Overall Rating: 4/5
I was absolutely shocked when I heard that Midnight Sun was
finally getting released! This was definitely the book that all of us Twilight
readers have been waiting for forever, and I was definitely ready to get my
hands on it ASAP. Did it live up to my expectations? Yes, definitely! But I
also think that it could have been a lot shorter.
While Edward’s internal monologues, which include his own
perspective on the story, as well as the thoughts that he can hear, were definitely
the most fascinating and interesting aspect of his POV, I also felt like some
of his internal monologues were just…unnecessarily long. For instance, a scene that
in Twilight took up maybe five to ten pages could take up to half or
even a whole chapter (e.g. the scene in the classroom when Edward smells Bella
for the first time). Although I do think Midnight Sun is a book that flourishes
due to its greater detail, it definitely went a little overboard. What I’m saying
is this: this book that clocks at about 660 pages could have been 550 pages
long and probably would have been better for it.
Other than that, I absolutely loved getting Edward’s side
of the story! There were some scenes that were just nice to reread from another
perspective and other scenes that really did surprise me, because of the
smaller details that weren’t revealed to us from Bella’s POV. By far the best
and engrossing aspect of Edward’s POV was hearing other character’s thoughts
(such as the thoughts of Jessica, Charlie, the Cullens, James, Jacob, etc.) as
well as getting an in-depth glimpse of Alice’s future visions through Edward hearing
her thoughts. It really did make me fall in love with Alice’s character (who is
probably my favorite character of the whole series) that much more. In particular,
Alice seeing her friendship with Bella and already loving her and missing this
friendship that hadn’t even come to fruition yet, as well as her begging Edward
to let her finally speak to Bella was just the cutest thing ever. I was also
unaware that Alice’s visions played such a central role in Edward’s life as he
was deciding what to do with Bella. For instance, Alice saw that Bella was
either going to be killed by Edward or be turned into a vampire.
What also shocked me was learning just how tempting Bella’s
blood was for Edward at the beginning. I always knew that he found her smell incredibly
alluring, and that this caused a disruption in his otherwise upheld control. But
I was absolutely unaware of just how dangerous Edward was, as he was ready and planning
to murder a whole classroom full of students, and he almost lost control various
times throughout the course of the book. I just never realized that it was that
bad, and I will now definitely read Edward and Bella’s first moments in
their relationship differently now knowing this.
There were also a couple of plot points that Stephanie Meyer
added into the story, as well as smaller moments and conversations that we didn’t
get to see glimpses of in Twilight. For instance, we learn that Bella
really does have a good heart and is always willing to be there for someone
else when they are in need. We also learned that Edward ended up turning over
the rapists who stalked Bella in Port Angeles over to the police and that he
was responsible for Ben and Angela finding their way to each other, which I found
very sweet. We also get to see Edward’s entire point of view when he was
separated from Bella, while he was hunting James and while Bella was recovering,
as well as smaller segments of time when he’s interacting with his family or
when Bella’s not around. Overall I think Stephanie Meyer did an excellent job
at mixing together every scene from Twilight, while also adding in some
extra scenes, plot points, and pieces of information into this book to spice
things up.
Something big that is something that was never revealed in Twilight,
as least to my knowledge, is the fact that at the end of the book, Edward
is already planning to leave Bella when she is fully recovered from her
injuries. I honestly didn’t think that this was something that was going through
Edward’s mind at the time. I know that in New Moon these thoughts
surface, resulting in the Cullens leaving. But I was unaware that even at the
time of the prom, Edward was lying to Bella about being with her “forever”. This
made me feel a bit sad, if I’m being honest, even though it does introduce the
tensions of the next book in a very smooth way, paving the way for New Moon.
There are some other things that I learned from reading Edward’s
POV, but I won’t go into great detail about them all, since there are just so
many of them! Rather, I’ll put them in a list at the bottom of this review.
Overall, I did really enjoy Midnight Sun. It
definitely did not disappoint, thought it could have been a tad less detailed
and a bit shorter. It filled out the story in a way that felt true to the story
and the characters, and explored the vampire side of this world in a way that was
incredibly satisfying.
Things I Learned From Midnight Sun
• Jessica didn’t really care much for Bella. Her thoughts were always tinged with a bit of jealousy and wariness. I always thought eventually she warmed up to Bella, but I guess not.
• Edward acts as a “lookout” for his family, searching the thoughts of people around them to be alerted as to when they should move again because of suspicions
• Rosalie really didn’t like Bella very much, and is very selfish. She also disliked Bella because she resented her for Edward thinking Bella was prettier and more attractive than Rosalie. She also really resented Bella’s humanity.
• Charlie’s thoughts are also partially concealed from Edward’s gift
• The Cullens, while they do not harm any innocent humans, don’t really care much for their lives and interactions with them either
• Mike was really gross and possessive, way more than I ever imagined. No wonder Edward hated him!
• Edward does actually realize his actions are slightly stalkerish
• A vampire’s body cannot absorb anything but blood. Anything else will just “come back up” – gross!
• Vampires interpret their hunger differently (e.g. burning sensation, dryness, etc.)
• Bella is very considerate and caring to those around her
• Edward turned the rapists who followed Bella over to the police
• Emmett and Edward both trick Ben into finally getting the courage to ask Angela out
• Jasper and Rosalie were both considering killing Bella for their own protection
• Edward is planning on leaving Bella after she heals from her wounds from James’s attack
• The Cullens didn’t really understand Edward’s fascination with Bella at first
• The Meadow was “the Knot” in Bella’s future. All possible futures ended up with Edward and Bella in the meadow. Either she came out alive, or she didn’t.
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