Rating: 3.8 / 5.0
Brief Overview
Being a fan of the Twilight Saga during my teenage years, I jumped at the chance to get my copy of Midnight Sun.
The iconic "Twilight" is written from the perspective of a human girl (Bella Swan) who falls in love with a vampire (Edward Cullen). This outlook is maintained throughout the entire Twilight Series. Midnight Sun however finally provides readers with a different vantage point as narrated from Edward's slant. Stephenie Meyer's writing style remains unchanged.
Quick side note: I hold Meyer's book dedication in high regard - it is the perfect welcome back after the 15 year gap since Twilight was first published. The same regard can be said for her acknowledgements.
Review
The plot remains unchanged as the entire book focuses solely on the events that took place within the first book itself (Twilight). The storyline has also been written in the exact same chronological order as Twilight, hence, there is barely any room for surprises. Numerous dialogues between Bella and Edward overlap which was a little disappointing. On the upside, Meyer provides the reader with privilege into the thoughts of other characters like Charlie, Bella’s friends, the vampires and even the wolves. Meyer uses Edwards’ special telepathic skills to picturesquely pen this.
I discovered a great deal about Edward in this book. The Edward I had read about in Twilight was a completely different character in Midnight Sun. Bella portrayed Edward as a confident, astute, selfless and controlled individual. Instead, Midnight Sun exposes him as being emotional, vacillating, egoistic and at times even extreme.
Through Midnight Sun, I am finally able to grasp Edward's continuous need to warn Bella to stay away from him. Slight spoiler; if I had known the first time around (from Twilight) about the desideratum faced by Edward to kill Bella for her blood, I doubt I would have been a fan to begin with. Edward’s persona also exhibited stalkerish and pathological behaviour. There were times when Edward's cogitations gravitated into rambling, making the pace of the book move too slow and at times even laborious to read.
To me, the highlight of the book was gaining a deeper insight into the Cullen Family. It was the perfect opportunity for Meyer to open up their backstory and reveal their special abilities to captivate the reader and she did just that. Meyer showed us why Carlisle is deemed perspicacious while Esme carries herself with benevolence and compassion. Alice and especially Jasper, held the most intriguing characters. I will leave that for you to find out for yourself. Also, for the first time, I am able to comprehend and side with Rosalie whenever she displays her exasperation with Bella.
The saddest part for me is that I can finally say goodbye to the Twilight Saga. Understanding Edward's viewpoint on all that had transpired in the past and the events that would unfold in the future, I do believe Bella should have stayed away. There are just some things one cannot unread and Midnight Sun has somewhat cast a shade on an otherwise quintessential love story between a vampire and a human.
On a side note, I would definitely be interested in reading a book on any one of the other Cullen members.
Brief Overview
Being a fan of the Twilight Saga during my teenage years, I jumped at the chance to get my copy of Midnight Sun.
The iconic "Twilight" is written from the perspective of a human girl (Bella Swan) who falls in love with a vampire (Edward Cullen). This outlook is maintained throughout the entire Twilight Series. Midnight Sun however finally provides readers with a different vantage point as narrated from Edward's slant. Stephenie Meyer's writing style remains unchanged.
Quick side note: I hold Meyer's book dedication in high regard - it is the perfect welcome back after the 15 year gap since Twilight was first published. The same regard can be said for her acknowledgements.
Review
The plot remains unchanged as the entire book focuses solely on the events that took place within the first book itself (Twilight). The storyline has also been written in the exact same chronological order as Twilight, hence, there is barely any room for surprises. Numerous dialogues between Bella and Edward overlap which was a little disappointing. On the upside, Meyer provides the reader with privilege into the thoughts of other characters like Charlie, Bella’s friends, the vampires and even the wolves. Meyer uses Edwards’ special telepathic skills to picturesquely pen this.
I discovered a great deal about Edward in this book. The Edward I had read about in Twilight was a completely different character in Midnight Sun. Bella portrayed Edward as a confident, astute, selfless and controlled individual. Instead, Midnight Sun exposes him as being emotional, vacillating, egoistic and at times even extreme.
Through Midnight Sun, I am finally able to grasp Edward's continuous need to warn Bella to stay away from him. Slight spoiler; if I had known the first time around (from Twilight) about the desideratum faced by Edward to kill Bella for her blood, I doubt I would have been a fan to begin with. Edward’s persona also exhibited stalkerish and pathological behaviour. There were times when Edward's cogitations gravitated into rambling, making the pace of the book move too slow and at times even laborious to read.
To me, the highlight of the book was gaining a deeper insight into the Cullen Family. It was the perfect opportunity for Meyer to open up their backstory and reveal their special abilities to captivate the reader and she did just that. Meyer showed us why Carlisle is deemed perspicacious while Esme carries herself with benevolence and compassion. Alice and especially Jasper, held the most intriguing characters. I will leave that for you to find out for yourself. Also, for the first time, I am able to comprehend and side with Rosalie whenever she displays her exasperation with Bella.
The saddest part for me is that I can finally say goodbye to the Twilight Saga. Understanding Edward's viewpoint on all that had transpired in the past and the events that would unfold in the future, I do believe Bella should have stayed away. There are just some things one cannot unread and Midnight Sun has somewhat cast a shade on an otherwise quintessential love story between a vampire and a human.
On a side note, I would definitely be interested in reading a book on any one of the other Cullen members.
Comments
Post a Comment