SPOILER WARNING!
I just thought I'd throw in a few things about about Breaking Dawn. It's been a while since I finished it, but I had to chew it over, and now that I finished the series, I turned to the fandom to check what's going on over there. I still have a lot of catching up to do on that front:)
I've read that one almost overnight, literally, it was riveting.
In the first two books I felt very badly for Jacob. His pain was almost heartbreaking. Prior to the book, I wondered how things with him will turn out. It didn't look likely that Bella would choose him over Edward; if she has never met Edward, then maybe, but as it is ...
It was very clever of Stephanie to make Jacob the narrator in the second book. We got a clear view of the extent of his love for Bella and his suffering because of it. We also got some of the pack dynamics firsthand (or firstpaw, should I say). He was more or less a helpless witness through Bella's quick pregnancy and transformation; I don't know what he would have done with himself for the rest of his life if he didn't imprint on Bella's daughter.
Although Edward and Bella didn't like this at first, I find it a perfect solution: it's as if Jacob's Bella and Edward's Bella split in two persons: one remaining Bella (Edward's Bella) and the other, Jacob's Bella -- becoming Renesmee. After the transformation, Bella admits that she no longer longs for Jacob; she dismisses her need for him as some human weakness, but maybe she feels that way because that part of her went into Renesmee.
I must admit that Bella's transformatiion in a vampire worried me a bit because of all the things about newborns that we learnt in Eclipse. Bella herself was worried, too, at one point -- about how she would not be able to think of anything else but her thirst, how that can even obscure her love for Edward, how she would not be able to see her parents or any human friends.
But her trasnformation exceeded anyone's expectations. True, she felt thirst, but it was not anything like blinding obssession. My explanation is that Bella's chief motive for becoming a vampire was her love for Edward. This somehow kept her mind focused, this was the core of her being and so she managed to keep it through the transformation. What's more, her llove and desire for him became even stronger as her mind and abilites expanded when she turned into a vampire. It suited her perfectly, which made me accept it more easily. Her gift is remarkable. Finally, we have an explanation why Edward couldn't read her thoughts or the Voulturi torture her. It turns out that her mind carries a kind of protective shield which does not allow any outer influence, manipulation, illusions, nothing from the outside. Ultimately, it was her gift that saved them, or at least significantly contributed to their saving from the Volturi. At first glance, it doesn't look like a powerful talent: it doesn't sound as cool as reading minds or foreseeing the future. Its power is protection not intrusion or attack.
I liked the ending very much: finally Bella got what she wanted and managed somehow to bring all the people she cares about together. She is with Edward and the Cullens, she has her daughter, she sees Jacob and the other werewolves, the treaty is upheld. She bridges the gap among humans, vampires and werewolves. She even manages to see Charlie, and to keep the secret from him at the same time. No wonder the Volturi wanted her. She's eons away from the average girl she saw herself as at the onset of Twilight.
It's always good to have a big showdown towards the end, but I find that the Volturi overreacted; surely, a single vampire child (as they saw Renesmee) couldn't pose much of a treat for them. OK, the werewolves could be a problem for them as well. They like to show off, but still ... it just a bit patched up to me.
Overall, I enjoyed Breaking Dawn enormously. It's a great end to the series.
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