Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer

Rating: 5/5 Stars ⭐️

Blurb:

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.

Warning: Minor Spoilers ahead

Review/Reaction:

It’s been 12 years since the draft of Midnight Sun was leaked. 12 years since Stephenie announced that she'd quit writing it. As someone on "Team Edward" I was heartbroken and pissed at the a**hole that had the audacity to hurt an author like that and ruin it for everyone else 😡. When I first heard that Stephenie was releasing Midnight Sun I couldn't believe it. 15 year old me was screaming. I had so many flashbacks of my life during the Twilight craze. Like that weekend that I locked myself in my room and silenced my phone to power through Eclipse & Breaking Dawn, solo movie theater dates to rewatch the movies for the 2nd and 3rd time, spending my summer job $$ on Twilight merch from Hot Topic and collecting any magazine with the actors covers on it (still have these btw). It has been years since I re-read The Twilight Saga but with a fandom that never dies it’s hard to forget.

THE NOSTALGIA. Midnight Sun was everything I expected and more. A LOT MORE. And by a lot more I mean like we read about so many scenes that we we didn't get to see from Bella's POV. In this book we get a more detailed overview of Edward’s life before Bella, his torment over falling in love with someone he can easily kill and more history of the rest of the Cullen Family.

Only Stephenie can rewrite the same story and make it seem so different . I’m not complaining. In Twilight we meet an Edward that’s a bit reserved, very broody and obviously in love with Bella. Being inside his head definitely took this to another level. Am I mad? Hell naw. It was heartbreakingly beautiful to see how much he struggled with his urges to suck Bella dry (and I mean this literally LOL) & love her all the same. I absolutely ADORED this book (if you can’t already tell) and here’s why:

The DARKNESS in the DETAILS

This version of Twilight is DARK and I.WAS.

BloodThirsty Monster...

It is no secret that Edward thirsted for Bella’s blood from the moment she walked into biology class but I don't think anyone of us knew to what extent,

“Her scent hit me like a battering ram, like an exploding grenade. There was no image violent enough to encompass the force of what happened to me in that moment. Instantly, I was transformed. I was nothing close to the human I’d once been. No trace of the shreds of humanity I’d managed to cloak myself in over the years remained...there was no room full of witnesses--they were already collateral damage in my mind.” (10)

I remember constantly swooning over Edward & being “dazzled” by him just like Bella. This was a not so subtle reminder that humans are his natural born prey and we should fear him.

I’ll admit Edward’s inner monologue is A LOT to take in. The guys got a lot of feelings and HE. CAN. READ. MINDS. So not only do we dive deep into his darkest and most mundane thoughts, but we get a peek at the thoughts of the many other characters. His thoughts were a bit difficult to follow sometimes as he jumped from present to the past within the same scenes with dialogue but I also think it gave so much depth to his character. He overthinks like crazy but even when he’s being morbid he’s being thoughtful. I think Stephenie did a great job at changing narratives. In Twilight, when we meet Edward through Bella’s eyes he didn’t seem all that creepy. Either that or most of us readers chose to ignore that our main character was falling in love with someone that could literally kill her at any moment 🙃. I know I definitely did 😂 What can I say? I’m a hopeless romantic and I ain’t got no type.

The Obsession...

Yes, it is a bit cringy to learn how often Edward peeks into other people’s thoughts to keep tabs on Bella & learn more her. Let’s not forget to mention he watches from the trees when he’s not in school and creeps into her room to watch her while she sleeps for several months but no harm done right? I know it’s not 100% excusable, but through those actions I feel like I learned so much more about Bella’s personality. I'd always wondered if Edward’s love for Bella came simply from the fact that she was the first person whose mind he couldn’t read (certainly makes her intriguing) or her careless acceptance of him. But Bella changes him. She cares for him like no one outside of his family ever has, makes him care more about humanity, brings the dark & mundane world he’s lived in for so many years to life and keeps the monster inside him at bay. Still, Edward struggles with his need to be selfish and keep her or push her away for good as he fears for her life,

“Loving her would not keep me from killing her if I let myself make mistakes. Yet I could not feel the monster now, could not find him anywhere in me. Perhaps love had silenced him forever. If I killed her now, it would not be intentional, only a horrible accident.” (110)

I loved watching them grow closer through Edward’s eyes. It made me see Bella in a new light. His emotional and physical affections towards her were so tender. But as their love blossomed so did Edward’s doubt about whether he should stay or go. As understanding as I was about his inner conflict, sometimes I just wanted to be like:

A Tormented Mind…

Edward's self-loathing crushed me. Especially when he realizes that the person he didn’t know he needed could be taken away from him at any moment by his own hands,

“With every fiber of my being, I ached to be a normal man, so that I could hold her in my arms without risking her life. So that I could be free to spin my own fantasies, fantasies that didn’t end with her blood on my hands, her blood glowing in my eyes. My pursuit of her was indefensible. What kind of relationship could I offer her, when I couldn’t risk touching her?” (143).

There were so many times where I wish I could've offered the poor guy a hug. Imagine what it was like reading how he felt when Bella was captured by James...

The HISTORY and HEART of the Cullen Family

Getting to really know the Cullen family definitely raised my fondness for them. Stephenie flushed out their individual personalities & gifts so well in Midnight Sun. Being able to see Alice's visions through Edward's mind was WOW. JUST WOW. The intricate way that they work was 🤯🤯🤯. Edward's relationship with some of his family members was so surprising to read about especially him and Rosalie after he meets Bella 👀👀 Oh! and Emmett!!!! The character that stood out to me the most. Ugh, I absolutely adored him. He is so chill, so understanding and though initially wary about his brother's attraction to Bella he quickly accepts her as one of their own. He kept Edward grounded and they had so many beautiful bonding scenes in Midnight Sun that just pulled at all my heartstrings and made me want to cry 😭. I don't think I ever expected him to be such an important person in Edward's life and I’m so glad that Stephenie showed us how close they really were.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Midnight Sun. I welcomed all the nitty-gritty details and Edward's rollercoaster ride of emotions. Even though I already know what happens in the next part of Edward & Bella’s story the ending still left me emotionally wrecked 😭. But, in my opinion none of the best love stories blossom without tragedy . Thank you Stephenie for making me feel 15 again. Midnight Sun brought back all my memories of teenage angst and vampire obsession. I remember so desperately wanting Vampires to be real so that could I could meet and fall in love with one too 🤣. The feeling still stands. A must-read for fellow Twihards!

“ My life was an unending, unchanging midnight. It must, by necessity, always be midnight for me. So how was it possible that the sun was rising now, in the middle of my midnight?”

~Edward Cullen

🔹Would I recommend it? Hell Yes!

🔹Re-read it? Absolutely. I might have liked this version more than Bella’s 🧐

What did you guys think of Midnight Sun?

If you've already read Midnight Sun, check out my list of Shocking/ WTF moments below!

Shocking, WTF Moments from Midnight Sun

WARNING: Major Spoilers Ahead.

ROSALIE

Rosalie's hate for Bella is no secret. It is evident that she was jealous of Bella’s human life and wishes she was still human too. But to learn that the real reason she despised her was because Edward was never interested in her in the way he was interested in Bella?

I was SHOOK. I know she deserves sympathy. What her ex-fiance did to her before she became a vampire was horrific. Degrading. Traumatizing. But damn her shallowness is unmatched.

Emmett & Edward Play Matchmaker

Learning that Edward & Emmett helped set up Ben & Angela.

It was Edward’s way of secretly repaying Angela for being an amazing friend to Bella. Nice sentiment. Cute but still cringy.

Edward Murdering a Rapist

A few years after becoming a “vegetarian”, Edward decides to go rogue and on a killing spree only claiming the lives of those that deserved to die. Learning that he stalked the mind of an older man with rapist tendencies for days and ultimately saved a little girl from being raped & killed was equally heroic and horrifying.

Pre-Planned Goodbye

Learning that Edward had already planned to leave Bella after she physically healed from her attack from James & before her disastrous birthday party in New Moon EVEN THOUGH HE SAW THROUGH ALICE’S VISIONS WHAT IT WOULD DO TO BELLA.

😭😭Ya'll...I can't