Breaking Dawn - I'm in love!!

I’m finished. And wow, what a ride! The book was fantastic. Perfect, perfect, perfect! I began reading Breaking Dawn around 9 am on Saturday morning, and I finished around 11:30 pm (with some breaks for lunch, dinner and a walk with Cory, since I was starting to lose feeling in my legs). I tried going to bed as soon as I finished, but I had so many thoughts swirling around in my head that I had to get up and write some of them down – then I could finally get some sleep. Still, I had some weird dreams (which you can probably guess at, if you’ve finished the book).

Sheesh, where to start? Ü So many of my theories came true, which made me very happy. So here are my thoughts, in no real order.

Warning: if you haven’t read the book, then you are about to read some spoilers. Major spoilers!! You should stop reading now, and come back when you are done with the book.








Seriously – did I mention some MAJOR spoilers? You’ve been warned …












I originally had the idea that Bella would somehow get pregnant. I loved how this would tie the immortal and mortal world together – and bind Bella & Edward together in one more way. I dismissed my theory because I thought vampires didn’t have any, um, fluids. So it would be impossible for Edward to father a child. Guess I was wrong Ü. I actually loved the twist of Bella getting pregnant. She was born to be a mother – she had all the instinctual qualities that made her a perfect mother. Plus, it was something she didn’t have to give up so she could become a vampire. She got the best of both worlds.

I’ve always liked Jacob. Yeah I thought he was a moronic teenager sometimes (hello, why did he invite Charlie to the house when Bella had just barely turned vampire? Such a moron!! Ü) I loved the twist of him imprinting on Nessie (and I did see it coming, just a little bit). Of course, it makes perfect sense that he would imprint on Bella’s daughter. Did he ever even stand a chance? It’s Bella’s daughter. He could forever be a part of Bella’s family, without the weird love triangle thing going on.

I loved how almost effortless it was for Bella to skip the bloodthirsty part of being a “newborn” vampire. Of course, I’m sure her aversion to blood as a human helped the transition, but I think it was her excellent sense of self control and discipline that made the transition easier. Incredible. She has a spotless record when it comes to drinking human blood (that she hunted and killed for - I don't think bought blood counts). I also loved how Bella’s personality traits came with her when she became a vampire – she didn’t lose any of her innate Bella-ness.

The one thing I was happiest about getting right was Bella's cool new vampire power. This is what I wrote in one of my emails to Carly, discussing our theories for Breaking Dawn: “Bella will be more immune to human blood than what is "normal" for a newborn vampire. Her "power" is her private mind - she will be able to exert that influence over others, when they are with her, making their minds also private. Like if Bella is with Edward, Jane would not be able to use her power on Edward or Bella - her mind will protect his.” And … I was RIGHT!! (very small moment of gloating for me!) Bella’s power was in being a shield. When I read that word for the first time, I thought it was perfect. A shield. Bella’s power was a defensive one, which was also fitting. Her love for her family, and friends, overtook everything and she shielded them all from danger. So perfect. Bella was always the “weak link” in the previous 3 books. It was absolutely proper to see her standing side by side with Edward, defending her family. In the end, she saved everyone, making her truly an equal. She was born to be a vampire, since she did it with ease, and saved the day.

Other things I loved in, in random order:
· Bella beating Emmett at arm wrestling (so sweet!)
· Seth Clearwater – need I say more?
· The reference to Florida football, when Charlie comes to the Cullen house for the first time – Go Gators!
· Alice coming through at the very end (I never doubted her, ever).
· The cottage Esme decorated for Bella & Edward – perfect for the 2 of them. I love Esme!
· That Bella continued to see Charlie, on a “need to know” basis. Charlie’s got guts, that’s for sure.
· Bella attacking Jake, after learning he nicknamed her daughter after the Loch Ness Monster Ü. Too bad Edward got in the way … I would have liked to see her get in one good swipe at Jake … you know, even things up from the other books.
· Jane’s inability to hurt Bella – or those she loved – and how Bella was so smug about it, and she smiled smugly right at Jane. Take that, you sadistic *****
· Bella & Rosalie’s improved relationship, and giving Rosalie a kind of surrogate of what she always wanted.
· Renee’s reaction to the news that Bella was getting married
· And last, but not least, I loved that Bella was able to remove the shield from her own mind, so she could let Edward see her thoughts, just for a minute. I found that incredibly touching (and romantic, too).

In my opinion, it was the perfect ending. I was so anxious about how it was all going to turn out that I found myself reading ahead of myself all the time. My accelerated heartbeat could be heard (by Cory) in the silence of our bedroom. I thought my poor heart was going to beat right out of my chest. Luckily, it didn’t, and I’m doing much better Ü. I’m definitely reading it again, since I’m sure I missed some minor details in my haste to get to the end. Brilliant book – thanks Stephenie, for creating such an excellent read. I'm in love!