Dawn has Broken

This will surely be the last time I mention Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling YA series, Twilight.* Until the publishers release a four volume set just in time for the holidays (hint, hint).

About two weeks ago, a coworker mentioned that her teenage daughter is obsessed with the series and had pre-ordered the final volume, Breaking Dawn from a well known online purveyor of books which shall remain nameless. I sighed in envy, not having pre-ordered, and then commiserated when I heard that after waiting two weeks past the release date, and checking in several times with the equally well known shipping company, the box finally arrived — empty.

Luckily the horror ended there. Another copy was sent overnight and feverishly consumed over a weekend. Coming in at a walloping 768 pages, it is a testament to Meyer’s storytelling ability that a teenager is able to sit down and get through such a tome. Of course, today’s reading teenagers have been well-trained by the magical Harry Potter.

I managed to borrow Breaking Dawn to read over the following weekend and can attest that Meyer tells a good tale. She consistently surprises me; I can never tell where the story is going next. I was very surprised (I’ve done well at keeping my head down since the 2 August release date, staying off the author’s home page and related online forums) at the turn the story takes in the final volume, and was only faintly discouraged by the continued development of the vampiric characters into X-men-like superheroes. Over the course of the series the characters become more and more fantastic (in the unrealistic sense) and while some escapism can be fun, I do miss the original Bella, with her klutzy moves, Edward with his frequent loss of self-control, and Alice with her girly love of satin, sequins and hair curlers.

That said, I’d read this series again – once that four volume set is available. I’m looking forward to seeing what Meyer does next – and yes, I’ve already read The Host.

*I make no promises about the movie release scheduled for November.

Do you have any thoughts about what the next YA series craze will be?