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jordanlamagna's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, this book was enjoyable to read. It was super interesting to get to see everything from Edward’s perspective. It was darker and included a lot more of the Cullen’s backstories.
However, this book was incredibly too long. I was bored for most of the first 400 pages. Once the baseball game started, things really picked up and got super interesting to read about. The chase to Phoenix was so fun to read, seeing how all of the Cullen’s talents created this unbeatable force of nature. This book was at about a 2 star rating until the last 150 or so pages.
All in all, if you were a twilight fan in your teens, definitely worth the read.
However, this book was incredibly too long. I was bored for most of the first 400 pages. Once the baseball game started, things really picked up and got super interesting to read about. The chase to Phoenix was so fun to read, seeing how all of the Cullen’s talents created this unbeatable force of nature. This book was at about a 2 star rating until the last 150 or so pages.
All in all, if you were a twilight fan in your teens, definitely worth the read.
bookishrealm's review against another edition
1.0
If I could give this 1/2 star I would, but you know the way the rating system works on Goodreads...This is ain't it folks. This really didn't do anything for me.
If you know me or if you've been following my journey in re-reading the Twilight series then you know that I have not been enjoying any of these books. It's been a rough journey, but has also given me better insight to understanding why and how this series is problematic. I won't lie; I was curious about how Meyer would frame this book in context of the original book. My curiosity wasn't enough to even begin to make me like this book.
Let's get the easy part of this out of the way. Midnight Sun is boring. I know everyone was/is super excited to see Twilight from Edwards perspective; however, there was no reason for this book to be over 600 pages. We literally revisit every scene word for word with Edwards insight tacked on. By the time I was 50% into the book it began to feel very long and drawn out. Her technical writing skills have improved; however, her ability to write a compelling plot has not changed. Would it have been a better book if it was shorter? For me, probably not because the content itself is still problematic; however, I think it would have been an easier read. An interesting part of this book is that Stephenie Meyer essentially attempts to re-write the book in a way that attempts to get rid of the critiques that she experienced with the first four books. In doing this, she recreates characters that aren't true to the source material which was WEIRD. For example, I thought Bella was a bland, boring, and insensitive character in Twilight. In Midnight Sun she becomes this well rounded, interesting, and compassionate character. I'm not sure if she was attempting to paint this picture that Edward was seeing Bella through rose-colored glasses, but it didn't make sense. There were also scenes in Twilight that were incorrectly translated over to Midnight Sun as if Meyer didn't even attempt to re-read her own work before writing Midnight Sun.
Now....what I can't seem to understand is how 10 years later Meyer still has the monopoly of writing problematic crap. I feel like she attempted to keep the Black family out of this book as much as possible because she received so much backlash for her portrayal of the Quileute tribe. She still couldn't get it right. There was a line in the beginning of the book in which Meyer allowed Edward to say that he had no problem SLAUGHTERING the entire Quileute tribe because he felt that Jacob broke their treaty. First, the imagery that this brings to mind is disgusting. Second, think about the fact that it is a White character saying this. I don't think that this was appropriate in any world to write that line. Then there is the issue with Edward acknowledging that he is no better than a peeping Tom and that he's a stalker, but continues to stalk her anyway. It's almost as if Meyer believed that if she acknowledged the behavior then she wouldn't have to fix it. There was also this weird alignment with God and Carlise. Don't get me wrong Carlise is hands down one of my favorite characters; however, I found it very awkward that she had Edward describe Carlise as this a Christ-like figure. It was clear that she still wanted to make sure that she wrote herself and her beliefs into the book. There is still a whole aspect of control on Edwards part and the inability of women to be able to define their own lives. I feel like Meyer intentionally wrote all of the other high school students as villains so that should justify the isolation that ends up occurring between Edward and Bella. I just didn't feel comfortable with a lot of the contents of the book.
There were a few things that I did like about the book including the scenes where we learned more about the Cullens and some of the back story about the final scene. Was it enough to save the book? No. Will I be reading anything else in the future? No. I appreciated having open and candid conversations about these books, but I think, for me, it's time to close the door on this series.
If you know me or if you've been following my journey in re-reading the Twilight series then you know that I have not been enjoying any of these books. It's been a rough journey, but has also given me better insight to understanding why and how this series is problematic. I won't lie; I was curious about how Meyer would frame this book in context of the original book. My curiosity wasn't enough to even begin to make me like this book.
Let's get the easy part of this out of the way. Midnight Sun is boring. I know everyone was/is super excited to see Twilight from Edwards perspective; however, there was no reason for this book to be over 600 pages. We literally revisit every scene word for word with Edwards insight tacked on. By the time I was 50% into the book it began to feel very long and drawn out. Her technical writing skills have improved; however, her ability to write a compelling plot has not changed. Would it have been a better book if it was shorter? For me, probably not because the content itself is still problematic; however, I think it would have been an easier read. An interesting part of this book is that Stephenie Meyer essentially attempts to re-write the book in a way that attempts to get rid of the critiques that she experienced with the first four books. In doing this, she recreates characters that aren't true to the source material which was WEIRD. For example, I thought Bella was a bland, boring, and insensitive character in Twilight. In Midnight Sun she becomes this well rounded, interesting, and compassionate character. I'm not sure if she was attempting to paint this picture that Edward was seeing Bella through rose-colored glasses, but it didn't make sense. There were also scenes in Twilight that were incorrectly translated over to Midnight Sun as if Meyer didn't even attempt to re-read her own work before writing Midnight Sun.
Now....what I can't seem to understand is how 10 years later Meyer still has the monopoly of writing problematic crap. I feel like she attempted to keep the Black family out of this book as much as possible because she received so much backlash for her portrayal of the Quileute tribe. She still couldn't get it right. There was a line in the beginning of the book in which Meyer allowed Edward to say that he had no problem SLAUGHTERING the entire Quileute tribe because he felt that Jacob broke their treaty. First, the imagery that this brings to mind is disgusting. Second, think about the fact that it is a White character saying this. I don't think that this was appropriate in any world to write that line. Then there is the issue with Edward acknowledging that he is no better than a peeping Tom and that he's a stalker, but continues to stalk her anyway. It's almost as if Meyer believed that if she acknowledged the behavior then she wouldn't have to fix it. There was also this weird alignment with God and Carlise. Don't get me wrong Carlise is hands down one of my favorite characters; however, I found it very awkward that she had Edward describe Carlise as this a Christ-like figure. It was clear that she still wanted to make sure that she wrote herself and her beliefs into the book. There is still a whole aspect of control on Edwards part and the inability of women to be able to define their own lives. I feel like Meyer intentionally wrote all of the other high school students as villains so that should justify the isolation that ends up occurring between Edward and Bella. I just didn't feel comfortable with a lot of the contents of the book.
There were a few things that I did like about the book including the scenes where we learned more about the Cullens and some of the back story about the final scene. Was it enough to save the book? No. Will I be reading anything else in the future? No. I appreciated having open and candid conversations about these books, but I think, for me, it's time to close the door on this series.
miamollekin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
irenevm's review against another edition
3.0
Reading this POV around ten years after the original book felt almost surreal. Yes, it is the same story with a few extra details, but it really made me go back to my teenage years and fill the gaps that Twilight had left.
Nevertheless, it is definitely not a book for everyone, not even for those who like fiction in general. I'd only recommend Midnight Sun if you read Twilight AND if you have some free time in your hands.
Nevertheless, it is definitely not a book for everyone, not even for those who like fiction in general. I'd only recommend Midnight Sun if you read Twilight AND if you have some free time in your hands.
thereadingmuffin's review against another edition
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thai was cool, it was nice reading from Edward's POV. It was pretty much a retelling of Twilight, nothing groundbreaking but still good for the fans. I'm acting all aloof but honestly I'll take any Twilight book! I miss the world so much, not quite Harry Potter level but still great and immersive. I wish I lived in Forks and met cool vampires!
sjnastri's review against another edition
4.0
honestly i had fun
its just a good time to see all of this from edwards perspective, and it makes watching/ reading Twilight SO MUCH MORE INTERESTING. like bella is the worst narrator and this book WILL enrich your twilight experience
worth it
its just a good time to see all of this from edwards perspective, and it makes watching/ reading Twilight SO MUCH MORE INTERESTING. like bella is the worst narrator and this book WILL enrich your twilight experience
worth it
zdriesen's review against another edition
2.0
I was never the target audience when the original saga released. I was still able to generally enjoy them. Forever team Jacob.
As the years have passed, I'm probably even more removed from the target audience. With that disclaimer in place, I really struggled to enjoy this book. Somehow, hearing everything from Edward's perspective made everything creepier.
Maybe it's my age, my alleged maturity, or some other factor, but the relationship felt creepy. I'll probably stay away from any future additions to the saga.
As the years have passed, I'm probably even more removed from the target audience. With that disclaimer in place, I really struggled to enjoy this book. Somehow, hearing everything from Edward's perspective made everything creepier.
Maybe it's my age, my alleged maturity, or some other factor, but the relationship felt creepy. I'll probably stay away from any future additions to the saga.
deestie's review against another edition
5.0
I waited for 12 years for this book and first I though Stephanie was just milking her idea for another dollar, but now I kind of want to read all of the b9d from Edward's perspective.
Now, do I want to delve into the entire Twilight world again? No seriously, I'm really asking.
Now, do I want to delve into the entire Twilight world again? No seriously, I'm really asking.
djmolls's review against another edition
2.0
It took me over a year to finish this book. Edward has tooooo many repetitive thoughts. It was hard to push through. There are fun tidbits that you don’t get in Twilight, but I was pretty over it from the beginning. 2/5
alyssereads's review against another edition
5.0
I was honestly surprised by how emotional this book made me. I read the original series back in high school and (of course) loved it. But the way Stephanie Meyer wrote this book in a completely different tone, cadence, and vocabulary blew me away.
I really enjoyed this much more than I thought I would and now I’m suddenly wishing all of the twilight books had a companion piece from another perspective. If you liked twilight 10 years ago but have since moved on, I recommend checking this out. It answers all the burning questions you had during that time and manages to be 10x as heart breaking as the original series.
I really enjoyed this much more than I thought I would and now I’m suddenly wishing all of the twilight books had a companion piece from another perspective. If you liked twilight 10 years ago but have since moved on, I recommend checking this out. It answers all the burning questions you had during that time and manages to be 10x as heart breaking as the original series.