Agony, Blood, and Vampires REVIEWING Midnight Sun

Alright, here we are. I started these Twilight posts as an April Fools' Day joke and then it turned out there was going to be a new release and things just dominoed and...this is where we are now. 

Due to the recent release, this review is completely Spoiler Free

Midnight Sun

Author: Stephenie Meyer
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Year: 2020


Midnight Sun

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?


Review:

It has honestly been over a decade since I last read a Twilight book, but since my sister did her posts, I was able to jog my memory on it. The first book is the one I know best, so this works in my favor. Last month, I was fortunate enough to jump early onto the digital hold list at my library and read this within just a couple weeks of it being released. I schedule posts ahead of time so I wasn't able to get this one posted for a bit. What exactly is this though? 

Midnight Sun is the fifth book in the Twilight series, but it's really just a remastering of the first book. It retells the story of Twilight, but from the perspective of Edward Cullen, glitterpire extraordinaire. Was this book necessary? No, not really. Was it enjoyable? To a certain extent, yes. Will I ever reread it? Probably not, but it isn't an impossibility. I would definitely rather reread this one than some of the other books in the series. This book still has most of the major problems that Twilight did, minus a really good one. 

This book is not told from Bella's perspective and I'm so happy about that. Honestly, Bella's perspective at times is garbage. She is immature, naïve, and at times she just drove me crazy in the original series. Here, however, we can actually see how she could be seen as attractive and....surprisingly, tolerable. I'm not joking. I actually like Bella more because of this book. In this one, we actually see a full person who has depth. She has a personality and good qualities. She shows strength despite still making some poor decisions. I can't believe I'm actually able to say all of this. Edward really does see the best in Bella and it isn't hard to see why he wants to be with her, from his view. She stands up for her friends, she isn't afraid to put her foot down about certain things, and she does genuinely care for her parents even if their views don't always line up. Also, we actually see what the relationship with her parents is like for her. We actually get to know what it is about her mom's life that has led her to be the way she is. Now I know why she never fully seems to fit in anywhere. 

When I say this book retells Twilight, I mean that literally. Any scene that had Edward and Bella in it, is pretty much here, just inside the opposite brain than the original. All of the main events have the same outcomes. If you know the main story, then you still know the main story. So what makes this book any different and worth reading? There are new scenes added that just have Edward. There are scenes telling us more about his past, his identity, and his hardships. The best thing about this book though, from my perspective? Getting to really actually know the Cullens. That's right! We get more actual vampires, earlier on. None of that "what are they? why are they weird? they're out of this world hot, what's up with that?" No. Actual vampire life and interaction. Well, if you still want to call them vampires, considering the glitter component and whatnot. 

Another good thing about this book, is that it fleshes out some of the aspects we missed out on in the original story, since Bella wasn't present. For example, the hunt for James. We actually see the progression of that. The best part though, for me, really is getting to be with the Cullens more. We get to see certain powers (Alice and Jasper) work more often. We see how they interact with one another while being unable to talk out loud or when not wanting to talk about things aloud. We see the family tensions that develop once Bella drops into everyone's lives. We also get to see the dynamics of each pairing. I really enjoyed each of these components. 

Now let's talk about the things that aren't so great. Edward is still pretty creepy in how he goes about things. When he is in stalker mode, he is actually aware of how strange it is, so I appreciate the self-awareness. It doesn't change that it is weird and something to be highly frowned upon. However, it is much easier to see the logic leading to it, even if it isn't sound. We also see how easy it is for Edward to spy on Bella's conversations with everyone around her. This actually just makes things worse when you find out what kind of thoughts they have. You thought you knew all their classmates pretty well? Guess again. Jessica and Mike and all that crew show whole new sides of themselves when you get into their heads. My image of all those characters is so different now and I wasn't expecting that. 

Is this a must-read for anyone? No. I really don't think this book will be for everyone. Is this book suddenly going to turn you into a Twilight fan if you weren't one? Probably not. You may enjoy this one more than the original, but it won't make you love the other books anymore. This one really is a love letter to fans of the series, but especially to those who were on Team Cullen. You know what I'm talking about, you all know who you are. This one is for you, and we all know it. We all know you're probably going to be fawning over Edward all over again, and you know what? Enjoy your fangirl opportunity. These opportunities don't always happen this way. If you're a fan of the series, you'll probably enjoy this book. I wouldn't call myself a full fan, but I enjoyed the books enough at the time they came out. I had good memories with friends involving them, and this one lets me enjoy some of those memories again, in a new way. It isn't a great book, but it isn't the worst book in the world either. 

Overall, I give this book a Lone Star rating of ✯✯✯ and a half. The characters are better developed and we get a new view. It doesn't change most of the issues with the older books in terms of plot (for continuity's sake it has to be the same), but it provides some entertaining moments. 

This concludes another review here at The Real World According To Sam, where I bring the books straight to your screen and even provide my own two cents about them. 

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