Spoiler Warning: This review will contain Midnight Sun spoilers.
When Stephanie Meyer announced in May that a new Twilight book would be released at the begin of the fall season this past year, I instantly knew I had to buy the book and write a review.
Anyone who knows me can testify that I am a die hard Twilight fan. I read all the books throughout middle school, went to the midnight showing of Breaking Dawn Part 2, and even had an Edward poster hanging up in my room.
Twilight was even the thing that bonded me with Heather, past Editor in Chief for the Chimes, and Sydney, past Managing Editor for the Chimes. We would watch the movies while we did layouts and still to this day we have a Twilight fan club group chat. Due to our mutual love of the vampire novels, we basically forced Robert, current Editor in Chief for the Chimes, to watch all the movies and write a review over them. Long story short, Robert hated them. On a positive, Robert is Team Edward.
Midnight Sun was released in August and I have been on the hunt since to own this novel. Every book store I went to did not have Midnight Sun, as it was sold out everywhere. I was finally able to get my hands on Midnight Sun two weeks ago. I bought the last copy at Barnes and Noble and sat in a coffee shop, reading for two hours.
This new Twilight novel is set during the events in the first book of the saga, only this time around everything is in Edward’s point of view rather than Bella’s.
Immediately this novel intrigued me. I have read the original saga multiple times now and I binge the movies at least once a month, but Midnight Sun made me truly understand Edward’s point of view more.
Being able to read Edward’s struggle regarding his blood lust made me think about how truly hard it must have been for Edward to be around Bella. Yet at the same time, seeing him slowly fall in love with her was also something that will make any romantic sap like me swoon.
Edward would literally practice holding his breath for long periods of time just so he could avoid smelling Bella when he was around her. Vampires in Meyer’s universe do not have to breathe, as they are obviously immortal, but the Cullen clan are pretending to be human. Due to this, they have to make themselves look human; breathing, slow motions, and blinking are all essential to keep their cover. This means Edward literally was risking his entire family just so he could be around Bella.
One of my personal favorite moments of the novel was Bella and Edward’s first interaction in their biology class. This scene in the movie is iconic because Edwards literally covers his mouth and starts GAGGING at the smell of Bella. This has become a big meme for fans of Twilight, but after getting into Edward’s head, I understand where he is coming from.
Once he smells her scent, he covers his mouth and holds his breath because of how good she smelled to him. Edward then goes on a six page rant, explaining different ways he would not only kill her, but kill every student in the classroom to avoid witnesses.
I remember reading this scene when the first half of Midnight Sun was leaked over 10 years ago, but getting to reread it as an adult was still exciting.
Another aspect of Midnight Sun that I admired was how it opened up and let the reader understand Edward’s struggle as a vampire.
Edward throughout the novel kept hinting and explaining about how he sometimes felt guilty about his ability to read other’s minds. The impression that the original saga and movies left to fans was that Edward could control who and when he would read minds, almost like a superpower. This was proven false in Midnight Sun.
Edward explains that he can hear everyone’s thoughts all the time. To me, this sounds more like a curse than a gift. Edward is constantly having to block out everyone’s thoughts and due to him never having to sleep (because ya know, vampires don’t sleep), he never gets a moment of silence. Even in his own home, Edward never gets a quiet moment. He reads the minds of all his family members, causing them to feel as if they can never have any privacy.
This part of the novel really made me stop and think about Edward’s “gift.” The only person that could give Edward a moment of silence was Bella. The one thing Edward never got since the moment Carlie turned him, he finally got when he met Bella.
I could break down every chapter of this novel, but if I were to do that then this review would go on more than the almost 900 words I have already written.
Overall, Midnight Sun is a great novel and easily one of the best in the Twilight saga. If you are late to the Twilight fan club, Midnight Sun is the perfect way to join.
And to Stephanie Meyer, if you ever happen to read this, please do Twilight fans a favor. Give us a book from Jasper’s point of view.
