New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2)

So many of the reviews are more about the character's actions- I'd prefer to actually discuss the book. My sister just started high school, she's 15 and she lent New Moon and the first book, Twilight to me. Despite our age gap (I'm sixteen years older) I found them a very engaging and entertaining read. I'm glad to share these with her and I'd suggest them to anyone who is staring at a younger, somewhat mysterious female relative wondering what to buy them for Christmas.

The pacing is good. The book is a quick, satisfying read. My feeling is that the author works through scenes rather than writing in a linear fashion- and the scenes are fairly cinematic in their structure which I personally like. She gets to the point in her stories and fits a lot of action and significant detail in without overwhelming you with a density of vision.

If you're concerned about the content, as in "Is this appropriate to give my neice/cousin's kid etc" you can be assured that the romantic tension captured here is through restraint rather than exploration. Not too surprizingly this is highly seductive. Several reviews seem disappointed by the character's actions and have given fewer stars. However, I'd like to say that this book is clearly part of a larger work and we're seeing Bella at a certain point in her personal growth. It is not a conclusion novel so it doesn't feel like one. She acts like, well, a confused person in love. I think the depiction is honest and it is a good thing when a character can annoy or drive you crazy: it means you're engaged and the author has done their job well.

I'll be honest- I wasn't expecting to be drawn in, now I'm a bit annoyed I have to wait until next fall.

New Moon is the sequel to Twilight, so I'm covering both in my review. I think it could stand alone but I'd stronly recommend reading Twilight first as it really gives the foundations and 'rules' of Bella's world.

I just received my book in the mail two days ago and I have been devouring it ever since.

The book begins with seeing Bella become very comfortable with Edward and his family. I was delighted to see Alice's character take on more depth as we began to see more of her personality, but this may quickly turn into disappointment for some, when she is whisked away all too soon. Bella is given a birthday party and accidentally gets a paper cut. This leads to a tense moment when one of the family members cannot contain themselves and makes a leap for Bella. Edward is forced to protect her, but this makes it all to clear that keeping Bella close to the family puts her at risk. Edward begins to withdraw himself emotionally in order to (we readers know what is going to happen, but Bella seems to be in denial)leave her.

Naturally, Bella's grief is heartwrenching to read. Any girl who has felt the pain of lost or unrequited love will shed a few tears during this chapter. It is hard to get over being furious at Edward's behavior at the begining of the book, but this simply shows you how easy it is to get pulled into almost believing these characters are real.

Bella becomes seriously withdrawn from the world after his departure and considering their strange and magical relationship, this is to be expected. I do miss Edward's presence-he was such a strong character in Twilight- but I did something I never do, I flipped to the back of the book to assure myself of his return. Ms. Meyer realizes how addicted her audience is to Edward, so he does make token appearances in a roundabout way. Bella begins to hear Edward's voice warning her when she puts herself in harm's way and in this way Bella begins to court danger.

Jacob, the young native American from Twilight, makes a reappearance in New Moon. He becomes a very close friend of Bella's and helps her through her depression. His character takes the place of Edward and he becomes a major player in this story. He is also the complete opposite of Edward's sophisticated, wordly one. Jacob is lovable, akward, attractive (in a regular way) and warm-blooded. His story is one of interest and I don't believe any reader who has already read Twilight, will be surprised at the turn of events in which Jacob is involved.

The book is certainly excellent, as Ms. Meyer is a fabulous writer, but I do find myself impatiently turning the pages and skimming ahead to see when one of the Cullens' family members will appear. Even with those minor faults, I still find myself staying up way too late to finish another chapter. I have read half the book in the past two days instead of working on lesson plans for my class, during the first week of school, no less. This is a real indicator of just how wonderful New Moon is.

My ultimate disappointment will be when I am finished and must wait another year for the next book to come out. I don't believe Stephenie Meyer can whip these out fast enough to appease her growing leagues of fans. This is a very desirable position to be in for a writer and this should guarantee many Bella and Edward stories in the future.

*Update
The ending was very good and the reader finds out some interesting information concerning Bella and how special she really is. The twist adds a new dimension to the novel it ends with a bit of a cliffhanger. There is no complete closure for a few important issues and obviously this leaves it wide open for the third novel in the series.

This sequel to Twilight, though not exactly what most readers expected, exceeded those expectations with an amazingly unpredictable story line- complete with the familiar characters we love so much!

It starts out just a few months from where Twilight left off- Bella Swan is in true love with Edward Cullen, and his family of fellow friendly vampires. But then... a papercut at her birthday party leads the vampires to have a sudden urge to feed- only on her! In the days following the accident, none of her night dwelling friends are the same- not even Edward- phased and embaressed by their actions. But Bella doesn't expect Edward to break up with her and the Cullens to leave!

Bella is left in a numb, zombie-like state for months, until she begins to wake from her dream state in January. She discovers that if she takes a few risks, takes just a little step out of line, she is able to hear the warning voice of Edward in her mind! Thrilled at the chance to hear his voice- even if she might be going crazy-, Bella begins to pursue the reckless behavior he made her promise to keep away from.

Let's just say that Bella soon has her hands full. She renews her old friendships- including that with Jacob Black. Rumors of werewolves and vengeful vampiresses are circulating full throttle- and to top it off, she has the challenge of her own mind; forgetting and saving the Cullens at the same time.

I refuse to delve an inch further into the plot- to spoil its wonderful tactics would be a sin!

This book is just as amazing as its predecessor- if not more of a thrill ride. At first I thought its lack of romantic outlook between Edward and Bella would be a complete downcast- but I found myself, as I'm sure all readers will, being so drawn into Bella's emotions and struggles that it made not a difference to the book's loveability.

The only thing I have to note to the negativity of the book is that the next installment could not possibly come out quickly enough to do justice to this story's complex ending! Just as everything ties together, it also leaves the reader hanging for the the future! I also wish that we could have been further introduced as to the ways and habits of new characters we are shown- to further understand their motives to come. Well, at least it goes without saying that there will be enough future plot to fuel the oncoming stories quite generously!

Stephanie Meyer's words draw you so into the story; you feel as though it is your heart being completely broken and later completely refilled, just as it is Bella's! Her descriptions and portrayals of human emotion through Bella and the other characters can at times be ardent enough to bring tears to the reader's eyes! Literally!

You want to continue reading so fast, that rarely would you feel any pacing problems a bit! Though quite a large book in length, it fills up the time passing throughout the story impeccably well! I cannot sing enough praise for New Moon!

For all of those that have read Twilight, and have not yet picked up New Moon for fear of 'sequel disappointment', have no worries! Even those who are not particularly fond of vampire stories, as myself, will enjoy New Moon and its prequel of Twilight to no end! What else to say other than that the story of Bella and the Cullens is pure brilliance?

Life is far from normal for Bella Swan during her senior year of high school. True, her life is full of drama and boy troubles, but for Bella who sees herself as a danger magnet life holds much much more. Edward Cullen, her ever-handsome boyfriend who just happens to be a vampire, breaks her heart when he leaves after Bella receives a near-fatal paper cut at her eighteenth birthday party. Realizing that his family no matter how determined to avoid human blood, can within seconds be overwhelmed with tempation and violence leads him to place Bella's safety ahead of his own desires. To say that Bella is devastated is an understatment, she becomes zombie-like in her loss, a fact which is finally realized when Bella and one of her friends are watching a Zombie movie. "It wasn't until almost the very end, as I watched a haggard zombie shambling after the last shrieking survivor, that I realized what the problem was. The scene kept cutting between the horrified face of the heroine, and the dead emotionless face of her pursuer, back and forth as it closed the distance. And I realized which one resembled me the most. . . But it was ironic, all things considered, that, in the end, I would wind up a zombie. I hadn't seen that one coming. Not that I hadn't dreamed of becoming a mythical monster once--just never a grotesque, animated corpse. . . It was depressing to realize that I wasn't the heroine anymore, that my story was over." (106) But Bella's story is far from over. Reintroduce into the picture, Jacob Black, the young man who first shared with Bella the fact that she was falling in love with a vampire, this new friendship reenergizes Bella's existence and gives her a reason to continue on. But is her friendship with Jacob any safer for her than her relationship with Edward was? Or is Jacob hiding a dangerous secret of his own? Is Edward out of the picture for good, or will he make a comeback to try to reclaim her heart?
Stephenie Meyer's novel NEW MOON, sequel to TWILIGHT, is an exciting read, and one that I highly recommend.

New Moon starts out wonderfully - Edward's family throws Bella a birthday party, but when she has an accident and starts bleeding, the whole vampire household flips out. Consequently, Edward is filled with guilt and decides that she needs to lead a normal life without being endangered by their presence every day, and so they all pack up and leave. I nearly choked when I saw that time passes without him.

But, try as she might, Bella is empty without him. She realizes that when she is in danger, she can hear his voice in her head (usually yelling), and so she begins to pursue dangerous hobbies just to hear his voice again. One of these hobbies brings her into close friendship with Jacob Black, the Quileute Indian boy who tipped her off to Edward's identity in the first book, and he seems to temporarily appease her pain at Edward's absence. But Jacob has his own secrets, and Bella is again endangered when a vampire returns to Forks for revenge.

I must admit, most of the reason this book kept me up late reading was in hopes of word from Edward. Jacob and his friends were fun, and it *was* exciting to see another facet of the books' mythology, but almost the whole time Bella was with Jake, I was adamantly pining for Edward. When he does return, I was not disappointed, and Jake's involvement also sets up the potential for a powerful love triangle.

It wasn't quite as solid as the first book, but I sense that New Moon is an important transition. Many questions were brought up, like whether vampires have souls, and just how far must Bella and Edward go to stay together? She wants to become one of them, and Edward insists that she remain human. Now that we've caught wind of it, what exactly is agreed in the treaty the vampires have with the Quileutes? And what will Bella do now that her boyfriend and her best friend are mortal enemies? All of this feels like necessary groundwork in order to address these issues in the next book. I enjoyed New Moon immensely, despite Edward's absence for most of it, and I'm eager for the next installment; I can't wait to see how Meyer resolves some of these issues, and what ride we will experience in the next book.