Rapid Review of Midnight Sun

No spoilers in this rapid review of Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer.

I admit it. I read the Midnight Sun Partial Draft back in 2008 when Ms. Meyer released it after an unfortunate (or should I say, fortunate) leak of those sparkly words. I devoured it in one sitting and then was terribly sad when it simply ended midway through.

I, like many former twi-hards (though I would have vehemently denied this description back then), have waited over ten years for the complete manuscript. Ten years. So why do I feel a bit let down?

Honestly, I think it’s because I’m ten years older. I’m also wiser, and I finally saw Edward Cullen for what he was: a gorgeous, smart, strong, fast, mind-reading, blood-drinking, broody…STALKER.

I won’t tell you what happened. You know what happened. It’s Twilight from Edward’s point of view, after all. But, if we thought Bella Swan was full of teenage angst and uncertainty, Edward Cullen was ten times worse. For 750 pages! Remember when Bella said (in the movie), “your mood swings are giving me whiplash.” No truer words were spoken. In Midnight Sun, Edward’s thoughts alternated back and forth, from, “oh, she finally hates me, as she should,” to “oh, wait, no she doesn’t,” to “yes, she does,” “no, she doesn’t.” And so on. (For 750 pages!) Not to mention all the times Edward crept into Bella’s room at night to watch her sleep. Somehow it seemed more creepy to experience it from his point of view.

Don’t get me wrong, there were things I liked about Midnight Sun, and because of my residual swoony feelings from the first go-around, I indulgently rolled my eyes and kept reading. I didn’t hate it. But I didn’t love it either.

I’m sure it’s challenging to publish something new in a world with an established following. Of course, it could never fully meet all of our hyped expectations. I’m glad Stephenie Meyer finally finished and published Midnight Sun. If not, I would still be waiting. There’s something to be said for closure. I can finally close the door on Forks.

Let us know what you think about Midnight Sun in the comments!

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