Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

It seemed that with each new book in the captivating Twilight series that Stephanie Meyer created fresh, emotional, and somehow realistic (in spite of the obvious supernatural connection) plotlines with the solid characters we've grown to love. Except, that is, for this final installment. (**Spoiler Warning**) Was I expecting Edward and Bella to declare their undying (literally) love? Of course. Did I think Jacob would finally imprint? Certainly. Did I suspect that there would be an ultimate showdown between the Cullens and their various antagonists? Without a shadow of a doubt. These, at least, Stephanie Meyer does deliver. But I did NOT expect it all to play out as it did in Breaking Dawn. Right from the get-go, Breaking Dawn seems to cast its familiar characters in unfamiliar, uncharacteristic lights. It then manages to go from awkward to just plain weird and wrong. Its soap opera-esque qualities could be expected to be found in any trashy, run-of-the-mill vampire/sci-fi paperback- not our beloved Twilight Series! In the story's narration, it was almost a relief to get into Jacob Black's semi-normal werewolf brain, as opposed to idling in Edward-Bella Impossible/Odd Conflict Land. The return to Bella's point of view is slightly more grounded, but unrelatable, predictable, and... just weird. Not even her long-awaited transformation can make up for the cheesy, random events that any amateur fan fiction writer could have cooked up. When I waited in line at my local bookstore, counting down the seconds until I could hold this book in my hands, I was expecting, if not a masterpiece, at least something equivalent to its predecessors. What I got instead was a total whirlwhind of "WHAT?"s and "Are you serious?"es. Yes, Ms. Meyer may claim that this is the finish always intended for Edward and Bella. But, to be honest, I kind of wish she'd have just kept this ending to herself and left us hanging with realistic, relatable, satisfying decisions made in Eclipse. One can't help but wonder if the only reason Meyer wrote what she wrote was to keep from avoiding any cliches or "boring" expectations. If that was the case, I wish her a congratulations. We're not bored, but we are totally confused, weirded out, and miffed. Readers are, at least, spared an unfinished or depressing ending. Sighs of relief are allowable. However, I almost would have rather had a few more sufferings if it meant that the ending of this book were as thematic, inspiring, and downwright sophisticated as the denoument of this saga could and should have been.