#1 bestselling author Stephenie Meyer makes a triumphant return to the world of Twilight with this highly anticipated companion: the iconic love story of Bella and Edward told from the vampire’s point of view.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 … 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.
An instant #1 New York Times BestsellerAn instant #1 USA Today BestsellerAn instant #1 Wall Street Journal BestsellerAn instant #1 IndieBound BestsellerApple Audiobook August Must-Listens Pick
“People do not want to just read Meyer’s books; they want to climb inside them and live there.” — Time
“A literary phenomenon.” — New York Times
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As obsessed as 13-year-old me would have been with this book, 27-year-old me loved it even more. I can’t remember the last time I pre-ordered a book weeks before its release, then sat curled up in the living room the moment the book arrived to start reading, not coming up for breath until the final page. It’s a joy that feels especially reverential during quarantine, a harkening back to something I’d forgotten I’d ever had the luxury to do, and I loved every minute of once again waiting and anticipating and falling in love with the impossible romance of Edward and Bella. This book matures the story to match it’s now grown-up audience, and even though the plot is certainly familiar to someone who read Twilight as many times as I did, it feels totally fresh and new with Edward’s eyes. I felt like I was rediscovering my old favorite and getting to read it again for the first time. I think I even preferred this telling – it’s more complex and compelling, with a richer internal monologue and more depth to both main characters than was allowed in the original version. This book is a behemoth at nearly 700 pages, but it reads as quickly and unrelentingly as the first book did nearly fifteen years ago. I adored every second, and if you were ever a fan of these books, it’s absolutely worth the read.
Everything I ever wanted with this book was delivered, I so wished we could get more but I understand and respect the author’s wishes. Edward’s POV was fantastic, after a twelve-year wait I finally understand so many things that went in his mind. The dynamic of the Cullens and how his relationship with Bella began was interesting to read even though we already knew what was happening in some ways, others were totally unexpected and I so enjoyed reading about them. I will always look forward for more stories within the Twilight Saga world.
As a Twilight fan, I was looking forward to reading the story from Edward’s perspective. With that said, I found the book quite tedious. After a while, I was bored with reading about his inner turmoil. I would have enjoyed the book much more with a little less of Edward’s tumultuous thoughts.
There could not be a better time for this nostalgic, light, fun read like this. I was completely transported back to my teenage self and became completely enthralled in Bella and Edward’s love story (despite knowing very well everything that was going to happen). Not only was my 16-year-old self complete finally seeing Bella through Edward’s eyes, but I *loved* getting all that extra vampire time, especially Alice and Emmett. Would love to see novellas about Alice and/or Emmett or even just an anthology of vampire baseball games.
I can’t believe she’s finally releasing it. I fell in love with the sample she posted on her official website years ago. I may cry
I don’t know about you guys but I was nervous to read Midnight Sun. I didn’t know if the story would feel a little tired being told again from a different point of view or if it might take something away from my experience of reading the original series (which was wonderful). But you guys, I loved this so much! Not only has Stephenie Meyer become an even better writer, but getting to slip inside Edward’s head for this story added depth to every single character that I wasn’t expecting. There’s something beautifully nostalgic about revisiting Forks and something entirely new and exciting about Edward’s perspective. I’m so glad that Stephenie has said she’s got at least two more books planned in the Twilight universe and I’m really, really hoping that she considers continuing with the Edward POVs for the rest of the series as well.
I am 10 chapters into this book and can hardly put it down. I love that this is from Edward’s point of view. Followers know the story, but there is so much more when you listen to him pour his soul all over the pages!
Fans of Twilight will love Midnight Sun. It was a great way to revisit an old favorite and cements me forever as Team Edward. Thank you, Stephenie!!
I love it
outstanding
Edward Cullen has always had a direct line into others’ thoughts. Now, readers get a direct line into his with Midnight Sun, which is his perspective on the events of Twilight. It’s been years since I read the books, so it was nice to come into Midnight Sun with near-fresh eyes. It never felt like I was rereading Twilight; despite the events being mostly the same, it felt like a completely new book (which I wanted to recognize because a lot of people are not big fans of re-reads).
I appreciated the insight that Edward’s perspective imparted, especially with the benefit of his telepathic gift. One of my favorite scenes was where he was listening to Billy Black’s thoughts, as it provided more depth to the feud between the wolves and the vampires than what Bella knew and/or saw. Billy Black never registered as a major player in my mind in the feud with the Cullens, since his grandfather Ephraim negotiated the original treaty and his son was the next in the family to shift. However, after hearing his thoughts it is quite clear that Billy knows exactly what the Cullens are and is not a fan of them hanging around the Swan family.
In addition to Billy, Edward’s telepathic gift provided insight into a lot of other characters. I feel like I learned more about Jasper in this book than I learned in the original four books. And the cat and mouse game between James, Victoria, and the Cullen coven was heart-pounding – Midnight Sun offered so many more details that made things clearer for me than they were in Twilight.
If you loved the original Twilight books, then you should definitely read Midnight Sun. I think it would be equally suitable for someone who hasn’t read the original series, as the author does a good job of explaining everything that’s going on. I do recommend checking out the audiobook if you have a chance. It’s definitely on the longer side at 26 hours or so, but Jake Abel does a fantastic job narrating.
Great read from Edward’s POV!
/ 2.5 stars
I was so excited when I heard that Midnight Sun was finally being released that I immediately preordered the signed copy. My copy arrives and it’s beautiful but because I don’t want to read this collector copy I get the ebook as well (as a gift).
So I’ve got my copies and I’m beyond ready to dive back into the world of Edward and Bella. I remembered that feeling waaay back when as a young lass reading these words for the very first time and being so upset when Stephenie put it to the side because of the leak. Edward’s POV was so captivating it was like reading Twilight for the first time all over again and I wanted more!
I start reading Midnight Sun and as I am getting further into the new bits I begin to feel a sense of loss. A loss of the strong emotional pull these characters once had, a loss of the full immersion into this world.
At 40% I cannot continue and DNF this book not even halfway through. I rarely ever DNF a book, like next to never, so this is huge. I am so let down I even sell my once coveted signed preorder.
Well as I am sure most of you know PopSugar had a DNF prompt this year and I instantly knew that this was going to be my choice.
I wish I could say it got better the second time around but it was still deeply disappointing. I feel like Edward’s POV was too wordy; to the point of annoyance. Though I am sure that my advancing age and tastes and my life experiences have also played a role in how I processed this book, I am not giving much credit to that because I prefer reading YA most of the time.
For a book that I had waited years to read with the excitement of a kid on Christmas it was just… okay.
I love getting to read from Edward’s point of view because it’s almost an omniscient point of view. If you like Twilight I highly suggest this. There is good depth and an interesting spin on the original storyline.
It’s twilight, but all Edward. What else can I say? I did enjoy it. Edward is a beautiful nut case. 10/10
I loved Twilight and was excited to finally read the story from Edward’s point of view. A must-read for fans of the series.
I thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in the Twilight world again and seeing everything through Edwards’s perspective. I didn’t realise how much I’d missed these characters.
It was interesting reading from this perspective.
I waited for this book, ever since I’ve read the draft that the author posted on her page after the book was leaked. OMG, I was not disappointed at all.
It the best of all Twilight books. 🙂 Being in Edward’s book gives the story a whole new layer and even Bella doesn’t sound so mellow anymore. 🙂
The same story from the original Twilight is told from Edward’s point of view, but the feeling when reading the story is not the same. It’s a much better experience. <3
Also, it's very long. 🙂 But I loved every page. It's totally awesome. 🙂
Highly recommend it to all Edward fans. 🙂
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.