Midnight Sun (The Twilight Saga, 5)
When Edward Cullen and Bella Swan met in Twilight, an iconic love story was born. But until now, fans have heard only Bella's side of the story. At last, readers can experience Edward's version in the long-awaited companion novel, Midnight Sun.
This unforgettable tale as told through Edward's eyes takes on a new and decidedly dark twist. Meeting Bella is both the most unnerving and intriguing event he has experienced in all his years as a vampire. As we learn more fascinating details about Edward's past and the complexity of his inner thoughts, we understand why this is the defining struggle of his life. How can he justify following his heart if it means leading Bella into danger?
In Midnight Sun, Stephenie Meyer transports us back to a world that has captivated millions of readers and delivers an epic novel about the profound pleasures and devastating consequences of immortal love.
Praise for The Twilight Saga
"This tale of tortured demon lovers entices"--Kirkus Reviews
"In the tradition of Anne Rice. . . this dark romance is gripping." --Booklist (starred review)
"The novel's danger-factor skyrockets as the excitement of secret love and hushed affection morphs into a terrifying race to stay alive." --School Library Journal (starred review)
"Relish this new adventure and hunger for more"--Booklist
A New York Times bestseller
A New York Times "Editor's Choice"
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
An Amazon best of #Booktok Book
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Community Reviews
Stephanie Meyer brings Twilight back to new fans and old and young with Midnight Sun, giving readers a deeper insight into Edward and his family.
Storytelling
Where to begin. I, like many other readers, read Twilight back in high school. Yes, I have all the books, and yes, I went to every single midnight premiere. I was team Edward for the books and team Jacob for the movies.
I am almost 30 now, and I have read much more, and even by Eclipse, I remember thinking, “wow, Bella is such a Mary Sue, so two-dimensional.”
However, despite remembering this, I was compelled to buy Midnight Sun and give it a chance.
I was pleasantly surprised.
To me, Meyer’s storytelling and writing improved, but that might be because Edward is a far more interesting character than Bella will ever be. His perspective, his history, and that of his family are interesting to read. It gives a deeper insight into the Cullen’s, their relationship with one another, and Bella.
Bella herself was more interesting from Edward’s perspective. She had more personality; she had more traits to her that made her seem more relatable. Through Edward, she no longer sounds like a two-dimensional romantic interest.
We also do not see that “instalove” trope. For Edward, he is looking at Bella as though she is prey. He is not in love with her; he is fascinated with her, partly because the world is quiet around her. It grows into love, and Edward does become quite the stalker, which is a little uncomfortable to read. Back when I was younger, I thought it was so romantic, but maybe that is part of the problem. Entertainment has this way of romanticizing stalking when it should not be romanticized. However, that is what happened in Twilight, so unless Meyer wants to start creating plot holes, she must redo some events exactly.
Pacing
I will say the pacing was a little off. It took me a while to get through the novel partly because there were times where I felt as though I was re-reading Twilight. Many scenes felt almost copied and pasted into the story. So, it was slow to get through.
However, while the plot may be slow, what keeps it interesting is Edward’s mental conversations with his siblings. They shine.
Jasper never really had a personality in the original Twilight series; he was just there suffering in silence. However, in Midnight Sun, there is something there that was not there before. He has personality; he has depth. We readers get to see his snide smirks, his charm, and even get introduced to his ability. It was something new and different.
The same goes for Rosalie. By now, we know what happened to her to lead Carlisle to turn her. It was brutal, and thankfully Meyer does not go into too much detail regarding it. Nevertheless, with it comes a little more understanding of her character. Her dreams, wants, and needs, which we again do not see much of in the original novel. There were glimpses of it, but she was always relentlessly angry in the original, whereas now, there is a level of understanding between her and the reader.
This is what the slow pacing does. It allows there to be more depth and more history to the story, which keeps it interesting.
Final Thoughts
Was Midnight Sun spectacular? No. However, Meyer’s storytelling and characterization have improved in the time that has passed. Furthermore, if you are interested in the history of the Cullen’s, this novel delivers that amazingly.
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While the writing was wordy at times (I’m not sure what anyone expect from an old vampire who is constantly bombarded by people’s thoughts. He has a lot to say - and a strange way to say), I genuinely loved this book. I would love to read Edward’s POV of all of the books to be completely honest and wouldn’t mind reading Jacob’s as well.
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Would I give this book 5 stars if I didn’t have all of the love for the series? Honestly, probably not. If this was a completely unbiased review I would guess I would rate the book 4 stars.
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