"Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer

Please be alerted. Here there be spoilers.

So, I thought this book came out August 4. I had just finished "Eclipse" and I thought, "hell, why not see if there's anything out there, yet."

This was a Sunday, I think. Apparently, the book came out on the second, so when I typed in the book title in Amazon.com, I was berated by many reviews of the book. Before I even had a chance to read what would happen in the book, I already knew a few huge plot-points. I was a bit perturbed that I let myself see those, but at least I was still shocked/surprised as I read the final (?) installment of the series.

What I realized most, after reading the reviews, were how passionate people were/are about the series. Obviously, it's a given. "The Media" is calling Meyer the "next J.K. Rowling." I don't think that's fair. Although, had there been three more books, I'm sure she would've gotten up there -- but I would see Meyer more in the lines of Anne Rice, with all that romantic vampireness.

What I've enjoyed most about the series is that I'm not alone reading it. Here I was, years ago, not reading the "Harry Potter" series because so many people were -- I was being one of those anti-teenagers who refuses to do what everyone else is doing. I was cooler than that, wasn't I? Now that I don't care anymore, I realized what I missed out on -- well, sort of. I'm not missing out on the "Twilight" saga. Here's what I mean:

There are so many people reading it, that I'm not alone. I can talk about these books with other people and get excited about them with other people and be a part of this larger whole that is popular culture. If I knew I would've had this with "Harry Potter," I would've read it, too.

The only person I can't talk about it with is Steph. I chuckled during one aspect of "Breaking Dawn" and she looked at me, deadpan, and asked, "Is the vampire baby talking?"

I laughed. Hard. Because it was true...the half-vampire, half-human baby was talking, but that's not why I was laughing. I don't even remember why I was laughing. While reading it on our swing, we had to shoo Nigra away from a dead chipmunk. We went up to the chipmunk and it had one of its large, blue eyes pushed out -- like it popped out from its fall. Its arms and legs were stiff in the air, and I said, "oh, he committed suicide."

I sat back down to read, when we saw a small bunny hop across the yard and Nigra going after it. I had to pick it up and set it free in the neighbor's yard where the girls wouldn't get it.

So, what's "Breaking Dawn" about? Well, it's the series' happily ever after, really. And that pissed people off. I read that people were angry about how all the loose ends were neatly tied up. I think they wanted someone to die at some dramatic point. Anymore, these days, that's a cliche in writing. Just for that dramatic "real life" effect, let's kill someone off, OK? They do it in TV shows, they throw it in books...it's getting old people! Keep everyone ALIVE! That's the new trend.

Bella has a baby with Edward, which didn't make much sense, but at least the characters approached it in the same mind-frame as the readers. Kind of a "what the hell?" and I just accepted it. I want sending Meyer any hate mail, thank you very much. I have a life.

Plus, I'm sure if my books ever get published, I, too, will get hate mail.

We also switch points-of-view from Bella to Jacob. At first, I was a bit annoyed, but when you found out what was happening to Bella in that section of the book, it would've been a big whine-fest, so I was happy to not be in Bella's head.

In the end, the series is still up in the air. If I were Stephenie Meyer, I would've thrown it up in the air, as well. Being an author is great, and all, but it's every (well, for me it is, I can't speak for any other writer) writers' dream to be published, but also widely-read. If I could write a few more books using a world I've created and be set financially, well, I would be excited and fueled and happy to know that I wouldn't have to teach or do a typical job, but sit at a desk and create a world.

Where Meyer could take it is anybody's guess, but what the readers do know is that the "Twilight" saga does have one more read coming, I think. We've figured out what's happened in Bella's point of view. Now it's time for Edward's. "Midnight Sun" is the title, and I've read on Meyer's website that she plans on publishing it...eventually.

I was pleased with the storytelling, and more than anything, it was fun being a part of this pop culture phenomenon that others were also reading.

Since I enjoyed vampires so much, it's time to read a horror novel that's a bit more traditional in its way of using vampires. Hello, Stephen King's "Salem's Lot."