New Moon

I think this book was my favorite of the series, due to its low concentration of Edward Cullen. It turns out Meyer can write interesting characters; it's just that she has chosen not to make them her protagonists.

–

9/28 note from a re-read via audiobook: the audio narrator pronounces both “Jacob” and “Bella” very oddly.

http://www.frowl.org/worstbestsellers/episode-31-new-moon/

I'm 300 pages into this and I'm losing steam. A huge chunk of this book is devoted to Bella whining and basically being a typical , broken-hearted teenager.

Now, I am seeing the plot devices similar to Anne Rice (and other vampire stories that preceded this) and I'm having a hard time caring how this all ends. Maybe I really am too old to read this?

I read this book (and Twilight) out of sheer stubbornness. I wanted to understand the cultural phenomenon that it has become, though I didn't really have any interest in it. the frothing fan base really turned me off of the whole series. To be honest, I was disappointed that I didn't hate the first book. It was okay. Just okay; it wasn't good. I would probably have really liked it when I was 14, which is a good thing, since it is a young adult novel. I moved on to New Moon with tenacity, but I was absolutely bored to tears by it. While the first book was largely a long deliberation on how pretty Edward is, this one was a long lamentation on the fact that he wasn't there any more, and (to me, at least) there was absolutely nothing there that sparked any interest. I will probably read the rest of the series out of pure stubbornness, but I would tell anyone else who wants to understand the crazy cultural phenomenon that no, they don't.

Where do I start... I guess it would be that it took me over 7 months to finish this one. It was one of those books that I started reading, then put it down and didn't pick up till sometime late 2007, early 2008. But I flew through it like a race horse. Reasons being was that I could at that point in my life put myself in Bella's shoes, having to deal with my own horrible heart break that resembled her's as well. He may have not been a vampire, but none the less it was a pretty big deal.

I think being able to connect to her more in this book, than in ‘Twilight' was crucial. The 1st book in a series always is a make or break, but the sophomore year (ie - the 2nd book) can lift the book higher into the stratosphere or send it into a black hole of shame. New Moon didn't, but it didn't do the same as the first book either. This can happen, but I think it had to do more so with how well a reader could relate to the story and the characters.

Overall, it was a great read. I wouldn't call it my favorite, but I wouldn't shove it away in a box just yet. It does look pretty on my book shelf :)

I'm glad I'm finally reading through this series after so many years of hearing about it and watching the movies. The books are definitely better and I'm really in the mood for this so that helps lol.

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first one but I did enjoy learning more about the Cullen's world and watching Jacob grow into his world. Reading from Bella's POV can sometimes be exhausting as she can be a bit melodramatic and whiny BUT then teens and their hormones so ..

This is my favorite (so far) of the Twilight books. My favorite character in the entire series, due largely in part to this book, is Jacob Black.

When Edward leaves Bella in what is probably the most pathetic weepy display of “I can't live without a boy” weak girliness in recent literary history (seriously, there's a time lapse. It's like she went into a coma, and it's ridiculous), Jacob pulls her out of it, slowly but surely. Bella falls slowly in love with him, and develops a deep friendship along the way. Stephenie Meyer's writing definitely improved between Twilight and New Moon, and it shows in the way she is able to weave a realistic friendship, flesh out Jacob's character, and make him a central character to the series.

The plot of this book is driven at the surface by Bella's desire to get Edward back, but underneath by the friendship she forms with Jacob. It also dives headfirst into werewolf lore – and the natural rivalry of werewolves with vampires – upping the ante on the entirety of Forks. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.