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jzkelley 's review for:
Midnight Sun
by Stephenie Meyer
Meyer said all the prewritten dialogue was like “the bars of a prison,” which I like both because it’s the kind of melodramatic thing her characters would say and because it’s a pretty good explanation of why this book was so much less compelling than Twilight.
Actually, the opening was pretty good. I rented the audiobook from the library, and I think that was the best choice. It opens with broody piano music that made me feel all nostalgic and excited, and the narrator does a great job of growling Edward’s lines with genuine conviction.
Plus, this really isn’t a book that requires attention to every word. It’s better if you can tune out some of the longer, less eventful passages.
Bella’s characterization feels more thoughtful here. She’s genuinely kind to the people around her, stands up for her peers when they’re bullied, and faces her fears with tenacity rather than just sort of being swept along like a dead leaf. And from Edward’s perspective, Bella’s relationship with her selfish, unreliable mother feels both more realistic and more relevant. Bella is who she is because of the ways in which love, neglect, resentment, adventure, and obligation shaped her childhood.
I don’t think any of this would have “sold” me on the Edward/Bella romance - no matter how exceptional the teenager, it’s still weird that a hundred-year-old man is in love with her - but, like, this is what I signed up for when I picked up the 5th(? 7th?) Twilight book. I knew what I was getting into.
I liked some of the retroactive foreshadowing, especially when Edward heard Jacob’s thoughts. It makes the series feel more cohesive than it did when I read the original four booms as a teenager. On the other hand, Alice having “predicted” how technology would develop in the next ten years just felt corny and unnecessary.
I also liked seeing more of Meyer’s attempts to justify Edward’s threatening, controlling behavior toward Bella. Life and Death was supposed to do that, but I think it actually ended up highlighting the ways in which Edward’s actions towards gender are rooted in his gender as well as his species. Midnight Sun is a more effective apologetic, because Edward gets to defend (or, more often, excoriate) himself directly.
Except for that scene where Charlie. Like, I got that this was supposed to make me feel better about Edward’s inexcusable behavior, but what the fuck.
Midnight Sun starts to drag at about the point where the actual threat is introduced. The pining is over, and the focus switches to planning, fleeing, and fighting. Only everyone already knows what’s going to happen—me, Meyer, and even Edward to a significant extent—so it’s like watching the same movie from a different angle rather than reading a different book.
Edward’s book is a nice bit of nostalgia for people who loved Twilight in its heyday, but I won’t be recommending it to anyone in particular. If you aren’t drawn to it on your own, it isn’t for you.
Actually, the opening was pretty good. I rented the audiobook from the library, and I think that was the best choice. It opens with broody piano music that made me feel all nostalgic and excited, and the narrator does a great job of growling Edward’s lines with genuine conviction.
Plus, this really isn’t a book that requires attention to every word. It’s better if you can tune out some of the longer, less eventful passages.
Bella’s characterization feels more thoughtful here. She’s genuinely kind to the people around her, stands up for her peers when they’re bullied, and faces her fears with tenacity rather than just sort of being swept along like a dead leaf. And from Edward’s perspective, Bella’s relationship with her selfish, unreliable mother feels both more realistic and more relevant. Bella is who she is because of the ways in which love, neglect, resentment, adventure, and obligation shaped her childhood.
I don’t think any of this would have “sold” me on the Edward/Bella romance - no matter how exceptional the teenager, it’s still weird that a hundred-year-old man is in love with her - but, like, this is what I signed up for when I picked up the 5th(? 7th?) Twilight book. I knew what I was getting into.
I liked some of the retroactive foreshadowing, especially when Edward heard Jacob’s thoughts. It makes the series feel more cohesive than it did when I read the original four booms as a teenager. On the other hand, Alice having “predicted” how technology would develop in the next ten years just felt corny and unnecessary.
I also liked seeing more of Meyer’s attempts to justify Edward’s threatening, controlling behavior toward Bella. Life and Death was supposed to do that, but I think it actually ended up highlighting the ways in which Edward’s actions towards gender are rooted in his gender as well as his species. Midnight Sun is a more effective apologetic, because Edward gets to defend (or, more often, excoriate) himself directly.
Except for that scene where Charlie
Spoiler
disables Bella’s truck to keep her from sneaking out, which was clearly meant to say SOMETHING about Edward doing the same later, but Meyer only knows whatMidnight Sun starts to drag at about the point where the actual threat is introduced. The pining is over, and the focus switches to planning, fleeing, and fighting. Only everyone already knows what’s going to happen—me, Meyer, and even Edward to a significant extent—so it’s like watching the same movie from a different angle rather than reading a different book.
Edward’s book is a nice bit of nostalgia for people who loved Twilight in its heyday, but I won’t be recommending it to anyone in particular. If you aren’t drawn to it on your own, it isn’t for you.