Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

I read this book because I work in a bookstore. I read the previous ones and found that with each instalment it just kept getting worse, and as this series appears to be somewhat popular people ask me what I think of it... and I just don't feel comfortable speaking poorly something I know nothing about :P This said, after reading the third book I expected to give this a disgustingly low rating, but instead it just made me look at the series in a new light. I've written reviews on the other books, so for my own sake I won't go into detail about what I think the series lacks, I'll just sum it up with saying that the author just isn't too good at what she does. The story of twilight is pretty standard when it comes to vampire romances, so the formula has been proven to work, but the author lacks the skill to develop characters and relies heavily on plot throughout the series, which can work, but she sets up the story in a character driven setting, so that doesn't really work. Also, I feel as though a teenager is writing this. The logic, the manner in which the characters speak and the way in which the narrator presents the information... some reviewer somewhere said it reminded them of a fan fiction, which is a very appropriate label now that I think about it. So that also got under my skin a bit.
 
Taking these kinds of things into consideration, I re-labelled this book in the series as a book you would find in the romance section of the book store, without the emotional catharsis of sex (then again it is very pg and the characters don't really show much desire for each other beyond saying how much they love each other... so words only). Basically a soap opera for kids. And I suppose in my mind the first books were trying to be received as something more than that, which is why I think I was so disappointed. So ya, but not like the Jane Austen kind of romance, more the Nora Roberts or Christine Feehan, the ones where you roll your eyes constantly, but enjoy it because you know it isn't supposed to tickle your intellect in any way. That said, this isn't a negative category to fall under, but I don't think that's where this author would want these books to be.
 
On to the book itself (yes I actually plan on talking about the book at some point during this long and pointless tirade). As I had the lowest possible expectations going into it, it wasn't that bad (thinking about it as a romance also helped). The characters seemed a bit two dimensional emotionally and there was quite a bit of filler that could have been left out as it didn't develop either plot or characters, but just kind of existed.
 
Teenage marriage and pregnancy were definitely taken very lightly and were almost promoted, but as I stopped taking it seriously by this point I wasn't very concerned about it. The author also promotes her morality more noticeably than in the other books, but this isn't really something to be concerned about I don't think. The issue with Jacob and the baby seemed to be one of the things that turns people off a lot in this book, besides the fact that it was designed to be somewhat convenient for the plot and for modern morality, pedophilia and what not. I think the author just handled this awkwardly. She wanted Jacob out of the way, but wanted everyone to have a disney ending, but wasn't too comfortable with the subject matter I don't think. (On a side note, a series that handled a romantic connection like what Jacob and the baby had effectively is the black jewels trilogy by anne bishop. That one was decently done).
 
So... if you read the series I would read this book as well, it won't be stellar, but it's better than what the last one left you with ... I wouldn't buy it though.