Breaking Dawn Review *SPOILER ALERT*
*SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER*
Let me just start out with this: I loved this book.
As a new but avid fan of the Twilight series, I thought this was a great way to end it and tie up all the loose ends. Renesmee solved a lot of problems - Edward got to be a daddy, Bella didn't miss out on anything "human", and Jacob got his true love, but was still tied to Bella through her. Now I know many peope said it was too fairy tale and happy ending and all that, but what did you expect? It's YA. Most YA books end with either learning a life changing lesson, a happy ending, or usually both.
Rosalie's role in the book was fantastic. I love that she was brought in more, where she hadn't played that much of a role in the other books. Most people that I've read hate Rosalie for her role in this book, but as a very serious pro-lifer, it only helps me to respect her even more. Most people will say that she doesn't care about Bella's life at all, that she's just using her as an incubator for little Nessie, and even though this is partly true, I don't think that that's really the full explanation.
Put yourself in Rosalie's shoes. All you ever wanted from life was to be a mother, but the chance was taken away from you. Now you have to live forever without any hope of ever reaching your one goal. And then your brother's wife calls telling you that she's pregnant, and that she needs your help protecting her baby from a forced abortion. The thoughts that I think were running through Rosalie's head at this point in time were, "A baby? There will be a baby in the house. This has to happen...... I know if I was pregnant, I wouldn't want ANYONE coming near my baby with anything harmful.... I'm going to help Bella out." You may disagree, but I really think some of what Rosalie did was good intentions for Bella, even though that's definitely not all of it. BD made me like and respect Rosalie more.
As for Jacob imprinting on Renesmee... I didn't see it coming. I, like Bella was expecting a litte EJ to come along... The green-eyed boy of her dreams. I was so caught up in what was going on with Bella when we found out that it was a little girl, not a boy, that I didn't even have time to think about the implications of what could go on. So what do I think bout it? I'm thrilled. It makes sense that since Bella and Jacob almost fit together, like 2 nearly matched puzzle pieces, that he would fall in love with someone who is part Bella. Definitely weird, but whatever. Every family has its drama... The Cullen family just happens to have more than most.
Do I think the whole vamp/human hybrid thing was a bit far-fetched? Of course it's far-fetched! But what else did you expect? When you're reading a book about vampires and werewolves you should never complain about how "out there" it gets. This is a fairy tale about super-natural creatures. Oddities are to be expected. Who would've known we'd be blessed with an oddity like little Renesmee? And yes, the name is weird. But so is the kid... I think a half vampire half human deserves a unique name. It's not so bad once you get used to it. Cute even.
To tie this all together, I'd like to say that Stephenie Meyer is an amazing YA fiction writer. She stayed within the genre she started out in, so I don't think she should be penalized for that. I love the whole series, it's an excellent twist on the Romeo and Juliet star-crossed lovers story. I've loved every minute of it, and I can't wait till Midnight Sun comes out to get Edward's take on things. I'll miss Bella, Edward, Jacob, Alice, and everyone else, and I hope they have a wonderful happily ever after.