Breaking Dawn (Stephenie Meyer) | Book Review #18

[ The Twilight Saga, Book 4 ]

This is my favorite book of the series, and I've never been entirely sure why. Perhaps I have, but I'm almost ashamed to admit it. Bella is such a better person once she becomes a vampire... I'm sorry, but it's true.

Book: Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, 4) by Stephenie Meyer

39 chapters, 754 pgs.

Started: November 5, 2022

Finished: November 30, 2022

The Description

In the explosive finale to the epic romantic saga, Bella has one final choice to make. Should she stay mortal and strengthen her connection to the werewolves, or leave it all behind to become a vampire?

When you loved the one who was killing you, it left you no options. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give, how could you not give it? If it was someone you truly loved?

To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife have led her to the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or to pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fates of two tribes hangs.

This astonishing, breathlessly anticipated conclusion to the Twilight Saga illuminates the secrets and mysteries of this spellbinding romantic epic.

PART ONE: Bella (Human)

There's a bit of melancholy that came with starting this book. Not only is it the end of the series, but Bella's life ends here. Well, since we're reading this from Bella's point of view, her life is only beginning. I wish there were more books in this series. I could live forever inside this universe that Stephenie Meyer has beautifully crafted.

The moment that Bella became my favorite character was during the entire honeymoon sequence, from getting ready to go skinny dipping with Edward to all of the "naughty time" that they have.

My only issue with this book arose with Bella's pregnancy. In Meyer's world, vampire women aren't capable of conceiving children because they're more or less dead people. Their bodies are frozen in time. Vampire men should be the same. Their bodies should be frozen just the same, making them sterile and unable to produce sperm, making Bella's pregnancy logically unrealistic.

PART TWO: Jacob

When I discovered that Jacob was getting his PoV section, I thought I would be dealing with a pity party, some aggression, and a boo-hoo thing about losing Bella... I was partially right, but I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would.

I was excited to learn about Jacob's thought process. Since it was revealed in New Moon that he was a werewolf, I started rooting for him to take over Sam's position as Alpha. It was interesting to see that from Jacob's perspective. It wouldn't have been as interesting to see this from Bella's point of view.

PART THREE: Bella (Vampire)

YES! The moment this entire series has been building up to has finally happened! I screamed at the top of my lungs when I got to this point. My boyfriend thought that my sanity had snapped. I'm so happy to finally have Bella stop nagging about wanting to be a vampire and be with Edward forever.

The most interesting part of this book isn't Bella's transformation or how well she adjusted to this new lifestyle. It was getting to meet the many different personalities of Carlisle's vampire allies. It was also very entertaining to listen to the audiobook narrator master the multitude of different accents that each vampire had. I'd re-read this book to hear it again.

Final Thoughts

This entire series has been such an incredible read. I don't regret reading a single page. Regrettably, I am thankful that it is over, but only because it took my best friend and me nearly forever to read this series for our Bestie Book Club.

My favorite of the series would have to have been Midnight Sun. Even though Bella's perspective allowed us to experience this vampire universe with fresh eyes, getting a peek inside Edward's thoughts on this introduction to the love story that shook the nation back in 2005, it was truly a masterpiece to read.

Rating and Recommendation

4 out of 5 stars

I recommend this series, even if you've already seen the movies. There's so much more to enjoy in these books, and the character development is incredible.

Whenever I read books by an author, I try to remain open-minded and read more of their books. Meyer doesn’t have many other books besides this series, but I will be adding The Host and The Chemist to my “to-be-read” list.