When I finally picked up Twilight by Stephenie Meyer in the fall of 2008, I did enjoy the book though I didn't think it was as great as many other people claimed.  It did take me almost a year before I started in on New Moon.  I had more issues with that book, but I continued the series and read Eclipse, which I liked more.  I just finished reading the fourth and so far final book in the series, Breaking Dawn.

Since Breaking Dawn is the fourth book in a series, the plot does build on what has happened in the first three books.  This isn't a good book to start with and there will be several spoilers in this book for the previous three books if it is read before them.  I will be mentioning some things when discussing this book that could be spoilers for people who haven't read the previous books.  Proceed with caution.

Previously in the saga of Bella, she moves to Forks to live with her father so that her mother and new stepfather can travel for his job.  Bella quickly notices the Cullen family, especially Edward, and it doesn't take long for her to figure out that the family members are vampires.  Bella and Edward fall in love and start a somewhat unconventional and sometimes troubled relationship.  Bella ends up in danger more than once because of her knowledge and connection to the vampires.  Things are also complicated by the fact that Bella becomes good friends with Jacob, who is a werewolf and natural enemy of the vampires.  Edward and Bella start planning for their future together, which includes them getting married.

Breaking Dawn picks up right before Bella and Edward's wedding.  Bella still has issues about getting married even though she is ready to be turned into a vampire to be with Edward forever.  The wedding goes off fine, though there is a potential problem when Jacob shows up and ends up getting upset about something.  Bella and Edward enjoy their time alone on their honeymoon before an unexpected development causes them to cut the trip short and return home.  The development involves the entire family and Jacob and once again, Bella's life is in danger.

Breaking Dawn does continue the story from the previous three books, so there are some plot elements that return again.  The book is set up a bit different from the previous books.  This one is divided into three sections, the first and third of which are told from Bella's point of view again.  The middle section is told from Jacob's point of view.  That was done briefly at the end of Eclipse for the last chapter.  During his section, Jacob is still having issues dealing with Bella's choices, but his attitude seems a little better in general.  It is interesting to read things from the perspective of a different character and get a bit of a break from Bella.  Jacob has been an important character, so it does make sense to hear more from his perspective.  It might have been nice for there to be short sections or even a few chapters from the perspective of some of the other characters, though if the narrator changed too many times, it could have gotten confusing.

There is very little action in Breaking Dawn which will probably disappoint some readers.  Things do happen, but they are more tied to personal things in the relationship between Edward and Bella.  There is an unexpected development that seems to be an attempt to add more suspense to what is going on, but I never felt like there was any question about how that would work out.  There are a couple of minor things connected to the development that I didn't expect, but everything with that is rather predictable overall.  I didn't mind the development, though I guess from some things I've heard and read about the book that many fans of the previous books weren't happy about it at all.  There is a lot of preparation and build up for something that ultimately ends up being a nonevent.  Even though there really isn't much in the way of action to what is happening, this book ends up being rather bloody and sort of gory in a few places.  I think there is more bloody stuff in this book and that part of the book did seem to go to extremes, even for this type of book.  I really have to wonder how certain scenes will be handled when the movie version is made.

The relationship between Bella and Edward continues to be important in Breaking Dawn.  Their relationship has faced some complications and hardships in the previous three books.  They have had some disagreements about certain things as well, but they managed to work things and they had decided by the end of the third book that they were going to get married.  Not a lot of the wedding planning is shared in this book since it picks up right before the wedding.  The two of them were affectionate with each other before their marriage, but it never went beyond kissing.  Edward was always very firm about not doing any more.  As the series has progressed, Bella has become more preoccupied and interested in becoming intimate with Edward.  She wants them to make love before she is changed into a vampire because she believes it will be a few years before she'll be interested in sex after changing.  Nothing is that descriptive, but there are more sexual situations and scenes in the book.  Bella does seem to go through a sexual awakening and at times she and Edward can't seem to keep their hands off each other. Even though most of what happens is left to the imaginations of the readers, those scenes could offend or upset some readers.  This really isn't a book for children and I think parents should check it out before letting teenagers read it.

Bella has been the main character throughout the series, with all the books written from her point of view.  That has subjected the readers to a lot of whining and insecurities that has gotten downright annoying at times.  I had to take breaks with the second and third books because she got on my nerves so much.  I was prepared for much of the same in Breaking Dawn, but Bella actually isn't that annoying or irritating.  She does start off still doing some of her whining, mostly tied to the wedding.  After the wedding, she settles into being a wife and is less irritating for the most part even while still gushing about Edward being oh so perfect.  She does still end up in a position where she is in danger and she is once again willing to play the martyr.  Bella still has her irritating moments, but it wasn't so bad that I wanted to shove the book away.

Edward is basically the same as he has been.  He is shown mostly just through Bella's narration, though for a change, Jacob's view of him is shared as well.  Even with that, Edward is still not that developed, especially considering how important he is to the books.  It is clear that he loves Bella and is willing to do just about anything to keep her safe and happy.  The rest of the Cullens are around a little more though they still aren't that developed.  Rosalie finally seems more accepting of Bella, though she may have an ulterior motive.  It would have been nice if Alice had been around a bit more.

Jacob is rather important to what is going on as well and he does have to struggle with certain things throughout the book.  Since one section of the book is written from his perspective, a little more about him is shared.  He is impulsive at times, but he does manage to deal with things fairly well overall.  He has his own secrets to keep since he is a werewolf.  Some of the other werewolves return as well and there is another development or two with the pack.  Most of the other werewolves aren't in enough of the book to be that developed, much like the various other characters who briefly turn up.  Charlie is in a few scenes and is a bit more accepting of some things.

I did enjoy Breaking Dawn overall and think it makes a good end to the series.  I feel like Meyer left the possibility for another book open and even think it could be interesting, depending on what it deals with.  I know some readers have been very disappointed with the book and I can understand that because of a few developments.  The book has some issues and could have been a bit shorter, but it mostly works.  Fans of the previous books should give this one a chance.

Twilight ~ New Moon ~ Eclipse ~ Breaking Dawn ~ Twilight (Movie) ~ New Moon (Movie) ~

Recommended: Yes