Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

I did. I finally finished the Twilight Saga.
Thank heavens.
I fully admit to finding Breaking Dawn more palatable than the previous books, especially considering the quality of the writing. I find it much improved in this final book, though it did still drag on for a bit.
Granted, the half-vampire baby eating its mother from the inside out is a little weird and the birth scene a little weird, but those actually were minor in my eyes, probably because I had heard about them before I read the book. The first part of the book told from Bella's point of view had me rolling my eyes frequently. My main complaint with Bella is that she's an insecure whiner. She can't believe Edward loves her, can't believe Edward marries her, thinks she so not worth his time, and frankly, I think that's a terrible attitude for a character to have, especially one that appeals so much to young girls. Yes, I understand that girls are not particularly self-confident, but other others (Meg Cabot comes immediately to mind) have the same flawed characters who end up growing and thinking better of themselves. And I wish it didn't take Bella turning into a vampire to do that for her.
I enjoyed the Jacob-narrated part of the book, if only to get me out of Bella's head (that's really the main irritant for me, the book told from Bella's point of view) for a bit, though--much as I am on Team Jacob--why he puts up with her became much more difficult for me to understand. I just didn't see the attraction I had seen in previous books.
Edward became less obsessed and abusive after Bella became a vampire, I suppose because she couldn't really be broken anymore (and he got her into his family, they're a secret, she wasn't going to see all her old friends anymore, so I guess he won). I've just always thought there was something unhealthy about that relationship.
After Bella became a vampire I didn't like how she kept thinking she was "perfect" and that her human hearing and sight were "weak". I would have been happier if she had come to some sort of positive opinion of herself before she became a vampire. Edward wants to spend eternity with you, Bella, he would not do that with someone he was not devoted to. Wise up. Think better of yourself. Be a vampire, I don't care, just be a better role model for teen girls reading this book.
Renesmee: It's sweet, I think, that Edward & Bella got to have a family. I don't mind the happily ever after part of the story, I think that's quite nice. The imprinting thing I can even handle and think that Jacob's right, Renesmee is why he put up with Bella for so long. One random pet peeve: put the kid in a damn car seat. I don't care if you're supernaturals, the kid needs to be in a car seat, not sitting on someone's lap in the front seat of the car. I don't care if it's fiction.
As for the Volturi, I thought it was interesting that they showed up, I thought it was an intriguing part of the story (I've always found the back stories of the vampires and werewolves interesting in these books), I think I was a little disappointed the confrontation ended so flatly? Glad that none of the Cullens or the werewolves had to die, but it was kind of flat ending to all that build up.
Will I be reading Midnight Sun if Meyer ever decides to complete and publish it? No. I don't think there's anything Meyer could write about Edward that would actually make me like him (or think he's a good book boyfriend for teen girls).
I feel better for having completed the series (even knowing how it ended before I picked up Twilight), primarily because I'm a young adult librarian and if teens are reading, I should have an idea of what they're reading.

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Nora and Patch are back, though not together for very long. Patch reveals (rather reluctantly) that the archangels are watching him and Nora and if he makes it known he's fallen for Nora, the archangels will banish him to hell. Not a very happy prospect for either of them.
So, when Nora discovers this she pushes Patch away. She doesn't want him to go, obviously, so she thinks if she keep pushing him away he won't leave her. But this frustrates Patch. Nora becomes frustrated when Patch spends more and more time with Marcie Millar, Nora's high school nemesis. Torn between her love for Patch and her insecurity, Nora keeps botching their relationship up. (Yes, I totally blame Nora.)
An old family friend is back in the picture, and just like Nora was drawn to Patch's badassness, so she is drawn to trouble maker Scott. Scott is another Nephilim involved in some dark happenings, a blood society of Nephilim who want to stop the fallen angels from taking over the Nephilim's bodies every year. I hope this part of the story comes back in the last few books, I think it's a very interesting storyline and provides more depth (to make it more than just a love story).
Marcie and Nora are partners in summer school, and Marcie strangely attempts to be nice (or at least as nice as Marcie can be) to get information about Patch. But then she just tortures Nora with stories of what Marcie and Patch are doing. Surprisingly Marcie invites Nora to a summer party and Nora gets into a little bit of trouble (which doesn't come out until later).
Vee and Patch's friend Rixon start dating and since Nora broke up with Patch she feels like the third wheel with Vee and Rixon. Vee is not as present in this book as she was in Hush, Hush, being wrapped up with Rixon. Nora's happy for her but wishes she had her friend to herself more often.
And of course, Nora gets in trouble. She steals something from Scott and Scott becomes desperate to get the item back which leads to an intense showdown at the Delphic amusement park where the bad guy is not who you expect.
Nora also learns a little bit about her family history, which ends the book on a cliffhanger and I can't believe I have to wait until October 2011 to find out what happens next. I admit, though I was reluctant to start the books, I've been sucked in. I really like how Fitzpatrick writes, and though I get a little frustrated with Nora because she's stubborn, insecure, and doesn't talk to Patch when that would help a lot, she's overall a likable character. I really like Vee too and hope she plays more of a role in future books. Patch is not my type of guy but I can see the appeal.
So, Crescendo the second book in Becca Fitzpatrick's series is recommended for high school students and older. I enjoyed it and I look forward to the rest of the books!

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

Amelia is looking forward to a summer in the city of Baltimore, far from her tiny home of Broken Tooth, Maine. Staying with relatives, it is the goal of Amelia's summer to come away engaged to a young man (or such is her brother's goal in sending her there). In 1889, Amelia knows there are few options open to her besides marriage, and so goes with the excitement of a trip before her, and summer away from her father and sister-in-law (her parents being dead).
Amelia finds a great friend in her cousin Zora, who has a bit of a mind for trouble as well. The two finish school and then the real joy of the summer begins; two young women, free from classes, looking forward to their futures.
Zora is excessively fond of Thomas Rea, the doctor's son, and knows that she and Thomas cannot marry until he is finished with school, for he must have a way to support a wife. Amelia is immediately taken with a Fourteenth (a young man hired to make a dinner table sit 14 instead of an unlucky 13), Nathaniel Witherspoon, starving artist. It is not the match Amelia is expected to make. Stolen moments throughout the summer, however, bring the two closer together.
Sounds like just another period young adult romance, no? It's definitely more.
The book opens with Amelia being locked in the attic of her brother's house in Maine in the fall of 1889, after her trip to Baltimore. She reveals dark details of why she has been locked up, why she was sent away from Baltimore, and the agony Amelia is living in, trapped.
Mitchell then flashes back to the summer of 1889 and Amelia's arrival and introduction to the family she will be living with. Witty remarks endear Amelia to Zora immediately, and not long after Amelia arrives, she has the strangest vision as she stares into the sunset from the parlor, a vision of Zora & Thomas dancing together. When this comes true, Amelia confesses to Zora and the two begin sharing Amelia's abilities with their friends. Once the word spreads, a number of young women are clamoring for Amelia to tell their futures.
It's fun, at first, but then Amelia begins to see darker futures, mundane futures, and when she starts writing down what she sees, she dreads the visions. Once, she thinks she is able to avert tragedy, but it can never be so easy as that, as Amelia reminds us when she cuts back in from the present.
Nathaniel is not quite what he seems either, able to seemingly suddenly appear when Amelia thinks of him, calls to him. He is mysterious and entirely inappropriate for her, but the two appeal to each other more than either can explain.
When the first tragedy strikes, Amelia is shocked, as it's a future she thought she had prevented. The trouble is, Amelia could not see how this one future plays into the rest of the futures surrounding her and her world begins to tumble down. The sad events happen quickly and discover why Amelia is sent home.
The story, beginning with Amelia in Maine after the events have taken place, leave the reader constantly wondering just what happened to have her returned home, and ruined. It is an easy story to read, one that keeps the reader intrigued and involved, and the sad Gothic nature of it make the reader wish for a happy ending. A different than expected ending occurs, one that works well with my reading tastes. All in all, The Vespertine is a book I would recommend to young adult readers who like historical fiction and a bit of supernatural. It reminded me a little of Libba Bray's A Great & Terrible Beauty, but The Vespertine does not delve as much into the supernatural world as Bray's trilogy. A worthwhile story that leaves the reader with chills.

Blameless by Gail Carriger

Book three of the Parasol Protectorate (and that term is finally used in the book, hee!) finds Alexia back with her mother, stepfather, and half-sisters. And fairly miserable. After being cast out by Conall once he discovered she was pregnant, Alexia made her way back to Woolsey Castle, packed her things, and removed herself to her past home. The bosom of her family is not very happy to see her back, blaming Alexia for Evy's failed engagement.
So with the trusty Floote and Madame Lefoux, Alexia escapes her family (and the vampires trying to kill her) for the Continent. Her goal is not only to get away from her family and society (even Queen Victoria has cast her out; Alexia is no longer muhjah, as Queen Victoria respects family greatly and the rumor that Alexia strayed outside of her marriage is not looked upon kindly by the Queen), but to prove to her very stubborn husband that he is in fact the father, so that Alexia will be discovered to be Blameless.
They are heading to Italy, where Alexia's father is from, also home to the Knights Templar the group that does not tolerate ANY supernatural being. So when Alexia arrives in Italy with Floote and Madame Lefoux, the Templars are kind enough to save them from the pursuing vampires, but Alexia soon discovers they will have nothing to do with her--won't speak to her, won't look at her, won't touch anything she has touched (in fact it all has to be destroyed). Floote is immeasurably helpful, having worked with Alexia's father and the Templars for years. Floote, as always, knows more than he's telling Alexia.
It takes Alexia awhile to come to terms with the Infant Inconvenience (as Alexia has taken to calling the baby); she never thought she was going to have a baby, especially once she married a werewolf, and the fact that the baby has separated her and Conall makes her look less kindly on it. But when she discovers that being a preternatural means she most likely won't carry the baby to term (preternaturals are repulsed from each other, like two magnets and there have been no records of a female preternatural carrying a baby to term), she begins to get a little discouraged, though still determined to prove Conall wrong.
But a funny little German, Dr. Lange-Wilsdorf, may have discovered the baby has a chance and also why the vampires are so desperate to have Alexia terminated.
Blameless is the most action-filled book so far, with werewolves fighting vampires and Templars and little bits of Alexia's father's history being revealed, and the relationship between Conall and Professor Lyall (one of the best characters by far), the severed hand the Templars keep in case of emergency, and Alexia being used as bait, plus everything else I'm leaving out (Ivy, Biffy, Lord Akeldama). Wonderful fun. Ends nicely, but also ends the reader wanting more and the next book is not due to be published until July 2011. Blast!

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

I was not overly keen on reading Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick--it is another YA supernatural/paranormal romance, and having read the first three Stephenie Meyer Twilight books, I have had my fill. But a friend recommended it (and I got her to read The Hunger Games trilogy, which she loved) and went so far as to loan me her copy of it, so I read it (while on vacation without any other books to tempt me).
It opens with high school sophomore Nora, living alone with her mom (her father died about a year ago), best friend Vee, and sudden new classmate, Patch.
Oh, the mysterious dark male student. Nora is determined to not get involved with boys, wanting to get out of high school and on to college and no guy is good enough for her. But Patch, suddenly her new biology lab partner, draws her in and tempts Nora to do things Nora would not do before. Nora's the safe girl, the well behaved girl, but Patch is the dangerous one, hanging out in pool halls, riding motorcycles. He feels wrong for her but she can't keep away.
Well it comes out that Patch is a fallen angel (there's the paranormal bit). I admit I was a little skeptical when I first started to read: girl in school, slightly loner-ish, absent parents, meets dark mysterious boy with a secret, turns our to be supernatural, girl is constantly in peril ... it was reading a lot like Twilight. Though I appreciate the story Stephenie Meyer is trying to tell in Twilight (and the other books) I can't freaking stand Bella and all the books are filtered through Bella (I think that's why I find the storyline more interesting in the movies).
Becca Fitzpatrick is a better writer than Stephenie Meyer. I like Nora. I think Nora is well developed and Patch was more developed at the end of the book. Vee could use a little more of the storyline (but that's because I like her), more of the fallen angel stuff could be revealed (as I'm sure it will be in the next books), but overall, I'm intrigued to read the next book and the first thing I did when I finished Hush, Hush was put Crescendo on hold at my local library. Which is saying a lot compared to dreading reading the next book in the Twilight saga (I still have to read Breaking Dawn, and want to read it to get it over with, but am not looking forward to it). The pace of Hush, Hush picks up towards the end and there are some moments of suspense that make you want to keep turning the pages. I liked it. I liked it enough to want to read the second one, which is pretty good for me.
Overall, I recommend Hush, Hush, especially if you're a fan of the supernatural romance bit. It's a light fluffy read, perfect escapist literature.

Changeless by Gail Carriger

The second book in the Parasol Protectorate series (the first being Soulless), Carriger's Changeless brings us to Woolsey Castle, home to Lord and Lady Maccon (the former Miss Alexia Tarabotti). Alexia has become accustomed to keeping werewolf hours and content in her marriage to Conall and her work as Queen Victoria's muhjah (the preternatural serving on the Shadow Council who works with the Dewan [the loner werewolf representative] and the Potentate [the rove vampire representative] to advise the Queen on matters supernatural).
She is not happy, however, to find a regiment camped on her front lawn, but seeing as a number of the soldiers are werewolves, they come to stay in Woolsey Castle (where the werewolves will reside) as a troop before dispersing. One of the soldiers, a rather presumptuous young man, makes a poor impression on Alexia--without realizing she is the new Lady Maccon. Much to Alexia's dismay, Channing Channing of the Chesterfield Channings is Woolsey Pack's Gamma.
Never a dull moment for Alexia, Conall runs off to Scotland to deal with his old pack--now Alpha-less after the death of one of the soldiers. Of course, mystery abounds and strangely in certain areas supernaturals suddenly turn mortal. Whatever is causing this strange happenstances is on the move--to Scotland, where Conall has gone. To save her husband (from what, she's not sure) Alexia follows him to Scotland--with Conall's claviger Tunstell, Alexia's maid Angelique, Alexia's sister Felicity (sour because other sister Evelyn is engaged), engaged friend Ivy (still smitten with Tunstell and jealous of Felicity's attentions to him), and inventor and new acquaintance Madame Lefoux (though her appearance is strictly coincidence).
After a few sticky moments on the dirigible to Scotland (Alexia hanging off the side of it, but no bother), the large party lands in Scotland and makes its way to Kingair Castle, where Conall is. To be welcomed (sort of) by Conall's great-something-granddaughter. Which is news to Alexia. The soldiers of the Kingair Pack are in residence as well, and more strange happenings occur while there. Much of the trouble stems from a mummy the soldiers brought back from Egypt, something Alexia is repulsed by (for interesting reasons). Since the Kingair Pack is Alpha-less, and Conall has returned, but not to be Kingair's Alpha, there is a great deal of trouble about that as well.
The problems are solved, of course, the day is saved, those trying to murder Alexia are thwarted (for now), and all is right once more. Until it is discovered Alexia is pregnant and Conall--being mostly dead--knows he cannot be the father and casts Alexia off.
Oh dear.
Fantastic storytelling. As I said with the first one, I did not think I would like these books, being not much into the supernatural scene, but the best part of the Parasol Protectorate books is that the supernatural are everyday, so it doesn't bother me much. Alexia is a phenomenal heroine (I love her curvyness, her attitude, her determination, her independence!), Conall is gruff and wonderful, Ivy is dopey and brilliant, Tunstell humorous, Floote humorless, and Madame Lefoux and intriguing character. The slant on history is great, the storytelling great. The books are just a whole lot of fun.

Soulless by Gail Carriger

In the interest of full disclosure, I admit I was wary about reading this book. It's about vampires and werewolves. Two things that are definitely not my scene. I enjoy fantasy, but more of the high fantasy than the paranormal/supernatural fantasy. But a very good friend recommended this book to me and it is the first book in the Parasol Protectorate series by Carriger, and I'm a sucker for series. So I read it.
I loved it.
It's another 19th century London setting, and Alexia Tarabotti is on the shelf (she's not married and is around age 30). She has two half sisters who are twittering nitwits, but she is very nice to them. Her mother (who remarried) is concerned with propriety and is still very desperately looking for a husband for Alexia. Alexia is not overly concerned. In fact, she would rather stay single.
There is something special about Alexia, something inherited from her deceased Italian father. Alexia is a preternatural: she is soulless, and thus able to turn vampires and werewolves (prevalent and accepted in society, so long as they follow the rules) mortal with her touch. Her family is not aware of this power; the government agency that handles the supernatural beings of England is aware of her, but her state is kept quiet and low-key.
Lord Maccon knows, though. He is the Alpha of the London werewolf pack. Alexia always seems to be getting in his way, especially when it comes to any investigations regarding supernaturals. When the reader meets Lord Maccon, it's because Alexia has accidentally killed a vampire. (He was very rude and didn't seem to know the proper etiquette when in public, like not lunging at and trying to feast on a person.) Alexia would love to work for the government, but of course, Lord Maccon does not think it appropriate, Alexia being a woman and all.
Carriger does a great job of establishing the normalcy of vampires and werewolves being accepted in London society (interestingly, they are not in America), down to the fact that places that cater to werewolves have cloakrooms with spare clothes, because of course, when men are werewolves, they are not wearing clothes. Scandalous! She does a brilliant job of describing the transformation into werewolf as well.
The main meat of the story is the mystery: rove vampires and werewolves (those not belonging to hives or packs) are missing all over England. It turns out they've been kidnapped by a mad scientist--seriously, a mad scientist--whose intention it is to rid the world of vampires & werewolves altogether. Alexia lands right in the middle of it and is being used for nefarious reasons as well.
The humor is great in this story; the exchanges between characters witty (even though Alexia hates her friend Ivy's taste in hats); the pacing good and the action sequences pretty intense. The romance isn't bad either. I eagerly await my library to get Changeless, the second book, so I can catch up with Alexia.