New Moon

[psubrat]

Dear god, I don't even know where to start!

Things I liked:

• Jacob. Period. End of sentence. I thought he was the most compelling character in this story. The journey he went on from a boy to becoming a werewolf, and his almost acceptance of it, was what kept me intrigued. He matured. Unlike Bella who still seems to be in a state of stunted personal growth. I like that he was perceptive about Bella -- what she liked, what she didn't like. He loves her in a way Edward can't. He accepts her for her and isn't constantly asking, "What are you thinking?" He just seems to know. Right now, I'm firmly coming down on the side of Team Jacob. That could change over the course of the next two books, but for now, yeah, I'm on Jacob's side.
• The "Victoria is coming to get Bella" plot held my interest.
• Not every other word was "beautiful", "adonis", "angelic", etc. I guess there's only so many ways you can describe a werewolf.

Annoying stuff:

• 150 pages of teenage breakup angst. Oh. My. God. I wanted to claw my eyes out. I was grateful that Meyer put me out of my misery by skipping three months of more of the same -- Bella being a zombie. I did understand the breakup feelings because I remember how I felt when my high school sweetheart and I called it quits (and we were in our early 20's!). I was messed up for a while, but we'd dated FOUR years, not six months. But hey, everything is a crisis when you're 17 & 18, so I tried to cut Meyer some slack there.
• 300 pages of NO FREAKING PLOT other than Jacob's journey as seen through the eyes of Bella. While I did enjoy Jacob's story, I wanted PLOT. Was that too much to ask? Apparently so.
• The "Victoria is coming to get Bella" plot disappeared in favor of saving Edward from committing suicide. WTH? I had whiplash from the change in gears. "Victoria's coming! No! We're saving Edward, he of the angelic, beautiful, gorgeous face and the sweet sweet breath!" o.0
• Bella going to the Cullen's house to have the family "VOTE" on her becoming a vampire. I cringed that entire chapter. Seriously cringed. I cannot believe how much this 18 year old girl wants to become a vampire. And maybe that's just my age showing, but damn. Give it a freaking rest, Bella. Ugh.
• Was I the only who groaned when Alice showed up? No? Really? Man, it's really lonely over here on Team Jacob. I knew immediately that his story was done right there. Made me sad. And the last scene between him and Bella killed me. Folks, I'm not liking the sparkly vampire.
• I secretly hoped that one of Bella's extreme sporting events would end in her demise, but I knew if that happened, there'd be no more story.
• The fact that even after, what, like 1,000 pages, we're no closer to really knowing anything about Bella other than she loves Edward and wants to become a vampire. Maybe that's all we need to know?

I'll probably start Eclipse tonight before I go to bed. I hope I have more pros than cons with this next one.