Breaking Dawn

The ‘Last of the Twilights Saga’ brings Bella closer to death then ever before. The solution to the problem is easy, but she won’t let anyone help her, which drives Edward mad, consequently bringing him and certain werewolf Jacob Black closer than anyone thought possible. But just as they think it’s over they have to save Nessie form an even bigger danger which brings over 15 vampires and a pack of werewolves together. The Culluns have already fought off Victoria (Twilight and Eclipse) and the Volturi (New Moon), but can they save Nessie?

The novel starts with everyone blissfully happy and just when Bella thinks everything is going to work out she’s has to think again… on her honeymoon which she isn’t happy about and with her vampire husband in shock she starts to get scared.

As things get progressively worse we see more emotion than ever from Edward. This time he’s the one that’s scared in the middle of the book. Scared of loosing Bella, the only person who he lives for. We’ve already seen what separation will drive him too and if he looses Bella again… he gets so desperate that he’s prepared to give Bella to Jacob so that she’ll choose to live. But even he cannot talk her round.

Rosalie becomes a more predominant character but only because she sees how Bella’s death could benefit her so that she can get what she’s always wanted. She doesn’t like Jacob around but tolerates him because Bella wants him around and he’s keeping Bella safe form the werewolves.

Whilst Jacob and Rosalie exchange insults we find out why Bella wants Jacob around even though it causes both of them so much pain. When Bella finds out she isn’t overly happy – that was probably the understatement of the century.

Saving Bella isn’t the only problem they face. Saving Nessie proves to be more difficult than anyone, event he omniscient Edward believed and it gets even harder when the all seeing Alice runs away with Jasper because she’s scared.

As the biggest group of vampires, only beaten in size by the Volturi, come together we discover different supernatural talents and some tensions rise in the Cullun house hold. Edward has to convince everyone Nessie isn’t dangerous but her childish charm and innocence win most people over.

Breaking Dawn was a bit of a slow starter, but picked up in pace for a while when Bella discovered that the impossible happened; however, as she nears her death bed everything slows down again and we see everything from Jacob’s point of view. That change of perspective seems a bit odd to me to start off with but with Bella sleeping a lot it became apparent why Meyer did it. After Jacob’s point of view being shown we see everything form a vampire’s point of view. Meyer was very clever in doing this because we get to see how differently humans, werewolves and vampires see the world.
I didn’t think the description could get any better but with a vampire’s superior senses to account for the writer had to add more depth onto everything from dust motes in the air to the sound of voices, smells and the vibrancy of colours.

The ending held the most tension and had me hooked and wanting to put the 750+ page novel down; so much so that I was up ‘til around 2am reading. As the two sides battled it out everyone’s emotions came through in ample amounts. As well as more amazing description there were also moments of fear on both sides.

As the game of chess is played both sides trying to out manoeuvre each other and not get caught in checkmate, a sense of desperation is revealed.

The cover art so far has seemed to have no relevance to the masterpieces that they hide away from the mortal world. However the chess board that covers “Breaking Dawn” and shows the power struggle of the two queens (the most powerful pieces in chess) has every relevance. Even the red of the queen holds relevance. Ti not only shows the anger of the people who want to destroy Nessie, but also their consumption of human blood. The white piece symbolises the innocence of the Culluns and their ‘vegetarian’ life style. They also want peace between everyone

I thoroughly enjoyed Stephanie Meyer’s last instalment if the Twilight series and would recommend it to anyone who had read Meyer’s previous pieces of literary magic. If this is the first time you’ve heard of Meyer and are thinking if starting the series here, don’t. Read the other first – besides the fact that they’re so good you have to understand the relationships of the characters.

The Twilight series is one of the best that I’ve ever read and “Breaking Dawn” is the perfect end to our glimpse into Edward and Bella’s complicated lives. It’s easy to see why she’s an International Number One Best-seller. She’s created a whole new world within our own. Vampires here are not the usual ‘can’t come out during the day’ run of the mill, supernatural beings. Her vampires, the Culluns any way, protect humans and all can come out during the day if they’re not in direct sunlight – glittery, shiny skin that reflects light like a diamond might draw a bit of attention. Meyer has entranced millions of readers around the world and its obvious why with the dept of her first person narrative and her obvious love of her art.

My only criticism is the last two words, The End, if it weren’t for the promise of Edwards version of events we wouldn’t be seeing any more of the strong relationship that anchors itself in ‘Twilight’ almost ends in ‘New Moon’ gets stronger in ‘Eclipse’ and jeopardised again in ‘Breaking Dawn’. But at the same time it’s nice for the Culluns to have closure after everything that happens to them in the space of 2 years

This is a book for anyone who has read Meyer’s other creations and likes vampires mixing in the real world that knows nothing of the mythical world that Bella becomes a central part of.