Scan barcode
tepidgirlsummer's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I forgot how much of a slog it is to get through this one.
I’m in the throes of a Twilight Saga reread. New Moon has always been my least favorite book, but I’d forgotten why. I sort of remembered it being boring, but thought maybe I hadn’t read it with the right perspective the first few times. I have a greater appreciation for emotional nuance than I did in my very early 20s, and several fellow Ratties defended this installment as important to understand the emotional bond between Bella and Jacob in the future books.
But holy moly is this book a snooze fest. It’s probably about 150-200 pages too long. And aging has only made me even more weirded out by how much Stephenie Meyer normalized these extremely codependent and manipulative relationships. Also, there is virtually no plot. I think this one is supposed to be more character-driven, but there’s hardly any character development after the first couple hundred pages.
I liked Twilight more this time around than I did previously. I remember Eclipse being my favorite, so hopefully that reread doesn’t disappoint.
I’m in the throes of a Twilight Saga reread. New Moon has always been my least favorite book, but I’d forgotten why. I sort of remembered it being boring, but thought maybe I hadn’t read it with the right perspective the first few times. I have a greater appreciation for emotional nuance than I did in my very early 20s, and several fellow Ratties defended this installment as important to understand the emotional bond between Bella and Jacob in the future books.
But holy moly is this book a snooze fest. It’s probably about 150-200 pages too long. And aging has only made me even more weirded out by how much Stephenie Meyer normalized these extremely codependent and manipulative relationships. Also, there is virtually no plot. I think this one is supposed to be more character-driven, but there’s hardly any character development after the first couple hundred pages.
I liked Twilight more this time around than I did previously. I remember Eclipse being my favorite, so hopefully that reread doesn’t disappoint.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Blood
Minor: Classism and Colonisation
justcallme_blondie's review against another edition
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book put me in a reading slump, which isn't a good thing regardless but especially wasn't a great thing considering I just read another book that also put me in a slump.
I actually really liked the first Twilight book because even though it was cheesy and everything, it was still entertaining and there felt like there was actual conflict and I am Team Edward so I liked seeing their relationship develop (if you could call it that because there is absolutely no character development at all in the Twilight). This book just felt like 400+ pages of Bella being like "Edward doesn't love me so I have no purpose, guess I'll die." Stephanie Meyer could have cut maybe 100 pages of this repetition dialogue and the book probably would have been a high 3.5 stars from me. Even in the end with the climax, the stakes never felt that high for some reason.
I actually really liked the first Twilight book because even though it was cheesy and everything, it was still entertaining and there felt like there was actual conflict and I am Team Edward so I liked seeing their relationship develop (if you could call it that because there is absolutely no character development at all in the Twilight). This book just felt like 400+ pages of Bella being like "Edward doesn't love me so I have no purpose, guess I'll die." Stephanie Meyer could have cut maybe 100 pages of this repetition dialogue and the book probably would have been a high 3.5 stars from me. Even in the end with the climax, the stakes never felt that high for some reason.
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
stindex's review against another edition
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
0.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Grief
book_dragon_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship and Toxic relationship
celisabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
New Moon is my favorite in the series, mostly because Edward isn’t around which means Bella is a little less silly. Okay, and while I like Jacob more than Edward just because he’s less manipulative and Heathcliff-y, he also has a few warning bells going off around him. At least Jacob’s sweet, warm and cuddly and can turn into a big-ass wolf whenever he so chooses. Another thing that made me raise an eyebrow was a very simple little line: “Jacob hadn’t told me how to turn.” She’s on a motorbike and she has a crash because Jacob hasn’t told her how to turn. Has Bella never seen a bicycle before? How can you not know how to turn? It has handlebars, just like a normal bike. It has two wheels, just like a normal bike. You turn it, just like a normal bike! Anyways, the book is similar to the first one. High school life, excessive brooding, Bella being sad and sometimes mean, Bella swooning over vampires, Bella hearing voices (oh yes, she’s having full on aural hallucinations), Bella feeling sorry for herself, and so on. And shirtless, hunky werewolf boys – although they turn out better on screen, admittedly. Basically, New Moon is chewing gum for the eyes – and the brain. There were many references to Romeo and Juliet and they were blatantly obvious. (Feuding families, balcony, both commit suicide because their loved one has died, that's the general grasp of the plot.) New Moon is entertaining and oddly enticing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Sexual assault
Minor: Sexism and Racism
alyssapusateri's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Grief
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
ecravens's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Animal death, Vomit, Blood, Death, Abandonment, Car accident, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Suicide
magdi_thealien37's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
unicorngirl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This book was good, but it felt like a lot of filler. I felt most of the book was just Bella complaining about how much pain she is in. Now, of course, breakups are hard, but it felt worse because Bella was so overdramatic. And I wish Jacob and Bella's relationship went further, I mean Jacob did tell her that he liked her but she didn't want the relationship to become something else, just in case Edward came back. She mentions multiple times that she doesn't want to lead him on, but she does just that, and whenever she says she going to do something about it, she doesn't! So I was annoyed by that. But an overall good book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Suicide attempt
nams's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
The second book in the Twilight Saga has always been my least favorite even when I was teenager devouring the books. This opinion hasn't changed re-reading the book as an adult. The following review entails mild spoilers. No matter how many things I dislike about the book, I have to admit that the story still captivates me (assisted with some childhood nostalgia). However, re-reading it as an adult, you cannot close your eye to the fact that Bella is basically the worst role model for teenage girls (and boys) imagineable. She is not only unhealthly attached to Edward but also completely dependend on him and his opinion of her. She attaches all her self-worth, happiness and will to live to Edward's love for her. Although it might be understandable that Bella is sad and to some degree depressed when Edward leaves, it is not shown in a healthy way. As it was already the case in the first book, romantic love is portrayed in a toxic way. In her eagerness to convincingly showcase Edward and Bella's love and devotion for each other, the author completely goes overboard. Under the disguise of feeling profoundly, Bella makes terrible decisions and risks her life and health. It is harmful to trivialize her actions to hear Edward's voice by describing them as "reckless" and "stupid" when in reality they are borderline suicidal (or plain suicidal considering her cliff jumping). With Edward out of the picture for most of the books, one thing becomes apparent: Bella does not know how to build normal relationships. The void she feels without Edward, she fills with her "friendship" with Jacob (I use quotation marks as their relationship is also not a great example for a good friendship). I am still unclear why she feels so deeply about him but Bella definitely uses Jacob to feel better about herself. Again, she attaches herself to a guy and makes them responsible for her well-being. At the beginning, Jacob had potential to be a truly lovely character, however, over time he is so overcome with bitterness that he loses all his charm. My previous wish remains: Can someone please re-write the Twilight Saga but in healthy? Because the general plot is interesting and has so much potential but lacks depth.