OK...so I finished the whole Twilight Saga book-fest.  Took me three weeks to read all four books. (yeah for me) 

So let me review...

I loved Twilight.  I liked New Moon quite a bit as well.  Eclipse was engrossing but a bit more frustrating at the same time.  Breaking Dawn was just way tooooo long, and uneventful.  Not that it didn't deliver.  Not that it didn't have a few climactic moments in it....it just didn't need to go that long to find no big ending.

Here's what happens (no, I'm not giving away plot)  In the first book, we meet Edward and family and they have all the answers...why shouldn't they, they are each over a hundred years old.  But they are our hero throughout.  Bella is at their mercy to be rescued and totally not at fault for any of it.  In New Moon however, Edward is gone and Bella is left literally flopping around on her own.  You feel her pain, her heartbreak...we were all dumped at some point...but Jacob is the one to pick her up again and help her to her feet.  Problem is, I don't want to read about Jacob Black...I want Edward to return, so I sped through that book in two days just to get back to the vampire of all our dreams.  When she finally does get reunited however, it's very weird.  I actually re-read that part several times because I felt like I missed something.  There's no big moment that you are set up for...she falls into his arms yes, but it's very odd.  Then instantly it gets worse with bad guys...but very boringly.  There was not very much intensity.  So where I was thrilled to have Edward back in our lives, it was just nothing that wonderful to speak of.

Now we come to Eclipse...at this point Bella has become selfish and reckless bringing trouble not only to herself but to two families that have lived peacefully for centuries.  So one more time her life is in danger and they (literally everyone) has to save her pathetic life.  At this point I'm like let them have her.  What irritated me about this book was that before Edwards and Co. were our heroes.  They had all the answers...now all of a sudden they are oblivious to what's happening around them.  I had this thing figured out very early on...and maybe Meyer's wanted to let us feel like we were solving the mystery...maybe it was on purpose....but here's the thing...I figure out my own life every damn day as well as make every single decision for everyone I know...makes me nuts.  What was nice about these previous book is that someone was taking care of me (or Bella, whatever...) But, they were smarter than me and they had the answers...they protected us.  Now all of the sudden, my heroes have become clueless and dare I say stupid, and once again I am one step ahead.  Ug.  Then the fickle little twit can't decide between her men....she leads them both around like a little brat that doesn't deserve either of them.  In the end there is at least a fight, and the intensity is returned and you find yourself routing for all of our heroes.  So the book does comes full circle and even though you want to kill Bella yourself...you do route for her.  Maybe that was all the intent...to show that the characters are flawed...human...or not.  I liked this book...I liked them all, I just started to become frustrated in this one.

But I pressed on...

Breaking Dawn was I think the most disappointing of the group...but still very good.  First of all let's talk about the break up into Book 1, Book 2 etc...I get what Meyers was doing.  She was trying to breathe new life into her writing...Using the old character to create new character for the book.  A new approach.  So sticking to what has obviously been working so well, she remained first person and added Book 2 within Breaking Dawn as called Jacob.  At this point we're treated to life between vampires and wolves through Jacob's eyes.  This was a bit much for me....meaning it went on a little bit way too long.  Again I understand what she was building too...I got it in the very last sentence of that section...but wasn't there another way of getting there?  Did we really need that much of Jake and his "pack"?  The point could have been relayed a lot easier and a lot faster but instead it dragged along, while once again I was trying to hurry back to my vampires.  Finally we return to the "leeches" and get to experience it all for the first time through Bella.  And I will say the mysteries left with Alice's departure was not so black and white spelled out for us.  We did have to stay tuned to have it revealed.  And where the book was going was not all that apparent until it got there either.  I knew from the beginning when Carlisle tells of the immortal children where we were headed but I didn't anticipate Irina and what followed.  The gathering of Vampires I enjoyed quite a bit...learning about new characters and their power.  I even loved the fact that Bella acted on her own to protect Renesmee....Do NOT even get me going on that name...are you kidding me?  So she was no longer the careless, selfish brat she had been previously...at least that transformed well out of her along with her clumsey feet.  The goodbye with Nessie in the field actually made me cry...but that could have been the PMS though.  And Garrett's speech was gripping.  I was totally there.  And Alice!  I was still there....but then it just kind of fell off.  Nothing happened.  NOTHING.  Every one just walked away....sorry, did not mean to ruin it for you... But we were built up, it was ON!  And then nothing.  Honestly, I think she just didn't want any of her precious characters to die.  I understand that.  Heck I never give any of my books a clear ending because I never want anyone to loose or feel final.  But the lack of courage in creating a fight, and impending death, left the book to kind of fall at the end.  All that seven hundred plus pages all became very anti climactic.  I just wish there had been more at the end.  I know they are romance novels...and meant for a young audience...I just didn't care that much for how it wound up. 

I will say though Meyers did something right, because just like I anticipated, I miss my vampire friends.

So I've read reviews where people have not liked the series.  Criticized the writing...talked about how true vampire readers will hates these books....what-ev.  I wouldn't say anything of the sort regarding the writing.  I liked the way she constructed it.  I liked the first person tone, and the way all the characters stayed true to their own mannerisms.  They stuck to the dialect from their century.  You could very clearly see each individual as they spoke...that I like. Of course the movie helped there too.  But she painted clear pictures...rarely did the dialog get so tangled that I had to go back and re-read for clarity.  The only thing that I noticed was Bella in her 'after' state in the forth book began to speak a bit more at moments like she was from another time.  But not too bad.  These books were good.  believe it or not this is not a bad review.  I loved them and when someone asks me if I've read any good books lately, I will throw these at them...haha...I'll throw the book at them...haha.  Anyway, they are gripping, they hold you from the beginning and the first chapters of each next book located in the rear of the previous book was a key grabbing factor...once I read that I needed the next one YESTERDAY!  That was very well done.


So now here's what I wonder the most about...have real vampires read these books and considered a vegetarian lifestyle?