Twilight and New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
NOTE: I was lucky enough to obtain an ARC of New Moon, the highly-anticipated sequel to Stephenie Meyer's Twilight. My review contains major plot information and spoilers so don't read it if you don't want to know!
When my friend Linda told me, "You HAVE to read this book" I wasn't very skeptical. We have similar tastes, especially when it comes to YA lit and I took Twilight from her with confidence. But when I read the back of the ARC, I scoffed at her, "A vampire novel? You know I don't read this stuff." "Trust me," she replied. "You'll fall in love with it. Just give it a chance." I wasn't too thrilled, even after Barb chimed in her own accolades.
I was in love by Chapter 3. And I was in love with Edward Cullen, Bella Swan's vampire love interest. He was all kinds of wrong, all kinds of dangerous, and a constant threat to the new life Bella was pursuing in Forks, Washington. But I understood her infatuation-bordering-on-obsession of Edward. I understood the hypnotic effect of his eyes, the intoxicating breath that teased her neck, his lilting, angelic voice that would make a phone book erotic. I fell in love with him along with Bella and before I'd even finished, I wanted Edward to turn me into a vampire, too. And I was begging Meyer to fulfill that wish for Bella.
Although I did not get that wish in either Twilight or New Moon, I am left with a strong belief that it will happen in the conclusion of the trilogy. I was constantly reminded of my last serious relationship while reading about Bella and Edward's breakup and the subsequent attempt to move on. I know what it's like to lose the person you know you are meant to spend your life with, and Meyer very accurately conveyed Bella's anger, sadness, and intense confusion. And I was not angry at her for immediately forgiving Edward when they are finally reunited. I understood why she packed a bag in seconds to travel across the world to rescue him -- it's love. True, undying, crazy love. I know that I would probably do the exact same thing. I understand why Bella was not afraid to die for him and why she, still, in a sense, wants to die to be with him for eternity.
One thing that was a little distracting was the storyline involving Jacob Black. I knew about the werewolf subplot (I believe Meyer mentioned it on her website at one point) and while it was intriguing, I kept wishing Edward would reappear. Bella's connection with Jacob is strong, but Meyer does a good job of proving it will go no further then friendship, at least on Bella's part. I felt compassion and empathy for Jacob, watching his unrequited love unfold. I also understood why Bella was willing to give him a chance -- how else do you get over the person you're supposed to spend your life with unless you try to love other people? We've all tried to love someone we know loves us. It's painful, but sometimes necessary; Meyer did a wonderful job articulating Bella's inner struggle.
Another thing that was annoying (for lack of a better word) was dealing with Victoria's return. It almost felt like Meyer wasn't sure what to do with her and just left her alive to have an intense plotline for the third book. I was expecting a possible tag-team involving the werewolves and the vampires in the hunt and was really disappointed when it did not occur. I still think this is how it should be handled, and I think this storyline should have been resolved in this book. I'd like to see the concluding novel deal with Bella's remaining months as a human and her ultimate transformation into a vampire; I'm hoping Victoria and the ensuing hunt do not distract from this.
It will be interesting to see how the final edition comes out and how fans respond. Until then, I will be a constant surfer on Meyer's website.
When my friend Linda told me, "You HAVE to read this book" I wasn't very skeptical. We have similar tastes, especially when it comes to YA lit and I took Twilight from her with confidence. But when I read the back of the ARC, I scoffed at her, "A vampire novel? You know I don't read this stuff." "Trust me," she replied. "You'll fall in love with it. Just give it a chance." I wasn't too thrilled, even after Barb chimed in her own accolades.
I was in love by Chapter 3. And I was in love with Edward Cullen, Bella Swan's vampire love interest. He was all kinds of wrong, all kinds of dangerous, and a constant threat to the new life Bella was pursuing in Forks, Washington. But I understood her infatuation-bordering-on-obsession of Edward. I understood the hypnotic effect of his eyes, the intoxicating breath that teased her neck, his lilting, angelic voice that would make a phone book erotic. I fell in love with him along with Bella and before I'd even finished, I wanted Edward to turn me into a vampire, too. And I was begging Meyer to fulfill that wish for Bella.
Although I did not get that wish in either Twilight or New Moon, I am left with a strong belief that it will happen in the conclusion of the trilogy. I was constantly reminded of my last serious relationship while reading about Bella and Edward's breakup and the subsequent attempt to move on. I know what it's like to lose the person you know you are meant to spend your life with, and Meyer very accurately conveyed Bella's anger, sadness, and intense confusion. And I was not angry at her for immediately forgiving Edward when they are finally reunited. I understood why she packed a bag in seconds to travel across the world to rescue him -- it's love. True, undying, crazy love. I know that I would probably do the exact same thing. I understand why Bella was not afraid to die for him and why she, still, in a sense, wants to die to be with him for eternity.
One thing that was a little distracting was the storyline involving Jacob Black. I knew about the werewolf subplot (I believe Meyer mentioned it on her website at one point) and while it was intriguing, I kept wishing Edward would reappear. Bella's connection with Jacob is strong, but Meyer does a good job of proving it will go no further then friendship, at least on Bella's part. I felt compassion and empathy for Jacob, watching his unrequited love unfold. I also understood why Bella was willing to give him a chance -- how else do you get over the person you're supposed to spend your life with unless you try to love other people? We've all tried to love someone we know loves us. It's painful, but sometimes necessary; Meyer did a wonderful job articulating Bella's inner struggle.
Another thing that was annoying (for lack of a better word) was dealing with Victoria's return. It almost felt like Meyer wasn't sure what to do with her and just left her alive to have an intense plotline for the third book. I was expecting a possible tag-team involving the werewolves and the vampires in the hunt and was really disappointed when it did not occur. I still think this is how it should be handled, and I think this storyline should have been resolved in this book. I'd like to see the concluding novel deal with Bella's remaining months as a human and her ultimate transformation into a vampire; I'm hoping Victoria and the ensuing hunt do not distract from this.
It will be interesting to see how the final edition comes out and how fans respond. Until then, I will be a constant surfer on Meyer's website.