Scan barcode
A review by riddlersboyfriend
Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer
2.0
This is literally just Twilight with a few extra, ultimately unimportant steps. Because of this, I won't be talking much about the plot, and will instead be evaluating the characters Meyer presents us with.
First, I'd like to say that Meyer still doesn't know how to write. Not well, anyway. She still describes scenes that should be basic with unimaginably unnecessary detail, and still doesn't know the golden rule of storytelling- show, don't tell.
Here's a lovely little example of that: Edward describes Bella at one point in the story as "good... kind and self-effacing and unselfish and loving and brave". Ignoring the fact that he's pretty much just describing Carlisle (and I could write an essay on Edward's Madonna-Whore complex and his strange relationship with Carlisle, but this is not that post), the entire line seems like a retcon by Meyer to try and flesh Bella out more. And it's not even a good one. This is just cheap.
But this review, ultimately, isn't about Meyer's devastatingly bad attempt to rewrite her breakout novel for the 85th time. I'd actually like to address the rather disturbing revelations we receive about the personalities and moralities of the Cullen family, and present you with my hypothesis that none of the Cullens, with the lone exception of Carlisle, actually cares about humanity in the slightest. They are all following the animal blood diet for the wrong reasons.
Let's start with Rosalie. The Cullens have an argument about whether or not Bella should live or die now that she knows that, at the very least, Edward is not normal. Rosalie immediately and vehemently says Bella should die. The only reason she has for this is because she doesn't want the family's secret exposed, or to have to move elsewhere. She advocates for the murder of an innocent person because she wants to stay as normal as possible in Forks. She doesn't truly value human life- she just wants to be human so badly that she'll do the animal blood diet (because humans don't drink human blood, and animal blood is less monstrous) and stay in Forks, where she can almost forget her limitations and act human.
Now on to Edward. Edward only follows the animal blood diet to feed his superiority complex over vampires that drink human blood, and so he won't disappoint Carlisle. I mean, in the first chapter, he vividly describes the murder of his entire biology class (that he doesn't actually commit, but he comes very close to). If that doesn't scream humans are disposable, I don't know what does.
Alice is doing this because her visions told her she would. She seems to view Bella as less of a person and more of a Barbie she can dress up at her leisure, and she tells Jasper at the beginning of the book that viewing humans as people helps with thirst. What does this directly imply? That they do not see humans as viable people unless they put forth some crazy effort to. Also, in New Moon, she directly puts Bella's life in danger by taking her to Volterra. I don't care what the justification was, there was definitely another way.
Jasper is also doing the diet because Alice's visions said so. I don't think I really need to explain him to you, actually, it's pretty self-explanatory. He tries, but he's just not doing it. His gift of empathy is like a shock collar, and it's the only thing keeping him from eating people. He just doesn't want to be depressed again.
Esme does it because she wants to be with Carlisle, and because she wants to keep her family. In the same fight that I cited for Rosalie, she advocates for Bella's death if it means keeping Edward, her favorite son, with her. Esme is a strange character and I like the movie version of her better.
Emmett follows the diet because Rosalie's doing it. He tells Edward repeatedly to just eat Bella. Have some fun in your life, bro! That's some regard for human life you've got there, bud. By some, I mean none.
I could also talk about Bella's motivations for following the animal blood diet, but they are not explored in Midnight Sun, so it'd just be irrelevant. I am convinced that Carlisle is the only Cullen who spares human life because he genuinely wants to and believes that human life is precious. Not that there isn't a lot wrong with him, because there is, but at the very least he is the least mentally ill of the Cullens, with maybe the exception of Emmett who just doesn't give a shit at any time ever.
Anyway, Edward is somehow even worse in Midnight Sun than he was in any of the other Twilight books (with the possible exception of Eclipse). He's creepy, obsessive, pretty deluded, and morbidly depressed. This book does not make me like him, Bella, or anybody else besides Charlie and Emmett any more. It also doesn't convince me of the supposed great love story of Ed and Bella. It fails, as a literary piece, on pretty much every single front ever, except the ones I'm entirely sure Meyer did not intend to have involved at all. I'm only giving it two stars because Edward's inner monologue is sometimes unintentionally funny, and because it confirms that Bella gets her gift from Charlie. I love Charlie.
First, I'd like to say that Meyer still doesn't know how to write. Not well, anyway. She still describes scenes that should be basic with unimaginably unnecessary detail, and still doesn't know the golden rule of storytelling- show, don't tell.
Here's a lovely little example of that: Edward describes Bella at one point in the story as "good... kind and self-effacing and unselfish and loving and brave". Ignoring the fact that he's pretty much just describing Carlisle (and I could write an essay on Edward's Madonna-Whore complex and his strange relationship with Carlisle, but this is not that post), the entire line seems like a retcon by Meyer to try and flesh Bella out more. And it's not even a good one. This is just cheap.
But this review, ultimately, isn't about Meyer's devastatingly bad attempt to rewrite her breakout novel for the 85th time. I'd actually like to address the rather disturbing revelations we receive about the personalities and moralities of the Cullen family, and present you with my hypothesis that none of the Cullens, with the lone exception of Carlisle, actually cares about humanity in the slightest. They are all following the animal blood diet for the wrong reasons.
Let's start with Rosalie. The Cullens have an argument about whether or not Bella should live or die now that she knows that, at the very least, Edward is not normal. Rosalie immediately and vehemently says Bella should die. The only reason she has for this is because she doesn't want the family's secret exposed, or to have to move elsewhere. She advocates for the murder of an innocent person because she wants to stay as normal as possible in Forks. She doesn't truly value human life- she just wants to be human so badly that she'll do the animal blood diet (because humans don't drink human blood, and animal blood is less monstrous) and stay in Forks, where she can almost forget her limitations and act human.
Now on to Edward. Edward only follows the animal blood diet to feed his superiority complex over vampires that drink human blood, and so he won't disappoint Carlisle. I mean, in the first chapter, he vividly describes the murder of his entire biology class (that he doesn't actually commit, but he comes very close to). If that doesn't scream humans are disposable, I don't know what does.
Alice is doing this because her visions told her she would. She seems to view Bella as less of a person and more of a Barbie she can dress up at her leisure, and she tells Jasper at the beginning of the book that viewing humans as people helps with thirst. What does this directly imply? That they do not see humans as viable people unless they put forth some crazy effort to. Also, in New Moon, she directly puts Bella's life in danger by taking her to Volterra. I don't care what the justification was, there was definitely another way.
Jasper is also doing the diet because Alice's visions said so. I don't think I really need to explain him to you, actually, it's pretty self-explanatory. He tries, but he's just not doing it. His gift of empathy is like a shock collar, and it's the only thing keeping him from eating people. He just doesn't want to be depressed again.
Esme does it because she wants to be with Carlisle, and because she wants to keep her family. In the same fight that I cited for Rosalie, she advocates for Bella's death if it means keeping Edward, her favorite son, with her. Esme is a strange character and I like the movie version of her better.
Emmett follows the diet because Rosalie's doing it. He tells Edward repeatedly to just eat Bella. Have some fun in your life, bro! That's some regard for human life you've got there, bud. By some, I mean none.
I could also talk about Bella's motivations for following the animal blood diet, but they are not explored in Midnight Sun, so it'd just be irrelevant. I am convinced that Carlisle is the only Cullen who spares human life because he genuinely wants to and believes that human life is precious. Not that there isn't a lot wrong with him, because there is, but at the very least he is the least mentally ill of the Cullens, with maybe the exception of Emmett who just doesn't give a shit at any time ever.
Anyway, Edward is somehow even worse in Midnight Sun than he was in any of the other Twilight books (with the possible exception of Eclipse). He's creepy, obsessive, pretty deluded, and morbidly depressed. This book does not make me like him, Bella, or anybody else besides Charlie and Emmett any more. It also doesn't convince me of the supposed great love story of Ed and Bella. It fails, as a literary piece, on pretty much every single front ever, except the ones I'm entirely sure Meyer did not intend to have involved at all. I'm only giving it two stars because Edward's inner monologue is sometimes unintentionally funny, and because it confirms that Bella gets her gift from Charlie. I love Charlie.