Title: New Moon Author: Stephenie Meyer Release Date: August 21, 2006 Pages: 608 pages Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance, Teen See larger version of cover image Read the first chapter Order it now from Amazon.com

EPIGRAPH:

These violent delights have violent ends And in their
triumph die, like fire and powder, Which, as they
kiss, consume.

Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene VI
William Shakespeare



DETAILED SUMMARY: (spoilers included!)

Isabella "Bella" Marie Swan is thrown an eighteenth birthday party by Alice and Edward Cullen, the vampire whom she loves, and his entire vampire family consisting of Carlisle, Alice, Emmett, Esme, Rosalie and Jasper. During the party Bella accidentally gets a paper cut, which leads to a violent and tense moment. Jasper, the newest member of the 'family' to try out the non-human diet, cannot contain himself at the sight and smell of her blood and makes a leap for Bella. Edward is forced to protect her, making him realize that keeping Bella close to the family puts her at risk. In the midst of this, a pivotal moment occurs during a conversation with Carlisle while cleaning her wounds. Bella is told that Edward believes that vampires are soulless creatures and that there is no better place for them if they die. It is made clear that Edward's relationship with her is a constant tug of war in his heart because he doesn't want to risk turning Bella into a creature who he believes is damned. Edward begins to withdraw himself emotionally, and later he and his family depart from Forks in an attempt to keep Bella safe. He unknowingly hurts Bella further by taking photos and memories that would prove his existence, in an attempt to make a clean break of their relationship.

Four months pass and Bella has become a "zombie"; existing but not really living. Charlie gets sick of it and tells her to snap out of it. She listens to Charlie and goes to see a movie with her friend Jessica. After the movie finishes she sees some men that are similar to the stalkers she encountered the previous year. She then hears Edward's voice in her head and wonders if she's on the verge of insanity. However, she thinks that her subconscious mind was giving her a "wish of fulfillment" with the idea that Edward cared if she lived or died. Thinking that the delusions are triggered by recklessness, she seeks other ways to trigger the delusions.

Jacob Black, the young Native American from Twilight, makes a reappearance in New Moon. Bella finds two motorcycles on the side of the road, thinking they are the perfect way to hear Edwards voice. However, they need work and she remembers that Jacob is a mechanic of sorts. She loads them onto her truck and offers Jacob one of them as payment if he can make them run. They become very close friends and Bella comes to depend on him, filling up the hole in her heart as best as she can with their friendship. Jacob is attracted romantically to Bella and although Bella knows this and tells him they are just friends, there is nothing uncomfortable about their closeness.

In the midst of their growing closeness, Jacob confides in Bella that something is going on at La Push reservation. Jacob confesses that he is afraid of Sam Uley, the leader of a group of older guys on the reservation. A friend of his had expressed fear of the group, went missing for days, and then resurfaced as a member of the gang. He has been acting strangely and Jacob believes they are up to no good. He is also frightened that he could be next on the list.

During an outing with Bella, Jacob becomes very ill and fevered. After this episode Bella finds that it is almost impossible to get in contact with Jacob, before finding out that he has reappeared as a follower of Sam Uley. Bella confronts him at his house and Jacob harshly tells her that he must stay away from her, refusing to explain why. However, after a fight ensues Jacob is clearly hurting and regretful, and sneaks into her room late at night to tell her that she knows exactly what is happening to Jacob, she just doesn't realize it. The only clue he gives her is a reminder of the legends that he told her when they first met.

Bella eventually recalls a story about werewolves and vampires and realizes that Jacob, and the rest of Sam Uley's gang, are indeed werewolves, and thus the enemies of her beloved Cullens. This presents a whole new set of problems for Jacob and Bella, because not only is there animosity between Jacob and Edward because of their mutual love for Bella, but they are also sworn enemies because of what they are. There is genuine potential for bloodshed and the possible death of either at the other's hands.

Things are further complicated by the return of Victoria. Victoria seeks to avenge her mate, the vicious tracker vampire James, whom Emmett and Jasper destroyed after James attempted to kill Bella. Rather than kill Edward, Victoria sees killing Edward's "mate" as a fair trade. It is up to Jacob and his pack to protect Bella from Victoria's revenge. Jacob and his pack then try to protect Bella and her father Charlie by encouraging them to spend most of their time in La Push.

Bella spends most of her time on First Beach. She soon gets frustrated and desperate to hear the voice of Edward, and thus jumps off a cliff. When she hits the water she almost drowns, but Jacob saves her and informs her that one of Charlie's friends, Harry Clearwater, is in hospital suffering from a heart attack. Bella instantly regrets jumping of the cliff and feels sorry for her father. Bella then goes to Jacob's home where they rest, and she thinks of what would happen if Romeo (Edward) left Juliet (Bella) and Juliet ended up with Paris (Jacob), linking it to her own life.

Jacob's father, Billy, comes home and informs them that Harry passed away. Jacob then takes Bella home, where Bella sees Carlisle's car and thinks that the Cullens have come back to Forks. Jacob gets angry at Bella and leaves her to face the vampires by herself. Bella finds only Alice waiting for her. Bella rejoices in Alice returning but soon realizes that it's only temporary. Alice "saw" Bella jump off the cliff and thought that she was committing suicide. Bella dismisses it but Alice is still curious as to why she did it.

During Alice's stay, Jacob sees Bella and is still angry that she chose the "bloodsucker" over him. While he visits Edward calls, pretending to be Carlisle, and Jacob answers the phone. Edward asks Jacob where Charlie is and Jacob answers "at the funeral", meaning Harry Clearwater's funeral. Edward misinterprets this and thinks that it's Bella's funeral, and tries to commit suicide. After Alice realizes this, she and Bella leave to go to Italy, where Edward is begging the Volturi, a "royal" vampire family, to kill him. His attempt falters because the Volturi think it is a "waste". Edward then tries to anger the Volturi to kill him by stepping into the sun where his skin will sparkle like diamonds and, potentially, reveal their existence.

Luckily, Bella reaches Edward just before he steps into the sun. However, the Volturi still want to talk to them (Bella, Edward, and Alice). Relieved and shocked to see her alive and thinking these will be their last moments together, Edward shows affection toward Bella. She wonders why this is, as she thinks that Edward is no longer interested in her. They meet Aro, one of the Volturi leaders. He discusses Bella's future and says that she will need to become a vampire, due to the fact that they need to keep their existence a secret. Edward does not agree, but Alice shows Aro that Bella will become a vampire in the future, and he agrees to let them go.

Bella is at first in disbelief that Edward has returned to her and thinks that she actually died while cliff-diving and is now in heaven; he does his best to explain that he is real and he loves her; furthermore, that he never wanted to leave her in the first place. He only did so to protect her. He tells her how hard it was to be apart from her, saying that it felt like "half of me was gone". After a long and serious heart-to-heart, Bella finally comes to realize that Edward loves her as much as she loves him, and they belong to each other in a very true and permanent fashion. Edward, however, is still reluctant to change Bella into a vampire so they can be together for eternity, so Bella takes the decision out of his hands. They go to his house and ask the entire Cullen family to "vote" over Bella's mortality, stating their opinion on if she should become a part of their family and a vampire. All of them but Rosalie and Edward agree that she should be changed. Edward gets angry, but agrees that Bella should be changed after graduation, a few weeks away. Carlisle agrees to change her, due to his ability to maintain self control over blood. Bella would rather Edward change her but will take what ever she can get. Edward is reluctant, but agrees only with the condition that Bella should marry him first. Bella is terrified, not wanting to end up like her mother and father, but considers it.

In the epilogue, Bella thinks back to her "pre-zombie" state and says that "it was as if the last seven months never happened". Jacob returns Bella's motorcycle in a vain attempt to keep Edward from seeing her, not knowing that Edward sneaks into her room every night. Charlie is furious with Bella and grounds her. But she knows that with Edward at her side, everything will be ok.

Source: Wikipedia

EDWARD AND BELLA QUOTES:

Edward: Bella, I can't live in a world where you don't exist.

Edward: How can I put this so that you'll believe me? You're not asleep, and you're not dead. I'm here, and I love you. I have always loved you, and I will always love you. I was thinking of you, seeing your face in my mind, every second that I was away. When I told you that I didn't want you, it was the very blackest kind of blasphemy.

Edward: The odds are always stacked against us. Mistake after mistake. I'll never criticize Romeo again.

Edward: Before you, Bella, my life was like a moonless night. Very dark, but there were stars- points of light and reason. And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty. When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn’t see the stars anymore. And there was no more reason for anything.

Edward: I can see where you might confuse me with a nightmare. But I can't imagine what you could have done to wind up in hell. Did you commit many murders while I was away?
Bella: Obviously not. If I was in hell, you wouldn't be with me.

Edward: Isabella Marie Swan. Do you believe that I asked the Volturi to kill me because I felt guilty?

Bella: The way I feel about you will never change. Of course I love you—and there's nothing you can do about it!
Edward: That's all I needed to hear.

Edward: My heart hasn't beat in almost ninety years, but this was different. It was like my heart was gone —like I was hollow. Like I'd left everything that was inside me here with you.
Bella: That's funny.
Edward: Funny?
Bella: I thought it was just me. Lots of pieces of me went missing, too. I haven't been able to really breathe in so long. And my heart. That was definitely lost.

Bella: I don't trust myself to be... enough. To deserve you. There's nothing about me that could hold you.
Edward: Your hold is permanent and unbreakable. Never doubt that.

Bella: The worst the Volturi can do is kill me. You can leave me. The Volturi, Victoria- they're nothing compared to that.

Edward: Your epiphany?
Bella: You love me.
Edward: Truly, I do.

Bella: Do you think I'll ever get better at this? That my heart might someday stop trying to jump out of my chest whenever you touch me?
Edward: I really hope not.

Bella: No matter what might ever happen to me, you are not allowed to hurt yourself!

Bella: I'd rather die than be with Mike Newton. I'd rather die than be with anyone but you.

Edward: Try to sleep, Bella.
Bella: No, I want you to kiss me again.
Edward: You're overestimating my self-control.
Bella: Which is tempting you more, my blood or my body?
Edward: It's a tie.