Book Title: Midnight Sun
Book Author: Stephanie Meyer
Series Name: Twilight
Book Number: 5
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Teen & YA
First Published: August 2020
In 2006, the first book of the Twilight saga tells the story of Bella Swan (human) falling in love with the vampire of Edward Cullen. With it, came a love story. Now 14 years on, we have Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer, telling the story of Twilight from the point of view of Edward Cullen.
I knew that Midnight Sun had been in the works for years. And it was long awaited by me and other fans. But I was worried that the story would just be retold without many changes. I was wrong. Being from the point of view of a character that doesn’t sleep, there was a remarkable amount of detail that I was annoyed that I didn’t think about it.
The book had been delayed significantly after Stephenie Meyer’s (presumably ex) friend had posted the first twelve chapters online and there was talk of it potentially not being published, ever. I am glad that this was not the case.
Midnight Sun Synopsis
Bella Swan goes to the quiet of Forks to live with her father but her life is anything from ordinary when she meets vampire, Edward Cullen. Bella deals with the repercussions of having Edward in her life and the complications that come in live love. But what were the repercussions for edward falling in love with a human.
Midnight Sun Plot
There were definitely scenes that were taken from the original twilight and were rewritten, but there were also a lot more details, made with the decisions of an unsleeping creature. Only reading it from Edward’s point of view, did I notice the amount if details that were missed when Bella was sleep.
Having been written after the initial four books, there were more information in this book from each one. It explores the complex lives of the cullen family in rich detail. Being in Edward’s point of view, the life of a (vegetarian) vampire was explored well. It added darker themes to the book while still keeping the character of Bella oblivious. I thought Stephanie Meyer’s writing ability had definitely improved.
As the point of view was from Edward, it was more heavy, and I got the impression that Edward was a type of stalker, even though he didn’t think he was being one.
I found some of the dark scenes too hard to read. And I had to skip a few pages to get past them. It definitely added to the story because it gave more to Edward’s point of view of the world but it was too difficult for me to read.
Characterisation
The Cullen family were brought to the forefront of the story. Each of their individual backstories were explored in more detail. Readers gain more answers from questions they may have had such as going through the change. This includes feelings and reactions from the Cullens as they dealt with reality of Edward telling Bella the truth about their vampirism. It definitely showed the contrast in the different personalities in the family. The characters remain the same from previous books, but more detail are given to the Cullen family.
Maybe because I read the previous books, I didn’t see much of Bella’s development as a character. In fact, I lost some love for the character due to her portrayal as a weak character. Even though the story was from Edward’s point of view, I feel that Stephenie Meyer could have made Bella a stronger character. But that may be explored in potential future editions as Bella gets more confident in the vampire
With Edward being a mindreader, it was also carefully handled as you were able to get right inside his head and how he distinguished between the psyche voice and the verbal voice. He definitely used this to his advantage, dipping in and out of thoughts when he needed to, but also respecting privacy as best as he could.
I understood Rosalie’s behaviour more as well as her jealousy towards Bella. So I felt sympathy for her character, while Emmett provided more comedy and carefree-nature. This balanced out the heavy emotion of the book well.
World Building
Of course, from the original Twilight book, you have world-building that has been established. However, there is extra world-building due to the point of view of Edward. So the reader is able to explore the vampire world in more detail. The good and the bad. With a lot more dark and intense scenes written into the book. The world building has definitely developed. Because of what you already know from the previous books, it has added to the believability of the world.
For me, it is hard to imagine a world if it isn’t told from the perspective from someone who lives in the world. When it was told from Bella’s view, I got a sense of it but it was distant. Edward brought me closer into the world and it has made me like it more.
Overall thoughts
I think this book was a great addition to the series, and it didn’t disappoint after such a long wait. I would definitely all Twilight fans to read it because it might answer a lot of unanswered questions. It makes you look at the Cullen family in a new light. I am not sure whether it would be placed in first place with the original twilight books, but it is definitely up there. I can only hope that Stephanie Meyer writes the other Twilight books from Edward’s point of view.
Although there are darker scenes in this book, I would still say that the book falls under Teens and Young Adults. I would just say be careful if you are a sensitive reader.
~Guest Blog by Sophie Abel: visit her blog.
You can also look at other blog posts on Little Sea Bear. I recommend La Bella Sauvage, and Sophie’s World