If you haven't finished reading, don't worry, I'm sure we'll all be willing to discuss it again! :)
So...what did you think?
Were you satisfied? Not?
What did you think of how things ended?
What surprised you? Or what did you predict early on?
I was satisfied and enjoyed it and obviously devoured it :) but I was also a little disappointed with a few things. I'll expound more in comments later.
15 comments:
I'm not going to lie...I loved this book. I know that a lot of people hated it...but I loved it. :) It was NOTHING like I thought it was going to be...it totally surprised me from every angle...but I thought that was great.
I LOVED that Bella married Edward. Sorry all of you Jacob fans...but I loved Bella's and Edward's wedding. It was just so perfect. I love Alice's character...she did great and I love how happy Bella was at her wedding. I'm so glad that she wasn't all upset about the wedding as it was actually happening and that she realized that that was really what she wanted. I loved when she wanted to run down the isle to Edward. :) It was cute to me.
The honeymooon chapters kind of dragged for me...they went on for a long time it seemed like. I had NO idea going into this book that Bella would get pregnant, but after she started having all of those dreams I thought that she would. I was SO EXCITED for her that she got to have a baby..and Edward's baby at that!! I really felt like I could relate to Bella's character more in this book than in the others b/c of the whole "protective mother" thing...
I LOVED reading Book 2 from Jacob's perspective. It CRACKED me up!! I've always liked Jacob (I just never wanted him to end up with Bella...) and it was so funny to read his witty side-thoughts. He cracked me up to his reactions to Edward reading his thoughts and his blonde jokes with Rosalie. He's a funny guy. And the imprinting on Renesmee...I never saw that coming! But I was happy about it in the end b/c it totally explained his and Bella's relationship and also he was so happy. :)
I LOVED Renesmee's character. I just thought she was so cute and perfect...she reminded me of my own daughter. :) I also loved that we got to see Bella as a vampire and how she turned out (I was worried that she would get changed at the end of the book and we wouldn't really get to know how she really was as a vampire...). Her power rocked and I loved that she had the power to save them all at the end. Also, I thought that it was WAY interesting to read about the other vampires' stories that came to help them.
I know that a lot of people were sad that the battle didn't really happen at the end..but I was okay with it...because I was all for not losing one of the Cullens in a battle. (Although...I would've loved to see some key Volturi members get taken out...)
And of course, I loved how Bella's and Edward's relationship grew and matured as they both truly realized just how much the other one loved them and how deep their love ran. I LOVED the last two pages when Bella lets Edward see her thoughts...it was the perfect ending for me. :)
The one thing that bothered me about the book was sex-crazed Bella. I was like, "what's with you girl? since when were you so sex crazed?" And also, I thought that it was a little racy for a young adult book. I mean, I think that Stephenie Meyer dealt with all of the mature topics in the best way that she could and they didn't personally offend me...but I definitely wouldn't want my 12 year old daughter to read it (if I had a 12 year old daughter). If that makes sense.... Honestly, I'm not sure why the teenagers liked this one as much as the others b/c it felt a lot more mature to me... Anyway, I know that there are plenty of worse books out there for teens, that was just a thought that I had while reading.
So...sorry that this post was so long...I guess I just had a lot to say. :) I liked this book...I thought it was the perfect ending. And I've liked going to sites and reading the Q&A sessions that Stephenie Meyer has had about this book. It's really answered a lot of my questions.
When I finished the book, I was satisfied and totally enjoyed it. The more I thought about it, there were things that I thought were a bit shallow or not done the way I imagined. Oh well.
I have to admit that I was one who was disappointed with the anti-climactic Volturi face off. I admire authors like JK Rowling who recognize that not everything is a happy ending and sometimes even the favorites have to get killed off to make the story work. I found it hard to believe they would come all the way from Italy and then nothing happens. I mean, she made it work, but I was disappointed with the lack of action. Especially since the other books have big fight scenes.
There was almost too much happy ending for me. Bella gets the man, the best friend, the baby, the vampire, all her vampire friends and wolf friends alive AND her Dad somehow has no problem with it all? Really??? I'm sorry, but Charlie was not nearly freaked out enough for me!!! I just don't believe, after watching him kind of OVER react to things in other books, that he would just shrug his shoulders and go, okay, so my daughter is a vampire now, looks totally different, and gave birth to a fantastically rapidly developing child! No problem! :)
I too LOVED Bella's power and seeing her as a vampire. I sort of thought her transformation would happen later in the book but I'm glad it didn't. I liked seeing what she was like as a vampire and I liked that part of her power or whatever was that she kind of got to skip the newborn phase.
I know Jacob imprinting on the baby freaked some people out but I thought it was the perfect solution for that confusing love triangle. I was all over Bella and Edward getting married but I too have always liked Jacob. Just not for Bella. I have criticism that Edward is condescending, but I've always viewed it as very over protective of Bella and I personally always thought Jacob was kind of whiny about Bella. I thought this was the best of both worlds. This child is a half-breed like him, will never want to be a vampire because she already kind of is, and will hopefully have the best qualities of her Mom that Jacob loved. It made sense to me.
I didn't think Bella was any more sex-crazed than any of the other vampires, especially if you believe Emmett and Rose's tales of crashing down buildings during sex!! I think it's more of a trademark of how passionate they are and well, let's face it, their stamina!
So, yes, I loved having my loose ends tied up. I love happy endings, but it wasn't my perfect happy ending. I needed a bit more action and conflict I guess!
I was SOOO disappointed in this book. Don't get me wrong- I'm glad I read it, but it should be a stand alone book. I can't believe that is how she finished up the series. I've invested 2 years into reading a series about a clumsy girl, a moody vampire and a kick-butt werewolf. The only one who retained their characteristics was Jacob. All of a sudden Bella is the perfect vampire with perfect control?? And Edward is this amazingly perfect father/husband/"person"?? It was too much for me. I'm all for a happy ending but are you freaking kidding me?? This is one of the things that drives me bonkers with relation to LDS authors... it seems that all too often things get wrapped up in this perfect little package. I wanted to gag. Uggh. Unfortunately I need to go clean house, but I'll be back later with more of my thoughts, though I'm not sure anyone will want to hear them!! :D
I think it is funny because all of my friends who were PRO Jacob seem to be the ones that totally hated the book. But anyway, I loved the book and pretty much love everything that Tiffany had to say. I was perfectly happy with how EVERYTHING turned out. And the more I think about the book the more I like. I know that some people think that Bella was way different in the book and I totally disagree. I think that she was the same Bella. Competely in love with Edward and caring to those she loved. Of course she wasn't going to be all clumsy and self conscience as a vampire, like she was as a human, because I think we all know that that is not how vampires are. Vampires are convident and they are graceful so, we can't be upset that Bella is no longer like that.
From book one I wanted her to become a vampire so, I was trilled when it finally happened in this book. Loved that they got married and so happy that they had a baby. I have read online about the people who thought that Bella being so protective over the baby, while it was in utero, was so dumb because she always said that she was ok with not having kids. But I just think she was ok with not having kids because she wanted to be with Edward and she thought that it would never be possible with him. But, when she did become pregnant with Edwards baby of course she would totally be in love with this child and of course she would want to protect it. And I think that her being so insistent about not hurting the baby showed how strong she was. And what a powerful mother she was going to be. I thought that was great.
I was ok without there being a huge fight scene with the Volturi because I for sure didn't want any of the Cullens to die and I don't think that it would have made the series any better if they had. I just don't think any main character dying was necessary. Where as with Harry Potter it was necessary.
I loved Bella and Edwards relationship. Their love was as strong as ever and their devotion to each other was fantastic. I was so glad that Jacob imprinted, though I would have been ok if it hadn't been with Nessy. I was just so happy to see that strange pull that Jacob and Bella had for each other gone. The only reason that I was ok with the imprinting on Nessie because you know that Jacob will always protect her and because Stephenie explained in the earlier books that imprinting at such a young age has nothing to do with romance. Otherwise I would have been more disturbed.
I think it was a perfect ending to the series and am so surprised at how many people didn't like it and I guess I just can't understand why :(
Ok, I was slightly dissappointed that there was no battle! There was so much build up and preparation for battle, and then nothing. The Volturi just said "oh, ok, all is good." Yeah right, not real believable to me.
It was definitely not what I expected, but I still liked it. I am so glad she married Edward and didn't end up with Jacob, because he is just too darn whiny!
I agree with Liz that it was a little too much with the happy ending! I can't believe Charlie was so ok with Bella's change, and where was Renee with all of this? I find it hard to believe she got no wind of what was going on.
All in all, not my favorite of the books, but glad Bella and Edward ended up together with Renesmee. I just hope the Volturi don't come back!!
I also was not surprised that Bella's clumsiness went away when she became a vampire. None of them are klutzy so why should she be. I think the rest of her character stayed though. It took her a while to be a confident vampire-it wasn't until the very end of the book for her to realize how powerful her gift was and to feel confident in her abilities. That was very Bella to me.
Renee was never there so i wasn't surprised that she fell under the radar. In previous books, Bella just had to email her mom to keep her at bay so I assume that was all that was needed again. She's so wrapped up in her husband that I didn't think it was nearly as strange as Charlie's lack of reaction!
I also wasn't too surprised that she flipped so easily into wanting a baby. I think we've all known someone who was surprised by a pregnancy but once it became a reality was able to be totally excited by it! I would think it would have more to do with my reaction of huh, didn't think that COULD happen. They didn't either so I don't think it was ever in her realms of possibilities for her life with Edward.
I loved this book and I thought it wrapped everything up nicely, but I don't like any loose ends! Maybe it's because I kept a really open mind so that I WOULDN'T get disappointed and I'm glad I did!
I didn't see the pregnancy thing coming (until the dreams of course) and I was a little surprised by it. I agree with Tiffany in that I was a little surprised by the somewhat more "adult" issues, but at the same time, she didn't write these books for young adults, they just ended up being published that way.
I'm so glad that the wedding happened so early on in the book and that Bella was happy about it! And, I have to say that her transformation couldn't have been done any better. With both Bella and Edward being so hesitant to do anything about it, they might have never done it if nothing drastic had happened!
I thought Jacob imprinting was kind of anti-climactic. He was always there after that but his role in the book was so diminished and his spark was kind of gone. I mean, I understand that she'll be taken care of now and the wolves couldn't hurt her, but still....not sure how I feel about that.
LOVED Bella's power and loved the end where she pulled her "shield" away long enough for Edward to really know the depth of her love for him. It was probably one of the most romantic moments in the book!
As far as the Voltori go, I thought it was perfect. With so many "witnesses" there they couldn't do anything without damaging their reputation. But, I don't doubt for a minute that the next chance they get they'll try to get rid of the Cullen family! I didn't need a big action scene but it was open-ended enough that we know their conflict with them isn't over!
My one big complaint about the whole book was Renesmee's name. I hated it! Blech!
But, to end on a good note, I'm so glad that Bella turned into a vampire with plenty of reading left so that we could actually enjoy it and not just get a couple of pages at the end. All in all, I thought it was great and I want to read it again!
lol! amen to that one, Aubrey!
"My one big complaint about the whole book was Renesmee's name. I hated it! Blech!"
Going along with what Aubrey said about the Volturi, I don't think that they were just like oh ok well we will just go now. I think that they saw that it wasn't going to be the slaughter that they expected. Nobody had ever stood up to them like that before and for the 1st time they had a chance of losing some of there key players. So, I didn't look at it like "well ok see ya". I looked at it like we have a chance at being damaged and our reputation ruined so, we will leave.
As with Charlie, I think Jacob showing him his freakiness actually helped. Not to mention having Sue and Billy as friends. I think that he looked at it as, if this is the only way to have my daughter in my life then I am just going to have to go with the flow. Like he said, "Need to know only".
I agree with kristi about the whole Charlie thing...if my daughter's best friend all of a sudden turned into a wolf in front of me and then told me that my daughter was a little different too...and the only way that I could be a part of her life would be to accept that...then I probably would've taken it just like charlie...gone to see her, and then watched football the whole time! :) (I thought that that was pretty funny...)
Speaking of funny....I thought that this book had a whole bunch of HILARIOUS moments. I laughed out loud a whole bunch. I loved this exchange between Jacob and Seth (I loved Seth's character!):
"Shut up please, Seth." "Shutting." Or when Jacob and Seth were trying to warn Edward that the wolves were coming from a distance and they were like, "Okay...I feel pretty silly now..." b/c they were talking to themselves.
I also loved Bella's reaction to Jacob imprinting...it was great. Classic mother. I'm cracking up just thinking about it...it was Bella's first time meeting her baby, she finds out that her best friend is planning on marrying her and she's already mad..and then he says, "I can share her Bella..." Yeah...like that's gonna make her very happy. :)
Also, I loved when Edward told Nessie not to bite Charlie like she does Jacob, and she asks if she can still bite Jacob and he's like, "Oh yeah...bite him all you want." :)
Also, I loved when Alice first realized that Jacob had done something to ruin her day (when he told Charlie about Bella) and she was in mid-sentence complaining about what he'd done when she turned around and saw Bella in jeans and a T-shirt and she stopped her current train of thought and said, "Oh no! You have GOT to let me teach you how to use your closet!" I love Alice. She's a crack-up.
What did you guys find funny?
I loved the snappy comments that Rosalie and Jacob kept exchanging. Loved the chapter headings in Jacobs book. I also really liked Bella's and Edwards reaction to the imprinting. And I have always thought that Alice was a crack up so of course she made me laugh.
I really loved Jacob's chapter headings, too!
I guess I'm a happy ending kind of girl, because this was my favorite book, and I loved it! Someone made the comment that Stephenie just gives her readers everything they've been wanting-and well...that was okay with me! I don't like happy endings that are completely predictable, but this wasn't. Tons of twists! There's not too much to expand on besides what's been said. But I do disagree that it's unrealistic how Bella changed when she became a vampire. Despite her clumsiness and plainness, her inner strength has always been one of her key traits, so it didn't surprise me at all that her transition into being a vampire was so easy. I kind of expected that actually. The imprinting and baby totally took me by surprise, but it was fun to be surprised! I couldn't put this book down from page 1, which is why it was my favorite. Last but not least, I disagree with the whole Edward going from being moody to a perfect husband/father. His moodiness has always been in relation to his fear of losing Bella, or her getting hurt. Once those fears were able to be erased, he was able to relax and be the Edward we all fell in love with!
I do agree that the book was a little racey for teenagers. But for someone who's married and a little older-I thought it was the perfect amount of romance without being graphic or raunchy like so many other books! So I didn't mind it, I just might think twice about my daughter reading it until a certain age...
A little "too" perfect of an ending? Yeah, probably! But I'm ok with that, bc like I said-I'm a happy ending kind of girl!
I have to admit, the more I have thought about it, I have thought Edward was a bit distant with the baby-doesn't hold her much, etc. but I think that the book takes place over such a short period of time, that it's hard to judge how he is as a father. I just think she focused on the baby's relationship to Bella, Rose and Jacob rather than Edward. There were clues, especially near the end, that she was just as comfortable with her father.
I'm glad you didn't think it was racy because I've been thinking, oh man, am I a bad person if I thought she did a good job adding romance without making it graphic! :)
I agree that I didn't think that it was racy for ME...and I definitely agree that she didn't make it too graphic...I just didn't think it was necessarily the MOST appropriate for the younger kids I see reading it (like under 16...). And even if I had a 16 year old...I would definitely want to talk to her about how sex is a wonderful thing to be shared between two MARRIED people, after she read the book... I really liked the quote from Bella on her honeymoon night when she was nervous and she thought to herself, "How could anyone trust someone with all of their imperfections with any less of a commitment than I have from Edward?" I thought that was a good way of putting it.
Anyway, I think part of the reason I've thought so much about this is b/c all of my best friends are YW leaders and they knew that all of their YW were reading it...so as they were reading they started to freak out b/c they knew that their girls were already dreaming about having Edward sleep in bed with them every night....and they were wondering what this was going to make them dream about...
Anyway, I loved the book. :) I agree that the ending was probably too perfect...but I love that kind of thing...so it was okay with me. :)
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