New Moon by Stephanie Meyer- Review by Carlyn

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I now have a better understanding about Team Edward and Team Jacob after reading New Moon. The second installment of the Twilight series introduces a rival for Bella’s affection. Edward breaks up with Bella when an accident almost caused her to become a vampire’s dinner. He reasons that it’s too dangerous for her to be associated with vampires and he vanishes from her life. Bella is heartbroken to the point that her father fears that he has to hospitalize her. It is only when her father suggests that Bella live with her mother that Bella starts to begin to participate in life again. She cannot bear to leave Forks, the place where her romance with Edward started.

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Bella’s father insists that she spend time with friends and forget about Edward. Bella goes through the motions of everyday life to please her father but remains apathetic for the most part.  A dangerous situation sparks a hallucination of Edward which compels Bella to seek more risky situations just so that she can see Edward again.

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Bella motivated by her desire to see Edward again (at least in her mind), decides to fix up some motorbikes, hoping that a thrilling ride might bring about the hallucinations. She asks an acquaintance, Jacob Black to help her restore the bikes and during their time together their relationship grows. Jacob falls in love with Bella but Bella can’t forget Edward. To further complicate matters, Jacob discovers he is a werewolf and as such is a sworn enemy of vampires.

I liked New Moon as I learnt more about the Twilight universe. I liked reading the first few chapters that detailed Bella’s grief as I know what it’s like to be in funk. I admired how Bella knew that Edward was her true love and couldn't forget him even though six months or so had past. She reminded me of damsels in fairy-tales and myths who weep all day for their lost love.  Although, there were times where I thought Bella needed to pull herself together because she frequently needed to be comforted. I also liked Jacob who was very different from Edward. Jacob was a warm and upbeat person who could joke around with Bella., Jacob and Bella didn't have to be as careful around each other as Bella had to be with Edward. Edward had to try hard to resist Bella’s blood and Jacob didn't have a blood-lust for humans.

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What I really liked about New Moon was learning more about Jacob. Personally, I would have liked Bella to end up with Jacob because the love between Bella and Edward is too intense. Remember this is a guy who before they were dating, would sneak into Bella’s bedroom without her permission to watch her sleep. Edward is very protective of Bella which leads to them always having some inane argument. The argument always ends with Edward trying to persuade Bella with a loving glance and murmur which is enough to set Bella’s heart racing and lose her focus.

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I can see that Bella would have been happy with either of the boys. They both are smitten with her and would do anything for her.  There’s always fan fiction if I ever want to see more of Jacob Black. I wonder how I would react if I were in a love triangle. I’ve always found the situation when I have seen in books or movies to be an unfair situation especially when the person that everyone else is fighting over takes too long to decide. Although, I know that soap operas are meant to draw out the most drama. It’s a pity that because of the hype of the movies, I know the gist of what happens in the Twilight books. I think it would have been very thrilling to find out that Jacob was a werewolf. 

Twilight by Stephanie Myer- Review by Carlyn

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Before you start, no I have not been living under a rock and don’t be such a snob. I know some people consider the Twilight series as a blight on literature but I think that sometimes books just have to be entertaining.

 I recently bought the entire collection of Twilight books second hand for twelve dollars. I’ve previously read some of the Twilight books but have never finished the series. So I want to finish the series and discover what my feelings are towards the books now that the hype has faded.  I confess, I had some disdain when I first read Twilight some years ago. I was a big Harry Potter fan and J.K Rowling is a phenomenal writer so when I read Twilight, I felt that Stephanie Myer’s writing was mediocre and too simplistic. Now I don’t compare Twilight with anything else and appreciate the books.

Some day Twilight will fade into obscurity so here is the gist of Twilight for when that day comes and someone reads this review. Twilight is about seventeen years old Bella Swan who goes to live with her dad after her mum remarries. Her dad lives in small town called Forks where it rains a lot and nothing much happens. On her first day at her new high school, she notices a beautiful group of teenagers and is drawn to one particular boy. His name is Edward Cullen and he is a vampire. The two fall in love which has complications since he wants to eat her but he resists. Bella wants to be with him forever but Edward views vampirism as a curse.

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The love between Bella and Edward is all consuming and very little happens in the book until the end. Bella is quite a passive person who is not very interested in the world around her . Edward is aware that Bella should experience life so encourages her to forget him and reach the typical milestones for her age.

Some of the criticism about Twilight is that Bella Swan and Edward are idealized characters. Bella has most of the boys in town in love with her; she’s brave yet extremely fragile and clumsy. Edward is a gentleman, handsome, sensitive and protective. I once watched an interview where the reporter asked a fan why they liked Twilight. The fan said that it perfectly captures first love. The books show how when first in love, people are in adoration of each other and are willing to do almost anything for each other. I think that Twilight shows a girl’s fantasy of love as Edward is Bella’s knight in shining armor.  

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Personally I like Bella and Edward. I like Bella because she cares deeply for the people she loves and although she needs to be rescued twice, she tries to find her own way out of danger. The flaws I don’t like about her is the anguish she feels at certain stressful points in the book. I wanted her to get it together as it was really more of a time to focus and figure out what to do next.  I liked Edward because he’s a knight in shining armour.

I look forward to reading the rest of the books. I pretty much have an idea of what happens due to its popularity.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?