Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - New Moon

Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

22 reviews

carlate96's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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arbitrary_convenience's review against another edition

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relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Why do the boys have to growl so much?!?

Also, kinda creepy the way they handle Jake’s age relative to Bella’s. The type of justifications they use sound way too close to groomer language. And then there’s the light hearted “you might be 18, but I’m 110” from Edward later. It’s just weird.

I feel like the normalization of toxicity is just getting worse. There are so many times both boys physically restrain her or block her path. Jake tried to kiss her after she told him not to. They’re both violent towards the objects in their surroundings. It makes me think of the “they always hit around you before they hit you”. Just red flags all around. But naturally worked in so that the reader thinks it’s normal, romantic even. Just no.

I’m gonna finish the series still, but it’s getting more frustrating. Nobody knows how to have a productive conversation. Most can’t look past their immediate impulses to consider the implications of their actions. The main cast doesn’t have emotional regulation skills, though Jake might get a supernatural instinct pass after he transforms, the instincts are too fresh and it’s a struggle but he’s trying at least. Bella in inconsistent in how she handles her interactions. She’s selfish and impulsive, but puts on a mature facade.

That said, it’s getting more addicting. It’s like rage bate that ensnares your attention whether you want it to or not.

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paulabekkerus's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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tepidgirlsummer's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I forgot how much of a slog it is to get through this one.

I’m in the throes of a Twilight Saga reread. New Moon has always been my least favorite book, but I’d forgotten why. I sort of remembered it being boring, but thought maybe I hadn’t read it with the right perspective the first few times. I have a greater appreciation for emotional nuance than I did in my very early 20s, and several fellow Ratties defended this installment as important to understand the emotional bond between Bella and Jacob in the future books.

But holy moly is this book a snooze fest. It’s probably about 150-200 pages too long. And aging has only made me even more weirded out by how much Stephenie Meyer normalized these extremely codependent and manipulative relationships. Also, there is virtually no plot. I think this one is supposed to be more character-driven, but there’s hardly any character development after the first couple hundred pages.

I liked Twilight more this time around than I did previously. I remember Eclipse being my favorite, so hopefully that reread doesn’t disappoint.

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pink_peony's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

*sigh*

So. When I read twilight the first time (when I was younger) I remember being team Edward. But now that I’m older, and Edward creeps me out, and I read this book, I seriously wish Bella had stayed with Jacob. Not that he’s great but, compared to Edward, in my opinion, she could have had a more stable and less mentally warping relationship.

Now that I’m older, especially in this book, Bella’s unhealthy infatuation with Edward really unsettles me.

The way she acts after he leaves it’s almost too similar to an unhealthy obsession or attachment. It’s disturbing how she goes into this catatonic state and becomes so depressed (and even suicidal) that she not only shuts out everyone else in her life, but also seeks out to harm herself if it would give her a brief image of him. The fact that she had night terrors and nightmares, or that she became a sort of a zombie it’s extremely concerning. She basically became a shell of herself. And yes, breakups are hard, but it was almost like in Bella’s case it’s not the end of a relationship but of an obsession. They made it seem like she would never get better or be happy without Edward, that she cannot exist without him. That’s NOT good. That’s unhealthy and she needs therapy.) Bella’s and Edward’s comparison to Romeo and Juliet is even more alarming, especially when Edward tells her he would literally unalive himself if she dies. This is not a romantic relationship or healthy. The fact that is framed as one is what worries me.

However, when she was with Jacob, I liked that she was truly smiling again. It wasn’t a relationship that felt obsessive or codependent, it felt safe and even warm. I could see Bella having an opportunity of having a stable and healthy relationship that had both friendship and commitment in it without any obsession or unhealthy infatuation. Jacob wasn’t perfect, but boy he wasn’t like Edward at all. Far from it.

However, even still, I have to say that the only thing standing in the way is Bella. She herself would have to realize all of this and how her relationship with Edward is affecting her mentally and emotionally. In a way, she seems to be drawn to self destructive behavior and that’s extremely alarming. The fact that she confuses her obsession with love is even worse, and her choosing Edward again feels like her just going back to continue this codependent cycle of infatuation.

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stindex's review against another edition

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adventurous

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

0.75

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camiandkitread's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I read the Twilight Saga during its peak in the late-2000s and early-2010s. With the Twilight renaissance that’s been happening, I thought it would be fun to go back and revisit the series.

“New Moon” used to be my favorite book in the series—I have been a Team Jacob girlie since the start. This time around, I was so incredibly sad when

Edward came back and ruined everything. Bella was starting to work through her depression and had finally decided to give Jake a chance, because she thought she could grow to love him, and what happens? That pervert’s sister bulldozes back into her life. Charlie was right to be wary about letting Bella hang with the Cullens again and frankly I wish he’d pushed back harder. They should have let the Volturi execute Edward in Italy and continued having a grand time in Forks.

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