Monday, August 18, 2008

Review 1: Breaking Dawn

Title: Breaking Dawn
Author: Stephanie Meyer
Publisher: Little Brown and Co.
Rating: 8.5/10
The Lowdown:
Caution: reviews contains spoilers
We left Bella and Edward engaged at the end of Eclipse. And now, after almost one year, we meet them again in Breaking Dawn (shortened to just BD in this review.) A lot of people were pissed off by Meyer's new book, because of the ridiculously happy ending and the stupid message that it portrayed.
Before buying my copy of the book from Kroger's, the reviews had made me a tad bit skeptical. But anyways, I spent 14 bucks on this book and after almost one day of reading it (the book goes by fast) I am extremely satisfied by the ending. Call me a softie at the heart, but to all the BD haters, I got one message for you: Buzz. Off.
Yes, there is a lot more, uh, physical intimacy in this book than all the other books combined. But it's after marriage, of course, since Meyer is a Mormon. There's also a baby involved (half-vampire, half-human), Bella becomes a vampire with total self-control, her baby is a genius, and the baby causes them to mess with the Volturi.
How. Awesome.
The Good:
A. The writing was clear, but the length of the book was way too long, and it was sort of like Harry Potter 5: unnecessarily lengthy.
B. The narration of Jacob. Totally kewl and unexpected.
C. I'm on Team Edward, so obviously this book is my fav.
D. Less of Bella roaming around and moping (totally annoying.)
E. The Volturi are back!
F. The vampire appendix.
The Bad:
A. The unnecessary length.
B. The weirdness of Bella suddenly wanting to be a mother. I agree that was freaky weird.
C. The plot is excellent at beginning, horrible at the middle, and OK at the end.
D. Jacob imprinting on Bella's daughter. WTH??? (But it does make sense.)
E. Meyer publishing a official guide and movie guide. Does she just wants more money from the franchise now that it's over, or is Midnight Sun abandoned so soon?
The Consensus:
Some people are extremely concerned about the message that this book delivers. Heck, someone hacked into Twilight Lexicon to protest the ending! And Stephenie, poor Steph, lashed back at the readers. Seriously, though, the hacking thing is not cool. But anyways, the book can be interpreted as if to say that marriage is the ultimate goal in a girl's life, because Bella does not get an education. However, this was Bella's choice, and Edward wanted her to go to college so bad, he probably hacked into Dartmouth and got her in. So, ultimately, it was Bella's choice, and it's not Steph that is trying to deliver this subliminal message. She's staying totally in character, and you know what, people. Sometimes, girls can get everything they want. So if Bella's life is perfect, I totally agree with it. It could have been better, but it was OK.
I wonder why no one lashed out against Harry Potter 7. I mean, it was a pretty happy ending, after all.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with you about Breaking Dawn... creepy much?