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128 of 158 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Seriously?, July 5, 2008
Before the rabid fans of Stephanie Meyer come for me and trash my first review on this website I would like to add an adendum. I am a twenty-two year old Undergrade, and I enjoy a little "brain popcorn" every so often. Warning! Spoilers ahead.
I labored over a decision to buy and read the Twilight series for weeks. After asking/begging for information over the series at my local B&N reading reviews here on Amazon, and my Library Patrons I decided to give it a try. I read Twilight and was hooked, I finished it in about 2 days and moved on to the next two in the series. Then, I labored over wether I should write a review of this book or not. Funny, the laborous process should have been my first hint.
I want to ask Meyer, if she lost inspiration, had something traumatic happen, or just lose her drive to write these books? I was never interested in Edward as a character, or love intrest for Bella. By the time I finished New Moon I could care less about either of them and was just hoping Jacob would find a new, more interesting girl to suit him.
Bella is uninteresting, incredibly Emo (and not in an artistic way), and so Co-Dependent that you just want to bash her head in so that you can be done with it. Watching her stumble, bumble and "live" without Edward is incredibly painful and embarassing just to read about, let alone be caught reading about in public. She is so disgustingly set on Edward and his disgusting, vapid, rather uninteresting and beautiful family that her own life gets put on hold.
Perhaps if this book was written and released in the 80's, or prior to "Girl Power" this wouldn't be such an issue. But to market this kind of literature to a demographic is 13 to 20 year old Teens and Young Adults is just plain irresponsible! Sending the message that being incredibly selfish and leading someone on to deal with your own pain is both unforgiveable and sickening. The fact that Bella is so interesting in putting herself in harms way just to hear Edwards voice is just plain unbelievable at best and if you want me to believe that little miss "I don't want other people to realize that I exist" wants to cliff dive, I've got a bridge in Wichita to sell you.
Don't get me started on the forced, horrible literary refrences to Romeo and Juliet. The analogies, allusions and personifications of people were enough to make me tear my hair out.
So there you have it. If you're upwards of twenty something, read classic literature and/are a fan of the Bard, have self esteem and don't need a "man" to complete your life do not pick up these books and if you must, borrow from your local library.
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47 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
The Vampires May Glittler, but it's only Skin Deep, January 14, 2007
This book perturbed me. A lot. Though I did enjoy Ms. Meyer's first installation of this series very much (even though the vampires glitter. go figure.) this one fell quite short of even being engaging. The Fault line? The protagonist. Where in Twilight Bella is her own person, intelligent, competent and refreshingly mature for her age, in New Moon she is selfish, codependent, bored, boring, stupid, irrational and just all around irritating. Instead of being someone who makes things happen, most of the book's major events transpire as a result of Bella's odd gravitational pull for danger. This gets old. Very old. Mostly, it is Bella's irreverent and irate actions that pull the story down and drown the reader. After a certain event (avoiding spoilers here) near the start of the book, Bella simply dissolves into a puddle of pathetic mush. Why should I give a hoot about her if she doesn't even give a hoot about her?? Never once did I feel an ounce of pity for her. Truthfully, she had more than enough for herself. Get a grip Bella! Pick yourself up! Be a strong character! DO something for crying out loud!
If I could smack her, I would.
P.S.
This book's saving grace was Jacob Black, the only character I could sympathize with. Don't worry Jacob, you're not missing much...
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240 of 302 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Vapid Vampires finally get shunted aside, but all for naught., January 2, 2007
In the first book Bella was dreamless, hobby-less, and hopeless. Now she becomes a lush for adrenaline because her precious vampire boyfriend dumps her. One can only wish she'd succeed instead of making the reader suffer along with her for 500 pages. Bella's self-confidence and self-worth rest on the whims of a boy, and a vampire at that, and that's hardly a good message for any girl to take away from the book. You get sick of hearing Bella whine about the hole in her chest.
The werewolves are actually decent, and one embellished the most also achieves what neither Bella nor Edward can: actual reader interest. Jacob Black has a hobby! He has some legitimate angst! He is flawed! And he and Bella actually have chemistry that goes beyond "You are my sun, my moon, my stars, my love!" Jacob strikes me as the kind of guy one could actually LIVE with for the rest of one's existence, morning breath and all. But don't expect Bella to actually LISTEN to any of this logic.
Perhaps more jaded sorts, such as myself, shouldn't read this. I am not a romance reader; I'm a fantasy buff and a stickler for character logic. I just kind of ended up in the wrong kind of territory. It baffles me that shallow, blah characters like Eragon and this series can become bestsellers hand over fist. I think in order for these books to work for me I'd have to believe in the happily-ever-after for these characters, and all I find myself thinking is "Okay, what are they going to DO for the rest of eternity? Stroking each other's ego's over how beautiful they are would get really old really fast ..."
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