Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer
Grade: 3 stars
Audience: Young adult/ Nostalgic adults
Synopsis:
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:
Let me preface this by stating that I LOVED Twilight back in the day. That was probably this books saving grace in my opinion. I was a book reviewer back in the days of the Midnight Sun leak. We were all just devastated over it and many of us banded together, refusing to ever read what had been leaked in solidarity for Stephanie Meyer. Maybe if this novel had actually been able to come out all of those years ago I would have had a very different experience reading it. Maybe I am no longer in a place where I can enjoy this type of story but in total honesty, I was incredibly disappointed.
This was a lengthy novel, like the rest of the series. I was so excited to dive into Edward's head, to see things from another perspective. It turned out that I didn't enjoy being in his head. It just felt so off. It took the story I had fallen in love with and flipped it on its head. I get that was the point but I just felt uncomfortable with it. It emphasized how absolutely crazy Bella was. It made her choices feel even more absurd. And the pace.... oh the pace.... For someone who can think so quickly, getting through Edward's head felt exhausting. Quite often I felt like he was just talking in circles.
The best part of this book was the last 150 pages. It took me 2 weeks to feel motivated to read the majority of the book but I flew through that last portion very quickly. I remember the first book wasn't super fast paced but I don't remember pages and pages where I could basically zone out and not really miss much. If it weren't for those final chapters this would have been a 2 star read for me.
I hate to feel so judgy about everyone's beloved Twilight, but this made it clearer to me why there were people that disliked it so strongly back when they first came out. Am I glad I read it? Sure. Will I read it again? Nope. If she writes the rest of the books from Edward's perspective will I read them? Yes, but I won't preorder and will likely wait until I can get them from the library.
