New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
Jun. 8th, 2008 08:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
"Shoot," I muttered when the paper sliced my finger; I pulled it out to examine the damage. A single drop of blood oozed from the tiny cut.
It all happened very quickly then.
"No!" Edward roared ... Dazed and disorientated, I looked up from the bright red blood pulsing out of my arm - into the fevered eyes of the six suddenly ravenous vampires.
For Bella Swann, there is one thing more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is even more dangerous than Bella could ever have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of one evil vampire, but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is nead and dear to them, they realize their troubles may be just beginning ...
Twilight underwhelmed me but this was a slightly more interesting read - firstly, because Edward Cullen is away for most of the book, secondly because there's more action in this novel than the first and thirdly the pacing is better.
A birthday party for Bella at the Cullens' home almost turns to tragedy after she accidentally cuts her finger and one of the family tries to attack her. As a result, Edward ends their relationship and the family move away, leaving Bella an emotional wreck. Eventually, a friendship forms between her and Jacob Black, and she discovers that by engaging in dangerous activities, she can hear Edward's voice, leading her to take more and more risks. However Jacob and the Indians on the Reservation have a secret of their own, which puts her in the middle of a centuries old enmity between vampires and werewolves and when she learns that Edward has travelled to the Volturi, she's forced to make a choice between Edward and Jacob ...
Like I said, there's a lot more action in this book, which I liked. In particular, the scenes between Jacob and Bella had a nice, natural feel to them and whilst there is some repetition in their conversations, it's not as obvious as in Twilight. Meyers doesn't do anything that original with her werewolf mythology, which is a shame, but the transformation scenes are nicely handled, as are the reactions of those forced to undergo it. It helps that I found Jacob a more likeable character than Edward - more willing to take Bella's wishes into account, perceptive as to her emotions and with a nice sense of humour. Saying that, I disliked what Meyers has him become at the end, with him sharing a few too many Edward traits for me to empathise with, albeit there is context for it. The contrast between him and Edward is obvious – Jacob’s skin is unnaturally warm, something that the reader gets told until it’s boring.
Unfortunately, Bella continues to unimpress. Self-obsessed, shallow and in many ways wilfully dense, her self-indulgence irritated me. It didn't help that Meyers continually refers to the "hole" within her that comes with Edward's leaving and her need to wallow in it. Some will find that romantic and believable, but I didn't because all it serves to highlight is that there is no character in the book strong enough to call Bella on her b-s and help her work through her problems. Her attitude towards vampirism also disturbs me because at no point does she ever think of the consequences of being turned for her parents and other people who love her - she is selfishly driven by the fact that she does not wish to age when Edward does not and whilst this is an interesting theme, by reducing it to such a shallow perspective, Meyers robs it of resonance.
Edward remains the biggest problem however. Everything he does in this book is for him, not Bella and the fact that Bella never challenges on him reduces her character further. There is one particular scene towards the end when the lovers are reunited whilst the Volturi feast on a load of tourists and the fact that Bella asks if it's bad for her to feel so happy when she's just heard the victims' terrified screams tells you everything you need to know about the couple. Although Alice is a nice counterfoil to Edward (and I enjoyed the greater role she played in the book and her attitude towards car theft), it's not enough to mitigate his character.
One point to note is that Romeo and Juliet keeps getting referred to throughout the book. The allusion is obvious, heavy handed and doesn't work, as Meyers proves with a tortuous scene where Bella compares Jacob to Paris. Personally, I think that the need to keep hammering this at the reader shows a lack of confidence that readers will understand the tragic elements of this story, and the over-compensation is something I could do without. I also think it takes tension out of the love triangle that Meyers is going for with Jacob, Bella and Edward, given that Romeo and Juliet is not a love triangle story.
Personally, I'm not convinced by book's discussion about vampirism and souls and hope that this is not a theme that is continued as it doesn't seem to tie in with the inner logic of the book and lacks a feeling of being developed. However, the end of the book puts up a nice conundrum for the lovers regarding whether and when Bella will be transformed, with the triangle element represented by Jacob posing an interesting wrinkle.
The Verdict:
I found it a better read than Twilight, but whether you like the books still depends on whether you like Bella and Edward and I don't. However, the fact that Meyers puts more action in this book and sets up an interesting dilemma for the couple re whether Bella will be turned into a vampire means I'm likely to continue to read the series to see how it ends.
It all happened very quickly then.
"No!" Edward roared ... Dazed and disorientated, I looked up from the bright red blood pulsing out of my arm - into the fevered eyes of the six suddenly ravenous vampires.
For Bella Swann, there is one thing more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is even more dangerous than Bella could ever have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of one evil vampire, but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is nead and dear to them, they realize their troubles may be just beginning ...
Twilight underwhelmed me but this was a slightly more interesting read - firstly, because Edward Cullen is away for most of the book, secondly because there's more action in this novel than the first and thirdly the pacing is better.
A birthday party for Bella at the Cullens' home almost turns to tragedy after she accidentally cuts her finger and one of the family tries to attack her. As a result, Edward ends their relationship and the family move away, leaving Bella an emotional wreck. Eventually, a friendship forms between her and Jacob Black, and she discovers that by engaging in dangerous activities, she can hear Edward's voice, leading her to take more and more risks. However Jacob and the Indians on the Reservation have a secret of their own, which puts her in the middle of a centuries old enmity between vampires and werewolves and when she learns that Edward has travelled to the Volturi, she's forced to make a choice between Edward and Jacob ...
Like I said, there's a lot more action in this book, which I liked. In particular, the scenes between Jacob and Bella had a nice, natural feel to them and whilst there is some repetition in their conversations, it's not as obvious as in Twilight. Meyers doesn't do anything that original with her werewolf mythology, which is a shame, but the transformation scenes are nicely handled, as are the reactions of those forced to undergo it. It helps that I found Jacob a more likeable character than Edward - more willing to take Bella's wishes into account, perceptive as to her emotions and with a nice sense of humour. Saying that, I disliked what Meyers has him become at the end, with him sharing a few too many Edward traits for me to empathise with, albeit there is context for it. The contrast between him and Edward is obvious – Jacob’s skin is unnaturally warm, something that the reader gets told until it’s boring.
Unfortunately, Bella continues to unimpress. Self-obsessed, shallow and in many ways wilfully dense, her self-indulgence irritated me. It didn't help that Meyers continually refers to the "hole" within her that comes with Edward's leaving and her need to wallow in it. Some will find that romantic and believable, but I didn't because all it serves to highlight is that there is no character in the book strong enough to call Bella on her b-s and help her work through her problems. Her attitude towards vampirism also disturbs me because at no point does she ever think of the consequences of being turned for her parents and other people who love her - she is selfishly driven by the fact that she does not wish to age when Edward does not and whilst this is an interesting theme, by reducing it to such a shallow perspective, Meyers robs it of resonance.
Edward remains the biggest problem however. Everything he does in this book is for him, not Bella and the fact that Bella never challenges on him reduces her character further. There is one particular scene towards the end when the lovers are reunited whilst the Volturi feast on a load of tourists and the fact that Bella asks if it's bad for her to feel so happy when she's just heard the victims' terrified screams tells you everything you need to know about the couple. Although Alice is a nice counterfoil to Edward (and I enjoyed the greater role she played in the book and her attitude towards car theft), it's not enough to mitigate his character.
One point to note is that Romeo and Juliet keeps getting referred to throughout the book. The allusion is obvious, heavy handed and doesn't work, as Meyers proves with a tortuous scene where Bella compares Jacob to Paris. Personally, I think that the need to keep hammering this at the reader shows a lack of confidence that readers will understand the tragic elements of this story, and the over-compensation is something I could do without. I also think it takes tension out of the love triangle that Meyers is going for with Jacob, Bella and Edward, given that Romeo and Juliet is not a love triangle story.
Personally, I'm not convinced by book's discussion about vampirism and souls and hope that this is not a theme that is continued as it doesn't seem to tie in with the inner logic of the book and lacks a feeling of being developed. However, the end of the book puts up a nice conundrum for the lovers regarding whether and when Bella will be transformed, with the triangle element represented by Jacob posing an interesting wrinkle.
The Verdict:
I found it a better read than Twilight, but whether you like the books still depends on whether you like Bella and Edward and I don't. However, the fact that Meyers puts more action in this book and sets up an interesting dilemma for the couple re whether Bella will be turned into a vampire means I'm likely to continue to read the series to see how it ends.
