Customer Rating:  
Summary: The saga continues... and Meyer doesn't disappoint!
Comment: Excellent sequel to 'Twilight', and the second in the saga of (currently) four books. After a wonderful summer, Bella's birthday rolls around all too quickly - now she is 18, and officially older than Edward (sort of, anyway). Things go from bad to worse that night, when a clumsy moment at her birthday celebration puts her in mortal danger from all but the most restrained of the Cullens. Afterwards she struggles to understand Edward's sudden coldness and self-hatred, until her worst fears come true and he admits that the Cullens have decided to leave town for good - her best friend Alice included - and that he will be going without her.
For months she is left bereft, numb, functioning on autopilot and fiercely blotting out all memories of the Cullens in an attempt to keep her sanity. Then one day, in a potentially dangerous situation in town, she suddenly hears Edward's voice in her head, warning her to be careful and begging her to stay safe. Although the pain his voice evokes is excruciating, she longs to hear it again and sets about discovering what triggers her hallucinations. She renews her friendship with Jacob Black on the reservation, and his presence in her world seems to bring her back to life, putting a smile on her face and giving her an enthusiasm she hasn't felt for a long time. But Jacob has his own growing up to do and his own problems to overcome - not to mention the fact that his feelings for her are well beyond friendship - and all the while, Bella's behaviour is growing more and more reckless. Not only has she discovered Jacob's secret and found out that a fiery vampire is stalking her with revenge in mind, but her desperation to hear Edward's voice is driving her further and further from common sense. In the end something has to give, and Bella goes too far, triggering a terrible misunderstanding that threatens to destroy everything she holds dear.
This novel starts out more peacefully than its predecessor, and the electricity between Edward and Bella has faded into something a little more serene, but Meyer still knows exactly how to trip the heart and freeze the blood when she needs to. The end of the book came quite unexpectedly, and there was a sense that this was more of a transitional story, moving on from the neat ending of 'Twilight' and setting up a strong background for the conflicts to come. Despite this, it didn't take long before I was drawn into the story as thoroughly as before, and the climax was so nail-bitingly tense that I had to put the book aside for a while to calm down and stop myself jumping ahead too fast! Bella's quick humour also makes a welcome return as her emotional state improves, and I noted with interest the references to 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Wuthering Heights', given that Romeo and Heathcliff have been frequently mentioned in discussions of female infatuation with the Cullen men!
The verdict? Not QUITE as compelling and sizzling as 'Twilight', but excellent anyway and leaves a tantalising glimpse of what is in store as the saga continues...
Customer Rating:
Summary: 34 year old fan!
Comment: I loved it. I couldn't wait to read it after the first and the middle did let it down a bit but in the end it was amazing and sat up until 2am to finish it!.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Powerful
Comment: `New Moon' is the squeal to the fabulous `Twilight'. In this book Bella's life takes a turn for the worst when Edward, her beloved, decides to leave in order to protect her. I really don't want to spoil this for fans and perspective readers so I won't give much away. The thing about this book is that if you love Bella and Edward, and what they have, you will find this book painful. When he leaves Bella's sadness is truly touching and powerful. To say she is devastated is an understatement - she describes it as a whole in her chest and to cope she often wraps her arms around her self - she calls it `keeping herself together'. She suffers severely which for me was quite hard to read, she has to think how she will get through every hour of everyday, the worst part is that she can't see herself surviving. Jacob Black kind of comes to her rescue and Edward is missing in action for most of the book, he only comes back in the end- the dramatic climax. The last few chapters are some of the most romantic I have ever read. Edward explains why he left and also how he feels about her. His explanations aren't cliché they are honest which I think is what makes it so touching. I gave this book 4 out of 5 and it lost marks only because I found the absence of Edward, and it's effect on Bella quite upsetting. Having said this though it really is a must read.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not as good as Twilight
Comment: I would have to say that New Moon is my least favourite of the Twilight Saga. Being a member of Team Edward I couldnt help but rush through New Moon just to get back to Edward. Although New Moon is about Bella and Jacob's story it is also lacking in that gripping feeling that Twilight had.
I'd recommend this to any Twilight fan because it does set the plot for the rest of the books but dont expect fireworks
Customer Rating:
Summary: As Good As Twilight
Comment: New Moon is the 2nd installment in this series - I enjoyed Twilight although my biggest complaint about that book was that it took a LONG time to really get going. Despite this, I enjoyed the book because the final third more than made up for the mild boredom experienced in the first two thirds!
With New Moon, the book starts out well but then there is a huge chunk of the book spent just passing the the time at snail pace and I found myself skimming through much of the narrative as it was starting to get tedious.
However, if you are a fan of Twilight, no doubt you will love this second installment as it really follows the same kind of structure & style as the first book. If (like me), you find yourself bored at first, rest assured that it DOES get better. The narrative really picks up and there's plenty of exciting action in the second half of the book so once again I have been won over!
Also interestingly, Stephenie Meyer's writing is vastly better in the second book than the first so this can only be a good thing! Overall, New Moon is just as enjoyable as Twilight so I highly recommend it to Twilight fans & I'm looking forward to reading the third installment, Eclipse!
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