“Breaking Dawn”by Stephenie Meyer ends her outrageously popular vampire series. Was it fantastic? No. It’s no Harry Potter, even if the hero and heroine of Meyer’s tale are more beautiful. Well, looks aren’t everything.And that’s the problem with ““Breaking Dawn” and “Twilight” and
“Eclipse”and the other one (the only one of the 4 that I didn’t read). While the story is fantastical and interesting and she has a certain depth to the characters, it lacks a real moral value. It feels more like a teenage soap opera than an epic tale of action and adventure.

I will give Meyer kudos for writing a series of books for teens that is not full of obscenities and sex. And they are interesting, certainly the romantic aspect (and the fact that they’re being made into movies) is what is driving the popularity. While the vampire heroes in this book don’t drink the blood of humans, their friends and counterparts do. I think Meyer wants to believe that she’s created a group of “moral” vampires, but I would argue that she hasn’t achieved that.

If your teen is reading these books, talk to them about them. Consider reading them together. Personally, I think the “Golden Compass” series is better. “Harry Potter” is even better still. For the absolute best fantasy series, have them read “The Lord of the Rings” and then watch the movies together. Now THAT’s a series worth sinking your teeth into.