Midnight Sun (Twilight Saga, #5)

by Stephenie Meyer

It's here! Number one 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 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.

• ISBN10: 031670704X
• ISBN13: 9780316707046
• Publish Date: 4 August 2020 (first published 2008)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 672
• Language: English

Reviews

[kymmiejournals]

It’s always good to know what a guy thinks. This is twilight as told by Edward. It explains how difficult it was for him to stay with Bella and why he had to leave her. At first, when Bella saw him in Biology class, I didn’t understand why Edward’s being a weirdo, but this book explained it. It’s really good! And obviously, I haven’t moved on from Twilight Saga - not yet. It’ll take a week for me to read a new book haha

[Sarah Says]

So this is the first book but from Edwards point of view, makes me think I need to read Twilight again as I don’t remember the events happening the same way. I found that Midnight Sun dragged on in some places. But I must admit I did like the parts where Edward was with his family, the bits we didn't get to see, that we could only guess at when Bella was telling the story. I’m really upset that Meyer’s doesn’t intend to finish it because completed and polished up it could be quite good and would fit really nicely into The Saga to be read after Twilight.

My advice is; if you thought the first twilight was ok, don’t bother reading this, but if you loved the first Twilight than you’ll enjoy this to. There really are some amusing bits where we get to “hear” what everyone around Edward is thinking.

[MurderByDeath]

I've had this sitting on my computer for ages and just now decided to give it a read.  It's a shame she was treated so poorly by people she trusted and no longer has any desire to finish this story, as it's an interestingly different POV after having read the Twilight books. I enjoyed reading from the viewpoint of Edward and seeing more of the interplay between himself and his family. A fun, quick read and I was sorry to see it end.

[Angie]

Proceed with Caution:

This book contains blood and violence, discussions of death, self harm, rape, and murder.

The Basics:

In case you weren't aware, this is Twilight from Edward's perspective. He is infinitely more interesting than Bella, and much more verbose.

The setting is still Forks, Washington, where the Cullens have resided for a couple of years, and where Bella has just arrived to live with her father. The whole town is abuzz with her arrival except for the Cullens. At least until Edward smells her for the first time. Clearly this is a literary masterpiece.

My Thoughts:

I have been waiting for Midnight Sun for what feels like my entire life. When in reality, it's more like twelve years, which feels like an eternity. It did not disappoint. You may be confused by that because I gave it a middling three-star rating. I did not expect this book to be awesome. I just wanted to get into Edward's head and see all of his creepy thoughts. I got that, so mission accomplished.

The first few chapters of Midnight Sun do feel very disjointed. It honestly did feel like Stephenie Meyer simply took Twilight's chapters and then wrote what Edward was doing and thinking at the time. It did not start out feeling like a cohesive story that could stand on its own. You'd have to have read Twilight to really understand and appreciate it. Needless to say, it took me a bit to settle into Edward's narrative because it didn't read like this was his story. I did like that he killed Bella multiple times before even meeting her.

Midnight Sun's strongest attribute, for me, was that it gave Bella goals and interests! This girl had nothing outside of wanting to be with Edward forever in Twilight. Understandable, but really? Here, we get much more of their conversations. Edward pays such close attention to every word that comes out of Bella's mouth and he asks her such mundane questions. I mean, we learn her favorite books, movies, music, her college and post-college plans. You wouldn't think she had any of these things from reading her own narrative; she was just so obsessed with Edward and the rest of the Cullens. I suppose it was a good thing that Edward was equally obsessed.

And speaking of obsession, Edward is incredibly self-aware of his problematic behavior. He mentions it a few times, and I really appreciate that. He knows that stalking her is wrong, but he doesn't want to be right. Emmett also believes that Edward is off his rocker.

I was left with one lingering question at the end of Midnight Sun: can Edward actually "see" through people's eyes? This was a repeated occurrence and made his "talent" more confusing. We all know that he can hear the thoughts of those around him, but he constantly mentioned how he could see Bella through the eyes of her classmates. Are thoughts actually clear enough to make pictures? Even if they are, how can he see, when his ability seems to be auditory? I was just confused.

Read Midnight Sun or don't. You're not really missing much if you skip it. But I had fun reading it. Team Alice!

[cherryblossommj]

My thoughts on the official partial draft available for download from the website of Stephenie Meyer for Midnight Sun, Edward's version of Twilight. I absolutely love it. I would buy it easily if it were finished and published and placed for sale. I have never outside of my own imagination gone back to a story and relived it through a different character's thoughts. It was a fabulous experience, even if only in partiality. I definitely would not recommend to read it first before Twilight or the rest of the series. And I still think that it would be best read as a fifth book, but I think it could be appreciated as a second, but as a reader after reading through Breaking Dawn, I think one would appreciate Edward's point of view so much more so than immediately after Twilight when things are still new and learning.