Search - Breaking Dawn (Twilight, Bk 4) (Unabridged Audio CD)

I am a huge Stephenie Meyer fan and devoured each of the first 3 books in a single sitting. I even stayed up until midnight for the local Breaking Dawn release so that I could spend all day Saturday reading. I'm sad to say that this book was a disappointment.

It opens with Bella and Edward getting married in a lavish ceremony. The honeymoon was written as only Stephenie Meyers could write it. When their relationship was consummated, I had to pause, because I wasn't sure what had just happened. Parents of teens will be relieved to note that there is plenty left to the imagination. (I'm still wondering how he managed to wreck so much furniture!)

After the honeymoon, I was lost. The story of Edward and Bella was always a little much, but the reader was prepared to put reality aside in order to believe the vampire / human romance. With Breaking Dawn, Stephenie ventured into the realm of total unbelievability and borderline insanity.

During the honeymoon, Bella managed to get pregnant and the reader witnesses the grotesqueness of labor and delivery in vivid detail. Rosemary's Baby is not an inaccurate description of the torture Bella willingly goes through. This was hard for the reader to relate to.

Most of the Twilight charm rested on the fact that Bella Swan was an average person, going through average problems in high school. This formula allowed the average person to relate to Bella. Stephenie's audience cheered for Bella when she landed two of hottest bachelors in Forks, WA and the lines for Camp Jacob and Team Edward were firmly drawn. Sadly, the spell that was cast on Twilight fans was lost in Bella's final installment.

The ending left much to be desired. There was no sacrifice on Stephenie's part and sometimes heavy emotions are needed in order to experience the full impact of the story. However, the door was left open for additional story lines; I hope I'm not wrong in assuming we haven't heard the last of the Forks coven.