense...why did I not see it before!!! I couldn't put this down! This book also reveals the extent of Bella's strength as a Human and more and how her and Edward were meant to be more than ever. To say I am nearly 30 years old has me slightly ashamed of how passionate I am about this "teenage" series but then I thought what the heck! It's an old fashioned love story with a new modern edge...a Romeo & Juliet with Vampires & Werewolves instead of Motagues & Capulets. For anyone who is still not sure about the whole series I urge you to continue until you have reached the end of the Twilight Journey....it's one you won't want to miss!

I have read all twilight books, after hearing that they were 'The next Harry Potter series'. I found the first one quite good, the second and third vaguely interesting, and the fourth simply awful. How on earth does this even compete with J.K Rowling's novels? Stephenie Mayor cannot write very well, I felt as if she was making the story up as she wrote it, and sometimes she added bits which seemed where only there because she had realised she had contradicted herself halfway through (for example, she added a rule that it was only Bella's mind that couldn't be tampered with after Jasper could change her moods). I do not find any of the characters interesting or likable, and throughout the whole book NOTHING HAPPENED. The vampires gathered to 'battle' and there was a huge build up - with training etc and when the battle was about to commence, they all just ended up talking about fighting! There was no action, no death's, no real emotions. And when Jacob 'imprints' on a baby, that was just the icing on the cake for me. Awful book. Absolutely awful.

This review WILL contain spoilers. Please skip if this is an issue for you.

Although at 28, I'm hardly in the target audience for the Twilight books, I must say I immensely enjoyed the first book in the series. The second one was a bit blah whereas the third one picked up again. Looking back, I should've left it at that.

Don't get me wrong, Breaking Dawn is not all bad. The first part, told from Bella's perspective, is lovely. Part 2 with Jacob is worse, and part 3 (with Bella again) is where things get really bad.

What intrigued me about the previous books in the series was the intense, burning love between Bella and Edward, the care and tenderness that they showed (had to show) for each other to sustain the relationship and each other. Sadly, all of that pretty much goes out the window in Part 3 of Breaking Dawn.
Admittedly, the author was painting herself into a corner from the get-go: the tension and intrigue was certain to be lost once the star-crossed lovers were married and particularly once Bella becomes a vampire and loses her human fragility. Still, the way they seem to turn from eternal lovers into semi-platonic parents who sneak away at night for a romp seems to happen literally overnight. The romance dies in a blink of an eye. I guess this is kind of reflective of real life, but still, a huge disappointment.
I was not the least bit interested in the descriptions of them doting on their daughter while patting each other on the back supportively. This is particularly true of Bella who is even described as not being able to take her eyes off their daughter to gauge Edward's reaction to something. YAWN.

Secondly, which is nearly as bad, the description of the "newborn" Bella is so absurd and over the top that it's almost self-ironic. There's not a speck of realism in any of it, and the mundane conflict between the human Bella and the world of the vampires that was a hallmark of the earlier books (and made them if not plausible, at least believable) is simply gone. The "new" Bella is annoyingly perfect in every way: beautiful and strong, immediately able to control her immortal urges, a natural mother at 18 of a miracle child that never seems to be anything but happy and content. Oh, and her father is suddenly and unexpectedly OK with the whole vampire and werewolf scheme as well. Not to mention the sugary-sweet cottage and a flippin' sports car that she receives for her birthday. Gag. She's an empty shell and very uninteresting.

The much talked-about sexual references did not bother me at all; there is nothing direct or graphic in the book, much of it is alluded to only. Still, with the romance gone, the sex scenes seem crass and unnecessary. In contrast, the description of Edward and Bella's honeymoon in the first part of the book is very sweet.

All in all, I think the author really shot herself in the foot here, ruining the characters to a point where I am no longer interested in revisiting the first three Twilight books despite enjoying them before. I don't know what she was thinking.

The book actual succeeds on being the worst out of them all! It has no redeeming qualities what so ever!
Part one:Yawn, Marriage, Husband beat you up during sex, period 5 days late, run to tha arms of evil blond step sister
Part Two:Barf, Bella need a baby to b happy, Rose needs a baby to be happy, Leah needs a baby to be happy, Esme wants them to be happy. Curiously no-ones to factor... "Life" into their happiness. Jacob won't stop whining, bellas being beaten up by her baby instead of her husband this time. Hints of their going to be action.... nope no action.
Part three:WHAT THE...? Bella super-hot-totally-awesome-everybody-loves-her-can-do-no-wrong Cullen is suddenly even more super-hot-totally-awesome-everybody-loves-her-can-do-no-wrong only she's the mommy of a mutent blood thirsty freak that can get into your head that is super-hot(according to Jacob)-totally-awesome-everbody-loves-her-can-do-no-wrong. This time Myer takes the promise of action and entertainment to a whole new level and STILL refuses to give us a decent fight scene.
And everyone goes home all friends and has a cuppa (Not a joke this is how it actually ends!)

I loved the 'Twilight' series, especially the first book, but I was very disappointed with 'Breaking Dawn' as its conclusion. The novel is long, undramatic and rather than give anyone an unhappy ending, it twists everything into a weird form of perfection that's unbelievable even in a story that's about werewolves and vampires. The Jacob storyline was creepy, like a lot of people have pointed out, and whilst the first half of the story concerning Bella did definitely show an edgier side to Stephenie Meyer's writing, it lost it all in the second half. 'Breaking Dawn' is full of characters I love, which is why I gave it two stars, but it was disappointing after coming after books as good as the first three in the 'Twilight' series.

Breaking Dawn is a fitting end to the story of Bella, Edward and Jacob, and all the other characters we have come to know and love. Meyer really has a way with words, painting a scene exquisitly without boring the pants off the reader with too much detail! It is a very long book, and in fact it has three 'mini' books within, from the viewponts of Bella, Jacob, and then Bella again repectively, and yet I felt that every word was required, and I actually wanted more and more - I didn't want to let go of the story, and I read the whole book in one sitting (losing some sleep along the way too). The POW switch to Jacob is interesting, if not a tad irritating at first, because the reader gets that much more of an insight to is suffering and (in his mind) rightful hatred of the 'bloodsuckers'.

There are lots and lots of unexpected twists and turns in BD (perhaps a reason for some of the very harsh reactions against Breaking Dawn - it's not the book many fans expected it to be, however for me it had everything I expected and more, so surely that's a bonus?), with new plot lines and ideas, and new and old characters; in particular, I really felt that the reader comes to know the Cullen family properly, and to love them too. They have always been interesting minor characters in the previous three books (with the exception of Alice perhaps-she was always more of a major character), but in BD they all come to life beautifully.

Some readers would argue that the characters change personalities in BD, Bella in particular; I would say rather that all that she has been through is finally making its mark. She goes through two life-changing events in this book, and comes out all the more stronger for it. She was always stubborn, and I found that her personality developed and sharpened, which seemed a more natural development than if she had stayed exactly the same as the Bella we all know and love in the previous three books.
Other characters that undergoe a welcome development and grow from the 2 dimensional characters that they were before, are Jasper and Leah. We get an insight into both of their actions and behaviour in the previous books, and I for one found Jasper to be all the likeable instead of the cautious and slightly indifferent character we were faced with in Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse.

Not so much as a review from this point but a bit of a rant:
I really don't know why everyone hates the book so much! I think Stephenie Meyer is a victim of her own success, with fans writing their own version of events in their heads and developing Bella and Edward into people that that they never were! I'm not saying the BD is perfect, and neither were the previous 3 books in my opinion, but the characters behave exactly how you would expect them to, in accordance to how Meyer has portrayed them and bulit them up in the previous novels. They are S Meyer's creation, so she can do what she wants with them.

I knew a few spoilers before I read the book, so maybe I enjoyed it more because I was expecting less...there are some aspects of the book that I understand that some people might be less than happy with, with some scenes a bit more graphic than people might be used to. I personally wasn't offended by them and actually thought they added to the tension and drama of the plot, but I know this isn't the same for all readers.
I do, however, truely believe that the plot follows the only path it can (at the risk of sounding corney. I'm trying really hard not to give spoilers here people-harder than you think).
SM knew the outcome of the saga before she even wrote Twilight, and I think that that really shows: everything really comes together at the end, and I could really imagine how life would continue for all the characters beyond the pages. Some people were upset by the 'neat little package', but Hello? reality check: It's a book for teenagers (mostly) and it's S Meyer's first venture as an author; who wouldn't want to exert the power of the creator and make sure everything turns out just the way you want it to?
Sorry, I know im going a bit off the point here, but I can't help it, and if you enjoy BD as much as I did then you'll feel the same! NB: I was fully prepared to hate the book btw, I'm not giving it 5 stars just beacuse so many people have slated it! It deserves every one in my opinion.

Also, just to say, some people have been making a huge fuss about really small things, such as a name and a nickname for example, and I really think that's unfair on Stephenie! Yes, the nickname is a bit...well, yes, stupid, but the characters of the book themsleves admit this! It's not like they're living in a hunky dory world picking flowers and watching rainbows. The main characters react EXACTLY how they should act, and if anyone who's read the previous three books would know their personalities by now and should recognise that as truth. I think people should stop pasting their own faces over Bella and imaginag how they would have done things differently, and just accept that what Bella does is a consequense of her personality!
Not that it isn't a bit annoying but hey...

And back to the review...:
Anyway, enough of the rant. If you cancel your order, or decide not to give 'Breaking Dawn' a chance to even win you over as the other three books have done, all because of some stupid spoilers and rumours and bad reviews, then you will be missing a stunning conclusion to the saga. I'm still thinking about the book now, and when I finished it I actually sat in silence, in awe, for a few moments...please keep an open mind and enjoy BD like it deserves to be enjoyed!! Thank you :)

I loved Twilight, and all the characters. New Moon and Eclipse i tolerated hoping that they were building to the conclusion of Breaking Dawn.
But i was so disappointed with Breaking Dawn. I'm not overly picky or a hater, but i just don;t understand how people could rate this book 5 stars. Everything about the book is ridiculous. It was as though the first 3 books never existed. The characters, situations and rules are so far removed from Twilight, i could not feel the same empathy for the characters. Bella's constant whining is tiresome and she displays no redeeming qualities. Edward's blind devotion is frustrating and pushing the limits of credibility. Meyer just wanted to tie everything up with a nice little bow, we had been forewarned that Bella could not have it all, and would have to make sacrifices - it turns out in fact that she doesn't - hurrah!! To give Bella her happy ending Meyer constructed ridiculous and daft plot twists, and contradicted what she had laid out in previous books.(Meyer seems to have some pro-life agenda to push) Bella's dad is treated with complete disdain in this book, as if he would have turned a blind eye to everything that was going on.
Comparisons to JK Rowling only serve to flatter Meyer. Rowling produced fantastic books, each leading onto the next, we rooted for Harry and friends, the tension was built and reached a fulfilling climax. This book meanders around searching for some remnants of a plot, Meyer fails to build any tension and the final 'battle' scene is woeful.
If anyone could enlighten me as to why this book is worthy of 5 stars please let me know.

**Contains very mild spoilers**

Breaking Dawn is the massively anticipated fourth book in the popular Twilight series written by Stephenie Meyer. The story picks up where the previous book, Eclipse, finishes with the main character, Bella, looking forwards to her future life with her fiancé, a vampire.

Considering the popularity of this series there has been an understandable amount of hype and excitement surrounding Breaking Dawn. Unfortunately, as the book progresses it becomes increasingly obvious that it was never going to be the classic that many fans had anticipated. In the previous three books in the series, Meyer has shown that she is an author not afraid to tackle difficult subject matter and potentially controversial attitudes. This is something that she continues to do in Breaking Dawn though with noticeably less success. While never the most subtle writer, what subtly was there seems to be missing and this may have something to do with what at times feels like shoddy editing. There are plot holes, significant continuity errors, and not infrequently typos. Characterisation occasionally seems off and Meyer tears apart the universe that she created in order to rework it to include a whole new set of `rules'. The genre of the book seems to change halfway through.

Ironically, Breaking Dawn is often a more entertaining read than the previous books. There are more twists and turns, more interesting new characters (both minor and major), and we even get to see the events for the perspective of more than one character (unlike with the other books). Meyer works hard to justify the significant changes that she has made to the `rules' of the Twilight universe, with explanations that, while factually impossible in places, are entertaining all the same. Unfortunately, what makes the books entertaining also leaves it feeling unbalanced to read. The exciting revelations about Bella are interrupted by `Book Two', which is told entirely from Jacob's perspective and while interesting at times feels an entirely different story as he tackles (at length) events that might have been dealt with far quicker. Furthermore, what should have been an exciting final climax to the book is almost turned into a footnote by events which occur several chapters (and many pages) earlier.

This brings us to one other issue with Breaking Dawn: it is simply too long. At 768 pages it is over a hundred pages longer than any of the previous instalments and this is evident in the lulls in pace and overly flowery descriptions that are scattered through the book. Unlike the other Twilight novels that are renowned for their readability, Breaking Dawn drags at times.

Breaking Dawn is a good read. At times it is even a very good read. Poor editing and occasionally dubious content aside, the problem with it is that the reader is too frequently expected to suspend disbelief and accept significant changes to the world that Meyer has previously created. With a following which dedicates itself to learning every facet of that world this book was always going to receive a mixed reception.

Breaking dawn is everything a fan could ever,ever,ever EVAH want! and that is soooooo not a good thing!!!
Bella was an epilogue away from winning the miss universe title for everloving super-special awesomeness. Like if in Lord of the rings Aragorn also somehow kills sauron....and darth vader...... with his bare hands......... like a boss.
I also cant really even give spoilers seeing as nothing much happens.

Plot Synopsis: "Once upon a time they all lived happily ever after, when one day they all lived happily ever after, and then they all lived happily ever ever after the end."

This book is actually a more respectable work if its an underhanded allegory for pro-life as there is absolutely no other artistic merit to be found here.
Apart from the obvious creepiness of several plot-points, eg Bella's disturbing attitude to physical punishment, also i dont care how non-sexual "imprinting" is "supposed" to be-its still grooming! The fact that the second best possible romantic "prize" i.e. jacob is given to bella's own daughter(who herself is a perfect beautiful child that requires no care with endless babysitters and presents no inconveniences) where they'll have the second best love possible is sympthomatic of the books problems. This is fanfiction on crack that would be laughable even in the best of all possible worlds. Even as a wish fulfillment romance it is still not satisfying as I have seen more rounded and realistic romances in mills+boon. How can you love someone completely when their flaws are never shown? oh that right, as an author you just decide to make them perfect. Im glad I took the time to read that, I really feel that its expanded my mind to the human condition. In the bible, even jesus had a crises of faith on the cross.
The parallel storyline with the werewolves only serves to further underline the authors over-reliance on love as an external force/deux et machina, where magical love "imprinting2 is better than love of the characters own choosing, god forbid anyone ever has to work at a relationship or earn their happiness. If the leah-sam-emily triangle occured in any other universe, it would be considered an evil spell and the true love would be considered to be between leah and sam.

Again the potentially most interesting parts of the book are dismissed here: the epic fight that never was (the fact that this was achieved by Bella's "quiet"...."mind" literally results in the insipid non-character place-holder infecting the rest of the book. But dont worry because we now have even more time for.........Edward+Bella. If I have to hear the phrases 'my love' 'my darling' 'like a fairytale' one more time....

The book is however redeemed by Bella's difficult and rich emotional journey both as an unintended mother and as a new vampire afraid of the darker sides of her own nature, dealing with the functional consequences of immortality, becoming a new species that is the natural predator of her old one and the consequences this must have upon her mind emotions spititality personality,...............Oh wait no, she's just... so... unbelievably happy that she actually.....cant believe it!
Meyers idea of the vampire incarnation of an already questionable character is to make her slightly more bratty. yay.

The fact that she has magical self control as a new vampire blands this book beyond the pale, that was the only possible conflict for her character in the book! Well..there is that epic battle at the end..oh wait no, again! ***SPOILER ALERT*** The fact that she is the heroine of the ?battle? due to her new vampire powers but doesnt suffer the usual consequences of becoming a new born vampire means that she shows no true heroism or bravery.

I blame not just the author who is creepily emotionally involved with her characters, I also feel the editors should have reined her in more to produce something slightly more interesting and reasonable. I cant recommend this book to readers as even many twilight fans who love the series wish that they could unread this book.