Author: Stephenie Meyer
First published in 2008.
Thickness: 756 pages
Personal rating: 4 stars
In short
The fourth and last installment of the Twilight Sage thus far, depicting what happens after Edward gets what he wants and can marry Bella, and what happens after Bella gets what she wants, a passionfilled night with Edward while she is still human.
Bella gets pregnant of a half human, half vampiric child and dies delivering the baby. Not exactly dies, but is restored to full immortality and all the benefits that come along with that. Although there are drawbacks, Bella adapts to the new way of life like she was born to be a vampire.
Happily living with Edward, their daughter and still having Jacob and Charlie in her life, her new life becomes threatened when the Volturi decide to stop by and kill their lot, because of the accusations of someone not knowing what she saw.
Facing ultimate destruction, the Cullen clan try their best finding a way out.
My two cents
My second read of this novel, I have to say that Breaking Dawn is my most favourite novel of the Twilight Saga. Many would disagree but I find it much more interesting having a Bella character that can decide and act for herself rather than having to depend on her 'superhero' boyfriend.
It makes for interesting debacles and situations, otherwise would have been much of what I've read in the previous novels. Bella always clumsy and always having her knight in shining armour helping her out, whether in Edward or Jacob form.
Also the addition of a child was a wonderful idea. Love is completed when a child comes from it, and Renesmee is surely an interesting little creature, more so because Jacob imprinted on her. Gives the whole Bella-Edward-Jacob triangle finally a reason and an ending.
The only one I feel sorry for is Leah, it seems like she is the only one left hanging, although she would snarl if you would ever put it like that when she was near. All of them having a purpose and she not truly belonging amongst the wolves nor vampires.
Before the imprinting, I could've seen something in the very far future between her and Jacob, but that's out of the question now.
In the end, the only thing I do regret is the anticlimatic battle with the Volturi. I'm not saying I'm not glad they won and because of Bella, but this novel could've been much better when the ending hadn't been so happy. At the moment, I know that the novel will be pushed back to the outer realms of my memory fairly quickly, while with a slightly lesser happy ending it would have lingered a little longer. Maybe I'm just a sucker for drama, but just saying.
