Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
Cara von Wrangel Kinsey, New York Public Library -- School Library Journal, 8/11/2008
MEYER, Stephenie. Breaking Dawn. Bk. 4. 768p. (The Twilight Saga). Little, Brown. 2008. Tr $22.99. ISBN 978-0-316-06792-8. LC 2008928027.
Gr 9 Up–Meyer closes her epic love story of a human, a vampire, and a werewolf in this, the final installment of the “Twilight” saga. The story opens with Bella and Edward’s wedding, and with relations between Jacob and Bella remaining uneasy. On honeymoon and unshackled from any further concerns about premarital sex, Edward fulfills his promise to consummate their marriage before he changes Bella into a vampire. An unexpected conception throws their idyllic world back into chaos as factions (both wolf and vampire) battle over whether or not to destroy the potential monster that is killing Bella from within. The captivating angst, passions, and problems manage to satisfyingly fill pages where surprisingly little action takes place, even after the powerful child’s birth brings the Cullen family under the scrutiny of the Volturi. The international cadre of vampires who come to the Cullens’s aid are fascinating, but distract from the development of prime characters at a pivotal moment. The novel begins and ends with Bella’s voice, while Jacob narrates the middle third of the tale, much like the final pages of Eclipse (Little, Brown 2007). While this novel is darker and more mature than the earlier titles, Meyer’s twists and turns are not out of character. Fans may distress as the happy ending for everyone, including a girl for Jacob, lessens the importance and pain of tough decisions and difficult self-sacrifices that caused great grief in previous books, but they will flock to it and enjoy it nonetheless.
