I've been waiting to post about this so other fans had some time to finish . . . before I said anything.
OK - so I was there . . . at Barnes & Noble the night of the book release party. We got there just after 10 - me and Vickie and Michelle - three SAHM's in their 30's. We did the trivia. We entered the drawings. We got our numbers corresponding to our turn in line. We were all excited. We got our books just a couple minutes after midnight. I have to say that the silly release party was a foreshadow of how much I'd love the book. I'm glad I went. I had fun. But it wasn't "the best time!" or "such a fun event." It wasn't as big a deal as I assumed it would be. I was more glad to be out with the girls. I also got to see some of my scrapping friends and church friends there. So the experience was worth it . . . just not all that and a bag of chips - kinda like the book!
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
If you have not finished the book and do not want me to let any cat out of the bag - please do not read further!
I got home right about 12:30 a.m. and read until 3 - just enough time to confirm my suspicion that took root when I finished "Eclipse" - she would be human and get pregnant with a half vampire/half human baby. I knew it all along - and was happy to see that I was right.
The next day I read while on the treadmill . . . stole a chapter or two between shower, makeup, hair and getting the kids ready. TORE myself away so I could take all 4 kids out for errands (Dan was at an Eagle Scout Service Project all day). Read more that evening and into the night - until I could confirm my second suspicion . . . Jacob would imprint on Bella's Vam-human baby girl. Not so thrilled that I was right on that one . . . too weird!
I finished on Sunday and felt kinda . . . uuugh . . . that's it!?!?!
So here's what I think in random order of points:
* The book was not AT ALL balanced. Too much time spent on her pregnancy - not enough time on other things - strange balance of story substance. I was getting to the end and thinking . . . "There's not enough book left for anything great to happen!!!"
* Nothing great DID happen! I was hoping for a battle - the Cullens to become the new Vampire Royalty and justice keepers. Really? Nothing came out of it except they get to live happily ever after forever . . . oh and somewhere in the near future Renesmee and Jacob will be wed. Weird. Nothing big enough to satisfy my passion about this saga.
* Too many words - not enough efficiency. I thought she used a whole heck of a lot of words for saying nothing of significance. This goes along with the book being out of balance. I thought she could have been more efficient with her words - it seemed too much for not enough.
* Getting pregnant w/ a half vampire baby - I was all for that - so I like that aspect - but here again - I'd rather her have gone on further into the baby's life and development instead of spending so much time on the pregnancy - so it was eating her from the inside and she needed to drink blood to satisfy her "thirst" - duh! It's a bloodsucker!!! Should have seen that one a mile away! I did like Renesmee's name and special talents - and the fact that she grew so darn fast was fine with me, too. Just didn't think the story was justified in wasting so much time and so many pages on the pregnancy.
* Which brings me to the relationship between Bella and Jacob . . . the whole time . . . even in the back of my mind while I'm thinking Jacob will imprint on her baby (and it was a little TOO obvious that it'd be a girl when so much was pointing to it being a boy) - I just kept thinking how UNHEALTHY a relationship Bella and Jacob had. This girl was WAY too selfish and a little sick in my opinion to make Jacob stay and watch her suffer through her pregnancy with her husband - not to mention HIM being a bit on the sick side as well for sticking around and letting her be like that. I just kept thinking how wrong their relationship was - ESPECIALLY since I kept thinking he'd end up being her son in law. WRONG WRONG WRONG - EEEEWWWW!
* They DID NOT earn the ending. Like I said before - I kept panicking as I read on . . . there was not enough book left for anything to happen. But all of a sudden - Bella's shielding everyone and a witness shows up to say Renesmee is no threat and bang . . . the Voulturi just walks away. Are you kidding me??? Then they all skip off into the sunset . . . without earning one ounce of their "happily ever after!" I needed a fight - one that took casualties from both sides - one where they fought for what they believed and were and wanted. Where the good of the Cullen family would triumph over the psychopathic Voulturi and bring them out triumphant as the Vampire leaders - the royalty - the peace keepers . . . that's how -I- would have had them earn their happily ever after.
* Another total bug for me is the whole section from Jacob's perspective . . . another way to throw the whole book out of balance. Who cares - and what was the point of having that all from his point of view??? I saw no real significance - why was HIS view so important for this novel? It bugged me! Plus, it's not like that was the way she'd done it before - sure there was one or two little snippets from others' perspectives in the other books, but PLEASE - an entire section of this book?? Totally out of context for me.
* I couldn't stand the ease with which Bella changed - and her ease at adjusting to vamp-life. There was no explanation why. That bugged me. If there had been a good reason why - maybe I would have accepted that - but I didn't like how she could be near humans right away, how she didn't "thirst" like everyone else did. How she had control and could totally think on her own. Give me a reason WHY and maybe it wouldn't bug me so much.
*Charlie . . . charlie, charlie . . . what to say about that . . . are you freakin' kidding me???? There's NO WAY he'd be so dang OK about weird happenings and more than content to not know anything he didn't have to know. So out there! Plus the fact that Jacob went to him and basically ratted everyone and everything out . . . he was a putz when he narc'd about the motorcycle . . . but this - come on dog! What in the world made him so stupid to do that? And why did everyone forgive that? Oh please!!!!
* There WERE a couple things I did like a lot - the hybrid baby - the cottage - the honeymoon island - the new group of vampires (although it seemed a half-hearted attempt at that section of the story) - Bella's new body/life/talents - I thought the actual description of her changing was pretty good. I also loved the part when Alice shows up with another hybrid vamhuman - and his story. Pretty good curve ball for me -
So all in all . . . I'm glad it's over - I'm glad I read it - I was entertained . . . just like the release party - it wasn't what I expected or how I would have done it - but glad I was there.
* Another total bug for me is the whole section from Jacob's perspective . . . another way to throw the whole book out of balance. Who cares - and what was the point of having that all from his point of view??? I saw no real significance - why was HIS view so important for this novel? It bugged me! Plus, it's not like that was the way she'd done it before - sure there was one or two little snippets from others' perspectives in the other books, but PLEASE - an entire section of this book?? Totally out of context for me.
* I couldn't stand the ease with which Bella changed - and her ease at adjusting to vamp-life. There was no explanation why. That bugged me. If there had been a good reason why - maybe I would have accepted that - but I didn't like how she could be near humans right away, how she didn't "thirst" like everyone else did. How she had control and could totally think on her own. Give me a reason WHY and maybe it wouldn't bug me so much.
*Charlie . . . charlie, charlie . . . what to say about that . . . are you freakin' kidding me???? There's NO WAY he'd be so dang OK about weird happenings and more than content to not know anything he didn't have to know. So out there! Plus the fact that Jacob went to him and basically ratted everyone and everything out . . . he was a putz when he narc'd about the motorcycle . . . but this - come on dog! What in the world made him so stupid to do that? And why did everyone forgive that? Oh please!!!!
* There WERE a couple things I did like a lot - the hybrid baby - the cottage - the honeymoon island - the new group of vampires (although it seemed a half-hearted attempt at that section of the story) - Bella's new body/life/talents - I thought the actual description of her changing was pretty good. I also loved the part when Alice shows up with another hybrid vamhuman - and his story. Pretty good curve ball for me -
So all in all . . . I'm glad it's over - I'm glad I read it - I was entertained . . . just like the release party - it wasn't what I expected or how I would have done it - but glad I was there.
No comments:
Post a Comment