Breaking Dawn

The fourth and final installment of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, Breaking Dawn is a worthy end to the sometimes long-winded previous three books' buildup. In fact it not only delivers, it surpasses in almost every way; it is by far my favorite of the series, and the one I would be most inclined to read again. As I put it to a friend, it is worth reading books two and three just to get this this one.This is not to say that the novel does not have its flaws. Chief among the detractorin comments that you may find on reviews is that the ending can leave one rather flat. Certainly, I can say it was rather disappointing, but in retrospect, I think that I am more comfortable with it each passing day.

For one, my major problem has been Stephenie Meyer's descriptive prose, which for some is not an obstacle, but for me makes scenes feel like they stretch on way too long. For the final confrontation, I felt this to be the case, to the point where I was left ready to scream, "come on -- get the fight on!!!" after so long of a build. It was not so much the happy ending, but how long it took to get there. Of course, I should no more be surprised at the happy ending than the manner in which it was presented. And that's the only quibble I have.

Now for the good stuff. First and foremost, the middle part of the book is written from Bella's werewolf friend Jacob, and it is nothing short of wonderful. Funny, angry, and full of dramatic "no way" twists and turns, the section is perfectly inserted and crucial for understanding both sides of the story. It separates Bella's wedding and honeymooon and her transformation into a vampire. Right there you have about five-hundred pages of romance, intrigue, new developments, insight, and page-turning power.

Not a perfect book, but if you enjoyed the first one, it is well worth your time to find out how things end.