New Moon

Though I am slow to catch on to the "Twilight" phenomenon, my decision to begin reading the series could not have come at a better time. The film version of the first book recently swept the MTV Movie Awards and the highly anticipated sequel, "New Moon," is scheduled to hit theaters in November of this year. With all of the buzz surrounding the films, making Edward Cullen and Bella Swan household names, there is no better time to start getting into the novels.

The first book in the series immediately hooked me in with its mystical vampire characters, riveting romance, and edge-of-your-seat suspense. I finally understood why all those young girls claimed to be in love with Edward Cullen as his character encompasses many of the characteristics of an ideal boyfriend, coupled with the mystery of being a good vampire. The book itself is an easy read and the exhilarating storyline makes it very difficult to put down.

Consequently, "New Moon" had a lot to live up to in my eyes. While the second book in the series did offer much of the same suspense and interesting plot twists, it fell a little short of its predecessor. The main problem was that much of "New Moon" lacked the presence of Edward and his vampire family. Try as she might, the new characters Meyer introduced in her second novel did not carry the story as well as the Cullens did.

This is not to say by any means that the book wasn't well written or exciting to read. It just wasn't as exhilarating as the first. The werewolves certainly add a new twist to the mythical plot and the suspense builds up again quickly at the novel's end, though the climax was not nearly as riveting as in "Twilight." The characters become easier to relate as anyone who reads "New Moon" can feel Bella's torturous agony when Edward leaves her and though she is torn apart for the majority of the book, all of her relationships deepen on many levels.

While I thoroughly enjoyed reading "New Moon," it is my hope that Meyers centered the next two novels, "Eclipse" and "Breaking Dawn," around the vampire storyline. The Cullens are way too fascinating to keep them out of the plot for any period of time.