So Very Dark

Well, I’m now finished with the Twilight series finale, Breaking Dawn, so it’s back to regular life for me.

I’m always sad when I get to the end of Stephanie Meyers’ books…even sadder ’cause it’s really to the end this time (not counting the the companion to the first book she’ll be publishing).  I am the first to admit that her series is not great literature.  It’s silly teen supernatural romance angst, but she writes a strangely compelling world that I find myself very involved in, and characters that I enjoy spending time with.  When I finish I always feel a bit at loose ends for reading material.  *sigh*

So, a bit more through of a review than my comment last night (I’ll try to avoid spoilers, but be forewarned if you are reading the series and haven’t completed it yet that I may mention something relevant.)

I liked the final book.   <–this one, in case you haven’t been keeping up.

I was a little disappointed  that it deviated a bit from the feel of the first three.  Part of what I found very addictive about the series is that well…it’s just good, solid, angsty teen supernatural romance.  There’s danger and drama and some life-threatening situations for the main characters, but central to the plot is the soul-matey love between Edward and Bella, and the love triangle tying them to Jacob Black.  I enjoyed the plot and you can’t really have a book without a plot that goes beyond characters trying to work out their romantic  situations–even pure, 100% romance novels have some exterior conflict, because the world doesn’t stop when you get romantically involved. HOWEVER, I would be lying if I said that the romantic hurdles and resolutions weren’t a very big part of what I was enjoying.  (Hey–it’s a romantic series.  If I WASN’T enjoying that part, I probably wouldn’t enjoy the books.  I’m a girl.  Leave me alone.)

In the fourth book…it’s not as though romance was absent…just that certain things are resolved near the beginning of the book and while the characters involved continue to love each other desperately, the attention of the book begins to focus elsewhere.  It’s no longer about young love trying to survive the roadblocks and dangers inherent to a supernatural life.

In some ways, I felt that book 4 was a little deeper and more serious than the first three.  And it still definitely kept me intrigued and tuning out the world until I turned the last page.  The story telling was still great, the characters still love-or-hateable, the world still compelling, and the story itself a bit on the epic side…I just kind of missed the ‘first-love-I-will-die-without-you’ theme that reminds one of how it felt to fall in love the first time, to kiss the first time, of when the simple contact of fingertips entwined was enough to make one’s heart pound.  In this book, the characters’ relationship is somewhat secondary to more pressing and important concerns.

Anyway, if you read or are thinking about reading the series, I still enjoyed the fourth book, and don’t even really consider it a let down.  I still recommend it with the disclaimer that the series is a silly, melodramatic teen supernatural romance, but very enjoyable if you can deal with that fact.  I’m just a little wistful for my vicarious young love.

*also — if you ARE a reader of the series and want to enjoy just a scoch more of the series, there are a couple extra bits that Meyer has posted HERE.

Still in the mood for a YA vampire story, I’m currently reading The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod.

My advice, if you are thinking about doing the same: don’t.

<–not a very good book.

Other stuff.  Um.

Last Friday, Heather, Briggs and I went to see Mama Mia:

Overall, it was cute and fun, though the choreography left something to be desired– a couple things took me by surprise, however:

-Pierce Brosnan, though getting up there in years, STILL HOT.

-Though I know that she has no interest in seeing it, my mom is TOTALLY the main character.  (I consider the mother to be the primary figure since the story revolves around her and her issues.  The daughter is just the pretty face in front.)  Meryl Streep is a middle aged woman who owns and runs a falling apart vacation villa on an island off the coast of Greece(I think).  Her daughter, after not knowing her whole life, finds three potential candidates for who her dad is in her mother’s diary and invites them all to her upcoming wedding and hilarity and crossed signals ensue.

But what the movie is really about is Meryl Streep’s character, watching her daughter get married (a decision she chose not to make), reconnecting with her two best friends/former band mates (one of whom strongly reminds me of one of MY mom’s best friends) and dealing with the past she has with the three men who could have fathered her child.  She’s an aging hippy, broke and stressed.  She and her friends are still rather wild and crazy.  Aside from musical talent and being a bit more naturally curvy, she IS my mom’s alter ego.  Mom — if you are reading this, you might consider watching this (with Sharon, maybe) when it comes out on DVD.  Just for laughs.

Other…Pottercast:  Um…it was mostly noisy (amplified music in a smallish indoor space) and we laughed at the fact that the bands’ groupies were for the most part, way to young to use as one is supposed to.  Sad.    It was pretty cool, though.  The first band, The Mudbloods, I believe, had a few songs I really liked.  There was one about Snape and Lily that was soooo sweet and sad!

The house feels weird and quiet.  Briggs is helping his sister with some stuff today and with Heather back in California, the house is empty for the first time in a while.  On the one hand, I’m able to write my blog in peace (don’t hit me, H!) but on the other, it feels kind of strange to be all alone.

Anyway, I’ve been putting off homework, so I should get to that.  Ugh.

Later, skaters.