New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

     Hiy'all!! Okay so I finished New Moon this last week so I thought I would share my thoughts on it, especially considering that I didn't write a review about New Moon alone, I wrote it as a mass review with Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.
     My initial thought, was that it was still the hardest to read of the series. I know it's not a greatly written book, but I'm one of those people that can get so absorbed in a book that I tend to "feel" the character's pain... ya I sound psycho... but that's how I feel about just about all characters when I read, especially when it comes to emotional pain. So the turmoil that Bella goes through because of Edwards leaving her and telling her he doesn't want her anymore, is always hard to read. Jacob helps lessen it at times, but his constant "mood swings" when he changes into a werewolf almost hurt as much as Edward's rejection. Over all I got to say this is my least favorite of the Saga because of the depressing flavor the book has throughout just about all of it. 
     One of the big aspects of the book that I loved the first time that I read the book, and surprisingly more so this time around, was the werewolves. I liked that Meyer didn't do the generic version of a werewolf, which in Breaking Dawn you find out why she didn't. I like the idea that they are either in a full human or full wolf body, it characterizes the animal instincts in us all, is how I saw it. Some people, like Jacob, are resentful of some of our animal instincts while others like Quil love and embrace it. And I especially loved how it was anger that triggered their inner werewolves. Because the wolf side of each of the Quileute boys is free, unconfined essence of themselves. How many of use can be unbridled, or to put it better uncensored, when we are controlled by our emotions? I know I have a hard time thinking through what I need to say that doesn't hurt people when I am controlled by my anger or even hurt. 
     The second thing I liked about this book was Edward's reason for leaving. He sacrificed his own happiness for the safety of the person he loved. Of all the messages in this book this is one of those that sticks out to me the most. People need to see that love is putting the other person first. When Bella and Edward first met in Twilight I had to admit it was kinda more of an infatuation (on both sides) and a lot of stocking... but I think that Edward leaving to protect Bella from essentially himself evolves their relationship to the new category of love. Yes it hurt her in the process but he was trying to put her before himself, which in my opinion is the definition of love. 
     And the final high light of this book, for me, was Jacob's role in the whole book. Aside from doing all the stupid, reckless things with Bella, he is what every friend should be... dependable, true and a rock. He has more motivation than an average friend would or really should, but he can put those aside, or at least pretend to, and can be there for Bella when she really needs him. He keeps her safe to his best ability, even with her slightly, borderline suicidal seeming tendencies. She considers him "her own personal sun", that he makes her feel warm and gives her something to look forward. And he pulls her out of the depression she is in after Edward leaves. That says a lot about his character. I think that Bella's dependency jumping from Edward to Jacob is a little disheartening but Jacob can't help that and he just tries to be there for her when and how he can, which he does very well. 
     The one aspect of this book that I really didn't care for either time I have read this book was Bella's infatuation with dangerous things just so she could hallucinate Edward. This is just one of the many topics that I think Stephenie Meyer could have been more tactful writing about when teenagers are her main audience. And this one is actually two bad notions to put into a youth's mind! First doing dangerous things, even when it scares or could hurt people that care about you. Like when Bella and Jessica are going to a movie in Port Angeles Bella walks up to a bunch of strangers in a dark alleyway because they remind her of some very BAD guys that she very nearly was attack by in Twilight. Jessica is scared witless and is constantly trying to get Bella to just walk away, to which Bella responds by either lying by omission, I think I know them, or by just ignoring her. Then fixing up and riding the motorcycles with Jacob, even though she knows that it would kill Charlie if something happened to her, or cliff diving ALONE!!! Yes by all means lets put stupid, irresponsible notions into the minds of children so that they can care even LESS about how their actions effect anybody besides themselves. We don't have a big enough problem with that already!
     The other problem with her doing dangerous things just so she can hallucinate Edward is that she is purposefully trying to cause a hallucination! Now I don't know how much this concerns other people but trying to cause a hallucination makes me worry for the person's sanity and the safety problems they could impose on themselves and others. Especially since teenagers don't really seem to know many LEGAL ways to cause hallucinations. I think this is just a scary fact for that and it again brings us back to Bella's utter dependence on Edward.
     In Twilight Bella couldn't stand the IDEA of Edward leaving, and she handles the reality of it a bazillion times worse. But there's some good news for readers... Jacob comes along and she uses him as a surrogate Edward. She goes from being completely dependent on Edward to being completely dependent on Jacob! I mean what does that say to the teenagers of this country? Well kids... it's okay for you to not be able to be independent of your boyfriend... and if he ever leaves you we understand that it's "natural" for you to become dependent on your best friend who is completely in love with you and who's emotions you are toying with in the process. And she does toy with his emotions... she knows full well how Jacob feels for her, a feeling with she doesn't reciprocate, but because everything is about her... Bella continues to spend all her waking hours with Jacob doing some more stupid and irresponsible things that allow her to hallucinate Edward... yup makes perfect sense to me. 
     And the final problem I had with this book was that the second that Edward found out, second hand, that Bella had jumped off a cliff (presumably to commit suicide), he ran off to the Volturi to commit a strange little suicide... :/ What does that show the teenagers that read this book? That if the object of your infatuation, because that is pretty much what Bella is to Edward at first, goes away permanently or dies... then the first logical thing to do is go kill yourself. We have enough problems with suicide in this country so we need to be careful "romanticizing" it to our youth. 
     Again I don't think it is a superbly written work, but minus the two major problems I mentioned above, I enjoy this book, though less than the rest of the Saga. :)

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