Breaking Dawn is one of those books where I really feel like I got my money's worth (and more, honestly), if that makes sense. It is one long book, but for fans of the Twilight Saga, it might still not be quite enough.
I could talk for days about the plot- there's a LOT there. Stephenie Meyer probably could have split Breaking Dawn into two or three books, and Twilight fans would have bought them all. Kudos to Meyer for letting us have it all in one package! I don't want to spoil anything, though. I managed to make it through all the original fandom without finding out even a quarter of what happens in this book, and I don't want to ruin it for anyone else out there. Just know that you will get some of the most romantic romance I've read in a YA book recently, some really intense mind-blowing medical drama, lots of friendship development, and plenty of character growth. All in one!
I can talk about the intensity of the writing skill in Breaking Dawn without spoilers. During the romantic scenes, I totally swooned. Know that I do not swoon easily! I tend to be more realistic and label romantic scenes as cheesy, but there were some bits early in the book where I was ready to try to marry into the Cullen family! (Hubby: not really. Don't worry. They're fictional.) I think what I liked best is that the romantic scenes between characters in this book weren't all about kissing/bedroom eyes: there was action. The characters showed affection for each other in very realistic ways, like in spending time with each other, just holding hands, cooking for each other, etc. The setting didn't hurt either: I won't tell you where the characters travel to (it was a surprise for a character as much as for me), but I will tell you that Meyer does a fantastic time painting the landscape for the reader. I had no trouble being transported to that place with those characters. On the flip side, the descriptions were just as vivid during intense medical drama and fights-I got pretty nervous during a few of the scenes and had to take a moment to think about baby pandas instead. Oh my!
I can also talk about character growth without any plot spoilers. Remember how I called Bella a "dramarama mama" in my review of Eclipse? She definitely shows the most growth in Breaking Dawn. In just one book, she takes on multiple new responsibilities, all without complaint. We see her transition from an unsure, clumsy high schooler to a conscientious young adult. She's not the only one, either: Jacob, I feel, also shows quite a bit of growth throughout this book as he also takes on some new responsibilities. And finally, we can also look at the big picture and see growth in the relationships between supernatural groups, such as between the La Push werewolves and the Cullen vampires. (There's more than just that, but that would be spoilery. Teaser!)
Meyer does something cool with point of view in Breaking Dawn. At the end of Eclipse, there's an epilogue from Jacob's point of view. In Breaking Dawn, there's an entire chunk of the book from his point of view. That was pretty cool. While Bella isn't a vampire, she's very tied up in the Cullens and their lifestyle, and not the most objective observer. I liked getting to see the Cullens from a slightly more critical eye. And we all already know that I've been Team Jacob. ;)
Don't think that Breaking Dawn is all lovey dovey hand-holding and character growth: there's also a definite conflict. That should probably be Conflict with a capital "c," really. It's like all the other books' conflicts were piddly little set-ups compared to what's building in Forks, WA in Breaking Dawn! This is hard to talk about without spoilers. Just trust me that you will not be disappointed!
I listened to about half (the first half) on CD in my car, then finished it up in a physical book. Nothing wrong with the narration; I just had more listening to do than I had time, and I can read slightly faster than I can listen. The same narrator reads for the Bella parts in Breaking Dawn, and a new reader is introduced for the Jacob parts. We already know that I think the Bella narrator is great; the Jacob narrator was ok. He read clearly and with a good cadence, but his voice when he was reading quotes from Bella or Edward got a bit goofy. Oh well. I'd still call it a good audiobook overall.
This series definitely ends on a crowd-pleasing bang! For fans of the first three Twilight books, I'd say that Breaking Dawn is an absolute must.
I could talk for days about the plot- there's a LOT there. Stephenie Meyer probably could have split Breaking Dawn into two or three books, and Twilight fans would have bought them all. Kudos to Meyer for letting us have it all in one package! I don't want to spoil anything, though. I managed to make it through all the original fandom without finding out even a quarter of what happens in this book, and I don't want to ruin it for anyone else out there. Just know that you will get some of the most romantic romance I've read in a YA book recently, some really intense mind-blowing medical drama, lots of friendship development, and plenty of character growth. All in one!
I can talk about the intensity of the writing skill in Breaking Dawn without spoilers. During the romantic scenes, I totally swooned. Know that I do not swoon easily! I tend to be more realistic and label romantic scenes as cheesy, but there were some bits early in the book where I was ready to try to marry into the Cullen family! (Hubby: not really. Don't worry. They're fictional.) I think what I liked best is that the romantic scenes between characters in this book weren't all about kissing/bedroom eyes: there was action. The characters showed affection for each other in very realistic ways, like in spending time with each other, just holding hands, cooking for each other, etc. The setting didn't hurt either: I won't tell you where the characters travel to (it was a surprise for a character as much as for me), but I will tell you that Meyer does a fantastic time painting the landscape for the reader. I had no trouble being transported to that place with those characters. On the flip side, the descriptions were just as vivid during intense medical drama and fights-I got pretty nervous during a few of the scenes and had to take a moment to think about baby pandas instead. Oh my!
I can also talk about character growth without any plot spoilers. Remember how I called Bella a "dramarama mama" in my review of Eclipse? She definitely shows the most growth in Breaking Dawn. In just one book, she takes on multiple new responsibilities, all without complaint. We see her transition from an unsure, clumsy high schooler to a conscientious young adult. She's not the only one, either: Jacob, I feel, also shows quite a bit of growth throughout this book as he also takes on some new responsibilities. And finally, we can also look at the big picture and see growth in the relationships between supernatural groups, such as between the La Push werewolves and the Cullen vampires. (There's more than just that, but that would be spoilery. Teaser!)
Meyer does something cool with point of view in Breaking Dawn. At the end of Eclipse, there's an epilogue from Jacob's point of view. In Breaking Dawn, there's an entire chunk of the book from his point of view. That was pretty cool. While Bella isn't a vampire, she's very tied up in the Cullens and their lifestyle, and not the most objective observer. I liked getting to see the Cullens from a slightly more critical eye. And we all already know that I've been Team Jacob. ;)
Don't think that Breaking Dawn is all lovey dovey hand-holding and character growth: there's also a definite conflict. That should probably be Conflict with a capital "c," really. It's like all the other books' conflicts were piddly little set-ups compared to what's building in Forks, WA in Breaking Dawn! This is hard to talk about without spoilers. Just trust me that you will not be disappointed!
I listened to about half (the first half) on CD in my car, then finished it up in a physical book. Nothing wrong with the narration; I just had more listening to do than I had time, and I can read slightly faster than I can listen. The same narrator reads for the Bella parts in Breaking Dawn, and a new reader is introduced for the Jacob parts. We already know that I think the Bella narrator is great; the Jacob narrator was ok. He read clearly and with a good cadence, but his voice when he was reading quotes from Bella or Edward got a bit goofy. Oh well. I'd still call it a good audiobook overall.
This series definitely ends on a crowd-pleasing bang! For fans of the first three Twilight books, I'd say that Breaking Dawn is an absolute must.
