In Which We Don't Really Have an Ultimatum
Jacob is writing passive-aggressive notes to Bella. He writes what he means (you're really mean, what part of "mortal enemy" is confusing) then strikes it out and writes something else. Why send the strike-out parts at all? Oh, because you mean it. Why strike it out then? Oh, so the author can sell the reader on the story while still being stuck in this first-person narrative she's chosen.
Bella knows Jacob is hurt (which he has every right to be) and knows that she manipulated his emotions and so forth for half the last book. Her feeling bad about it doesn't really change much, though.
Charlie is acting weird and reveals that he's going to let Bella off easy on her grounding. New curfew, new arrangements. He also seems keen on Bella patching things up with Jacob, which doesn't really jive with the overprotective dad mantle he's been trying to earn.
"The afternoon was the only time I spent away from Edward, and it made me restless"
So nothing new there.
Not sure how far forward of Book 2 we've jumped. Not very far, maybe a few weeks. Graduation is a bit aways.
Murders in Seattle, which makes sense. If Victoria has moved off to remain a "threat" (cough) then it helps to keep some kind of reminder that she's around.
Bella mentions that her fave book is Wuthering Heights. I know it's a classic something of something literature, but really? Wuthering Heights? I'm not a fan and I have to wonder why Meyer picked that one. My jaded, cynical side says she dropped it in because it's not Shakespeare and she wanted something classic. My more optimistic side thinks maybe it's Meyer's fave and she wanted to put it out there. Honestly I don't see this becoming the horrid, strained analogy that Romeo and Juliet was, but maybe I'm not creative enough to put that much abuse and spite into a romance novel. And again, Wuthering Heights?
In a side thought, Bella spells out the new cliques at FHS: Angela and Ben, Mike, Alice, Edward and herself form one group. Lauren and Jessica another.
Bella gets an acceptance letter from Alaska SEU and Edward arrives with more applications. Oh how I've missed his absence. His touch is cold but relieves her pain. Like Menthol. Or Crack. Plus we drag the smell + eat her conflict back up. Charlie is cold toward Edward, Edward sets up a shopping trip with Bella and Alice to make Charlie feel better. Charlie vetoes Seattle and heads off to watch TV Sports. Take a shot. New book, new rules man.
Edward has an application for Dartmouth. Bella argues, Edward collects the paperwork and tells her he'll just forge it. Solid descriptive touch when he clears the paperwork faster than she can see. Yeah, it's excessive, but it made me happy. Bella reminds Edward that she's planning to attend Vampire University (go fighting leeches!) and that all this applying is just a cover story for her immortal life of undergraduate studies. To sidetrack, we get a recap of the lingering Volturi threat and Edward mentions that the Seattle killing resembles newly created Vampires in their lack of skill. Another nice touch: the names of those killed bothers Bella.
Edward doesn't like the heights of Wuthering either, which is an annoying similarity we share. He's also going to put his footy down on visiting the phone-phobic Jacob.
SumUp B+
Nothing awful. A few nice touches of descriptive prowess, a decent summation of the outstanding untied threads and even a bit of characterization for my least favorite boyfriend. Things are looking up.
Clearly the Seattle stuff means something and one assumes that it's Victoria making baby vampires to fight alongside her to finish her weird revenge arc. Hopefully not in the same, awful late 18th chapter sort of plot explosion that we've seen in the other books.
The other books started well, too. So I'm not counting any chickens.
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