Breaking Yawn

'09 started off poorly with regards to my reading endeavors. I began with Breaking Dawn (the fourth and final installment in the Twilight series). It sucked. The best part was on the last page when it said "The End." Seriously.

Twilight enthusiasts talk almost exclusively about the main characters: Edward (the "dream man"/vampire), Bella (the weak, pathetic human girl that loves Edward), Jacob (Bella's best friend/werewolf), or Alice (Edward's insightful, future-predicting "sister"), I found myself disliking all of them at one point or another (or throughout the entire series...Bella). People think these characters are the heroes, the all-stars, the ideals. They are not. At the end of the day, these characters are confused, irrational, indecisive, undisciplined children. The only character that had any substance, any backbone, is probably the one least mentioned and most universally disliked: Leah.

Leah's a bitch. Most of the time. She is the only female werewolf in Jacob's pack and, long story short, resents everyone for it. Leah, however, is a real trooper: she puts up with the guys and their crap; she is strong and independent; she always thinks rationally; and she is the only character in the entire series (an agonizing four books) who sticks to her convictions and never falters. I appreciated that: she was reliable in every sense of the word. I still have not mentioned her best quality: loyalty. Leah dislikes and resents Jacob (whether it's fair or not is debatable), but he is part of her pack and when he is threatened, she stands up for him, against huge opposition. That won me over. You go, Leah.