New Moon

I have read the Twilight books, all 4 of them. I read them at the beginning of the year, one after the other, a little while after the first movie had been released.

I wanted to know what all the hype was about and to see if they were as good as everyone was saying.

I found Twilight to be ok, nothing too special but good for a first book.

New Moon got better, a very morose book, but given the storyline, then I think the author did a wonderful job with the line she was following and making it relate to the age group of the choosen audience.

Eclipse was good, the bringing of the 2 sides together for the same cause and Breaking Dawn was great and clever way to cover everything and finish it off.

I actually read in a newspaper the other day that a journalist was asking the question "what is it about them, why are they so liked?"

My answer to this is the writing. I guess that is all the author can hope for, that their style of writing will be enough to draw you into the characters and want more, want to know more, want to live their lives.

Well guess what, Stephenie Meyer does just that.

It has nothing to do with whether you are 'Team Edward' or 'Team Jacob' it has to do with how well the author has managed to get you into the story and created it in your head and she has done it beautifully.

Yes they are addictive, yes you read them and want to keep on reading the whole series without stopping, yes it is easy to reread them and that just goes to show how wonderful a job at writing the author has done.

As for the movies, well like any movie based on a book, there is always that threat that it will not come across how the audience would imagine it.

We have all seen movies based on books that just haven't worked, where you have decided afterwards that the book was by far better than the movie and that the movie never did it justice.

Twilight unfortunately was like that, it covered the story but was very bitty and not the best I had seen. I sadly feel it did not do the books any favours.

However, someone must have been listening to all the comments that came out because New Moon was different. It covered more and really did give you that feel of 'OMG which team do you support?'

At about 2 hours long it is not a short movie, but even though you know the ending (because everyone who watches it will have read the books, and not just once either) it does not feel like it is dragging by.

Jacob is played by an amazing young actor and carries the movie very well with Bella, especially as this time round the Vampires are actually not the main characters in the movie, and I think this is what I like, the fact that the author was able to create these books about Vampires but hardly have them in the 2nd book, be able to expand on things and successfully bring them altogether and have it work, again back to her amazing writing.

As for 'Team Edward' or 'Team Jacob'? Well sadly I can't say that I have a particular side, well not at least for the reasons that others have them. I myself have to quietly say that I do not care much for Robert Pattinson, I didn't like him in Twilight and I really found him no better in New Moon. Taylor Lautner as Jacob was well done and for one so young I think he did and amazing job in his role. So I would have to say I am Team Jacob, although I think that the role of Alice Cullen is an amazing one as well and I think they did an awesome job at how they portrayed her character in the movies.

So if you are in 2 minds about the Twilight Series, then my advice would be this....yes, do read the books, and like always please read them before you see the movies. Are they worth reading? Yes, even if your 16yr old daughter is reading them they are worth reading.

As for the movies, give Twilight the benifit of the doubt and then enjoy New Moon. This will then put you in good stead for June of 2010 when Eclipse hits the Movie Theatres.

I do like the fact that this was one of those movies that they realised was going to already be a hit and managed to release it worldwide at the same time, like Harry Potter Books. There is nothing like being in another country and watching on the evening news how wonderful something is being accepted only to know that we still have 6-8 weeks until it arrives on our shores!

Happy reading and happy watching.