Opinion

BOOK REVIEW: Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer

The Twilight Saga has added a number of books to the Twilight universe, this one being Edward’s perspective during the first book.

With fall in full swing, I love to stay in and turn on a movie or read a book while bundled up in my bed. One of my favorite fall movies and book series is Twilight. The original series has four books and five movies, but there have been multiple additions to the Twilight universe. One of the more recent additions is “Midnight Sun”. This brick of a book follows the Twilight story from the perspective of Edward Cullen. This change of perspective both develops some of the less known characters and offers a different plot given that it follows Edward rather than Bella. While both intriguing and offering the story from another perspective, I wouldn’t say I was that interested in Edwards’ experiences. Everything that Edward, and the Cullens in general, has done has made it a bit difficult to find them appealing. Their choices regarding Bella and the Quileute tribe are frustrating to say the least.  

The biggest factor that made this perspective entertaining at least was Edwards’ ability to read minds. Since we are seeing everything from his perspective with that ability, it’s safe to say that we also find ourselves getting the perspective and thoughts from others in the story, like Bella’s friends. I couldn’t help but both laugh and be shocked with the new information that came with that. Everyone has their own jealousy, opinions, and feelings, especially in high school. The drama and rumors can be both exciting and draining, but Edward is completely over the torture that is high school. I mean if I had been in high school off and on, reliving possibly one of the worse experiences in my life, I would probably be as brooding and self-deprecating as him.  

The cover of Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer. | Photo by Celia Williams

Another one of the things that is revealed with the change of perspective is how the Cullens live, what Edward does at night, and what was generally happening in their story while Bella told her own. We see the feelings and thoughts of Edward and his struggles with being a vampire, which is already shown in the original series. The biggest moment that made this change interesting was the Cullens’ thoughts when Edward was conflicted about Bella and what he wanted to do. Of course, when given the choice between killing someone and wooing them, I would think it would seem like an obvious choice. 

In short, Midnight Sun is important to the story and learning more about the characters. However, I wouldn’t say that this book is all that interesting, especially if you are not as diehard of a fan. It’s another door that you can open though if you want more of the comedic romance between the tortured Edward Cullen and delusional Bella Swan.