Author: Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Romance
Series: Twilight Saga (EXTRA)

Midnight Sun: ★★★★.5/5

SUMMARY: 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.

REVIEW: Disclaimer…I was a twihard fan back in high school, like had the posters framed and hung above my bed kind of twihard. In a lot of ways, the Twilight saga really opened my eyes to writing. I loved everything about the series (except the first few movies…but that’s a whole other beast of a review). I remember being in a huge reading slump once I finished that series.

I had read the first couple chapters of Midnight Sun when they were leaked and was hooked! I’m so glad that Meyer decided to complete it for us to enjoy. You best believe that I preordered that bad boy right when I found out that it was being released. Now, for the nitty gritty!

I attempted a Twilight reread a couple months back. I couldn’t get over the simplicity of the writing. It just wasn’t as refined as the recent books I’ve read. But it was the first book and her writing has definitely improved since. I found Midnight Sun to be extremely engaging. Almost everything Edward thinks is written down–and being a vampire, he thinks FAST, so there’s a lot to unpack. It’s no wonder that the book is a massive 650+ pages. Literally, I was shocked at the sheer size of the book. It’s not as if the font is big either, so you know there is a lot of content packed into it. Overall, I thought her writing was great and really enjoyed the in-depth look into Edward Cullen’s torn mind.

At times, I felt I was waiting for things to happen for a little too long. Since I was already familiar with the story, there were some key parts that I was itching to get to but sometimes it took forever to get there. This book wasn’t one that I would be able to sit and read it in one go. But still, for nostalgia’s sake, I loved the extra content.

The insight on the background characters was a huge plus. Learning more about the vampire world was definitely intriguing new content. There were little easter eggs in this book that gave me “ohhh, so that’s why that happened…” moments, which were really fun to experience. Example, when Edward explained deeper into Jasper’s special abilities. That part in the Twilight book never really made sense to me. Putting her hair down and her hood on really wouldn’t hide her from a vampire–so that part made a lot more sense to me. Also, I love Emmett! Edward interacts with him a lot during this book and I really enjoyed the times they “conversed.”

Bella Swan: So, in this book, Bella seems so much…deeper. I loved her character in this book more than Twilight. That being said, it might be because it’s the way Edward sees her through his eyes. One thing is for sure, I was never able to picture Kristin Stewart as Bella throughout this book either! Bella had so much depth in her character. She was likable, strong, and overall good (as Edward would put it).

Edward Cullen: So, so much is going through his head. He comes off as dramatic at times, but that’s because he cares for Bella so obsessively. The creeping into her room every night to watch her sleep should have turned me off, but I still thought it was cute (haha! please don’t judge me!). He’s a complicated individual and has subdued himself to the darkest future possible. I literally hated the fact that throughout the entire epilogue, he had basically already decided he was leaving. He kept telling Bella, “forever,” and then adding in his head…until it’s not. I hated New Moon, so the fact that he already had one foot out the door, left a sour taste in my mouth.

In conclusion, if you’re a Twilight fan, then ‘yes’ you should definitely read this. I’m not a big audio book fan, but I think this one would actually be kind of nice to listen to–only because you’re already going to unconsciously picture the movie in your head while you read it (which is what happened for me). While it is a glorified rewrite of Twilight, Midnight Sun offers new content and insight that you’ll enjoy when throwing yourself back into a world of vampires.

Buy your copy of Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer here!