New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight Saga: Book 2)

8/10

After the grand finale of Twilight, I’m sure most readers were pretty interested in finding out what the sequel, New Moon, had to offer. Would Bella Swann really want to become a vampire in order to spend the rest of her days with her only love, Edward Cullen? Would Edward allow it to happen? Would Victoria, the mate of the tracker vampire that Edward killed at the end of Twilight, come back to Forks for revenge?

New moon begins as expected, with Bella and Edward enjoying school and life as a couple, hardly spending a moment apart. That is until at her surprise 18th birthday party thrown for her by the Cullen’s, Bella cuts her finger on some wrapping, causing Jasper to frenzy and Bella is hurt even more when Edwards attempt to save her goes awry. Edward decides that Bella would be better off without him and the Cullen’s, so the whole family move away from Forks.

“"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.
He threw himself at me, flinging me back across the table. It fell, as I did, scattering the cake
and the presents, the flowers and the plates. I landed in the mess of shattered crystal.
Jasper slammed into Edward, and the sound was like the crash of boulders in a rock slide.”
An extract from Stephenie Meyer's New Moon

This book is a deep look into the depression caused when relationships end, but because of the extreme love between Edward and Bella, the darkness and emptiness felt is a million fold that of normal break-ups. This part of the book, at least for the majority of readers becomes pretty tedious and boring. Except for readers who enjoy listening to or reading of other peoples misery, the majority of the first half of the book is hardly worth reading.

However, don’t be too put off because once Bella starts becoming good friends with Jacob Black, her friend from when she spent summers in Forks with her father, fantasy readers who enjoy blood pulsing action will find the book hard to put down.  Bella starts craving life-threatening thrills, maybe because the monsters have left her life forever, or have they? Barring the occasional depressive moments interrupting the action, the final third of the book really redeems the novel.

With a look at the dark and dangerous world of monsters and myth, the Romeo and Juliet of the 2000’s continues. With a possibly tragic ending to rival the one in Shakespeare’s Verona, any reader, even the ones who are reading the book for the demons and action, would find it hard not to empathise with Bella. I dare anyone to read the first two books of the Twilight saga and not be compelled to finish the series, especially with the fantastic twists and turns that Stephenie Meyer loves to weave into this epic love story.

New Moon is definitely worth reading, but be advised that you pretty much have to read the prequel in order to be able to fully appreciate the book. A fantastic book which I guess would appeal to more of an expansive readership than Twilight.

Overall I would rate New Moon 8/10. A fine sequel, that will compel any reader to finish the Saga.