If you loved Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” saga, you won’t want to miss her most recent publication: “Midnight Sun”. A retelling of the novel that started it all, “Midnight Sun” shows the reader the events of “Twilight” through Edward’s point of view, giving the reader brand new insight into details left unexplained from the first book.

“Midnight Sun” follows the story of Edward Cullen, a vampire tormented by his lack of humanity as he encounters his greatest challenge in the afterlife so far: falling in love with a human whose blood is the most irresistible he has ever encountered. Edward struggles to maintain his “vegetarianism,” an ironic name for the vampires who only drink the blood of animals, as he encounters a new girl at school, Bella Swan, who possesses blood more desirable than any he has ever smelled. Then, despite his hatred for what her blood does to him, he ends up falling for her. Edward begins a new, agonizing conflict within himself as he wrestles to decide if being with his soulmate is worth the danger he poses to her in his current form.

“Midnight Sun” is a must read for all “Twilight” fans: not only does it show what Edward was thinking all those times he felt unreadable to Bella, but it also provides explanations for the many confusing glances between Edward and his sister Alice, who can see the future and how it changes based on certain decisions, as well as shows what Edward was up to each time he took an extended leave from school.

In “Twilight”, it is revealed Edward can read minds, but prior to “Midnight Sun” the reader could never experience this. A huge component of “Midnight Sun” and Edward’s narration is how he reacts to the thoughts of those he hears around him. Additionally, with Edward being in control, the reader is given a lot more insight into his upbringing as a vampire, and how the Cullen family came to be. With that history, the novel also presents backstories and details on some of the vampires introduced in Breaking Dawn. Instead of basic descriptions of them and their abilities like in that novel, “Midnight Sun” has anecdotes from Edward and his encounters with those friends that provide a more rounded view of the characters. 

As an avid fan of the “Twilight” saga, I was incredibly excited for this novel. I would rate it a 4 out of 5 for great storytelling, vivid imagery and likable characters. It made me relive how much I had loved the series when I read it the first time. Downsides would be that it is the same plot as “Twilight”, so despite the newer aspects, the ending is already known. Additionally, it is not a novel I would recommend reading before the rest of the series; some details and components of the story rely on basic knowledge and remembrance of the original books.