New Moon - a quick review

A very quick summary of “New Moon”, please don’t read if you haven’t finished the book yet or it’ll spoil all the fun!

summary

It all starts with Bella’s birthday party, although it’s an event more exciting for Alice than anyone else. It all goes well until she cuts herself while unwrapping a gift; the smell of blood makes Jasper mental, there’s more blood and suddenly everyone but Carlisle is hungry. Bella survives but Edward falls into sort of a depression – he’s ashamed of what happened but mostly, he’s angry he keeps putting Bella in danger. The Cullens and the Hales leave Forks.

October. November. December. January.

Bella’s still in shock and deep depression after Edward left her in the forest. She slowly wakes up from her zombie state after Charlie threatens he’ll send her back to Renee. She also discovers wonderful Edward-sounding hallucinations in her mind whenever she does something reckless, which happens a lot when she’s with Jacob and their motorcycles. (Btw, don’t you think Bella’s simply using him?)

Another crucial twist to the story – Jacob, who was initially worried his best friends turn into a bully group, he joins them when he becomes a werewolf. They’re all nice, though.

Bella jumps off a cliff to hear Edward, Alice sees that and tells Rosalie; she tells Edward, he thinks Bella died, phones her but talks to Jacob, who doesn’t bother to clarify what happened; Edward wants to commit a suicide therefore goes to the mighty Volturi. Bella and Alice chase him to Italy to prevent him from stepping into the sunlight (that would piss the Volturi off). They arrive just in time but now they have to face the Italian clan. Some stressful talking takes place and eventually all three go back to Forks.

Bella puts her mortality into a vote and it all seems she’ll become a Cullen until this conversation happens:

Bella: I would want you to change me.
Edward: What would you be willing to trade for that?
Bella: Anything.
Edward: Five years?
(…)
Edward: All right. Forget time limits. If you want me to be the one –
then you’ll have to meet one condition.
Bella: Condition? What condition?
Edward: Marry me first.
Bella: … Okay. What’s the punch line?

(HAHAHA)

A very quick summary. :P

MY QUICK REVIEW

I would describe “Twilight” as innovative and funny, whereas “New Moon” was depressing and… even more surprising. I did love it because of the new werewolf vs vampire plot – Stephenie created a new fictional world which makes perfect sense and where everything fits! But on the other hand I hated it because Edward wasn’t there for most of the book and when he was there, he was such an ass!! All in all, I’d say “New Moon” is my least favourite of the series. (I like it anyway :P )

If you had any doubts for Bella’s feelings towards Edward – I did; I didn’t consider their love genuine enough – New Moon makes it all clear. She kept putting herself in danger just to hear Edward’s voice and she travelled all the way to Italy (in a cool bright yellow Porsche!) to save him and get him back. I knew what Stephenie meant behind all the “I have to be dreaming/dead in heaven” allegories but it never got to me… I hated Edward’s reaction in Volterra when Bella rescued him; he seemed stoned just like Bella was in her zombie state. Oh, Bella repeated the same “dreamy” reaction in her bedroom. I was unhappy again.

Another issue that annoyed me– Bella was clearly using Jacob, don’t you think? She felt good being around him, they even created a strange kind of relationship where both of them were happy but as soon as Edward came along, Bella simply dump him… That’s where the entire team Edward vs. team Jacob conflict came from – fans felt sorry for the sweet and caring Jacob. I’d definitely stand on Jacob’s site there…

I read this one negative review of New Moon (it’s going to be bad, very bad) and, oh, just read it yourself:

“(…) The series does not improve with subsequent books, either. In New Moon, Bella enters a self-described “zombie” state when Edward leaves her. In fact, the author oh-so-cleverly inserts blank pages with the months’ names as a poorly conceived plot device for showing the depths of her heroine’s pain and also to avoid having to write the “hard stuff.” Bella turns near-suicidal; she purposely puts herself in harm’s way-going so far as to jump off a cliff-to hear her lover’s imagined voice in her head. WHAT THE FUCK?!! (…)” (Blast magazine, 16/08/2008)

Exactly, what the fuck?! I liked the empty pages – that’s exactly what Bella felt like – empty. And how else was she supposed to feel?! That was one well infuriating review…

Oh, and I loved the book cover – a bleeding flower :]