Midnight Sun

Apparently this is the year of 5-stars books for me.

Also seems like the word count won't be enough for a bilingual review for this one either. We'll see

There's not much to say about the plot of Midnight Sun since is the same as Twilight. However, the twist here, is that the whole story is now told from Edward's point of view.

I'm not even going to try to do an objective review considering pros and cons, because I absolutely loved this book and I thought it was PERFECT. A true masterpiece. Though I'm going to try to walk you through the factors I usually consider to rate books, for this one in particular.

First, there's the engaging story. Many people with whom I've talked to about Midnight Sun don't get what can possibly be new and different between this book and the first one of the saga: A LOT, actually. Being inside Edward's mind gives the reader a brand new perspective on the story, the characters, even the background story, and brilliantly reflects the growth and experience as an author that Stephenie Meyer has acquired through these last fifteen years. I could clearly see the improvement because, to be honest, I was reading and comparing chapters between both books along the way. There are so many details that add to the narration that previously felt missing and so many more that I couldn't have ever imagined, but that complement and complete the tale so well, it made my heart dance with excitement.

“I was used to the way that scent made me feel - the dry ache in my throat, the hollow yearn in my stomach, the automatic tightening of my muscles, the excess flow of venom in my mouth. This was all quite normal, usually easy to ignore. It was harder just now, with the reactions stronger, doubled, as I monitored Jasper.”[...]“My eyes locked for half a second with a pair of large, chocolate-brown human eyes set in a pale, heart-shaped face. I knew the face, though I'd never seen it myself before this moment. It had been foremost in every human head today. The new student, Isabella Swan”

Stephenie rises the narrative to a whole new level, with her descriptions of Edward's thoughts, feelings and emotions being so on point and clear that you can now fully understand scenes entirely and make sense of all his and -almost- everyone's actions and reactions; one of the advantages of the fact that your main character can read minds, has excellent hearing, sight, and a sister who can see the future. All the information we get about what is like being a vampire and about the Cullens specifically, is priceless.

“I looked down at the girl again, bemused by the vast range of havoc and upheaval that, despite her ordinary, unthreatening appearance, she was wreaking on my life.”[...]“‘Did you get contacts?' she asked abruptly.What a strange question. ‘No.' I almost smiled at the idea of improving my eyesight.‘Oh,” she mumbled. ‘I thought there was something different about your eyes.'I felt suddenly colder again as I realized that I was not the only one attempting to ferret out secrets today.”Then there is this sea of emotions. I found myself giddy, jumping in excitement, squealing, crying and dazzled (wink wink) more often than not. Getting to see, literally, how and why -really- Edward gets interested in Bella and how his emotions start to become love feelings was a wonderful experience. I truly connected with him many times when he felt anxious, uncertain, hopeful, by being involuntarily thrown under circumstances that made him more human than he could have ever imagined he could be again. There's so much depth to his character and, actually, to all characters, that the reader can discover in this book since their own personal backgrounds, motivations and dreams are displayed in its pages for us to devour. It somehow, at times, becomes kind of an anthology given all the cleverly intertwined stories we can get know: what happened during that time Edward was a “vigilante”, Emmett's encounter with one of i suoi cantanti, Rosalie's integration to the Cullen family, and so on.“I wondered what she would do when she saw me? Blush and walk away? That was my first guess. But maybe she would stare back. Maybe she would come talk to me.I took a deep breath, filling my lungs hopefully, just in case.”[...]“She looked that way sometimes when I smiled at her. Was she... dazzled?I would have loved to believe that.”On an interview with the author in the Remember Twilight? podcast (if you're a fan, this is a must, go check it out), she said something that perfectly resumes what Midnight Sun is all about: “You get to see how, through loving her, he learns to love himself”.I also loved that Stephenie Meyer didn't shy away from addressing all the problematics that have been talked about this saga since its rise to popularity. She did a great job in linking in either explanations that let us see the whys of certain situations or -better yet, in my opinion- acknowledgements by the very characters about these problematics.“I just confessed to stalking her and she sits there smiling?”Needless to say I was head over heels for Edward all over again. Though, surprisingly, I did get to love the entire Cullen family as he portrays them throughout all the other books, from Twilight to Breaking Dawn , and I wasn't able to since now. Again, it really changes your perspective seeing everything through new eyes. I must say: Emmett is, indeed, a brother I would love to have.I think there may be so much more to say and discuss and analyze about this book, but there's nothing more on my mind now. I think I covered the essentials of why this is precious and I also don't wan't to spoil or give anything away, because it was an amazing experience that I would like everyone to enjoy when going into this book. (As a side note: I think, too, that this could be a great standalone for anyone who hasn't read any Twilight saga content and want to just dip their feet a bit).This one goes into my favorites' shelf forever.“She dreamed of me. I wanted to dream of her.”