Book Review: Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer
About the Book:
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 brings us an epic novel about the profound pleasures and devastating consequences of immortal love.
My Thoughts:
Many of you might be a tad surprised to see this book pop up here, but I have a confession to make. In 2011, I spent some time being a Twilight fan. I know, I know. But I got sucked in, read all four books back to back as well as a spin off novella I can’t even remember the name of now, and followed it up with all of the movies. I also remember reading the unpublished version of this book on the author’s website, or at least, the extract that she had available. We were all so disappointed when the book just never eventuated because of some leaking scandal that I’ve now forgotten all the details about. Anyway. Here were are, it’s finally published and here I am, inevitably reading it because in the spirit of this confessing mood, I was team Edward. I actually found him not only preferable to Jacob, but a whole lot more interesting than Bella. No surprises then that I enjoyed this version of Twilight a whole lot more than the original. If you haven’t read the original saga, I wouldn’t start with this one. Midnight Sun works better when you have the original Twilight for context.
There are, inevitably, no surprises in store for the reader with this one. And there really shouldn’t be given that it’s the same story just from a different perspective. I think Stephenie Meyer has done a fairly good job with this novel though, because even though there are no surprises, it’s also not hugely repetitious. She’s made a lot of effort, particularly in scenes of dialogue, to fill in the spaces with Edward’s thoughts and interpretations, so that we aren’t necessarily just reading the same conversations over again. I should point out though, it’s a long time since I read Twilight and I haven’t gone and dug out my copy to compare, nor will I. I can’t say this novel wouldn’t seem more repetitive if you were reading it immediately after Twilight. That might be a bit hard going, to be honest.
Look, you’re really only going to read this novel if you are or were a Twilight fan. In terms of writing style and structure, it is what it is, and doesn’t differ much from the original. They’re not the best written books, but they certainly aren’t the worst, and with the amount of money the author has already, and continues to make from them, it’s neither here nor there. The copies are still going to fly off the shelves. Edward is more interesting than Bella was, although at times he’s just as painful, misinterpreting signs, veering from one extreme emotion to the other. He’s absolutely obsessed with not killing Bella to the point where I almost wished he’d just do it and get on with the show. He’s also a bit of a creepy stalker and there was a fair chunk of the book where every chapter opened with Edward lurking in the shadows of Bella’s bedroom analysing how she was sleeping. I started to skim read at about that point and never slowed down again. I have definitely exhausted my Twilight fandom, but it was fun revisiting the story from a different angle and I am now kind of relieved to have proof that at some point in the last nine years, I grew out of Twilight.
Oh, and I almost forgot. If you’re wondering about the cover, it’s in reference to this scene here, which becomes a bit of a recurring theme for Edward.
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About the Author:
Stephenie Meyer is the author of the number 1 bestselling Twilight Saga, The Host, and The Chemist. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English literature, and she lives with her husband and three sons in Arizona.
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Midnight Sun
Published by Hachette Australia
Released 5th August 2020
