New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
New Moon barely scrapes by in the 3 stars category, and most of that because of the last few chapters where things get dicey with the Volturi. Why am I being so hard on this one? Simply put: I don't believe it.

I don't believe that Bella or Edward would have acted the way they did in this book. The characterization I praised in the last book was insulted by almost every action taken by those two in this book.

I know I have to back that up, so here are my examples:
1. Bella from book 1 would never have gone dare-devil. She was fainting at the thought of blood in the first book, and now she is out being crazy. And I don't buy the idea that the emotional distress made her change that fast. That is the kind of change we want to see in a character as they grow, but if you look at who Bella really was I think that this is a 180 degree change.

2. Edward is unbelievable. Maybe his character is a little more consistent, but I can't fathom his logic in leaving. I know it works on paper, but when the actors get off of the page to make it happen, it just seems totally wrong. Love someone so much you let them go? That is a story for young kids and wildlife (Old Yeller, Charlottes Web, Gentle Ben, Black Beauty, Fox in the Hound, etc.) Here we have two people so besotted with each other that they are in pain just being apart for a few hours. They spend days and nights together. I don't see either of them overcoming that emotional tie and walking away. Yeah, I know that apparently Edward is that guy, but I don't buy it. So the whole premise of the book is crazy.

So maybe my logic isn't rock solid, but I have at least much ground to stand on as New Moon did. Oh, and I might as well give my opinion on Jacob. Not that it matters. I feel for the guy. He is hosed. However, given the situation, nothing he does will help the rest of the saga. Besides saving Bella over and over, of course. Nothing good comes from infidelity, and I hate to say it, but that is what Bella did. Either she should have shelved Edward for good before getting involved, or she should have kept her distance. This being involved with two people at once is cheating. Literally.

So much for being brief. Also, so much for being objective. This book had its pros and cons, but as you can see, I'm knee-deep in the plot, so until we get this story straightened out, the other issues go on the back burner.

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Twilight by Stephanie Myer

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer



I originally put Twilight on my list to appease my wife, who is an avid Stephanie Myer fan. She drove 10 hrs just to see her after Twilight came out. Anyway, after several years of suggestions, prodding and occasional threats she finally found a way to get me into it. She knows that if I get into a book I am lost until it is over, so she just had to set the hook. What did she do? She read them aloud to me. Did it work? Yes it did.

So my thoughts:

My reasons for NOT reading these were well-founded. About 2/3 of this book could be cut out and summed up in one sentence. They love each other. Easy. Now I know that those many pages of saying the same thing in multiple ways appeals to much of her audience, but I was bored by it. What can I do?

Enough of the cons, now for the pros.
This is a bestseller for good reason. Myer's characterization is awesome, which I am guessing is typical of the romance genre, something I have no experience in. And the creative approach to mythic creatures really pulled me in, as I found completely new ways to think about old ideas.

While this book just can't compete with my fantasy favorites, I can say that I enjoyed it, and am thoroughly sucked into the plot, however sentimental it may be. I will be reading the whole series in short order, so check back in a day or two for my next review.

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Shards of a Broken Crown by Raymond E. Feist

Shards of a Broken Crown by Raymond E. Feist


For some reason it took me forever to get to this book. I will be honest: this wasn't the best book in the series. It served its necessary function of wrapping up the series, and had a lot of good aspects as it successfully developed many different characters, some old, some new. My main criticism is the ending. I don't want to write a spoiler here, but lets just say that the ending was a huge let down. Did the good guys win? Of course. It is just how it came about that is disappointing. After Feists past successes, this was just mediocre in my eyes.


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