Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
New Moon
Fiction Series
For ages 13 and up
Little Brown, 2008 ISBN: 978-0316024969
Bella and her Edward have been together for some time now and they are officially a couple. Of course, almost everyone assumes that theirs is a normal teenage relationship, which it isn't. Edward is a vampire and this presents the young couple with a few unusual challenges. Bella wishes that Edward would consider letting her change into a vampire so that they can be together, but he won't even think about it. For Bella it seems like a logical step to take, but for Edward it is a step that he cannot even consider.
On her eighteenth birthday, Bella tries very hard to get everyone to treat her as if it is a just an ordinary day. However, Bella's friends and family members are eager to celebrate, and they want to make her day special. Edward's sister Alice decides to throw Bella a birthday party, and at first everything goes well. Then Bella cuts her hand on a piece of paper and the party falls apart. Jasper, one of Edward's vampire brothers, who does not have as much self control as Edward does, attacks Bella. Edward is able to fend Jasper off, but he is very upset by the whole encounter. In fact, he decides that he is not a good person for Bella to have in her life, and quite suddenly he and his entire family leave Forks.
For months, Bella barely functions. She goes through the motions, but she is not really there. She is in mourning for Edward and nothing she does can pull her out of her depression. Then she starts to spend time with Jake, someone whom she has known off and on for some time. For a while, everything goes well, until Jake goes through an extraordinary transformation and Bella finds that she once again has a "monster" in her life.
This thrilling continuation of Bella's story will take readers on a fantastic journey that will leave them breathless and eager for more. Bella and Edward turn an important corner in their relationship, and they encounter a force that threatens to permanently tear them apart.
Once again, Stephanie Meyer gives her readers a breathtaking reading experience that they will savor and enjoy.
