Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer was my most anticipated release of 2020 and like everything else in 2020, it was a disappointment. I have been reading this book off and on since AUGUST. At the time of writing this, I still have a few more chapters to go but I just can’t. I am so exhausted after being in Edward’s head for over 500 pages and I can’t do it anymore. If you’ve never read Twilight, there will be spoilers in this review.

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?

My Thoughts:

Stepehenie Meyer had the ability, with this book, to give her loyal fans a whole new take on Twilight. Even though this book is a retelling, the Cullens had so much history together before Bella ever existed. We could have gotten detailed back stories on all of the Cullens, especially since Edward can read their minds. We could have gotten more info about the Volturi and the vampire world in general. Unfortunately, we just got to be trapped in the mind of a paranoid, obsessive and depressed vampire who has literally did nothing interesting in the entirety of his long existence.

If Midnight Sun’s goal was to make me HATE Edward, it succeeded. He is the least interesting of all the vampires but is the main character, for some reason. The only thing worse than Edward on his own is Edward with Bella. The insta love between him and Bella was to be expected because that’s how it happened in Twilight but I just found it to be even more unbelievable in Midnight Sun. Perhaps it’s because Bella is so bland but I can not understand why a vampire would be instantly in love with her. Bella has been a Mary Sue the whole time but now that we’re not privy to her thoughts, she comes across as even more perfect… but unforgivably boring.

This whole book is boring. I’ve read Twilight many times and wanted something new but this is Twilight scene for scene; with the added “bonus” of Edward’s whiny commentary. I don’t feel like I know any of the characters more than I did before because this book brings nothing new to the Twilight universe. In my opinion, this book was a massive waste of time and DEFINETLY should not have been 658 pages long.

I’m curious where Meyer’s editor was because along with the book length, there were many grammatical errors and things that should have been cut out. One example that comes to mind is this gem…

Ma’am, it is 2020, not 2008. I understand that this is a retelling of a book from 2008 but we don’t do the “I’m not like other girls because I don’t wear makeup” thing anymore. This is also an example of the constant babble in Edward’s mind. He’s lived for over 100 years and yet, doesn’t have one interesting thought.

Final Thoughts:

In conclusion, this book is trash and you should stick with the original four books. They’re not the best in the world but they’re interesting and overall a good story. I do think I’m in the minority with my opinion, however, and that’s fine. A good friend of mine said that she likes this book more than Twilight so if you like it, I’m glad you didn’t waste your time like I did. Have you read it? If so, what did you think? Thanks for reading and have a great day!