Discussion of Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (CAUTION:SPOILERS!!!)

Well, someone was going to start this soon. Remember to those who are popping in: There will be SPOILERS. We've warned you.

Who's ready to discuss?

I read the first half this afternoon, and am going to read the second half this evening. I was satisfied with the book. Even though the ending was cliche, this is the first time I didn't mind it.I hated how much of an ***hole Jacob was during the wedding, which I why I hate him. I'll leave some other comments as soon as I finish.

SPOILER WARNING! Content about the book is discussed in detail in this post.

(I had thought no one would post on this thread unless they finished reading the book - sorry, wingert!)

I read it pretty slow and finished the new book earlier today. All ready for discussions! :)

Did anyone think the Cullens guilty of damaging the truck so Edward could conviently give Bella a new car before the wedding? It seems that was Bella's opinion and I immediately felt she was right.

I was surprised the wedding began so soon in the book! I think it's because I had gotten used to Meyer dragging things out. It sounds like Alice got the wedding to be exactly the way she wanted it. I wish we could have seen some of Edward's reaction to Bella's wedding dress since Alice worked so hard to keep what it looked like a secret from him. I didn't understand why more werewolves weren't present, but I guess had Jacob never run away and had showed up the same way as everyone else that Jacob would have had some of them accompany him there.

When Bella decided to cook for herself one day and had some chicken that she decided was bad, my first thought was that it was food for Edward and not Bella. Had that been the case, it could be a reason as to why Edward was cooking for her so much - perhaps keeping her clear of the fridge. I thought it would be something new she might discover in a married life that she wouldn't know not living with him. As it turns out, we never hear of the vampires having blood stored other than for Renesmee (sp?), so I know that doesn't work. They probably go for stuff that's fresh, just killed, and kill their food on their own what with the thrill of hunting.

The last thing I was expecting from this book was a pregnancy. When Bella first realized she was pregnant, I was kind of rolling my eyes to her getting morning sickness so soon and looking at her stomache to see if there was a difference after missing her period by a mere five days. (Thankfully we learned this was a fast moving pregnancy.)

When Bella called Rosalie as Edward packed, my immediate thought was that she was planning on running off with Rose away from Edward. To learn all the Cullens would be at their home following Bella's wishes was shocking to me. I never was able to decide Esme's stand on Bella's pregnancy: if she felt more like Rose did, or more of the way, say that Edward did. This whole thing about the baby made me realize my prediction of Bella and Rose becoming closer was true, though that prediction had been made based on a quote revealed prior to the release. I kept wondering what Emmett's thoughts were since he and Rose can never have children as Rose made it more obvious to the eye how much she wanted at least one.

I kept wondering where Alice was at times and was sad she wasn't present more. Actually, I was disappointed in how little we saw of our regulars. They were there, but there was little talking and so much of it seemed as just background stuff.

I'm going to share more thoughts later. It's become too loud here to think clearly.

I pulled an all-nighter, getting two hours of sleep in 48 hours.
MAJOR SPOILERS IN DETAIL:

1) I was very surprised at how quick the wedding was to appear, like K mentioned above. I must say, it was a pleasant surprise. I'm really thankful for Rene's presense though, she really made the whole wedding nice. It's like Bella was finally able to relax: that was her mother's mistake, not hers.

2)I like how Seth was there for the wedding, and how Jacob showed up. Although I didn't like how he was butting into her honeymoon plans.

3)I did not care for how long Stephanie dragged out the honeymoon scene, but I did like how she wrote it. Not too much detail so it was uninteresting, but enough so we felt we really understood what was going on.

4) Pregnancy?!?! Last thing on my mind as I was reading up to it! I had no idea that was going to happen! But I liked it, it was extremely interesting. I'm sooo glad the pregnancy was fast, but I knew she was going to turn vampire in the end because of it. I just was horrified when she was saying, "broke another rib" and then Carlise, "her pelvis that time" or something like that. And then her spine!! Very well written, is all I can say.

5) Jacob's book? Come on. I picked up the book and saw that he had a chunk in the middle and was like, "WHAT?!?! You expect me to read that?" I did like it though. A bit slow, but the character developement between Leah and the rest of the pack was much needed.

6) Seperate packs, I had an inkling something like that was going to happen. I mean, why else would they tell us in Eclipse that Jacob was technically the alpha male by birth?

7) Once I read that Bella was pregnant, I knew the baby would live and Jacob would imprint on it. I kind of had my doubts because in her dreams the baby vampire was a boy, but then I thought, that's the only information that she's heard. That Tanya's mother had a baby vampire boy, so it'd make sense that she'd dream about a boy. I'm really, really glad that's how it worked out. Now we can all relax, now the Jacob's not in any emotional pain any more.

8) No, this is not a smiley face. I really, really liked that Edward could hear the baby's thoughts. I was "aawwww"ing when he said that the baby loved Bella. I had no idea what to expect. I guess more of a "new vampire" thing, more bloodthirsty and such. But I did love it once Edward started hearing it.

9) I have serious mixed feelings about Rosalie. I hated her in the beginning of Bella's pregnancy because I felt she was only doing it because she wanted her own baby. When Resemee was born, I kind of liked her because of her babysitting and genuine love for the baby. Overall: okay, still not great. My question is, how did Bella know to call Rosalie though? Why not Esme or something?

10) How the heck do you pronounce "Resemee"? Are the first two Es short Es and then the last two long? That's an interesting name for sure.

11) I loved how Bella was able to master her thirst so easily. If she wasn't able to, that'd be hard to read through. I did like reading about her arm wrestle with Emmett, I've been looking forward to that since I read it in Eclipse!

12) The Voltri. It was kind of obvious once the baby was born what the last two hundred pages were going to be about. I liked the standoff, and I'm curious to see if we'll hear any more about whether or not the Voltri fall after centuries of rule. I kind of hope they stay "royalty", if nothing else just to enforce rules.

13) Speaking of rules, Charlie!! What the heck was that all about! I think Jacob lost it there. I really, really thought that was unrealistic. I liked Charlie's reaction (and how Jacob told of Charlie's reaction to him stripping down before phasing), but I don't like that now he knows about all this.

14) I love how there will be the family: Edward, Bella, and Resemee. Forever and ever. But I have to wonder, will that Amazon guy like Resemee ever fall for her? I personally hope their paths never cross again. Not another love triangle, please! Although, this would more be like Mike was to Bella. Nice guy, but "get out now" too.

Aaaahhh, I loved that book. I think I'll go reread it now...just kidding. I need to take a break and absorb it all in.

You know, I'd call it my favorite of all three. What about you guys?

#4 A_R:

4) When they said her pelvis was broken, I immediately wonderd if they'd try to deliver the baby early.
5) Heehee. I wasn't happy about that at first, either. It got better, though! :)
8) Looks like it to me. ;) At that time, I'd first wonderd if Edward was lying at all.
9) Because she knew with absolute certain that Rose would do everything she could to make sure it was protected during the pregnancy as well as have a great interest in it's life. Rosalie let Bella know how very much she wished for a child of her own during Eclipse when she told her story to Bella. I must say I did worry about a jealousy issue with Bella becoming pregnant, but we didn't see this in Breaking Dawn at all.
10) I pronounced her name as Rez-eh-May, though I've no idea how it's supposed to be pronounced. I can't wait to hear how the others pronounced it!
This makes me think of a question I've had about Renee. Is it pronounced Reh-nay, or Re-knee??
11) I sort of figured Meyer set it up that way to make everything easier. This book is sort of a wrap up, afterall. There was a lot to cover in it. She needed Bella to have other focuses as well as her being able to be strong while seeing Charlie.
13) I was able to feel mad at Jacob for the others. His telling Charlie made me see him as an extremly immature teenage boy. He is lacking smarts and that was a bit selfish.
14) It's all about the triangles. Where would we be without them? They're so entertaining! ;)
Favorite of all three? You mean four, right? ;) Hmm. I have to think about this more.

Gah! Sorry, my math's off. I meant four, of course!

Rene=Reh-nay, at least, that's how I've always interpreted it. All the people I know are Reh-nay, not Reh-knee

I have to say, I never thought Edward was lying to Bella. He wouldn't do that. And she would have known if he was doing that.

I am very satisfied with Breaking Dawn. Suge very happy. I cried a lot because I know that some authors feel compelled to kill off characters to intensify the plot. When Bella's heart stopped, I thought that she was a goner, and I thought, 'that is why she changed perspective, the b*tch. ' I was beyond upset. But I am so grateful that my favorite person in the planet at the moment didn't kill any of my peeps.

I loved the wedding. I was glad that Jake showed up.

I totally saw the pregnancy thing coming. I can't remember where I posted that it was a possibility, albeit at the time I was referring to the (truly out there) possibility that Bella's resistance to mental assault was due to a Vampire father (like I said, out there) lol.

I loved Renesmee. I knew that she would be good even as Bella threw up fried chicken. It was sooo obvious that is where things were going. What was up with the eggs? Do eggs have the same internal make up and consistency of blood? I admit that a child like that would give me the creeps, but I found myself as drawn as any of the vamps to that exceptional baby. I was blown away that Jake imprinted!!!! on her. I did love the way the moment was described. snip snip snip. I love SM's writing.

I know we would expect something phenomenal from vampire Bella. I was also tearfully glad that she was able to overcome the newborn bloodlust disease. How COOL was Bella's wall???? YES! YES! YES! I was cheering for her when she said she would pulverize the other Shield!!! GO BELLA!!! Her superpowers were so cool and unexpected. Take that Jane you evil, sadistic, ho!

I was also very surprised that the packs separated. And the the wolfs turned out to be shapeshifters (which duh, we already new and I should have put two together).

I am extremely happy that there was no more bloodshed in that field, but I think that vermin like, Caius, Felix, Alec, Jane, and Demitri should fry. I was so wanting Kate ( I love kate!) to pull Janes brain out thru her eye sockets, after she fried the shite out of her. and then ripped her appendages. and then.... ok ok, enough violence.

I was so happy that Charlie and Sue ended up together. Like Bella, I was sad that he was alone for so long.

I love love loved that the Vanquish made an appearance, that is one sexy car!

I didn't get the title until the end, but like all her books I finally "saw the light". Breaking Dawn.

Last night I wanted to e-mail Stephenie Meyer and say: "Dear Stephenie, I come to you in tears to say, Thank you thank you thank you for not killing some of my favorite people. I am 28 and I am not ashamed to say that I had no scruples about shoving a 15 year old out of my way on Aug 2nd to get my hands on BD." If there was a way I would.

PS poor Jake he ALWAYS has competition!

On an embarrassing side note, I went to the midnight release party, but before I went to see the Mummy (which was pretty good, tho I missed Rachel Weis. I can't get used to other Evies, tho the new Evie was pretty fab. And I did miss Egypt.) After the movie, I went for a pickmeup. There was something about my imminent immersal in teen world that had my nerves on end. after a few martinis (I told the bartender ((he was smokin' btw)) not to get me drunk!) I stumbled on to the party where I made a fool of myself by joining a debate (Team Edward vs Team Jacob) I can't make sense (and I'm mystifyingly sure no one else didn) of what I was blabbering about :( That's my local Borders. How can I face these people? I can't go in there ever again.

I liked it!

Have to say: I spoiled myself with the leaks, and when I read them, I didn't quite knew what to think about them. More worse was: the complete fandom jumping at it and praying they weren't true.

After the release I checked the Lion_Lamb community again to see how the reactions would be. I was shocked to say the least. They were complete angry there and threatening!

I got my copy and started to read with an open mind. And despite all the negative reactions I had read, I loved the book! Meyer did it very nice and it was in style of the other three books. Yeah, that Bella pregnant was a bit of an raise-eyebrow-moment. But key is here: Meyer definitely learned from writing and publishing! I was expecting it to become very cheesy and Mary-Sue-ish, but Meyer opted for a difficult pregnancy with the child taking Bella's live. Still, it was a bit weird that Edward wasn't opposed to changing Bella anymore. But I guess he was so distraught with the idea of the baby killing Bella, that he went in survival mode and just did it.

Bella as a vampire was cool, but it would have been nice if she had a bit of 'start-up' problems. But I could follow Bella, I kinda expected her to be like that. You don't become a whole different person when you are a vampire. I was a bit dissappointed that it didn't came down to a huge fight, but I had never really thought of the Volturi as fighters. They visit or capture someone and torture them, but not fighters like the Deatheaters from JKR.

So yes I liked it. Bella was on the verge of being a total 'Mary Sue', but I liked her as a mother. Edward was nice, but the charming Edward that was in the first book never came back. Which is realistic I guess, because it's always like that in the beginning of a relationship. Their relationship matured so to say.

*hangs head* I went into Borders during lunch. BUT I hid behind my friend and turned my back when ever I saw an employee. They try to hide, and blend in, but the little neck thing that says "BORDERS BORDERS BORDERS" gave them away.

Don't be ashamed suge!!! I mean, how bad could it be? We all blabber when it comes to SM.

I'm still in shock...it's over!! It can't be over!! Still, there's Midnight Sun to look forward to!!!! WHOO HOO!!

Sophie- I think you have some really valid points there.

Suge- I thought Bella might be related to a vampire too in Eclipse, but I didn't really think so. I mean, what are the odds? Okay, stupid question. With Bella, odds are out of the question.

I think Bella's a much stronger characters in this book. For example, she gives her daughter, Reneesmee, away so she could fight. She also says that she's not abandoning her Quilette friends.
I cannot believe that Jacob imprinted on Reneesme.

I'll post more detailed later.

My overall impression of the book: a little dissappointed. The first three books were much better. Now please don't throw anything at me. I'm just saying it's not the best out of the series. I still love it.

#12 kirby:
I guess people will just have to throw things at both of us. I was a little disappointed, too. I can't pick a favorite that well. It's pretty tough.

***I FINISHED IT!***

Initial impression: Loved it.

more later...

:)

I loved it too elbakerone! It was a lot different from the 1st three, which i liked. there needed to be some change from the usual: Bella's in dire danger and whatnot. It had a lot of interesting and unexpected twists that made it interesting and intriguing (sp?)!

Okay so I wrote my review which gives my main thoughts and it's ridiculously long so I won't recap too much here. But I will say I really liked Jacob's part! His perspective and his humor were so much different than Bella's and I really liked how he made the decision to become an Alpha. Something about the choosing right over wrong even when it's against everything that your family/friends say was pretty powerful and I think Meyer wrote it really well.

After reading that section and Midnight Sun I almost wonder why she wrote so much of the saga from Bella's perspective. I touched on it in my review but I really hope she decides to write more novels about Forks. I could see a whole set of Cullen Chronicles with different stories told about each different member of the family. That would rock my world! :)

Uhh..yeah...back to Breaking Dawn.... I didn't see the pregnancy coming at all. Later I sort of guessed it would be a girl and Jacob would imprint, but for some reason the baby plot never even hit my radar til Bella puked up the chicken.

And I can't say I liked the name Reneesmee...but I saw a really funny thing on Facebook that said "Albus Severus was glad to not be named Nessie". Thought you guys might get a kick out of that. ;)

#16 el:

Let's all go beg Meyer for Cullen Chronicles! I feel the same way, el! :)

About the babies gender...Someone once told me it's always the opposite gender than the gender it is in your dreams. I guess that can't always be the case, but it made me wonder if it would be for Bella.

Thanks for sharing the quote! You were very right. :)

I did it! I finished it! I even reviewed it!

I haven't read this thread yet, because I wanted to get my thoughts down, first. I did a non-spoiler review, shorter than a lot of the ones out there, knowing that I could get all of my spoilerific stuff out on this thread. ;-)

Mostly, I'm just so pleased with myself. I knew that Bella was pregnant before she did . . . knew that it would be a girl and that Jacob would imprint on her within the first chapter of Jacob's section of the book . . . knew that Alice would come back . . . yeah, I'm feeling a little smug. But I didn't know that Alice would find Nahuel. And, of course, there were other surprises for me. I have to admit, somewhere in the middle I sat it down for a minute to process everything (I think this was around the time that Edward was trying to talk Jacob into being a surrogate so that Bella would agree to an abortion) and I said to myself, "I am reading a paranormal soap opera!" But all in all, I enjoyed the book.

Okay, now let me read the rest of the thread and I will comment on what everyone else has said. :-)

Pronunciation of "Renesmee" is "Ruh-nez-may," according to Bella on page 327. I have to admit, I'm not a fan of the name. It does make "Albus Severus" seem a whole lot saner, doesn't it? ;-) But then, I was always a fan of that naming decision.

I thought there would be a lot more bloodshed in the final battle -- guess I was working off the JKR/Deathly Hallows model! I thought Sam would die, because the whole two packs/two alpha males thing seems like something that can't continue indefinitely. I also thought Rosalie might die, simply because she's the least likable of the Olympic coven. I'm glad that there wasn't a lot of bloodshed -- it just defied my expectations.

Hey suge - where's your review??? Can I help you write it?

****Breaking Dawn as reviewed by suge:

This book is about a girl named Bella and the most gorgeous and perfect vampire in the universe that she is about to marry. His name is Edw- *faints*

*****

Just kidding sugey-pants! Love ya!!! ;)

Definitely agree with you on the lack of death note foggi, I thought Rosalie was a candidate to die and I thought Seth and Leah were in jeopardy too. I half wondered if they were brought farther into the story just to be tragic heroes but I was very glad they all survived.

Thumbs up, foggi! Got you, too, el! :)

My review is here.

#19 foggi:
Thanks for the pronounciation! I agree, Albus Severus isn't just saner, but also can be said more easily. Renesmee takes getting used to.
I had likewise expected far more bloodshed and am wondering if it's the fault of DH. I had to admit that I was really stumped as I got closer to the end of the book without the battle having taken place yet. I had worried if it would be a fast and major bloodshed of many of our dear main characters. Thank goodness it wasn't!

#20 el:
KIK! I'd like to see that happen. She should write a review, shouldn't she? Can you imagine a bigger fan? Her's would be really good quality if only she'd write one.
LMAS! I keep reading only part of a post before I start to respond - it made me miss your impression of suge's review. Tres funny! :)

Edward was so strange in this book! It was like he was sort of more dead than usual. I guess the unusual pregnancy would do that, though. I felt so bad for him!

As I was reading during the part of the book in Jacob's point of view, I had guessed he and Leah would become friends. I wondered if they would become a bit more than that, though. When Jacob had left with one of the Cullen cars and tried to open his eyes to actually see girls, I thought to myself that just maybe, he would return to see Leah in a new way. This is why I was so shocked when he imprinted on Renesmee. In fact, I hadn't even realized that's what happened when he saw her! It took me till when Bella was about to meet her daughter that I discovered what must have happened.

Great review, K!! :)

And I did feel a little bad for Edward. I think it was cool to see his emotions from Jacob's perspective - got the male sympathy, it wouldn't have been the same from Bella's view.

I sort of wanted Leah and Jacob to hook up for a while there too. I think the similarity of their experiences would have made them a good match, but I guess they'd be too much alike to be good together.

#22 EL:
Thanks, el! Yours is fantastic! :)
I love how well Jacob and Edward learn to get along. Toward the very end when Edward and Bella said goodbye to Jacob and Renesmee, Edward's goodbye to Jacob was incredible.
Poor Leah! I wish she'd imprinted on someone before the book ended. So many werewolves did!

Once I reached the section from Jacob's point of view, my first thought was that Meyer would perhaps have part of the story in Edward's point of view as well. I turned against that idea when I remembered Midnight Sun.

I just finished reading Breaking Dawn reviews. (Hopefully new ones didn't show up while I was reading!) Wingert, thumbs up! :)

#23 - thanks! (I was a little worried that it was too long, but there was just soooo much to say! And other people wrote long ones too so I don't feel too bad.)

Another thing I forgot to mention too, did anyone else think that the necklace Bella got from the Volturi was going to be important? I thought maybe there was going to be some curse or something on it or maybe they were going to use the necklace to track her or something. I was surprised and almost disappointed when nothing came of it. I guess sometimes a necklace is just a necklace. At least she got to go into the final battle well accessorized!

24- Thanks

#25 el:
You're welcome! (I wouldn't worry! It's a good length. :)

I honestly hadn't thought about the necklace. I completely forgot about it till Bella slipped it on toward the end of the book. I think that was really smart of her! It probably gave her a couple points with one of the Volturi, though certainly not with Jane. ;) (Maybe that's another reason why she picked on her so much, other than her gift not having any effect on her.)

#26 wingert:
You're welcome. :)

el you're insane! lol Yey! now I don't have to do my review cuz you did it for me!! Plus I probably passed out somewhere right now!

The name Renesmee grew on me.

Foggi, I thought the necklace had some sort of survailance voodoo on it.

I am also estatic that against all odd, everyone expecting the worst things worked out. I don't trust the Voluri tho. I think that in time they will try this BS again.

I'm just so glad that we had a strong Bella as we have never seen before. Hers was usually and internal strenth not a physical one. Hoorah for Bella kicking ass. I do wish she could have zapped that Jane a few time.... ah you can't have everything....

Am I the only one a little disappointed at the reconciliation of the werewolves and vampires? Really, she even took away that status, they're shape-shifters. I really enjoyed the rivalry, it was just so classic. Oh well, I enjoyed the book overall, and she seemed to up most of the loose ends.

I was admittedly surprised by how the vampires who were visiting the Cullens dealt with Jacob. I had expected more negative reactions from them, especially when it came time for everyone to head to the field at the end, vampires and werewolves together on the same team. I applaud. They were able to set aside their differences.

Did anyone ever understand why Edward wanted to be the one to kill Demitri?

#31 -- I think it's because he's the tracker. Edward knew that, for Renesmee or anyone to have a fighting chance of escape, Demitri had to be destroyed.

i really don't want to start a hailstorm of hatred heading my way, but i really loathed this book. i liked the first 3 pretty well, but i kept thinking they would be better than they were. meyer had the most amazing idea but she just couldn't ever really flesh it out, in my opinion.

there were so many things i didn't like about breaking dawn, but the most important was that... nothing happened. that was the most disappointing, lackluster ending i could have imagined. it was pathetic. i wasn't begging for people to die, i just wanted something to happen. and it never did.

my copy came from amazon with a torn back cover, so i had to send it back regardless. after i finished reading it, instead of getting a replacement, i asked for a refund. i've never done that before. i don't think i'll ever want to read that book again.

#33 - No hatred in this group. :) Plenty of people around here didn't even like Twilight and we're all still friends! For the sake of discussion, how would you have liked the ending battle to have gone?

I know plenty of people were surprised that everyone made it out alive (or rather undead?) I kind of liked the idea of a best offense is a good defense and thought it was cool that Bella was the one who could save them all (cliche, I know, but I thought it was still cool).

I missed the ending fight scene too. It was a big let down for me.

I must say I was not shocked that Jake imprinted on Bella's baby. I had a feeling that was coming.

I'm also a little dissapointed that we didn't really get a better feel of Edward in this book.

All of it seemed to be left a little too open. Too many unanswered questions, especially for the "last" of the series.

#30-I wonder if it was because this set of vampires were a little more open to the Cullins' life style.

Like others I am very glad we got to see Bella in this light. It's about time.

i agree that the book doesn't seem to be final, there are a lot of unanswered questions but she is suppose to have a book in edwards point of view even though it wont be anything new to us...

#34 el:
Undead, definitely. ;)

Hmm. A couple of the Breaking Dawn reviews suggest Meyer didn't know how to write all the plot elements, such as the big event everything built up to. The conflict was resolved, though. It would have been nice for more to have taken place then, maybe some actual fighting, but then we would have lost so many of our characters! I'm glad to see no one 'died' (there's that 'undead' again ;). I'm personally glad Bella was able to save others without having to fight. Poor Edward! I was sad for him when he told Bella to find another teacher to learn to fight as a vampire.

I wonder how long we'll have to wait for Midnight Sun. What does anyone think about that?

My review if no one had seen it yet.

I have to say, I loved that there was so little bloodshed in the big crisis. I think there's been a trend in books and movies that in order to be considered art. I found it refreshing that Meyer didn't fall into that trap, I think I would have been disappointed if there had been death for the sake of death. Think of the state the world is in today. If vampires and "werewolves" can settle their differences without bloodshed (minus Irina) then why can't we humans? Am I getting too political/philosophical?

From what I've seen of those who have posted here and the reviews I've read, it seems like the people who loved the first three were more disappointed in general than the people who liked the first three. I fall into the latter category and I found this book infinitely more pleasurable. I always found Bella annoying and whiny, and she was less so in this book. I really enjoyed being able to get out of her head for a while too, can you imagine being in Bella's head during the entire pregnancy? Ugh!

Which came first, the chicken or the eggs? (I didn't mean that way, I mean did Edward notice how many eggs Bella had eaten before the bad chicken?) Anyway, between the dreams and the eggs, I knew she was preggers. I also knew Jacob would imprint as soon as it was a girl.

By the end, I wanted scream everytime I read the word Renesmee. Stupidest name ever.

RE chicken and eggs:
KIK! I wish I could remember.
Wait, wasn't it eggs? I thought Edward had already made her meals a few times, highly of eggs before Bella had cooked chicken for herself. Hmm. This is going to bug me. I may just look it up.

Even spell check disagrees with Renesmee's name. ;) Something I was amused by was how strongly Bella wanted Renesmee to be called by her full first name, when right from the start of the series we learn Bella can't stand it when anyone calls her Isabelle. (I honestly can't recall the exact spelling at the top of my head and there are so many variations.)

ETA

I've been vasilating on wether or not to write a (serious) review. Too much work.

I had every intention of posting a few more gripes the last time I posted but I forgot. Here they are:

1. Angela was easily Bellas, nicest closest human friend. Why was she just forgoten? Even at the wedding I expected an emotional breakdown. I'm pretty sure that the goodbyes happened behind the scenes. Poor Angela.

2. I am mobidly curious. I NEED to know EVERYTHING! There is no way I would have taken the "I don't need to know" approach to things that obviously had no explanation like Charlie did. Humans are naturally curious-which I mostly call nosy when it comes to other people, and when it comes to parents... fowggetabout it. My mom wants to know EVERYTHING!!!!!! IN DETAIL!!!!

Hey! Hey! Hey! LETS DO QUOTES!!!

Perhaps the one had me laughing the most: "I bit a pillow. Or two."

"Say what you want, I still think Dracula One and Dracula Two are creep-tacular."

OH MY GODS! how could I have forgotten that one! That had me rolling!

"Happy to be of service, ma'am."

"yes, thats her" one of those deeply tender moments.

"Edward gave me grief for not getting you to a mirror before the wedding."

Oh yeah? Oh yeah? Take this K:

"You nicknamed my daughter after the Loch Ness Monster?"

"Goodbye, Jacob, my brother . . . my son."

Stop it, you're going to make me cry!

This should make you feel better. ;) (Um, pretend you're Mrs. Cullen, though!)

"Dont take too long, Mrs. Cullen."

(phwoar!!)

Well I've done did it now. I wrote a review. It's quite lengthy, I ramble on for about an hour. I just have to been in the mood for things. I usually would have fournd writing a review dreadfully tedious, but shock of shocks: I actually had fun. I don't care if people make fun of me. almost.

I just felt I needed put my voice out there to counter act all the inexplicable negative drama.

Yay suge! I'll read your review soon but keep in mind there's the whole random winners aspect to the contest so everyone has a shot at winning!!!

(And speaking of that.... do you think they're going to put at least some restrictions on the random winners? There are four or five "reviews" posted before the release date that basically say "This book will be awesome" and "I can't wait to read this". I might be a bit mad if any of those win cause they're really not reviews. And then I read one where it was pretty obvious that the reviewer had NOT read the book - did anyone else see the one that was talking about "Joseph".... uhhhh....JOSEPH??? Ya mean JACOB??? Blah blah blah, some Biblical character that starts with J, I don't have to get it right, I just want a free membership. Sheesh.)

Ok. Off my soapbox now.

Don't have my book with me so I can't pull the quotes exactly but I loved some of Joseph's Jacob's chapter titles!

I can think of at least a million things more entertaining that you can do with your time. if you are gonna do it, take in mind that it was very very late when I was writng *blush* OH GOTH WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!

Lets hope that the person choosing the winners for the Review Contest has a) read the book and b) is wise enough not to choose something asinine: "like, really, like, loved this book. Edward is, like, soooo hot!" yes he is but that is not a friggin revew!

oh I think that I am hyperventilating slightly.

joseph! HA HA HA HA! That is too funny!

#51 suge:
No sleep for suge. Wow, you were up late! Congrats on writing your review! Thumbs up! :)

#52 el:
We learned last year from the DH review contest that they have problems with reviews that have been flagged. Readafew had a high amount of thumbs up and was one of those who tied in second place, but their review wasn't given credit right away for some reason to do with one measley and very undeserved flag. This makes me think they'll have the same trouble with flagged reviews this time around, but also, I doubt they'll count any reviews submitted before the release date. I think it will work out alright.
KIK, Joseph!

#53 suge:
KIK, let's hope not!

#55 - As I remember it, I think the flag just counts as a -1 thumb. I think the random winners can still be chosen from any of them. But as for the one's before the release, you're right K, they always seem to be pretty fair.

Is it silly that I'm getting nervous about this?? I think bib's a clear winner (yay bib!!!) but as of now, I'm tied for tenth - how agonizing is that??!??!

*blush* Thanks el. I'm trying not to get my hopes up though. There's still a week of contest left. I'm just happy to have so many people enjoy what I wrote.

#56 el:
Heehee. It's kind of exciting, so of course not. I think it's easier to just not check. ;)

#57 bib:
A couple are catching up, but I think it's safe to say you'll get a prize. Good work, bib! :)

"No, I don't care if you bite Jacob. That's fine."

KIK!

"She realized at once what was happening, and then . . . she held her breath and ran away."

"You stupid mutt! How could you? My baby!"

(I cracked up at "stupid mutt" -- I found that line even funnier than the one quoted in #47.)

Hey foggi, I almost chose that quote! I found that hilarious! I loved how strong Bella was! I thought Jaccob aka Joseph was going to get his butt handed to him!

"Edward, I don't want to hurt you, so please let go of me."

As a woman who considers herself as physicaly strong as the average male, I was tickled pink. GIRL POWER!!!

"It's just because he tastes better than the rest of us."

#56 -- Agonizing! (I'm there now.)

;-)

FINALLY finished!

I agree with a lot of what's been said here, both the positive and the negative.

It's a different book than the first three, in a lot of ways. SM's writing has evolved technically (she's making better use of voice, though sometimes it felt contrived), her 1st person perspectives seem to have lost some of their depth to the more involved plot lines, and Bella bears absolutely no resemblance to her human self, where the rest of the vampires were enhanced versions of their prior selves.

There were some great parts - my favorite was absolutely Bella's realization that Jacob had imprinted: it totally put me in mind of a movie/sitcom with a crazed mom of a teen girl chasing after a teen boy who's shouting "but I can explaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnn" as he jumps the hedge and beats it down the street. The part about Jacob embracing his Alpha role was intrinsic to his growth (and his acceptance by the vampires) and a great vehicle for the plot.

The whole ending did feel a bit anticlimactic; I had a feeling - after reading SM's comment about being asked to remove some of the violence by the folks at Little, Brown - that we wouldn't see much "action," but I think that they cleverly left the door open for continuation of the stories of all the characters we met in this book.

My biggest question is, if SM had written this one first, would Bella have been a different human in the first three novels? I feel like she would have. She didn't need to be as helpless, clumsy, and naive as she was; in fact, it would have better suited her vampire self had she been a bit more worldly, and then perhaps more accustomed to resisting the urges of her nature, be it human or undead.

Did I just write a review? If I post it as such, I'd better warn about spoilers!

I loved the part where Patrick Swayze led the resistance to the Soviet occupation force.... oh wait, that's Red Dawn. Sorry.

Mr. A-Do we need to have a little chat? *kirby says in her best teacher voice*

GE GONE FROM THIS PLACE NON-FANS! SPECIALLY IF THEY ARE OF THE AUSTRALIAN PERSUATION.

NOT CALLING ANY NAMES....

I'm glad you've finished the book, laia! Have you written a review for us to read?

KIK, MrA!

So I'm reading the reviews to give out more thumbs up...and I find a review that begins by saying they haven't read the fouth book yet.

Their username suggests they are only twelve, though I won't say anything. Finding this review just makes me wonder if Abby etc will read the reviews of their randomly chosen winners.

i loved the book it was amazing

http://www.thesiblingrevelry.net/chat/hogwartsexpress/pjirc_login_v5/index.php

I finished!

I want to get my notes down before reading all of yours. Sorry if I repeat some stuff that has already been discussed.

Breaking Dawn Notes:

1. Nice wedding. I am glad it went smoothly and didn’t do the “sitcom” thing where something gets majorly messed up.

2. I want to honeymoon in Esme’s island!

3. Well, I guess we all now know who the red pawn on the cover represents. Did anyone guess a child?

4. I love seeing things from Jacob’s point of view, and the chapter titles are priceless!

5. I spoiled myself by looking to see how many pages there were. I was good about not reading anything on the official last page, but I started reading the list of vampires, thinking there wouldn’t be anything there. I then went on to notice that Bella had an * and that there was a girl’s name that I didn’t know in their group. All at once I found out Bella does become a vampire, she does have special powers, and the baby is a girl.

6. Once I knew the baby was a girl, I kind of guess that Jacob would imprint. Up until then I was kind of hoping he and Leah would get together. I know she is happier now in Jacob’s pack, but I wanted her to find someone.

7. Very convenient to the story that Bella could contain her newborn urges, eh?

8. *The Host Spoiler*: Renesme being so cute and pretty kind of reminds me of them picking a frail host for Wanda. Would people have trusted her so much if she wasn’t so likable?

9. I would like to know more of Garrett’s backstory. He was cool. I am surprised Aro let him make his speech. I don’t think Bella felt anyone interfering.

10. The whole confrontation was great! Bella was awesome and Alice prances in to save the day!

11. Is this really the last book? There aren’t many loose ends to tie up, and as much as I like happily ever after, it seems that there could still be more confrontations out there.

12. Overall I really liked the book and the series. I will probably never reread the second book, but when they are all out in paperback I will probably get a box set and reread the others.

More spoilers!

#72.5 -- I hadn't even thought of that being a spoiler -- but then, I didn't discover it until the footnote pointed to it.

#72.11 -- I had the same thought. It seems like, with the Volturi still out there, there could be more to that particular plotline. Perhaps she's planning on writing that story from another perspective -- Renesmee's, maybe? Especially since Aro will want Renesmee for his "collection."

72.3:
I hadn't. Someone in RL told me an interesting theory for the cover, though! She thought the pawn and queen pieces were both Bella, one as a human and insignificant, the other as a vampire and all-powerful.

72.5:
Eek! I had someone else look for me. I came really close to spoiling the end for me later on while checking the guide at the back of the book during my reading, but luckily I didn't know about it till the footnote informed me.

72.6:
I wanted Leah to find someone, too.

72.7:
I thought so, too. I got the idea that Meyer did that on purpose, not for it to be a gift, but for us to skip seeing Bella that way and because she did need to wrap the story up.

72.8:
If she were an adult already, probably not so much. I think being so young helped her gain trust, though admittedly some vampires didn't trust based on being cute so much on seeing her thoughts.

72.9:
I was surprised by that, too. I kept waiting for someone to cut him off or do something to stop him.

72.11:
Beyond Twilight from Edward's point of view (Midnight Sun), we are told no. I half expect Meyer might change her mind someday and make some sort of annoucement.

New Moon was my least favorite of the books. I must say though that this used to be by a long shot. (Where was Edward?!) During my last reread of it earlier this month, though, I suddenly found that I really liked it.

With four books in the series now, I'm not sure where I would place them in order of favorite to least favorite. Does anyone know what order they would rate these books in?

I nodd my head to everything you guys say compski and foggi.

I didn't see the imprint coming. I guess I am a writer's dream. I was in total shock.

Yes! yes! yes! Garret ROCKED!! And Bella the warior was amazing. I tell you I felt all tingly the whole fight scene (I was also crying because I thought that everone was going to die). I got really nervous when Alice joined the bubble because Felix perceived that he will be alble to walk thru it.

As I suggested before what is to stop the Voltuti from finding an excuse to wage war on the Cullens again?

I feel another adventure coming on.... we continue the story. Only half of us wont know what is going on.

#75 suge:
I got nervous then, too. I had honestly thought the Voltuti would try to fight them after that. I was so shocked it ended so easily!

k, I LOVE that explaination for the cover of BD!

Lets talk covers I have long been intrigued by the covers.

Twilgiht is pretty literal. someone told me was from that scene in the cafeteria when Bella is sitting with Edward and she is holding that apple.

New Moon I can not make out

Eclipse is of a torn scarlet ribbon. I remeber that the people in Voltera were wearing red ribbons around their necks. To me this cover signified the rupture in the relationship between the Olympic Vampires and the Italians.

I never got the title COVER for BD. K I agree with whom ever said that. that makes total sense to me.

Edited: Sorry Major typo.

#77 suge:
Do you remember after last Halloween when I told you a girl lied down on Edward's grave in my front yard in her Halloween costume? It was her who said that about the Breaking Dawn title. How do you feel now? ;)

I strongly agree with your Twilight cover interpretation. (Maybe I told you that?) I read on Wikipedia that Meyer said the cover from New Moon meant nothing, but then again I don't know if Wiki lets just anyone edit the content of the pages as it used to. (They were working on not letting that happen anymore, I'd thought.) I love your Eclipse cover interpretation!

Thanks. That probably was you.

Ok, I am finally getting around to reading and commenting on what other people put on this thread. Here are a few comments:

2 Wingert, I didn’t understand Jacob at the wedding. Everything is fine and then he freaks out.
3 K, I think the chicken tasted bad because it was cooked. By then she could only eat things the baby could stomach. Raw may have been better. I missed Alice in this book, too.
4.3 A_R, I don’t think Meyer could give us a lot of detail on the honeymoon since it is still a young adult book.
4.7 I was so glad the whole Jacob in pain thing was finally over!
7 Suge, I was very worried she was going to kill people off, too. I felt better when I went on the “First Tears” thread thinking it was for DH. What I did see spoiled it for me, but then I knew no one important was going to die.
10 A_R, When Alice came forward to give proof, I thought of the Bella-already-part-vampire theories. Instead, the proof was a complete stranger.
19 Foggie, I found that two alphas coexisting thing kind of odd, too. I am surprised she wrote that it was okay. The lack of fighting and bloodshed in the final battle is not going to make a very good movie.

More to come later!

i interprited the cover of Twilight as the whole thing of the most forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest

New Moon i see as a wilting flower in bella's sadness, there is a part of a petal falling off in the shape of a tear also. and there is still life in the flower from jacob helping her recovery

Eclipse was the red ribbon i saw as bella being torn in two between Edward and Jacob with strings holding them together.

Breaking dawn i never understood but i see the theory as it being the baby and maybe bella is the King/Queen pawn?

ACK! I'm trying so hard not to care, but I just checked and my review is only ahead by one now. What if I lead through the entire thing and lose it on the last day? That's gonna suck!

grrr while i was typing my browser crashed i'll do the best i can at remembering what i said.

Ok soo umm I believe it went something like this.

I really enjoyed this book. I LOVED the Honeymoon. I had a feeling Bella may be pregnant when rose told her her story and when edward agreed to try. Once she didn't like the taste of the chicked i said "yup she's pregnant"

I liked being in Jacobs head. I got to know him better and hate him less which is good. I did not get that he had imprinted, Bib had to tell me.

I liked bella as a vapire and how Emmett made fun of her for being tame because the cottage was still intact. (teehee) and I WANT THAT CLOSET. It is so wasted on Bella.

The end. I was a little disappointed by the lack of fighting. Meyer could have taken a page from the Star Trek book and killed of the "unimportant" people there were so many vamps and wolves that we didn't know and wouldn't freak about losing. I also thought Nessie (hate her real name, love her middle name) would get some crazy power and kill every voturi. I also knew Alice was searching for something that would help at the last second. That she didnt' just leave but was on her own mission that they couldn't know about because of Aro. All in all, i'm happy there was no fighting you don't see that very often so I think it was cool and kinda brave of Meyer to do that. But now i'm afraid that if/when they do Breaking Dawn the Movie they might put a little fighting in there for the masses and that some may end up dead in the movie, not major charactors but still. Just a hunch.

Now the end end end when Bella is finally able to let Edward in her head. I LOVED that part sooooo much!! He was just so excited and adorable I wanted to squeeze him. I think that's going to be like a fun game they play with each other and the more bella learns to control the better they could communicate which is very important for a growing, maturing relationship.

That's it for now. I may think of more stuff and post more but for now that's my main points.

Over all I think this is my fav of the four.

I wrote a reveiw short a simple but if you want to read it then check it out. (I don't know how to do links, everytime i try i fail)

80.19 I bet they'll change that for the movie! Movies are so often different from books.

#82 bib:
You're up by two now! Know in my head no matter the outcome, you are the winner. You've been #1 the entire time so far. :)

#84 Mandy:
(Sorry your broweser crashed!) I loved that part when Bella could show Edward her head at last, too!
Great review, Mandy! :)

You know, I started rereading Twilight again last night. It's very interesting to see how comments or thoughts have been brought about in this book. Like the one where Bella is thinking that her mind doesn't work right. She says she thinks she sees things differently than everyone else.

AM. edward only gets FM

I know, but she was thinking this before she even met Edward.

That's true, she always thought she had a glitch in her brain. I thought it was cool when it turned out to be a powerful gift. Bella was SO born to be a vampire.

I finished it yesterday, so I'm putting my thoughts down before they all fly out of my head. Sorry if it's been said before, I didn't have the time to read through the whole thread right now:

1) I really felt like all (or at least most) of the characters really grew in this book. It was refreshing for me.

2) I think SM may have been drawing a little from her own experience being a mother, because there was really a maturity to Bella in how she acted towards Renesmee. It felt kind of wrenching, for me, when everyone wouldn't let Bella near Renesmee, even though I understood why they would be nervous.

3) I think Bella and Edward's relationship totally became better when she became a vampire. It felt like they were finally equals! I mean, Edward was still protective (it seems to just be part of his nature), but at least he wasn't treating her like a porcelain doll. That equality made me so happy.

4) I was so surprised in this book! I could tell Bella was pregnant before she knew, but I was still not expecting a pregnancy. And I also didn't expect Jacob to imprint on Renesmee. But it all fits together so perfectly in this way, even if I didn't expect it. I was upset that they thought Alice would actually run away. I mean, it's ALICE!

5) I liked getting the different perspective with Jacob. It was almost like a completely different writing style! Down to the chapter headings, you could tell that it was a different person narrating. And it was really the best way to show that portion of the book. I don't think it would have worked as well if Bella had been narrating that portion.

6) Bella's power was. SO. AWESOME. I loved how she created that invisible shield to cover everyone! I liked Renesmee's power too. It was cool how Renesmee communicated.

Overall, I really enjoyed Breaking Dawn. It had a definitely different feel then the other books, and, again, I was really happy that Bella could be the protector instead of the protectee. :)

Oh, and about a BD movie. I'm not sure how they'll manage to do the birth scene. I mean, she didn't have a sheet on her at all and it sounded pretty gory just reading it. Really intense. I think it was one of the scariest scenes. If I hadn't known ahead of time that no major characters would die, I would have been seriously scared.

maybe they'll just film her, edward, and jacobs faces. then outside the room so it's a little less gory but you can still sorta hear wats going on ya know?

You know, I was thinking about how Bella matured in this book. In the previous books she states that her mom always said she was born 30, but we also see her with normal teenager emotions. In BD it seems that she ages another 20 years. What do you think?

I agree in a way. I think there's a difference between emotional maturity and intellectual maturity. Emotionally, Bella was very much a teen through the first books, but on an intellectual level, I can see what her mom said. Taking care of a scattered mother would make one need to learn how to keep house, maintain a budget, etc much faster. I found there was some emotional maturing in BD, I think becoming a parent will do that (though I have no actual experience). There definitely were some lingering teenager feelings though, like her elation at being able to beat Emmett or being graceful at last, or her annoyance at Alice for the closet (I just don't understand her there!)

I think she really seemed to enjoy the wardrobe Alice picked out later on.

95: because she likes her jeans and tshirts instead of wearing silk and satin and brand names every day...

im kinda just jumping on late in the game but i agree with you biblioholic. I think that she is mature enough to handle this, but in a way she is still just a kid. I was pretty happy with the book over all. however in the begining i was a little upset with Jacob, but i think that he came around wich I really Like. but thats about all i have to say for now.

#97: Smiley, I understand why Bella didn't like the closet based on her character, I was just saying that I would have loved a huge closet full of designer clothes. Especially the shoe part.

What is wrong with a closet full of French labels? *moans longingly* OOOH!! FRENC LABELS!!

*shakes head* Most of my clothes are from Target and Charlotte Russe.

Most of my clothes are from Target and NY & Co., that doesn't mean that if someone were to provide me with a closet full of designer clothes I would thumb my nose at them!

Of course not. (We have a NY & Co. in our mall. Are they nice? I've never been there.)

The clothes are good for work, inexpensive (but that means they're not all that well constructed either). I get discounts from them (about once a week an email for $30 off a purchase of $60 or more...something like that) and they give discounts for AAA members. I got everything I was wearing in NYC from there.

ETA: Wow, over 100 posts to get off topic. We must be growing!

Hmm, sorry to throw the train back onto the track, bib. ;)

I reread Eclipse and read Breaking Dawn starting Friday night. I feel saturated.

Since this is recent discussion: I completely understand Bella's dislike of the closet full of clothes and shoes. Excepting maybe twice a year, I wear jeans or khaki-type pants or sweats (preferably sweats), and t-shirts with sneakers. A closet like that would be as wasted on me as it is on Bella and that is about the only thing I've completely connected with Bella about.

I suspected pregnancy when Bella was sleeping so much. I guessed the imprinting about a chapter after Jacob met Renesmee. Of course Alice would come back with a trick up her sleeve!

It was great to have Bella not be fragile anymore. I loved Bella-the-mom. I've always liked Jacob, jerk though he can be, so I really enjoyed him in this book -- being less of a jerk. I was impressed by how different the first person narrative was from Jacob to Bella, and glad it was so different.

Meyer handled the honeymoon stuff so great. I was hoping she wouldn't go for a more adult approach; that would have turned me off the whole series instantly. I was really impressed with the way she wrote it all.

#38 bib, I so strongly agree with you on the lack of bloodshed thing. Again, Meyer handled this so well. I love that there was confrontation without battle. After all, she spent books 2, 3, and 4 convincing us that enemies don't have to kill each other. Why crush that idea now, at the very last? And it showed what cowardly bullies the Volturi are, which I find very fitting for them. It would have felt fake for them to be suddenly courageous.

I think you're also right, bib, about liking/loving 1-3 influencing liking/loving 4. I liked 1-3 and love 4. Oh, and your post #95 is dead on too. Hmm, I'll just put a blanket statement over your BD opinions and say I agree with you. ;)

Bella being able to let Edward into her thoughts at last was wonderful. It is fun to imagine their future, when there is something she wants to keep to herself and won't let him in -- how frustrated he will be!

A couple favorite quotes:
"It was a good dream." My voice broke again.
"Then why are you crying?"
"Because I woke up."

If I don't have a better sense of equilibrium in my next life, I'm demanding a refund.

wow. my clothes are from all over. today I'm wearing a navy dress I bought at Target with really expensive sandals. I'm very acquisitive, but I am not a label snob. If I like something I buy it.

Sounds like me, Suge - Jeans from Kohl's and Fluevogs? You betcha! :D

FLUEVOGS! His shoes are pretty rad!

Does anyone else (shopping obsessed) subscribe to "Daily Candy"?

Of course; did you see the super pretty slips the other day?? SO CUTE - like petticoats without the pouf!

I haven't had a chance to check it out yet. My work blocks personal e-mail. OH! I love cutesie little bedouir details! Oooh I can look on my phone!

falalalalalala......................