Midnight Sun (The Twilight Saga #5) by Stephanie Meyer
Published: August 4, 2020 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Review:
Myth: 4/5
I’ll admit that at first I didn’t know why I’d want to re-read Twilight from Edward’s point of view. It turns out that 10 years is the perfect amount of time to want to experience the story all over again, and the nuance of Edward’s point of view was more than enough to keep it interesting.
It was nice to hear in Edward’s thoughts, that even though he excelled at just about everything, he had a hard time reading and understanding Bella before he got to know her. And on top of that, that he was fairly unsure of himself in their early interactions.
I’ll also add that it was heartbreaking to hear Edward making his decisions about the events in New Moon even while Bella is recovering at the hospital.
Magic: 4/5
One of the coolest chapters in Midnight Sun is that in which Edward is watching futures play out through Alice’s mind. They may just be working through the chores and tasks to clean up a mess, but it perfectly illustrated how Edward’s and Alice’s powers work together.
Jasper also got a way better showing from Edward’s perspective. While in the Twilight series, Bella doesn’t really get to understand him until the third book, Edward gives us unique insight into Jasper’s powers as early as the baseball game.
Overall: 4/5
Edward spent a lot of time brooding (obviously), which ultimately helps sell the events of New Moon, but isn’t as fun as when he’s experiencing happiness in the moment. Since I first read Twilight ten years ago, I’ve since read a lot of vampire stories that have a stronger female lead. As much as I read the Edward/Bella pairing and think they aren’t really well matched for power, I did love Twilight because it was one of the first YA Fantasy books that hooked me. So I did enjoy reliving the introduction to the Twilight story with a new twist.
