Twilight/Midnight Sun (Stephenie Meyer) | Book Review #12 & 13

[ The Twilight Saga #1 & 1.5]

Okay, I finally decided to do it (15 years later)! For my last birthday, my best friend bought me the hardcover collection of The Twilight Saga. I decided right then that I had to read them. Additionally, I challenged myself and read Midnight Sun (Twilight from Edward’s point of view) simultaneously.

Originally, I started to read Twilight back in 2008, but I abandoned reading it to watch the movie instead. I wasn't aware at all of how different this book was compared to the movie. However, when Midnight Sun came out in 2020, I immediately saw myself reading this entire series.

Book: Twilight (The Twilight Saga #1) by Stephenie Meyer

24 chapters, 498 pgs.

Midnight Sun (The Twilight Saga #1.5) by Stephenie Meyer

29 chapters, 658 pgs.

Started: July 14, 2022

Finished: July 24, 2022

The Description

TWILIGHT

When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret.

What Bella doesn't realize is the closer she gets to him, the more she is putting herself and those around her at risk. And, it might be too late to turn back. . .

MIDNIGHT SUN

When Edward Cullen and Bella Swan met in Twilight, an iconic love story was born. But until now, fans have heard only Bella's side of the story. At last, readers can experience Edward's version in the long-awaited companion novel, Midnight Sun.

This unforgettable tale as told through Edward's eyes takes on a new and decidedly dark twist. Meeting Bella is both the most unnerving and intriguing event he has experienced in all his years as a vampire. As we learn more fascinating details about Edward's past and the complexity of his inner thoughts, we understand why this is the defining struggle of his life. How can he justify following his heart if it means leading Bella into danger?

The Review

I was instantly ashamed of myself for waiting so long to start this series. I was under the impression that I wasn’t missing much by watching the movies. Boy, I was incredibly wrong. Before I get deeper into this review, I’m confident that everyone has already read these books or seen the films… So, I won’t post a SPOILER warning.

From the beginning, I immediately noticed the changes they did for the movie, and it started to aggravate me. As I continued, I got less aggravated and just mentally blocked out the entire film series. Edward’s perspective brought forth a lot of understanding and emotion to his attitude toward Bella in Twilight.

As far as favorite characters go, I’d have to say mines are Esme and Alice (both more prominently featured in Midnight Sun). It was interesting to know what a key role Alice’s visions played in the story. Only after the climax of the plot did I truly find myself cursing Midnight Sun. Although, after 9 days of flipping back and forth from one book to the other, I was just ready for the whole process to be over, therefor I was screaming for Edward to quiet his thoughts and let the story end already.

The Narrators

The audiobook for Twilight was narrated by Ilyana Kadushin, while Midnight Sun was narrated by Jake Abel. Reading these books along with these narrators set two very different tones for these books. While I felt that Ilyana was just doing what she was hired to do—read Twilight—Jake Abel inserted all the emotion I needed to feel like I was right there in Stephenie Meyer’s fictional universe. Truly, it is what kept me latched into the story.

Incredulously Dazzled

As my review is reaching the end, I must mention two more points. For me, most of the time, it isn’t the words that the author uses that my brain particularly is amused by. However, two words throughout both Twilight and Midnight Sun stuck out for me; dazzle and incredulous.

In MS, during the chapter where Bella is having dinner with Edward at the Italian restaurant in Port Angeles, there is frequent use (mostly in Edward’s internal monologue) of the word dazzle. When Jake Abel (the narrator) said it, I kept smiling and blushing, and just got giddy when the word came up.

Incredulous. This word stood out among all else, and I believe it was because Stephenie Meyer didn’t have a wide range of vocabulary at the time of writing Twilight. Therefore, as she was writing Midnight Sun, in order to make it feel as though we’re right back in Bella’s original world, she went back to frequently using this word. It got old, hearing it over and over, real fast.

Final Thoughts

Well, it took me several years, but I can now say that I’ve read Twilight. Previous, the first book that I read was New Moon, but that was only because I HAD TO KNOW what happened after the final scene of the Twilight movie.

I will be continuing, reading the rest of the books in The Twilight Saga, finishing it off with Life and Death, the gender-swapped reimagining of Twilight. However, I don’t see myself feeling the same about the movies as I used to.

Rating and Recommendation

4 out of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading these books together. Where Bella sped through the plot of her side of the epic love story, Edward slowed down and allowed the readers to understand every piece of what he was feeling. The “human falls in love with a vampire” plots have been played out in several different series. It was nice to get a “vampire falls in love with human” story.

I recommend them both, especially Midnight Sun.