WHEN YOU LOVED THE ONE WHO WAS KILLING YOU, IT LEFT YOU NO OPTIONS. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give, how could you not give it? If it were someone you truly loved?

TO BE IRREVOCABLY IN LOVE WITH A VAMPIRE is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife has led her to the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or to pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fates of two tribes hang.

NOW THAT BELLA HAS MADE HER DECISION, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating and unfathomable consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella’s life – first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and torn in New Moon and Eclipse – seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed… forever?

2.5 stars

Wow, what a way to end this epic saga, and not in a good way. I was incredibly disappointed by how Meyer chose to wrap up this series. After spending so much time and energy reading the first three books, getting to this nearly 700-page finale only to feel this unsatisfied was frustrating. This book was WAY too long for what actually happened. I did appreciate, though, that there is no language and no spice in this book, which has been consistent throughout the entire series.

The first half of this book felt completely different from the second half. It was jarring, disconnected, and at times, completely random. I wish Meyer hadn’t tried to cram so much into one book. Honestly, I think this story could have been expanded into another two or three books, making this a six- or seven-book series. Instead, it felt like Meyer wanted this finale to be bigger and more epic than it needed to be, and she got in her own way.

I also didn’t like how the first three books established certain rules, character personalities, relationships, and expectations, only for so much of that to seemingly be thrown out the window in this final installment. There were too many things that simply didn’t make sense based on what had already been established. So much changed that at times this didn’t even feel like the same story. It almost felt like fanfiction, as if Meyer was determined to give diehard fans the happiest ending possible rather than tell a compelling story that involved real struggle, pain, suffering, and sacrifice.

My biggest complaint, though, is that NOTHING happened!

Why did we get chapter after chapter building all this tension only for it to lead to practically nothing? There was so much anticipation and buildup with barely any payoff. What was the point of all of it? Why spend hundreds of pages preparing us for something that never really happens? I felt completely duped by the end.

With a story involving vampires, werewolves, and a hybrid baby, there were so many creative directions this could have gone. The possibilities were endless, yet it felt like most of that potential was left on the drawing board. This saga could have been an incredible, epic fantasy story, but instead, so much of it fell flat.

Honestly, this has been one of the most disappointing series I’ve ever read. I understand why teenage girls were obsessed with it back in the day, but at the same time, I still don’t understand all the hype. All of that for what? There were so many deeper themes that could have been explored. Instead, much of the series remained a shallow, surface-level YA love triangle filled with teenage angst, over-the-top dramatics, and so much cringe that it made my face hurt.

However, there were definitely things I enjoyed about the series as a whole. I really liked the found family element. I loved Bella’s close relationship with her dad and how the Cullens welcomed her into their family. I also appreciated the wholesomeness and some of the more conservative messages throughout the series, including choosing life and waiting until marriage for intimacy. There was also a coziness to these books, especially the first three, that I really enjoyed.

Jacob and Alice were easily my favorite characters. I loved getting to know both of them, and one of my favorite parts of this final book was getting Jacob’s POV. I wish Meyer had used multiple POVs throughout the entire series because I think seeing this world through other characters could have added so much depth.

I would honestly love to read a similar story that takes the basic concept and does more with it. Give me more action. Give me darker vampires that don’t sparkle and actually act like vampires. Give me werewolves that feel dangerous and wild. Give me a compelling plot that is genuinely unputdownable. Give me mature characters with meaningful growth and development instead of so much whining, teenage drama, and repetitive angst. There was so much potential here for something darker, richer, and more complex.

I have so many thoughts about this final book and the series as a whole, but I won’t drone on forever. Ultimately, this book and this series just weren’t for me. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend them. There are better YA fantasy series and better vampire books out there.

I was being generous by rounding this one up to three stars, but I can admit that I was entertained. I made it through this entire slog of a book because I genuinely wanted to know what would happen and how everything would end. After four books, I was invested in these characters, even when they drove me crazy. That curiosity and investment kept me reading, which is why I couldn’t quite bring myself to rate it lower.

Still, after spending so many hours with this series, I can’t get over how little payoff there was. I went through all of that for NOTHING to happen!

I doubt I’ll ever reread these books, but if Meyer ever releases another book in this world, especially one centered around Jacob, I’d probably pick it up. If nothing else, curiosity would get the better of me.

**This book is part of a Twilight Saga real-time reaction episode, which you can listen to here.