Midnight Sun Review

Almost 15 years ago, the first novel in the Twilight Saga, Twilight, was published. August 4, 2020, 12 years after the publication of the final novel, Breaking Dawn, author Stephanie Meyer released the fifth book in the saga, Midnight Sun. The series originally follows the perspective of Bella Swan, an 18 year-old girl who falls in love with the vampire Edward Cullen, but Meyer’s newest novel offers a fresh perspective. 

Midnight Sun tells the events of the first novel through the eyes of the series’ main love interest, Edward Cullen. All of the important events remain the same with a few added scenes and dialogue that cannot be found in the original novel.

For me, the book starts out well, but as you read each chapter, you start to notice how this novel doesn’t add anything to the series. In 2015, Meyer published the book Life and Death, a retelling of the original books with most of the main characters’ gender being switched. I bring up this novel because though most of the key events are the same, the story still adds new elements to the saga, something that encourages the reader to continue reading. Midnight Sun doesn’t have that aspect.

Though it is nice to see Bella and Edwards’ story through Edward’s eyes, it does little to motivate me to continue reading. For many die-hard fans, Bella was what made the series interesting. Her personality is what made the books relatable. Would I sacrifice my humanity for the person I love? Would I doom myself to an eternity of emptiness so I could stay with the love of my existence? These are questions the audience can see Bella struggle with in the original series but can no longer ask while reading the newest book.

Midnight Sun is a very slow, dragged out novel that has very few chances for the reader to relate to its main character. If you do decide to read Midnight Sun and are new to the Twilight saga, I suggest that you read it before reading the original four books. It really does read like the first book in a series. I rate it a 2.5/5 .