New Moon

New Moon:

New Moon is the second book in the “Twilight Saga”, and is probably one of the worst books I have ever read. The writing isn't as noticeably bad in this book, however, NOTHING HAPPENS IN THE ENTIRE BOOK. NOTHING.

New Moon starts off on Bella's 18th birthday. She is horribly angry and depressed because she is now a year older than Edward, and is angry that she will always be “older” than him. The night of her birthday there is a party at Edward's house for her. Unfortunately, the night turns bad when Bella accidentally cuts her finger on some wrapping paper and Jasper tries to attack her. Every day after the “accident”, Edward gets more and more distant from Bella, until the day he takes her into the forest and tells her that he doesn't want her anymore and that he will take all the things away from her that reminds her of him and his family. “It will be like we never existed.”

Okay so after Edward leaves Bella in the forest, she gets herself lost trying to follow him, and ends up in the forest under a tree for who knows how long (again, Meyer didn't learn how to express time passing). Bella is rescued in a search party, and is returned home. Then, with her brilliant writing, we get 4 pages of this:

October

November

December

January

Each of the months are on separate pages. No joke. This is the time that has passed when Bella was just going through the motions and not being a person or healing after the breakup. She was ZOMBIE BELLA...without the eating of brains (*sad face*). Bella only wakes up because her father threatens to send her to Florida to live with her mother because she isn't living. Either that or she should go see a shrink. So after the threat, Bella wakes up, but doesn't try to heal her wounds. She decides to take up extreme sports because the threat of danger brings about hallucinations of Edward's voice with the help of her new BFF Jacob Black.

The relationship with Jacob isn't a healthy one. She goes from one addictive relationship to another. This time with Jacob, he brings her happiness and warmth back to her life. He becomes her own personal sun in her own little universe. When she is without Jacob, she starts to think of Edward and his family, and she soon starts to spend almost every waking moment with him because she can't stand the pain and the void that Edward left. However, Jacob falls in love with Bella, and he isn't helping with allowing him to hold her hand and hug her. Yeah she tells him that she doesn't feel the same way, but encouraging that behavior because she likes it isn't good for Jacob.

However, things turn out bad for Jacob. His people, the Indians that live in that area, are decedents of werewolves. Only under the threat of vampires do the sons of the tribe become the werewolves though. Despite the fact that Edward and his family have left the state, there is still a vampire hell bent on killing Bella; Victoria, the “mate” of the vampire that tried to kill Bella in Twilight.

So here we go again, Meyer trying to add tension to a book. We are supposed to feel tension and dread because Victoria keeps trying to get to Bella, but the wolves are keeping her at bay, and to be honest, I couldn't care less.

So I bet you are under the impression that the book is about killing Victoria so Bella stays safe right? Well after a misunderstanding, Edward thinks that Bella is dead and goes to end his life. Alice, Edward's sister, comes to Bella to ask her to help save Edward. So they set out for Italy, and once again, we are supposed to feel tension. In Italy we meet some old vampires that are kind of like the police. They make up the rules, and punish those who don't follow them. We also learn about vampires with other powers. Everyone is interested there in the fact that Edward can read minds, Alice can see the future, and Bella's mind is turned off to everyone's.

Now, the most important thing to take away from New Moon is the fact that there are werewolves now, and that Edward's family has promised, or voted, to allow Bella into their family. Edward's father, Charlisle, promises to change Bella into a vampire after graduation, but Edward decides that he will do the change, only if Bella will marry him. She refuses because “it's not her thing” and he gets angry because marriage symbolizes an eternity together, and he is worried that because she wont accept a marriage proposal, how is she going to live with him forever.

So the story ends. The Victoria threat isn't resolved. It just “builds” and nothing happens. The “tension” throughout the book doesn't climax, and the book just is boring. Bella is moping throughout the entire book about stupid Edward, Jacob is trying to push himself on Bella, she is conflicted because she wants to keep Jacob to herself forever, but could never love him like he loves her. It's so fucking dumb.

Anyway, Meyer once again has the stupid discussion questions at the end of the book. She also explains that she gets inspiration from her books from other books. Apparently New Moon is supposed to be like Romeo and Juliet (not a book, I know, but a play). One of the discussion questions is, “How is New Moon similar to Romeo and Juliet?” IT ISN'T! In New Moon, Meyer keeps talking about Romeo and Paris...but in Romeo and Juliet, Romeo doesn't leave Juliet in the prospect of never seeing her again. He was banished, but he didn't leave her. It was a horrible tragedy that the messenger never made it to Romeo and that is what makes it a tragedy. Bella is just a stupid girl who is dependent on some guy. So dependent, mind you, that she is a zombie without him, never healed, and never her full self again. Just because Meyer has Bella talking about Romeo so much doesn't mean that the stories are similar.

Twilight is about finding true love. New Moon is about losing true love. Eclipse (third book) is about choosing true love. I don't understand how Bella is choosing true love, because she said she can't ever be whole without being with Edward, and she can't ever love Jacob the way she loves Edward. Whatever.

I'm just about the start the third book. New Moon was just so boring and nothing happened. The book was almost 1000 pages and nothing happens. It was so painful to read. I hope this review adds to how sick this “saga” is. Are young girls to believe that life will never get better because a boy leaves you? I don't care how much it hurts. Life doesn't work the way Meyer wants little girls to believe it does. Lets just hope she never has a daughter.

Update: I had to rewrite most of this review because Shadi said I gave too much away. I just rewrote it, but in the mean time, I've finished the last two books. Reviews up soon!