New Moon (novel)

New Moon
First edition cover of New Moon
AuthorStephenie Meyer
Cover artistGail Doobinin (design)
John Grant (photograph)
LanguageEnglish
SeriesTwilight series
GenreYoung adult, romance novel, vampire fiction
PublisherLittle, Brown
Publication date
  • August 21, 2006 (US hardcover)[1][2]
  • September 6, 2006 (hardcover)[3]
  • February 26, 2009 (kindle)[4]
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover, Paperback)
e-Book (Kindle)
Audio Book (CD)
Pages563
ISBN0-316-16019-9
OCLC69104227
LC ClassPZ7.M5717515 New 2006
Preceded byTwilight 
Followed byEclipse 

New Moon (stylized as new moon) is a 2006 romantic fantasy novel by author Stephenie Meyer. The second installment in the Twilight series, the novel continues the story of Bella Swan and her relationship with vampire Edward Cullen as she enters her senior year of high school. When Edward leaves Bella after his brother attacks her, she is left heartbroken and depressed for months until Jacob Black becomes her best friend. However, her life twists once more when Jacob's nature reveals itself and Edward's sister decides to visit.

According to Meyer, the book is about losing true love.[5] The title refers to the darkest phase of the lunar cycle, indicating that New Moon is about the darkest time of protagonist Bella Swan's life.[6] Meyer wrote the book before Twilight was published. Writing the book was difficult for Meyer as she feared the readers' reaction to the book and often cried as she described Bella's pain.

The book was originally released in hardcover on September 6, 2006, with an initial print run of 100,000 copies. Upon its publication in the United States, New Moon was highly successful and moved quickly to the top of bestseller lists, becoming one of the most anticipated books of the year. It peaked at #1 on both the New York Times Best Seller list and USA Today's Top 150 Bestsellers,[7][8] and was the biggest selling children's paperback of 2008 with over 5.3 million copies sold.[9] Moreover, New Moon was the best-selling book of 2009 and has been translated into 38 languages. A film adaptation of the book was released on November 20, 2009.

Reception for New Moon was more positive than that for its predecessor. Some criticized the middle section's pacing; critics generally, however, argued the novel was more mature in tone, praising the character development and its depiction of human emotion.

  1. ^ New Moon (Twilight). ISBN 0316160199.
  2. ^ "New Moon". stepheniemeyer.com.
  3. ^ New Moon: 2. ASIN 0316160199.
  4. ^ New Moon (Twilight Saga Book 2). February 26, 2009.
  5. ^ Meyer, Stephenie (Subject) (2007). Stephenie Meyer Talks About Eclipse (Video). Amazon.com. Event occurs at 00:00:18. Archived from the original on January 20, 2009. Retrieved January 18, 2009.
  6. ^ "Twilight Series|New Moon FAQ". StephenieMeyer.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  7. ^ "Children's Books – New York Times". New York Times. November 12, 2006. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
  8. ^ "Best-Selling Books Database". USA Today. August 2, 2009. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  9. ^ Diane Roback (March 23, 2009). "Bestselling Children's Books 2008: Meyer's Deep Run". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on October 16, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2009.