New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

“I felt like I was trapped in one of those terrifying nightmares, the one where you have to run, run till your lungs burst, but you can’t make your body move fast enough.”

New Moon is the sequel to Stephanie Meyer’s first novel, Twilight. In my opinion, this is the worst book in the Twilight series, mostly because I’m a huge Team Edward fan! The book begins as it is Bella Swan's 18th birthday, and unlike the rest of her high school classmates, she has been dreading this day for months. While unwrapping a gift, she gets a paper cut. Edward's brother, Jasper, is overwhelmed by her blood's scent and tries to attack Bella. After this, Edward grows increasingly distant with Bella. Suddenly, he drops a bombshell -- he is leaving Bella forever, finally embracing his vampire characteristics and no longer, as he tells her, “pretending to be something I'm not.” Disappearing unexpectedly into a dark and moonless wood, Edward leaves Bella utterly alone, confused, and scared: "I hoped that I was fainting, but, to my disappointment, I didn't lose consciousness. The waves of pain that had only lapped at me before now reared high up and washed over my head, pulling me under." After this occurrence, Bella becomes severely depressed and only resurfaces when her father threatens to send her to see a psychologist or to live with her mother. Bella and Jacob develop a close friendship and Bella soon realizes that thrill-seeking activities, such as cliff diving, help her to remember Edward more clearly. When she commits to these activities, she can sometimes here Edward’s velvet smooth voice. Bella also learns that Jacob is a werewolf. He and his fellow werewolves begin to protect Bella from the vampire Victoria, who seeks revenge for her mate, James, whom the Cullens killed in Twilight. Meanwhile, a series of miscommunications leads Edward to believe that Bella has died. Distraught over her supposed death, Edward flees to Italy to provoke the Volturi, peace-keeping vampires who would be able to kill him. Bella and Alice rush to Italy to save Edward and arrive just in time to stop him. Before they leave Italy, the Volturi tell them that Bella, a human who knows of the existence of vampires, must either be killed or changed into a vampire. After they return to Forks, Edward explains to Bella that he only left to protect her and she forgives him. But Bella finally understands everything that will be at stake if she makes the ultimate choice to give up her humanity and live, like the vampires, forever. The book ends with the Cullens voting in favor of Bella being transformed into a vampire after her graduation, much to Edward's dismay.
There are many great moments in New Moon, but ,in the middle, the story sometimes drags and readers may long for the vampires' return. After reading this New York Times Bestseller, you will certainly be longing for more. I highly recommend this book if you are a Team Jacob fan.