I'm reserving judgment on this one until I finish. But at about 150 pages in (read during my geekout trip to Forks, WA), I'm wondering what the hell Meyer was smoking while she wrote this.
Jan 8 - Roughly page 250, maybe 275. Meyer makes some interesting choices in this one. It's good to see she tried to stretch her craft a bit more by writing from Jacob's point of view rather than Bella's. I think she pulls off writing in his voice, and the story moves a lot faster when she's writing Jacob.
But the plot? Is
stupid. So stupid it burns. And I can see it coming a mile away.
Also? She really shouldn't try to back up her departures from traditional vampire lore with pseudo-science. The thing about the chromosomes really made me roll my eyes.
And yet, I will continue on to the bitter, bitter end.
Jan 10 - Made it to about page 400 and I don't know if I can go on. Living, that is. This book is
that gawdawful. Bella has gone from being petulant and whiny to being a saintly martyr who will not speak of her own excruciating physical pain as her satanic vampire child rips her apart from the insides lest she cause any distress to others. Give me a fucking break. And once the thing claws its way out - with help from Edward - Meyer apparently remembered that vampires are creatures of
horror literature - and after a good 200 pages of
waiting and
talking about it - Jacob takes one look at the newborn infant and
imprints her.
The baby, by the way, is named "Renesmee." Couldn't they have gone with something less stupid, like "Apple"? This is why 18-year-old shouldn't have babies. Sigh.
Yes, I was spoiled on these things, knew they were coming, but that does nothing to lessen my outrage at the sheer
badness of it all.
I want to throw this book against the wall, but it's not my house and I'm afraid of damaging something.
Stephenie, you who cannot spell your own name, you had me with
Twilight and
New Moon, oh yes,
New Moon. I even powered my way through
Eclipse. But this book, my dear, sucks ass. When you both cannot write your way out of a paper bag and fail to tell me an engaging story, then I am done. The spell is broken.
Jan 11 -- I tried. I really did. I was mildly interested in reading about Bella's vampiric transformation even though it was repetitive. Pain. Burning. Repeat ad nauseum for a dozen pages or so. Then Bella wakes up and she's the bestest, most in control newborn vampire ever! I'm done. I can go no further.