August 4th 2020 | Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: Library
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?Before I begin this review, I want to make note of the problematic aspects of this book and the author. First and foremost, the Quileute Tribe has been egregiously hurt by how they have been depicted in this book series. Their history, culture and stories were used in a way that wasn't respectful of the tribe. They are currently raising money to move important buildings to high ground so they aren't damaged by water. We should also acknowledge that this series is racist. Stephenie Meyer made a point to only have Black and people of color in the movies if they were the villains among many other issues. For this reason, I did not buy this book but borrowed it from the library. I will be donating what I would pay to buy this book to the Quileute Tribe.
In Midnight Sun, Stephenie Meyer transports us back to a world that has captivated millions of readers and brings us an epic novel about the profound pleasures and devastating consequences of immortal love.
I'm not sure what I have to say about this book that hasn't been said already. Without a doubt, I can sum up my experience with this book in one word: boredom. Maybe it's because we've been with this story for many, many years so there's nothing new about it. I went into this book wanting something more. I wanted more about Edward's inner thoughts but it wasn't what I expected. It was so boring, y'all, I can't even begin to tell you.
Edward spent this entire book wanting to kill Bella, wanting to save Bella from himself, and then wanting Bella for himself. There was one scene where he went several pages where he tried to plan how to kill everyone before killing Bella. When I tell y'all it was a lot, and very uncomfortable, I am not kidding. I know that Edward is supposed to be seen as a "romantic" hero but he wasn't that. Remember all the times he watched Bella sleep before she knew about it? Yeah, it was even creepier being in Edward's head.
I hate how women are written in this book. Rosalie had an incredibly difficult past that we know. She's been through so much and she's a survivor. I hated how she's only seen as a valid, shallow woman in Edward--and thus, our--eyes. She has every right to be upset. She has every right to her feelings. Why shouldn't she be worried about her brother revealing who they are to the world? We can joke as much as we want to about why the Cullens come back as high schoolers but I can understand why Rosalie wouldn't want to keep doing it. I totally understood why she didn't want to be friends with Bella. I also understand why she had feelings about Bella choosing this life and Rosalie not being able to have that. Again, why do we keep forgetting that Rosalie didn't get a choice to be a vampire? Even more so, why do we keep forgetting the trauma she went through before Carlisle found her?
Jessica has also been written horribly. Why is it so bad that she's a high school girl who is focusing on homecoming and prom? Why is she also shallow for wanting to date boys and finding pretty dresses? We talk a lot about how we give hell to the things teen girls like but why can't that go to how an actual teen girl behaves? I don't know, maybe none of this makes sense. Bella isn't as interested in dating or the things that Jessica is interested in, but that doesn't mean that Bella is above her or Rosalie.
Lets talk about other things. Edward and Alice were my favorite sibling pair but their conversations were also very frustrating. There were so many moments where they would have a conversation but we wouldn't get any details about what their conversation was. I also loved all the details we got about how the Cullens became a family but it wasn't enough. Why would you give me almost 700 pages but not more information than what I got the first time around? The *only* part I found remotely interesting was what happened with James in the ending.
All in all, Edward and Alice were my favorite sibling pair but their conversations were also very frustrating. There were so many moments where they would have a conversation but we wouldn't get any details about what their conversation was. I also loved all the details we got about how the Cullens became a family but it wasn't enough.
All in all, Midnight Sun wasn't what I expected it to be. But I also didn't have very high expectations.
Add your comment