Meyer, Stephenie: New Moon
New Moon (2006)
Written by: Stephenie Meyer
Genre: YA/Paranormal Romance
Pages: 563 (Hardcover)
I've gotten highly cynical since I've read Twilight. Sure, I devoured the book and promptly devoured the spoilers for the rest of the series afterwards, but I've decided that the Twilight series is like cotton candy: it's sweet, yummy fluffiness made out of nothing at all that, if you eat too much of it at once, will give you a tummy ache.
Or to put it another way, it's a guilty pleasure.
For those of you who are "Twihards," I'm not dissing your tastes; I'm merely describing my own reading experience when it comes to these books. I've got them all, thanks to a friend of mine from SHU who gave me her copies of New Moon and Eclipse, and then I bought Breaking Dawn because, obviously, I had to complete my collection (though in truth, a lot of the bad taste in my mouth regarding this series centers around the final book, but we won't talk about that now, will we?).
I decided to read New Moon now because, even though I read the spoilers for it a couple of years ago, I've forgotten most of them, and seeing all the upcoming movie promos is going to spoil me all over again, which will make me put off the book even longer. So I figured now would be a good time to read the book, though I don't intend on seeing the movie until it's released on DirecTV's PPV.
The premise: after Bella's birthday party goes horribly wrong, Edward decides she's better off without him and his vampire family, so they leave. Bella is crushed, so crushed she falls into a deep depression, and the only thing that can bring her out of it is her growing friendship with Jacob as well as the adrenaline rush of doing really stupid things. But her grip on peace won't last: Jacob's got a secret and he's withdrawing from her, taking her happiness away bit by bit, and what's worse, the vampires are back in town, and it's not the Cullens either.
Review style: two sections, what I liked and what I didn't. Expect spoilers.
What I Liked
While there's a part of me that wants to ROLL MY EYES at Bella's self-absorbed whining and depression over her sudden break-up with Edward, I have to take a step back and try to look at it from a teenaged perspective. Let's face it: if you've fallen THAT HARD in love with someone, with a person's who's SAVED YOUR LIFE on multiple occasions, a someone you'd be willing to spend ETERNITY with, quite LITERALLY, and that someone just up and dumped you, making you think that what you felt was nothing, was trivial, and that someone didn't feel the same way? Yeah, you'd be pretty freaking depressed too. Furthermore, compound it with the fact that Bella is a TEENAGER with very little life experience and everything, when you're a teen, feels really, really fresh, then I've got to give Meyer props: I think Bella acted like any other teenage girl would act. Sure, I didn't like it all the time, and sure, sometimes it was melodramatic, but I wonder: for those of us with teenage daughters (or remember being one), doesn't Meyer hit the nail on the head? I think she does.
Also, while there was a part of me screaming at Bella to GET OVER EDWARD ALREADY and give Jacob a chance (yes, I know how the series ends, SHUSH!), one of my major pet-peeves in books and television is how QUICKLY characters (male or female) move from THE LOVE OF THEIR LIFE to someone else in less than a year (I'm re-watching Alias: we see Sydney do it in season one and Vaughn do it in season three). So, while I REALLY WANTED BELLA TO GIVE JACOB A CHANCE, I understand and I'm glad she just didn't fall in love with Jacob and pretend Edward never existed. No matter what your age, I think people need time before they can move on, and if it's the believed love of your life, anything less than a year is unrealistic, I would think. Of course, I'm not speaking from experience, so maybe I'm completely off my rocker in that regard?
That said, I really loved the chemistry and friendship between Jacob and Bella. I went a little bonkers while reading because I kept seeing the movie actors in my head, but that's okay. I might as well see them now than have someone different and have to adjust when I see the movie for real.
I also really liked the friendship and sisterhood between Alice and Bella. Those two work together well, and I really enjoy Alice as a character. Also enjoyable was learning more about Carlisle and his past--why he chose the path he did.
The werewolves were great. While I do think Meyer took a little too long in that revelation (sure, Bella was being dense, but let's face it, the clues were there in book one), I liked the dynamic of the wolf pack, even if certain elements confused me a bit. I also loved that Sam lost control and scarred Emily. Horrible, yes, but realistic when you consider the circumstances.
I also really enjoyed the description of Bella's dream at the very start of the book. Very, very nicely done.
Bella also takes charge of her fate at the end, which I appreciate. I like that she's the one who saves Edward at the end, and how she forces the issue of whether or not she should become a vampire like them. I think it's well played, and I liked that Edward is using marriage to his advantage: if Bella's truly committed to him, for ETERNITY, why object to being married? Why indeed? Obviously, getting married isn't something that's been on Bella's mind, and now she has to think about how it's all that different: a symbolic pledging of eternity versus a literal one. Or in this case, both.
What I Didn't Like
The prologue. While I'm sure I don't have a choice in the matter, I'd like Meyer to stop giving me a slice of the end in the prologue in order to manipulate some tension for the end of the book. Also, it opened with pure melodrama, especially out of context, so all I wanted to do was roll my eyes.
I didn't care for the pseudo-explanations of why Bella kept hearing Edward in her head during her adrenaline rushes. He was guiding her, giving her ORDERS, calming her when need be, yet obviously the real Edward had nothing to do with it (or didn't realize he did), and Bella just chalks it all up to love, an explanation that makes absolutely no sense. I hope this is visited in a later book with a better explanation, but we'll see.
I also didn't care for Jacob's one-dimensional hate of the vamps, and how quickly he can turn on Bella. However, provided this hate is balanced out by the Cullens, I won't mind quite as badly, but right now, it doesn't do Jacob any favors, and I LIKE Jacob.
I didn't understand how the whole werewolf thing worked either. It felt as though it was magically activated and only those with the right blood would turn; however, it also sounded like people haven't been werewolves in La Posh for a very long time, and I wonder what's changed now. Surely, it's not the arrival of Victoria and Co. After all, the Cullens have been there all this time, and there's been no weres, so why now? Also, I had trouble believing that the werewolf legend hadn't been passed down more seriously, and by that I mean, why wait until the kid changes to explain what's happening? What happens if there's no new wolves for generations upon generations and when a kid finally does turn, no one knows what's happening? I just felt that for a tribe that's got werewolf running through its blood, the possibility would be something that's taught to each generation, each son, whether he transforms or not. But maybe I'll learn more in later books.
While I appreciate how it's done, I kind of resent the fact the book is divided into three parts: Edward/Bella, then Bella/Jacob, and then that's just DROPPED to go back to Edward/Bella. Like I said, done well, but it's frustrating in a way that I can't explain, other than to remind you, yet again, that I'm on Team Jacob. Still, I do understand the appeal of Team Edward (though really? Shoving your girlfriend into a GLASS TABLE because she has a paper cut and you don't want your brother to kill her? STUPID. ), and I like the comparisons to Romeo & Juliet, though I would've liked to see Meyer do a wee bit more with them.
And while I feel it's done realistically in terms of how teens think, Bella's pretty darn selfish in this book, not thinking of her father or anyone around her, putting her needs first, and those needs are to create adrenaline rushes that produce the voice of Edward. Sad, Bella. Sad.
In truth, the book is longer than it should be: almost TOO much introspection and not enough external action to balance it out. But on the other hand, no one can say we don't know the characters, at least as far as Bella's concerned. Still, Meyer has quickly become one of those writers who could use an editor who's not afraid to save a few trees (along with Rowling and King).
My Rating
Buy the Paperback: let's face it: by now, you know if you're a Meyer fan or not, a Twilight fan or not. If you're like me and like it JUST ENOUGH to keep reading, even though it's a guilty pleasure, I suggest getting New Moon from your local library or at least waiting for the paperback. I enjoyed myself, don't get me wrong, but it's a guilty pleasure that doesn't stick with me for very long. I didn't tear through the second book like I did the first, but it is a fast read, despite the page-count, and I enjoyed learning more about the world, though I feel at this point in the series, it's still being developed. Obviously, I'll learn more when I read books three and four, but I'm willing to wait to read those, at least for now. After all, as long as I read the books before the movies come out, there's no rush, is there?
Cover Commentary: favorite cover out of the series, hands down. I just love the flower and the blood drop, but take a look behind the cut for the movie tie-in art: how HOT is that? I love Jacob! And the pose is perfect, especially on the part of Bella--a friend, but someone unwilling to give herself up all over again. Nicely done. Can do without the Edward-eyes in the background, though.