Midnight Sun: The Controversial Twilight Prequel That Did Not Live Up to Expectations

Released on August 4, 2020, Midnight Sun served as a prequel to the beloved Twilight series, offering readers a unique perspective from Edward Cullen's point of view. Despite its star-studded billing, the reaction to this long-awaited addition to the vampire romance genre has been overwhelmingly negative. Readers and critics alike have expressed strong opinions about its value and quality.

The Received Wisdom and the Book's Title

Overview: Dennis Parish, one of the earliest contributors to the discussion, succinctly described Midnight Sun as the first Twilight book written from Edward's perspective. The intrigue built around this unique angle attracted many fans who were eager to delve into a new narrative. However, the expectations were not met, and the book received mixed reviews.

A review lamenting the book's quality kept the tone of disappointment and frustration: "Midnight Sun... just a suggestion…"

Reviews and Reader Reactions

The official release of Midnight Sun was met with a flurry of mixed reviews, with many expressing dissatisfaction and warning others away from it. One particularly harsh review titled "Lights Out on This Badly-Written Pile of Crap" declared the book to be one of the worst the reviewer had ever read. This review highlights several critical aspects of the book:

Slow Plot Development: The narrative is criticized for its protracted internal monologues and lack of external action. Lack of Engaging Characters: The writer's focus on excessive self-reflection is seen as detracting from the overall story's progression. Pacing Issues: At over 650 pages, the reviewer found it extremely difficult to finish the book, taking almost two months to read, with about 200 pages yet to go.

The reviewer strongly advises readers to skip this book, emphasizing that it does not live up to the high standards set by other books in the series.

Additional Context and Stephanie Meyer's Statement

Stephanie Meyer, the author of the original Twilight series, has stated that this was the end of the series. Despite the controversy, there are other books that fans may find interesting:

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: A novella written by Meyer that focuses on the character Bree Tanner, known from the Twilight film series. Life and Death: This is another short story by Meyer that provides additional depth to the darker themes of the series. Midnight Sun PDF Version: An incomplete draft of the Twilight book, written from Edward Cullen's point of view. This setting up the book as a potential companion piece to the final novel in Meyer's series.

Final Thoughts

While Midnight Sun failed to satisfy many fans of the Twilight series, it remains a topic of interest and debate. Whether readers will look to these alternative pieces of content for enjoyment or stick to the original titles is a choice that lies with them. For those who enjoyed the romantic and supernatural elements of the Twilight series, there are still plenty of other books to explore.