Reviewed by Ruth Zothanpuii
After Stephenie Meyer’s remarkable novel Twilight, reading New Moon (a sequel to Twilight) was another delightful experience.
Although many think that New Moon works well enough as a stand alone, I still think that the only way to have a better understanding of the story and to get maximum enjoyment is from reading Twilight first.
But if you think that New Moon is essentially the same as Twilight, it may prove to be a big disappointment because, here, we feel the absence of the Vampires ( much to the dismay of many vampire fans,I am sure).
The book begins with the celebration of Bella’s eighteenth birthday. The thought of getting older than Edward who turned a vampire when he was just 17 troubles Bella who, even if she joins him in immortality, will always be physically older than him. Bella desperately wants to be like Edward but he is afraid that she will lose her soul if he makes her like the rest of his family. An appalling incident at Bella’s birthday party makes Edward realize Bella’s fragility when among his family. He is convinced that the only way to keep Bella safe is for her to lead a normal life and for him to leave her. This changes everything. For Bella, Edward was her whole world and his abandonment was something that cannot be repaired easily. Her whole world falls apart and she withdraws from everything else, becoming even more isolated and lonely. But this is also the situation that makes us see Bella more clearly and she is definitely worth a thousand credits. No doubt she is a fighter. While pushing through the agony, and not having enough strength to live for herself, she lives for others – Charlie in this case – this has always been her style.
The next thing I love the most about this novel is the development of Jacob Black’s character. That a minor character in Twilight has developed into such a fantastic character is the great strength of this novel. I love Meyer’s idea of blending the actual Quileute’s legend into this.
A must read if you haven’t already.
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