Breaking Dawn

I am going crazy reading everyone's reviews of Breaking Dawn. I feel I need to tell my own views in order to feel understood when I say "I liked the book." I cheated and looked at some of the amazon.com reviews before I actually got my book (released August 4, here). I have to say that I think I did myself a service by doing this. I did my best to avoid the spoilers, but found that most of the reviews were riddled with them. I remember SM saying that she didn't want anything of the book to be leaked before the publication date because it was supposed to be "experienced the way Bella experienced it herself." I did myself a service by reading the main things that people are up in arms over. I got over the element of surprise before I read the book; therefore I could read it and enjoy it as the story was meant to be written. I will admit, although I'm not on the fence about whether to like or dislike (I like it) Breaking Dawn, there are things I didn't like. I will make my list below and you can add to anything or retract anything you feel necessary to voice your opinion of my views.

Positives:
1. The humour. That is number one on my list. The dialogue (Emmett is fabulous! And then there’s Jacob, too) and descriptions (IE. When Rosalie bent the mixing bowl to look like a dog dish and wrote Fido on the side -- hilarious!) Are just down right funny in a lot of parts. Laugh out loud worthy.
2. The fact that Jacob came back for the wedding.
3. When Edward told Bella how beautiful she was at their reception and made her look into the glass to see her self. (awww moment)
4. The wedding and honeymoon (and the general mention of -erm- "adult situations"… Hello - newlyweds have lots of "adult situations"!)
5. Believe it or not - Bella’s pregnancy (there were a lot of things SM hit right on the head when it came to pregnancy related things and it made it more realistic, even if what she was carrying is make believe).
6. Edward’s reaction to the pregnancy. To see how much it affected him. To see him go as far as asking Jacob to have children with her so that she could live through the experiences and then be changed
7. Bella’s delivery experience. It surprised me, but in a good way. I have such horrid memories of my own births (both c-sections) that reading the way it was described wasn’t all that bad. Again - made it more realistic based on the make believe if that makes sense.
8. Jacob’s point of view (Book 2). Let’s face it, had we gotten the birth scene through Bella’s eyes we would have gotten a lot less (some of you may think that’s a good thing, but again, I enjoyed the scene).
9. I enjoyed reading about Bella’s transformation
10. Seeing the way the world felt after Bella’s transformation. No more clumsy Bella. She’s now graceful.
11. Her first hunt (again just a humour factor really). I got a kick out of imagining her sitting on the ground with her legs sprawled out in front of her, her delicate dress ripped to shreds, a mountain lion in her hands its’ head on her lap and taking her first drink - and then to picture how mess y she was because she had no practice on how to be “graceful” at that.
12. Bella’s relationship with Renesmee. What a wonderful show of a relationship between a mother and her child. Even seeing that Bella would go through death to make sure the child lived. And the fact that Bella's love for Renesmee allowed Renesmee to break through Bella's mind and show her the thoughts she was showing others.
13. The touching moments throughout the story (the “goodbye” section, etc.) Even reading about Edward and Bella casually holding hands or sitting next to one another. Made the love feel more real.
14. Finding out Bella’s power.
15. Seeing all Carlisle’s friends come together to help them.
16. The happily ever after
17. Bella opening her mind to Edward so he could finally see himself through her thoughts. (I cried).
18. Last but definitely not least. One word. Seth.

Negatives:
1. What was the point of alluding to an “after car” if it was only going to get a mention in a brief second of the book? No grand unveiling?
2. All the grammatical errors. I am no editor, but the mistakes were pretty bad. (IE Bella decided to make pancakes the morning of the wedding, however, a few lines down Charlie scowls in his cereal bowl?”
3. The honeymoon fade-to-black. That was kind of annoying. She could have alluded to it nicely. She did the leg over the hip thing in Eclipse and then for their honeymoon they just “walked deeper into the ocean”?
4. Not knowing the full extent of what the cleaning lady was so upset about (I figured it had to do with her ‘knowing’ what Edward was, but once she saw Bella was alive - what was the point of that?)
5. Finding out that all along the “werewolves” were actually shape-shifters. Me thinks SM was liking a bit of the TV show Supernatural while she was writing that part…
6. No epic battle. I was pretty upset at first when I read (didn’t read the spoiler - so was surprised!) that Alice had left the Cullen’s in the lurch. I didn’t think she had it in her to abandon her family like that. And then after all of that - to see the Volturi just back down and retreat like that was a bit anticlimactic.
7. Jazz and Em? WTH?
8. SM’s description of Jasper through Bella’s new eyes. I thought all her vampires were supposed to be so good looking? Why describe him (one of the best characters in the book) so disturbingly? YES he has loads of scars, but the way she made it sound was as if his jaw was completely mutilated by bite marks.
9. Finally finding out why the Volturi’s skin looks the way it does. I was a bit disappointed. It could have been something spectacular (creep-tacular, lol!) but no, it’s because they let power go to their heads… Wonderful (rolls eyes).
10. Renesmee. Not my favourite. I kind of wish the baby WAS the boy Bella had been dreaming about. I like the name Edward Jacob, better than Renesmee. ;)
11. Nessie… WHY nickname the child that if Bella herself would fly off the handle?
12. Bella lying and getting away with it. (Telling that she didn’t feel the burn of the transformation because of the morphine) There should have been a time in the book where she did in fact tell Carlisle that his attempt failed.
13. I am upset that Bella's transformation couldn't have been a bit more romantic... The whole needle straight into the heart and biting all over is very effective, but I was hoping for something different. Plus, when Edward is holding the syringe and Jacob asks what it is and he responds with "my venom" I couldn't help but think Edward had, um, done the "naughty" and saved what came out. (**blush**) heh.

As you can see, I have more positives than negatives, but at least I do have negatives. Some of my thoughts may make sense to you and not to me. If they do, please feel free to explain so I can get a better grasp on the story. Overall I did like the book. I was sort of left wanting more, though. I want to know what happens to Nessie as she grows older. I want to know if the Volturi ever come back. I want to know lots of things that I’m just not going to get to know now that the saga is over. Thank you for taking the time to read this! None of my friends, here, are as enthused over the saga as I have been, so I have felt a need to just let it all out. Feel free to discuss. ;)