Breaking Dawn-I'm in the middle about it

[Carrisa]

I'm on the fence about the whole thing. The first half of the book seemed to fit just right with everything else, but right after that it all seemed to get out of line.

Reasons I didn't like:

Everything after the wedding seemed redundant. They went on about the same thing over and over again.
Reading Jacob's POV was torture.
All the hype of Bella being a newborn was down played to nothing but needless worrying.
Jacob imprinting on Bella's daughter. That just seemed off, out of line.
The fight was also nothing but senseless hype. I don't like characters dying either, but I also don't like being led on about something that never happened.

Reasons I liked:

Bella finally married Edward and turned into a vampire.
Getting to know more interesting vampires.
A relatively happy ending.
The wedding was beautiful but also dramatic. (Dramtic being the whole Jacob part.)

Maybe my mind will change when I make my way to reading BD a second time, but for right now this is where I stand.

[XxXhemiiXxX]

I all around loved Breaking dawn. It was sweet, funny, and action packed.

But...

i didn't like the fact that bella got everything she wanted
a kid
edward
jacob in her life
and no one she cared about died

I'm glad nothing bad happened but that ending was way too happy it seemed to unreal even though it was a fictional vampire love story. and the only person that died was a minor (kinda unliked) character. there was all this build up as if something bad was gunna happen. then poof! NOTHING BUT HAPPINESS.

i loved the book it was awesome. but it coul've been so much better

[XxXhemiiXxX]

I'm on the fence about the whole thing. The first half of the book seemed to fit just right with everything else, but right after that it all seemed to get out of line.

Reasons I didn't like:

Everything after the wedding seemed redundant. They went on about the same thing over and over again.
Reading Jacob's POV was torture.
All the hype of Bella being a newborn was down played to nothing but needless worrying.
Jacob imprinting on Bella's daughter. That just seemed off, out of line.
The fight was also nothing but senseless hype. I don't like characters dying either, but I also don't like being led on about something that never happened.

Reasons I liked:

Bella finally married Edward and turned into a vampire.
Getting to know more interesting vampires.
A relatively happy ending.
The wedding was beautiful but also dramatic. (Dramtic being the whole Jacob part.)

Maybe my mind will change when I make my way to reading BD a second time, but for right now this is where I stand.

ditto reading jacobs POV was torture. mainly because he thinks so terribly about edward (thats sooooo not cool)

[SAA]

I'm in the middle because I felt that this book read like a fan fiction. Not in the way it was written, but in the actions and plot. Pregnancy is something I would write in a fan-fiction. It was nothing I thought I'd see in the actual book. Yet, would there BE a book if she had not gotten pregnant? Looking at it now, the whole book would have to be about her change and Jacob.

I also agree that Jacob's book was hard to get through. It took me a while to really get it all done. Sometimes I would just blow through pages. Not because I wanted to, but because I knew that by doing that I could get to Bella's transformation. Now that was good, but could have used more...well if she had more trouble it would have been better. Thats another thing about the Fan-fiction aspect. Everything seemed to fit to well. I mean, let her have SOME trouble. I could see her kill at least one guy in passing...or some bad guy. Like in death note.

On the other hand, the wedding scene was nice. It was something I hope to have some day. That love you feel for someone else. But...still...ok.

[twilight1909]

A personal issue of mine was the lack of romantic details in BD. We got descriptions when they kissed and cuddled during the other books but not when the big buildup finally happened. I was waiting for Bella and Edward to take their relationship to the next level, and SM just skipped over that part of the honeymoon. I felt the same about Bella’s first night as a vampire. Sure I can use my imagination, but just a few more details during two occasions...that's not too much to ask for in 700+ pages.
Don’t get me wrong, I know these are young adult books. I’m not saying there should have been graphic visuals or crude commentary, but a little sensual description wouldn’t hurt anybody! Certainly teenagers know it’s okay to have sex with your husband/wife, and they know how it works. At least SM did the right thing by waiting for Edward and Bella to get married.
Anyway, I mention this because I found the physical aspect romantic and necessary after so much time of caution and ignoring that desire. There was a much deeper connection there, sex just allowed Edward and Bella to explore a new outlet for the love and passion they felt for each other. After reading many of your responses, however, it's a good thing SM skimped out on details. There would have been a lot more backlash about the sex, seeing as people said there was too much of it and the young and/or conservative crowd felt uncomfortable.


Other things I wasn't fond of but came to terms with:
Charlie’s acceptance of ignorance (he was always overprotective and nosy)
Bella almost left Edward suicidal again (and she didn’t seem to care)
Renesmee overshadows the love story (essential to the Twilight saga)
Jacob’s imprinting on Bella’s child (though it grew on me) and a few dragging parts of his POV (though it did make me like him)
Bella loses nothing to become immortal (wasn’t that at the heart of Edward and Bella’s conflict?)


In exception to all that, I loved the book and the turns it took. I wasn't sure at first but, what can I say, I'm guilty of the Rob Effect in both aspects. If Bella had not had Renesmee, her and Edward would never have had a child together. Edward hated the thought of that; Bella didn't mind at first, but then she tapped into her motherly instincts. Anyway, now they have each other and a daughter and can live happily ever after in their "perfect piece of forever." yay!

As for the epic battle we all thought was coming - we were wrong to assume that. All of this disappointment is unnecessary. The cover of BD not only depicts Bella’s transformation, but it alludes to the “anticlimactic” ending. Like the art of playing chess, the battle revolved about mind tricks and manipulation, not a physical attack. It was a power game: which pieces could be used effectively? SM even used a page from The Merchant of Venice as a place for Alice’s clue - another story that centers on impending doom but does not end in bloodshed. (Would we have wanted that, anyway? Living without some of the Cullens? I don't think so!) Also, Carlisle repeatedly told everyone that there would not be a fight, only a chance to prove their innocence. They achieved their goal without violence and exposed the Volturi for what they really are. That’s a pretty big feat.

I encourage everyone to listen to SM interviews or read the FAQ on her website to get a better understanding of Breaking Dawn.

[xXBeSafeXx]

I'm on the fence about the whole thing. The first half of the book seemed to fit just right with everything else, but right after that it all seemed to get out of line.

Reasons I didn't like:

Everything after the wedding seemed redundant. They went on about the same thing over and over again.
Reading Jacob's POV was torture.
All the hype of Bella being a newborn was down played to nothing but needless worrying.
Jacob imprinting on Bella's daughter. That just seemed off, out of line.
The fight was also nothing but senseless hype. I don't like characters dying either, but I also don't like being led on about something that never happened.

Reasons I liked:

Bella finally married Edward and turned into a vampire.
Getting to know more interesting vampires.
A relatively happy ending.
The wedding was beautiful but also dramatic. (Dramtic being the whole Jacob part.)

Maybe my mind will change when I make my way to reading BD a second time, but for right now this is where I stand.

Those were my thoughts exactly...Except for the part about Jacob's booked. I like being able to see where he was coming from, because I had never liked Jacob before. Although I didn't like it at all when he down-talked the Cullens.

See, when I found out that Bella was pregnant, I had to stop reading. I almost threw my book across the room, but then I thought about how sad I would be when my book was damaged. I couldn't stand it at first. But the more I thought about it, I liked it a bit more. But not enough to say that I liked it. I waited quite a while to post on one of these threads, becuase my feelings toward the book kept changing. But I finally decided on this one because I think Stephenie did a great job, and I'm happy that she surprised us all and steered the book in the direction she had intended, but it didn't satisfy me completely for the reasons listed above.^^ But mostly because, as someone else before me said, all three books before this were about choice. She chose, and was willing to give up some things to be with Edward becuase she loved him. She knew she wouldn't be able to see her family again, at least for quite a while, she knew she couldn't have kids, etc, etc. And then everything's just all hunky-dory. She can resist the scent of human blood, she can see Charlie everyday, she doesn't have to hide much from him, etc, etc. It was like a Disney movie. Perfect happy ending.

[EdwardNJessi]

[Those were my thoughts exactly...Except for the part about Jacob's booked. I like being able to see where he was coming from, because I had never liked Jacob before. Although I didn't like it at all when he down-talked the Cullens.

See, when I found out that Bella was pregnant, I had to stop reading. I almost threw my book across the room, but then I thought about how sad I would be when my book was damaged. I couldn't stand it at first. But the more I thought about it, I liked it a bit more. But not enough to say that I liked it. I waited quite a while to post on one of these threads, becuase my feelings toward the book kept changing. But I finally decided on this one because I think Stephenie did a great job, and I'm happy that she surprised us all and steered the book in the direction she had intended, but it didn't satisfy me completely for the reasons listed above.^^ But mostly because, as someone else before me said, all three books before this were about choice. She chose, and was willing to give up some things to be with Edward becuase she loved him. She knew she wouldn't be able to see her family again, at least for quite a while, she knew she couldn't have kids, etc, etc. And then everything's just all hunky-dory. She can resist the scent of human blood, she can see Charlie everyday, she doesn't have to hide much from him, etc, etc. It was like a Disney movie. Perfect happy ending.

Totally unrelated, but I LOVE your banner, BeSafe!!!!

[Carrisa]

XxXhemiiXxX

It wasn't so much what he said about Edward as it was his dark mood. He sat around thinking how miserable his life was and so on.... I don't like depressing books, so it killed me when I had to read about "poor down in the dumps Jacob."

xXBeSafeXx

Yes, it is nice to see things in another characters perspective and know what they're feeling and what motivates them rather than guessing, but, again, Jacob's bitterness toward life got nerve-racking. Dark and despair! Personally I liked Jacob before he was a werewolf and he didn't have such a sour taste in his mouth about everything. This, however, serves another topic entirely. It simply wasn't pleasurable for me.

Yes, I agree. And don't get me wrong, I am considerably happy for Jacob: it's like he's his old self again. But the reason why he is just seems kind of awkward.

[bitetheapple3494]

I all around loved Breaking dawn. It was sweet, funny, and action packed.

But...

i didn't like the fact that bella got everything she wanted
a kid
edward
jacob in her life
and no one she cared about died

I'm glad nothing bad happened but that ending was way too happy it seemed to unreal even though it was a fictional vampire love story. and the only person that died was a minor (kinda unliked) character. there was all this build up as if something bad was gunna happen. then poof! NOTHING BUT HAPPINESS.

i loved the book it was awesome. but it coul've been so much better

I feel the same way you did. There were some parts I really really loved, especially in the first section. But on the other hand, it was kind of hard to relate to Bella after she became a vampire and everything was so perfect. In my opinion, characters need struggles to make them interesting and believable, and at the end of this book Bella didn't really have any.

[88bin]

When i began reading the book i was in love just like with all the others. The wedding, the honeymoon it just was all well written & beautiful and I actually really like that Bella fell pregnant. When i first came across Jacobs point of view it seemed irrelivent but I did enjoy reading it & after reading SM's reasoning it makes sense that Jacob did more at that point of time then Bella who was just getting bigger & in pain.

The book really took a nose dive for me when it went back to Bella's point of view. I liked all the ideas and can understand how she would find being a newborn easy - she did know what to expect & also had Renesmee to look after, I can also understand that Edward would be less protective over her now she is a vampire but it really seemed wrong. All the charactors changed, the writting seemed rushed ( i can understand that Stephanie is under pressure) it didnt go into anywhere near as much detail as the first books, and too much information was shoved in the end (introducing all the new vampires just to finish the series?).

I think that the book should of been finished in Jacobs point of view just after the birth & then another book written from Bella's point of view following all the after events in much more detail.