Review of Stephenie Meyer's New Moon
Sequel to Bestseller Twilight
Stephenie Meyer doesn't keep fans wanting with New Moon. Edward and Bella are back but will the competing interests of Jacob Black, Quileute Indian and soon-to-be werewolf, ruin things for them?
Synopsis of New Moon
New Moon begins with a birthday; Bella’s 18th birthday to be exact. She’s convinced that if she grows older it will be the downfall of her relationship with vampire boyfriend, Edward. She’s also convinced that becoming a vampire is the only way for them to be together forever. She just has trouble convincing Edward of this.
How could Bella know that during her birthday party with the Cullen family she’d give herself a paper cut and be attacked by Edward’s brother, Jasper? How could she realize that it would force the Cullens to leave Forks forever? She never thought Edward would be the one to leave her, but he does and it leaves her heartbroken and devastated.
In order to combat her depression, Bella becomes close with Jacob Black, local Quileute Indian. Jacob is younger than Bella and hopelessly in love with her. Bella essentially uses Jacob to fill the void and gets a best friend out of the deal … until Jacob insists they can’t be together anymore because he’s now a werewolf.
Despite her relationship with Jacob, Bella discovers that Edward just won’t go away. He’s in her head and only talks to her when she puts herself in harm’s way. So, Bella begins to do reckless things: riding a motorcycle, confronting scary men in an alley and cliff diving.
It’s the cliff diving that bring the Cullens back to Forks. Edward’s future-telling sister, Alice, sees Bella jumping off a cliff and believes it might be a suicide attempt. Word gets back to Edward that Bella is dead. In his grief, he runs to Italy, to confront the dangerous vampire sect, the Volturi, to ask them for death. It is up to Alice and Bella to save him before it’s too late.
The Twilight Saga Continues
Again, Stephenie Meyer creates a compelling story that readers won’t be able to put down. It has all the elements of success:
- Competing love interests (everyone needs a little competition, even Edward)
- Deadly creatures (vampires AND werewolves, both attracted to Bella. How lucky, or unlucky, for her)
- Suspense
- Drama
- A killer reuniting moment between Edward and Bella
But, New Moon isn’t without faults. It, like many other books in the middle of a series, can never be as good as the first book. New Moon’s fault lies in the never-ending passages where Bella mopes around listlessly instead of trying to gather her life back together. It comes across as need, whiny and almost ruins the love that readers have for Bella. But, at the moment where readers almost give up on her, she redeems herself and it is business as usual for the rest of the novel.
Overall, New Moon is just as compelling as Twilight and is almost equally as enjoyable to read. But, some of the original magic is lost. Fans of Edward believe it is because he’s gone for three-quarters of the book. This reviewer tends to agree.
Books in the Twilight Series
New Moon Cover
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