Public warning—this review contains spoilers.

Personal warning—to the girl with the unsightly bowl haircut who told me just minutes before the release of Breaking Dawn that Bella would become pregnant: If I ever see you, I will not hesitate to ruin the endings of all the books I’ve read for you—and that’s a lot of books.

Like the other fans of the Twilight series, I eagerly awaited the release of the final installment, rocking back and forth on my feet the midnight of Aug. 1. But because it was so rudely spoiled, I read Breaking Dawn with a certain bit of sourness. I didn’t want to consider the spoiler when I heard it—that Bella, the 18-year-old klutz would be with child. So when it really did happen, you can imagine my unpleasant initial reaction.

As I continued reading the book, I felt less and less charmed, and more and more deluded. I was unimpressed by the lack of action, ticked off at Jacob’s “Book” and sapped by the sugary ending. But now, after digesting the lengthy book for nearly a month, my opinion of Breaking Dawn has risen significantly, and I’ve grown to like it. Sure, the book has its shortcomings, but taking a broader look at it—especially as a part of a series—Breaking Dawn is a satisfying end to an extraordinary saga.

First, let’s get past the flaws. I’ll admit there’s too much detail in some parts of the book. For example, I did not appreciate the long descriptions of all the vampire visits, each one undergoing the same procedures. The 754-page book could have been condensed by removing unnecessary details.

Also, some plot points are not developed as well as they should have been. I eventually accepted Bella’s pregnancy as a conduit of her newfound character and maturity, but other plot lines make less sense. Leah switching to Jacob’s “pack” is too sudden, Jacob imprinting on Renesmee is too “deus ex machina” for my taste and Edward just doesn’t seem to love Renesmee as much as a father would.

My biggest complaint, however, is all the new names introduced in this book. Every time I read “Rose,” I thought of “Titanic”, and every time I read “Jazz,” I thought of, well, jazz hands. These cute little nicknames should have been used earlier in the series, if at all. They were too distracting in this final book. And what about all those Amazonians, Denali’s, Egyptians, Irish, Americans and Romanians? Let’s not even go there.

Worst of all names, I stumbled over “Renesmee” the first time I read it, thinking Bella would be mad to name her baby that horrid conjunction. I was wrong, of course, and every successive time “Renesmee” appeared in the text, I would forget the sentence I was just reading and wander into literary-confusion territory. I bet you’re tripping over the name now, and this isn’t even in the context of a complicated story. Perhaps adding an accent sign would do the trick—Renesmée—isn’t that better? French accents are always the solution.

In all seriousness, however, Breaking Dawn does fulfill the expectations I had for it after reading Eclipse. I always knew the series would end on a happy note, and I expected Bella to marry Edward and become a vampire. The confrontation with the Volturi may not have been focused on fighting, but the agitation and worry I felt before and during that scene was just as strong. I was miffed that no one important died, as to add some gravity to the story line, but I know that I would be extremely pained if any of the Cullen’s, shape-shifters (not werewolves, as we have learned), or Bella’s human relatives died.

Yes, I wanted Bella to overcome more serious struggles, and yes, Breaking Dawn could have incorporated a bittersweet element or two—but recall that this book is the end of a series. Bella and the other characters have encountered numerous tribulations throughout the four books, and it is fitting that they should finally receive some peace. Though I am not touting the blatant praise for Breaking Dawn like I do for Twilight, I feel an immense sense of closure from the final book, and that is an accomplishment in itself. Breaking Dawn may not be my favorite book of the Twilight saga, but it certainly caps off one of my favorite series well.