New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2)

Horrible Horrible Horrible. First of all, what kind of message is this book portraying to young impressionable girls? That you are nothing without a man? That it is ok to become totally immersed in a man until only he matters? Bella has no personality outside of her obsession with Edward. There is no sense of character (clumsiness does NOT count) for Bella. She is first completely dependent on Edward and then when he leaves her (hallelujah), she becomes completely dependent on Jacob. Bella pretty much hounded Jacob throughout the whole book. She would call and call and then stake out Jacob's house when he was in the throes of his own problems. Um, stalker. But maybe I could understand it if she really did like him, but she is just using Jacob because he's her latest crutch. She doesn't care about his feelings or duties. Then when Edward reenters the picture Bella just blows Jacob off after all he has done for her. Bella is one of the most irresponsible and pathetic characters to come along in literature. She has no sense of self-worth, self-esteem, or pride. She cannot function without a man to cling to. For example, there is a part when Jacob has to leave Bella to her own devices so he can patrol for Victoria and what does she do? Go to the beach and when the loneliness hits she curls into a ball in the sand until Jacob comes back to her. PATHETIC!!! She wouldn't be alone if she hadn't cut her family and friends out of her life. I understand that the concept is supposed to be a consuming love story (ie Romeo and Juliet, I think as readers that was pretty much beaten into our heads), but just comes across as sad obsession. Wow, I really really hate Bella and I really really hated this book.

Oh and I do not buy the explanation that vampires are glittery and perfect because of adaptation and evolution. The whole point of adaptation and evolution is to advance a species so they can grow and thrive. Vampires have to live in the shadows and conceal that which makes them a better hunter because it makes them different. Sorry doesn't pan out and I'm not buying it.

Boasting a protagonist that's weak, self-absorbed, and unsympathetic to the readers- along with a crippling lack of an interesting plot for most of the book- New Moon is just as unpalatable as its predecessor.

The book consists of Edward, sparkling vampire extraordinaire and love interest, leaving Bella, the aforementioned female lead, for her own safety in the very beginning of the story. She proceeds to wander around for the next several hundred pages like an (even more) useless shell of person, in search of meaning and perhaps some semblance of a plot. Thankfully, she finds a crutch to lean on in the form of an attractive werewolf, because god knows women can't function unless there's a man in their life. Modeling a Healthy Relationship for all the teenage girls reading, she then proceeds to put herself in life-threatening danger repeatedly, all in order to induce hallucinations of her ex-boyfriend's voice telling her not to be a childish moron.

As in "Twilight", the author seems to realize at the very end that she does not, in fact, have a plot, and throws in a suicide attempt by Edward in order to require a rush trip to Italy to save the day. Overall, a terrible read. Not recommended.

You can only take so much female teenage angst before you have to stab yourself. Doesn't Bella Swan get sick of her own self-flagellation? Geez! I was also shocked to discover that women still swoon in the 21st century. Gimme a break, Stephenie "spelled-with-an-'e'" Meyer! Can't you give your female protagonist a little more chutzpah in the presence of her morose vampire Adonis, who, when he's not avoiding the sun, can't seem to stop his ridiculous seductive hypnosis long enough to put a non-sultry sentence together? Geez! The yarn is compelling enough to keep me committed to the end, but the writing in this second volume is certainly sub-par compared to "Twilight."

Everything that I've said previously about these characters and their personalities still stands. The most compelling characters are those that are tucked in the background, somewhere behind Bella and Edward's single dimensions. Only now we get to see more of Jacob Black whose mood swings and grumpy tantrums (which would be quite normal in a 16 year old boy) are explained away by the fact that he turns into a werewolf. See, I like the whole werewolf/chick getting her period thing of the movie Ginger Snaps. The parallel made there was awesome and eerily accurate. The teenage boy thing, though, it just seems a little too easy. Perhaps because it was done with little to no oomph and the parallel was made to interact with family history instead of hormone changes. The latter might have been purely coincidental.

Aside from the fact that Bella only defines herself by Edward, the way she attempts to get over him is by falling into the arms of yet another boy. Because that's healthy. Because she's been on the verge of a catatonic depression for months so the only way to get herself out of it is to distract herself by getting into an equally unhealthy rebound relationship with someone else. Someone needs a psychiatrist.

And on top of all of that, Bella actually becomes delusional and risks her life in order to trigger these delusions. It's the only way to hear Edward's voice. It's always good to "cheat" on your werewolf pseudo-boyfriend with the boy that now exists only in your head. Again, healthy.

Meyer is quick to defend Bella and claim that none of this is misogynistic, that she really is a strong character. This is what she has to say, from her website-

(Side note: there are those who think Bella is a wuss. There are those who think my stories are misogynistic--the damsel in distress must be rescued by strong hero.

To the first accusation, I can only say that we all handle grief in our own way. Bella's way is no less valid than any other to my mind. Detractors of her reaction don't always take into account that I'm talking about true love here, rather than high school infatuation.

I emphatically reject the second accusation. I am all about girl power--look at Alice and Jane if you doubt that. I am not anti-female, I am anti-human. I wrote this story from the perspective of a female human because that came most naturally, as you might imagine. But if the narrator had been a male human, it would not have changed the events. When a human being is totally surrounded by creatures with supernatural strength, speed, senses, and various other uncanny powers, he or she is not going to be able to hold his or her own. Sorry. That's just the way it is. We can't all be slayers. Bella does pretty well I think, all things considered. She saves Edward, after all. Side note/rant over. Back to the story.)

Ok, so this is "true love" instead of a high school infatuation. Can the two not be synonymous? Are these stories not one and the same? To say Bella isn't infatuated with Edward is a bit of a stretch on the best of days.

Do I think Bella is a wuss? No, I just don't think she's much of a character. She doesn't flinch at running off to Italy to save Edward. A wuss wouldn't have done that. Unfortunately, the definition of Bella is Edward so she was only saving herself. There isn't a line between the two characters. They are one and the same so it would only be natural for one to save the other if that's how they define each other. Really, is it so much to try and save yourself?

I think where Meyer misses the point on people objecting to Bella is that very definition of "true love." In the Twilight world, to truly love another is to completely forfeit your own self. You as an individual no longer exist and are thus only defined by your life mate. I think having the story from Bella's point of view only magnifies the misogynistic tendencies of the stories because we have a girl whose self-worth is rooted in her boyfriend. We see her not giving a damn about anything else except Edward. And when she isn't with him, she's longing for him. Bella is not Bella without Edward. You can say you're for girl power all you want but when you have a girl whose life revolves around a boy and exists only for him (and occasionally her parents), you're going to be hard pressed to prove otherwise. I have no doubt it's entirely possible to truly and fully love someone without forfeiting your individuality and sense of self. This book obviously doesn't show that.

When Edward leaves, a hole is torn in Bella's chest. Oh how often she goes back to that image. It's not occupied and filled again by close friends or family but by yet another boy whom she tries so hard to convince herself is just a friend but, even towards the end of the book, knows she's not fooling herself. According to Bella, the only way to fill one hole torn in her psyche by a boy is to fill it with another. Isn't that slightly oxymoronic to the whole girl power message? I understand the whole "we grieve differently" mantra but showcasing this very notion of defining yourself by the boy you date is not something young girls should be reading about.

Another spot where Meyer misses the boat in her own defense was the human actions among inhuman beings. I don't question that. When you're around things that can crush your head like a piece of Styrofoam, I have no doubt the intimidation level would be pretty high. And no, not all characters can be slayers. Not everyone is Buffy. But at least Buffy, despite everything else, had a sense of who she was. Bella does not. Meyer is thinking of only extremes in this respect. Bella doesn't have to be a slayer but if she had a mind of her own, I'm sure her ability to hold her own would have been a little stronger. Unfortunately she no longer sees herself as a person but as Bedward. Bella's reliance on outside sources for salvation makes her the chick that Buffy would be constantly saving and getting tired of. She doesn't take responsibility for herself. If she can't do that, of course she's not going to be able to stand up to anything. It also helps to be a whole person without the aid of the opposite sex to complete you as well.

Remember, Xander and Willow and Giles were not slayers. They were quite human and quite capable of handling situations on their own. Of course Buffy was able to do it better but they had enough sense of self to not be wholly dependent on her. Even Pike from the original Buffy movie took it upon himself to throw a few stakes even though he knew he was way over his head. He didn't depend on Buffy to get him out of trouble and while Buffy didn't require his help and tried to talk him out of helping, she would allow it nonetheless.

I guess what it all really boils down to is the whole dependency issue and how a person defines themselves. I take serious issue with girls that insist on defining themselves according to the guys they're dating and I'll be hard-pressed to be convinced it's true love. Maybe that's why I'm having such a hard time comprehending all this they live for each other and thus define each other stuff in the books. Have I loved? I am human. Yes, I have, quite deeply and quite painfully and while, with hindsight, I may have gotten in too deep at times, I didn't lose the sense of who I was. It was always me with a boyfriend, not just a portion of myself while the rest of "me" was at work. I know the concept of "other half" and "better half" and all of that but it does really involve giving up who you are in order to remold the definition of you?

To be fair, I am a very independent person and weakness, especially in the self worth and self recognition departments, frustrates me because you don't need to have another person in your life to complete the definition of you. They can complete your life, they can fill in a piece of your soul that was missing but they aren't the essence of your being, the definition of your existence. If I had to interact with Bella, I'd have multiple ulcers.

Meyer makes it OK to love fully and shunt out everyone around you because all you need is love. Bella ostracizing her friends when Edward is around and then even further when he leaves is brushed off because they're "not the greatest people" to be friends with. They leave a bit to be desired in the personality department. With that I won't argue but it doesn't make it right and it certainly doesn't make it healthy.

Love, love until your heart explodes but keep some semblance of a sense of self. It definitely won't hurt.

This is a sad story and not in the star-cross'd lovers category. It's sad in that we have a teenage girl whose only source of existence is her boyfriend. The whole of her self worth is buried in her boyfriend. The reason for her existence is her boyfriend. Nothing else matters except the moments spent together. Perhaps I'm made of stone and I should see the love in that relationship. When I'm reading, I do. But when it sinks in it depresses me. There are a lot of young, impressionable girls reading these books and it makes me sad to think what they're going to take away from this. I'd like to say they'll get that true love really does exist but I'm afraid the magnification they're going to give it, the romantic levels they're going to take it to are going to surpass any sense of reality that they should have. It's OK to put your head in the clouds so long as your feet are on the ground. I can only hope.

And yes, I'm still reading them. I don't read for Edward and Bella. I read for Alice and Ro and Carlisle and the Volturi. Pretty much everything else except Edward and Bella and now Jacob Black. This book, though, was my least favorite. Take some Prozac already, Bella.

This comment is for Stephanie Meyer, I'm one of millions of fans loved the twilight saga and the short second life of Bree Tanner. I also love the movies just as much. I just have one question, are you going write book about the daughter of Bella and Edward? If not it's my deepest wish that you would, because it would be cool to know what goes on inside Reneesme's head and how she feels about Jacob Black. And would happen between those two as she gets older.

Spoiler Alert: This is really more of a rant than a review for those who haven't read the book.

As a 40-something avid reader who was given Twilight and thought "What the heck, vampires are cool and I loved Harry Potter," I must first say that despite the melodrama I really enjoyed the first book of the series. So much so that I ran out to buy the second and third at one pop. Unfortunately however, I must report that having just plowed through New Moon in a day, I'm left with a bad taste in my mouth and undecided whether to continue with the series.

The novel does pull you along--I'll give it that. It is a page-turner. And I really enjoyed a few parts (the werewolf pack and Volterra sections were respectively fun and chilling). I was also engaged by Jake's character. In general though: New Moon is plagued by clumsy, overwrought writing and a totally transparent plot with no surprises. The main romantic plot-line is so transparent that it leaves one unsympathetic with the characters for being as totally dense as they have to be in order to make the plot work. And the badness builds, to crescendo at the very end: We must trudge through the "revelations" of what we already knew since book one about Edward and Bella's true feelings; are asked to stomach a completely nonsensical epiphany/explanation of Bella's auditory hallucinations throughout the book; and finally, are presented with an artificial plot machination (the refused marriage proposal? HELLO!?!?!)that literally led me to swear out loud (after re-reading it to make sure I hadn't misread something).

Apparently, the author felt she needed to prolong the already tiresome "vampire or no vampire?" plot-line... and did so at the expense of all credibility. I was actually naively hoping she would just resolve that issue, so that we could move on to something more interesting in the next book... but instead it looks like I must wade through two more books of "I will not take your SOUL!" and "My mother wouldn't like it if I got married! But it's my fault that they're all in danger! Wah!" I mean, Really....

Is the third one any better? I already bought it, so I guess I'll try it. But I'm not feeling very hopeful....

I read "Twilight" and actually liked a little bit of it. I thought, well some authors get stronger as they go along. I'll try "New Moon"

For potential readers/buyers: think about the following review.I'll refute any complaints that other reviewers have said about negative reviews.

"It's normal for a teenager to be upset when her boyfriend leaves her." Yes, maybe feeling sad and mopey for a few weeks at most--not going into depression for four months, and then putting oneself in dangerous situations so she can hallucinate about her ex, while ignoring her family and getting po'd when they show concern.

"Bella has flaws like any other person. That makes her realistic." Always depending on her BF to save her, maybe that would be a realistic flaw, after all some of us have a hard time finding confidence. But also having Bella constantly worry that she's not good enough for Edward, that she should be prettier, that Edward was literally everything, and not caring about her parents, and lying to her dad, that only makes her a disturbing, selfish, clinically depressed brat.

"It's written. for teens. Teens go through stuff like that." See my first argument.

"Edward's not controlling. He's concerned about Bella, and would do anything to keep her safe". Hey, Bella is seventeen and capable of making her own decisions. Edward has no right ((((((((spoiler))))) to go as far as disabling Bella's truck to keep her from seeing Jake and the werewolves. Especially since the werewolves haven't done ANYTHING to her.

"You haven't read a book, so you really can't judge." Dang it, that is so stupid. That's like saying I can't criticize a meal I've eaten t a restaurant because I'm not a chef.

"It's not supposed to be serious literature." We KNOW it isn't...but books for the target audience should still follow the suthor's 'rules', avoid cliches, dues ex macnia and for the love of God throwing an entire thesaurus into the book doesn't make it any more intelligent.

"You can have my soul. I don't want it without you - it's yours already!..."

"His name burned my throat a little on the way out. I could feel the ghost of the hole, waiting to rip itself wide again as soon as he disappeared..."

"Every time I looked at his face, that impossibly perfect face, my heart pounded strong and healthy and very there in my chest..."

Are these Facebook posts by my sixteen year old new week/new-boyfriend cousin or lines from New Moon? Either way, you don't want to know any more...

Meyer really frustrates me. If she really read and UNDERSTOOD Wuthering Heights she would know that obsessions create misery. Yet, in her books, Bella acts like she can't live without a man and in the end she is rewarded for this. In reality, there are no fairy tale endings if the characters do not grow. And that's the main flaw of Meyer's books. Her characters never grow.

This book was a really good read especially to follow the prequel, Twilight. I loved that even though the book seamed to drag at the beginning how much pain you truly felt that Bella was in. The book came back to life when she decided to start visiting Jacob and when Alice returns, the book takes on a whole new meaning! Definitely worth the read, and 100% worth the price.