"Midnight Sun" by Stephenie Meyer

Does this story deserve its own solo post? No. There are plenty other YA stories that should’ve easily been solo posts in my own personal arsenal alone, but I decided that it’s not always fair that I only choose books I really enjoy and love.

Midnight Sun (Aug. 4, 2020) by Stephenie Meyer.

Although this story likely needs no explanation, I’ll touch ever-briefly on the simplest of basics. There are beautiful, sparkling, immortal vampires. Fortunately, the core group doesn’t drink human blood. Unfortunately for Edward Cullen, who’s usually maintained such control over any human blood, he encounters Bella Swan. She is human and blushes easily, is self-deprecating, but also thoughtfully stubborn and annoyingly obsessed with Edward, not that he can hear her  thoughts. The Twilight tetralogy follow Bella’s point-of-view (POV) in a very long, but iconic, love story. In “Midnight Sun,” it’s Edward’s turn. Welcome back to Forks, Washington.

            Like ripping off a Band-Aid, I’ll state right away that I struggled with this story. I was once one of those women who sailed through the four books of the Twilight series, but my interest has waned since those years. I read the partial draft that Meyer had on her website back in the day (that was 2008 or 2009) multiple times, which she’d posted after it had been leaked by someone I’m assuming she thought she could trust. I was never Team Edward or Team Jacob (I was not an ardent fan, I’ll admit, though I did see all of the movies in the theater), but I expect that Team Edward has sighed (or squealed?) in content over Edward’s POV. I will say that “Midnight Sun” is more complex than the Twilight series, giving readers deeper characterization. Meyer doesn’t shy away from Edward’s often less-than-sympathetic views toward Bella, at least before he lets himself fall for her, and I did appreciate that darkness. It took away some of the innocence. I also actually liked the well of detail surrounding James’ storyline, when he’s made Bella his fixation and the chase is on. That strategizing felt fresh, and even though one knows how it’ll end, it still felt climactic when James’ end came. Edward’s internal struggles are convincing, despite my own struggle to get through the book. This novel is a love letter to fans, and even though I never chose a Team or redecorated an entire room in a Twilight theme, I still wrote my name on the line and gave myself a high five.

            If you read this post, you should give yourself a high five and leave a comment below!