Midnight Sun

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You all know about Twilight, whether you want to or not! This long-awaited novel recounts the events from the first novel in the series from Edward Cullen's point of view.

I was one of the several people who read the draft of Midnight Sun years ago when it was leaked on the internet. I'm glad that Stephenie Meyer decided to complete the novel and to write two more Twilight novels in the future.

Seeing Edward's side of the story, especially in the beginning of the book, is enlightening. In Twilight, Bella can only guess at Edward's thoughts and motivations. He is absent from much of her story in the first part of the book, so the story is more fleshed out. Some scenes without Bella would have made good additions to the movie, like Edward's visit to the Denali clan while trying to decide if he should leave Forks.

Edward's inner thoughts are intelligent, yet also animalistic. He is ruled by jealousy and curiosity when around Bella originally, while also trying to ignore his hunger for her blood. His inner struggle of whether to stay in Forks or leave to protect Bella is interesting, especially because he attributes his excuses to stay as part of his animal nature. He doesn't realize that he is falling for Bella -- his curiosity, preoccupation, concern, jealousy are all because he likes her.

Edward's actions in the original Twilight novel feel a little creepy and stalkerish because he is watching Bella as she sleeps and following her before she makes her feelings for him known. His motives are revealed more in this book, which redeems him. He is concerned for her safety, yet also fascinated by the girl whose thoughts he can't hear. He is captivated by her beauty and can't walk away because she is the first mystery he has encountered in his hundred or so years. In the beginning, this is more a story of obsession than romance. Edward’s realization of love comes slowly. I enjoyed this book less than Twilight because I identified more with teenage human girl Bella than hundred-year-old vampire boy Edward. The best part of the novel was being able to see the parts of the story with the Cullens when Bella was absent. Taken together, they are separate parts of the same script; they would be better as a single novel with a split narrative than two separate novels. I’m curious to see what Stephenie Meyer does with the next two Twilight novels. Will the next one be New Moon from Jacob’s perspective, or a totally new story? I’d love to see more of the werewolf clan’s beginning. What do you think the next book will be? Leave a comment!

Jake Abel is a good narrator, but his voice is deep and manly -- deeper than I expected from teenager Edward. My expectations could also be influenced by the movies, where Robert Pattinson plays the character and has a medium vocal tone.

Recommended for fans of the original Twilight books or teens looking for a supernatural story who aren’t afraid of romance.

Stephenie Meyer is the internationally bestselling author of the Twilight series. Her books have been made into 6 movies. She has a degree in English Literature from Brigham Young University and lives in Arizona.

Series: Twilight, #5 (see note below)

Publisher: Hachette Audio (audiobook); Little, Brown (hardcover)

Narrator: Jake Abel

Running Time: 25 hours, 49 minutes

Release Date: August 4, 2020

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Note: Because of the decade-long gap between the original Twilight series and this book, it is officially #5 in the series. The events run concurrently with the first book, so chronologically it is maybe #1.5 and would be read before New Moon.

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