In Which I Suffer Through New Moon: Chapter 21 -- Verdict · 3:58pm Apr 11th, 2018
So, what’s the reason for the cliffhanger last chapter? What’s beyond that door that’s so surprising?
A hallway. Lame.
Three more pages of walking through halls, and then the group emerges into a castle turret, populated by both humans and vampires. They’re greeted by Aro, who…
Oh, man. In a book with Bella and Edward, Aro manages to be the most annoying character of all. It’s like he’s ten year old on a sugar high yet not hyperactive; he’s excessively happy and polite about everything. It’s all “Wonderful!” or “Splendid!” or other words to that effect. And the worst part about it is that it feels very forced, so I can’t tell whether it’s supposed to be genuine happiness for our characters or the happiness with a sinister undercurrent typical of some sorts of villains. If it’s the former, it’s far too condescending to be welcome. If it’s the latter, well, Aro hasn’t done anything to be called a “villain” yet, so there’s nothing really sinister about it. You need to have actual text before you can have subtext.
It is really, really hard to convey just how grating he is. I can’t just quote him, because it’s not like, say, Jar Jar, where you can immediately see just how annoying he is from a few lines. No, this is like an unscratchable itch; it keeps building and building and building and growing worse and worse and worse as you spend more time with him. I want to go back to Bella’s and Edward’s obsessive not-love. Yes. Really. Hell, he’s even annoying in-universe: one person “seemed utterly bored, like he’d seen too many millennia of Aro’s enthusiasm.”
Anyway. Aro also has a unique talent: if he touches someone, he can hear every thought they’ve ever had. Conveniently, another member of the Volturi, Marcus, also has a talent, seeing relationships. It pops up only to show off how strong Bella’s and Edward’s is. *eyeroll* And why isn’t Bella immune to that power, either? Is she only immune to mindreading? Apparently so, because Aro, with permission, touches Bella’s hand to see if he can read her mind; they touch, and he doesn’t get anything.
Except, wait, no, she’s not only immune to mindreading; Aro turns another vampire named Jane on Bella, one who can cause pain from a distance. In spite of Jane’s best efforts, Bella doesn’t feel anything. Why is her immunity so inconsistent? Whatever the reason, Bella’s lack of reaction amuses Aro.
Aro started to laugh. “Ha, ha, ha,” he chuckled.
This shit was published.
”Ha, ha, ha,” Aro chortled again.
PROFESSIONALLY.
Aro proposes making Bella a vampire right there and adding her to the Volturi, knowing her talent could be very valuable. Since Edward doesn’t want to join the Volturi, however, Bella turns him down. Aro laments that her not joining is a waste, and says Bella must either be killed for knowing of vampires or turned into one herself. However, Alice walks up and touches Aro, showing him her vision of Bella becoming a vampire from way back in the last book. (It’s been mentioned off and on through this book, I just haven’t brought it up.)
Would it make any difference if I did become a vampire, when the idea was so repulsive to Edward? If death was, to him, a better alternative than having me around forever, an immortal annoyance? Terrified as I was, I felt myself sinking down into depression, drowning in it…
Edward almost committed suicide because he thought you were dead, and you still believe he doesn’t want you? CM + 1
Satisfied that Bella will become a vampire eventually, Aro lets them go. Before they can leave, however, a group of about forty tourists, herded by another vampire, files into the room. One of the Volturi comments to the vampire, “Nice fishing.” Bella, Edward, and Alice leave as fast as they can, but they’re not far enough away before the screaming starts.
This would’ve made a nice, creepy chapter closer if not for the plot holes. Apparently the disappearance of forty people is going to go completely unnoticed. And the previous times they did this also went unnoticed. Even if you pay off the police to stop looking, forty people. Simply not looking for a group of that size is going to raise lots and lots of eyebrows. Not to mention the reputation Volterra will build up as a place where tourists vanish, sending the tourism sector crashing into the ground.
Clinginess Meter: 67 x 4
Geez. We went through the climax, and there’s still three chapters and an epilogue to go.
Well. That was a pile of crap.
Also, every thought they've ever had? And I thought Sunset's mind dives were time-consuming. How does he process it all, especially for vampires who've lived for however many centuries?
Ok, so… vampires can have each other’s talents, only better. This seems like a straight upgrade to Eddy’s ability, even with the touch limitation. Also, I’m gonna assume that his weird mannerisms are a coping mechanism for dealing with literally every single thought of everyone he’s been in contact with.
Obviously Jane's powers didn't work on Bella, because she doesn't feel anything (aside from her obsession with Edward)
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Evidently vampire mind-reading powers run on Inception logic.
Wasn't this story supposed to be about werewolves? I miss the werewolves. :C