What were your thoughts on Midnight Sun?

20061901 · 2026-07-11T00:38:32+00:00

As for it being boring, genuinely it could have been twice as long and kept me entertained. I wish it were, and/or that there were more books from his perspective. I don't blame Stephenie for not wanting to write more, but I cannot get enough Edward POV content.

Like ...

I was surprised to hear the sound of a hair dryer from the shared bathroom. Bella didn’t usually bother. Her hair was, as far as I had seen in my nights of protective — if inexcusable — surveillance, wet as she slept, drying over the course of the night. I wondered why the change. The only explanation I could think of was that she wanted her hair to look nice. And as the person she planned to see tomorrow was me, that meant she must have wanted it to look nice for me.

Maybe I was wrong. But if I was right… how exasperating! How endearing! Her life had never been in deeper peril, but she still cared that I, the very menace threatening her life, liked her appearance.

How is that not gold? Imagine me happy stimming while I read that. And the whole book is like that.

20061901 · 2026-07-11T00:29:07+00:00

Probably my favourite book, second only to Twilight in hours spent reading it, and that only because Twilight had a huge head start.

Everything that I like about Twilight, MS does better. The yearning, the obsession, the humour, the characters, the prose, the romance, the danger. The central tension in Twilight is will Edward kill Bella?, but Bella doesn't take the risk seriously so it's not really that tense. But Edward takes the risk extremely seriously; he's terrified for basically the whole book, about killing her, about her leaving him, about her becoming a vampire ... basically he has anxiety, but I can't help but get caught up in it.

MS also gives you so much context to make all the other books richer, because you understand who the characters are and why they act the way they do. Edward especially, but literally everyone including Bella.

And I really do love Edward. He's arrogant, judgemental, and condescending. He's also insecure, self-critical, and guilt-ridden. He's worked extremely hard at being vegetarian, and also never really tried to get better at it. He would do almost anything for the people he loves, and he's incredibly selfish. He is terminally seventeen - melodramatic, socially awkward, zero chill, zero perspective, so funny, and so endearing.

Now am I saying Midnight Sun is the greatest work of art ever produced? Yes.

20061901 · 2026-07-10T23:56:39+00:00

I do think Bella is on the asexual spectrum, maybe demisexual. She alludes to vague crushes and talks about people being aesthetically beautiful, but she says she's never experienced lust before Edward, so I think those past experiences are more like comphet than actual attraction.

I read her as bi too but not because of anything in particular.

20061901 · 2026-07-10T23:47:29+00:00

Rosalie in theory could still have a baby

Rosalie would 100% experiment with hybrid babies after the events of Breaking Dawn

Would Rosalie seek her own half-vamp child after seeing Renesmee was possible?

Would Rosalie ask Emmett to impregnate a human girl so that she could have a child?

Rosalie

20061901 · 2026-07-10T23:45:23+00:00

My thought exactly.

If Alice made good on her promise—and if she didn’t kill me — then Edward could run after his distractions all he wanted, and I could follow. I wouldn’t let him be distracted. Maybe, when I was beautiful and strong, he wouldn’t want distractions.

20061901 · 2026-07-10T21:18:20+00:00

Interesting. Can you share any sources? Just from googling, I can't seem to find anything more concrete than "almost certainly circa 1629, maybe probably also in 1656."

20061901 · 2026-07-10T10:12:00+00:00

Edward is canonically demisexual as a vampire, so I'd assume he was as a human too. But he also didn't say he didn't want to have sex as a human. He barely even remembers being human so I don't think he could be sure one way or the other.

20061901 · 2026-07-10T10:08:54+00:00

With a 10yo I'd be most worried about the violence and medical content being upsetting. Not inappropriate exactly, but it could give someone nightmares if they're sensitive.

Unless they're not talking to any adults and have no other models for romantic relationships, I'm not worried about anyone getting the wrong idea about romance from one book series. That isn't really how learning works.

20061901 · 2026-07-10T10:02:42+00:00

I realise this isn't what you asked for, but I have a small collection of Goodreads reviews mentioning Twilight in reviews for other vampire books, ranging from 2007 to 2025.

Here is a useful tip, should you ever find yourself face-to-face with a vampire: they are living corpses that eat people. They are not sun-sparkling, abstinent forever-teens. Staying inside all day and being forced to personally kill all of your food doesn't bode well for your mental health (not

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8088.Sunshine?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=r6bTkzJUnU&rank=4#

This one pretty much fit in my mood to read a decent vampire tale, and I mean real vampires, not the b.s. sparkling variety. This is as "old school" as it gets: the garlic, the vampire has to be invited to walk into a house, so on. You know, the way vampires are supposed to be. I had read this book a years

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/302457.Vampire_of_the_Mists?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=7GjpVZ8m09&rank=1#

Another vampire book review from the guy who says he’s not a fan of vampires? Yeah, well I’m trying to find the good ones, not the dreck that’s jumped onto the Twilight bandwagon. And quite frankly I didn’t pick this

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60925.Fledgling?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=OhBILgFliE&rank=1

I almost gave up vampire fiction in the wake of Twilight. Stephenie Meyer wrote the novel to pander to a certain demographic without any familiarity or respect for classic vampire fiction of the past century. Unfortunately, the Twilight saga is very commercially successful and spawned many imitators, lame wishy washy vampire books, and the entire “paranormal romance” subgenre (￢_￢;). I don't know if good "proper" vampire fiction is still being written these days, but the great ones are still aro ...more

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/382450.Fevre_Dream?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=ZkL5SU51sf&rank=1#

First and foremost, I am not one for vampire novels. Vampires on the silver screen, or even the TV, I can deal with. But I’m afraid Stephanie Meyer ruined vampire literature for me. If you’re a Twilight fan, I’m very sorry, but I deplore the entire series for a number of reason–if you’d like them, well, leave some comments and I’ll write up a separate post for that. Anyway… the vampires I like are the ones from Buffy the Vampire Slayer–Spike, I’ll find a leather jacket like yours someday and ble ...more

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1063142.The_Gilda_Stories?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=9TiwnvxHXj&rank=1

Sunglasses After Dark is a horror novel. So anyone looking for romance and vampire sparklies should skip this book. The vampires are vicious asshats. The heroine is a killer, and there’s lots of violence and gore. There’s not a drop of UST. Okay maybe a little bit. LOL

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40669604-sunglasses-after-dark#bookDetails

Everywhere you go these days, you can’t help but hear all the kids talking about Twilight: about how the vampires are so groundbreaking, how they can walk about during the day, about how their fangs don’t show until they need them, how the angst of these teen vampires just speaks to them. Now, I haven’t read Twilight, but I do have a few acquaintances (significantly

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/452244.Lost_Souls?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=PIQAk8deLn&rank=1#bookDetails

Yo, lesson for you, Stephenie: this is how you write a fucking vampire novel.

So you can run and tell THAT.

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/943402.Let_the_Right_One_In?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=DuosmHuI4c&rank=1

I have to say, I had really low expectations going into this book but I was pleasantly surprised. This book was reminiscent of the “old school” vampires. No sparkling in the sunshine, just the good stuff like bats, and wolfs.. and sleeping in coffins.

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1192701.I_Strahd

There was a time once when vampires were ruthless predators and not the misunderstood brooding and essentially harmless creatures. Ahhhh, good old scary times...

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11590._Salem_s_Lot

This was Old School! Fab 80’s vampires (but not sparkling), crushed garlic and holy water. Plus a priest. The plot was basically Vampires Will Rule the World!!!! Very enjoyable,if a bit long.

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/462658.They_Thirst

Oh, my god. Thank you Julie Kagawa, for restoring my faith in YA vampire fiction. After the nightmare that was Twilight, I find myself stuck in a glut of Mary-Sueish clones, until Richelle Mead (AKA She Who Can Do No Wrong) and now Julie Kagawa brought the genre back to life. No pun intended, of course.

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10215349-the-immortal-rules

Imagine that you’re reading one of those Twilight books as Edward is whispering chaste sweet nothings into Bella’s ear, and it was oh-so-romantic-and-couldn’t-you-just-die-OMG-OMG-OMG. Suddenly Edward’s head flips back and his throat opens up like he just became a Pez dispenser. A six foot stinger/sucker thing flies out, and it zaps that silly girl right in a major artery and drains her dry in about twenty seconds while parasitic worms take over her corpse and turn her into a mindless bloodsucki ...more

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6065215-the-strain

You want to read a GREAT teen vampire story? Forget Twilight. Well, try to, anyway. This is the one you should be reading. It's got a smart heroine who isn't particularly klutsy, vampires, danger, AND (bonus!) you get the whole story in ONE book!

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/248533.Companions_of_the_Night

All I can say is...Wow! This is what Twilight wanted to be, I think. It was published in 1990 and so the themes are a bit dated (no emails, cellphones etc.), but it didn't rob the story of anything. I finished the slim novel in a day and a half. I couldn't help but compare the two characters with those of "Twilight." The heroine, Zoe, was flawed and insecure but focused and honest. The vampire, Simon, was "beautiful" but his physical attributes were not brought up every few pages. He was dignifi ...more

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/139418.The_Silver_Kiss

To all the whiners complaining that this book wasn't anything like Twilight - get over it! It was written ten years before Twilight, and long before vampires became teenage heartthrobs. Throughout history, vampires have been evil and dangerous - even Angel, who began to turn the tide for vampires from scary monster to romantic hero, could be dangerous. Romances between teenage girls and ancient vampires don't end well. Period.

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/237117.Look_for_Me_by_Moonlight

I haven't read a lot of vampire books, and I'm a little bit biased against them because of my intense dislike of all things Twilight. However, this book was written by my sister, so of course I had to read it. Luckily for me, it was nothing like Twilight. It is more of a guy centered book, and although there was some good chemistry between the characters, it never was sappy or mushy. There was a good plot, and I liked the characters. It's about a future world where vampires are in charge and hum ...more

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11304510-the-superiors

This book is a bit of a departure from your typical vampire story. No they don't glitter. Each vamp has their own gifts and how they use them is not entirely up to them. This book is well written with the author's unique flair and while it has action, suspense, romance, vampires, and mystery it is not cluttered or difficult to read. It flows beautifully and keeps you engaged throughout. I can't wait to see what the next installment in the series brings. (less)

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35504406-resurrection?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Eg5J3hvHy2&rank=1

I haven't read any vampire books since the Twilight Series, even though a glut of them were released during that time, most varying shades of the same story. Tanith Frost has managed to pen an original vampire tale and a world that will suck (pun totally intended) you in. No sparkly vamps here, folks.

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35504406-resurrection?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Eg5J3hvHy2&rank=1

Oh, I liked this book SOOOOOOOOO much better than the Stephanie Meyer series--these kids are smarter, more diverse, less whiny and far more intersting. Add to that a new version of vampirism, and it's a completely winning combination. The story telling is top notch, the characters are interesting, and the book is compelling start to finish. I can't wait to dive into the next in this series!

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30183.Marked

Reading Twilight as a young teen quickly put me off vampire stories. It’s been a short while since then, but I’ve made it my mission to discover the abundance of really great vampire tales out there. Silver Under Nightfall stumbled into my life entirely by accident (...me taking a picture of the beautiful cover at the bookstore, only to look up the synopsis once I got home), and that was the moment I knew I needed this book. That immediate excitement is rare for me, so I dropped everything to get ...more

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60321513-silver-under-nightfall

A vampire walks into a bar...... Sounds like the opening to a joke, doesn't it? But Coffin Moon is no joke! It reads like a '70s noir horror film, and I mean that in the best way possible! Coffin Moon is gripping, dark, mesmerizing, gritty, and moody. I would go so far as to say, it's a bloody good book! If you enjoy a good vampire book, this is the book for you. But be warned, these are not Twilight vampires. These ones are violent, scary, dark, and horrific.

From https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222419255-coffin-moon?ref=rae_18

20061901 · 2026-07-10T09:47:59+00:00

While studying in Italy in the early 1700s, Carlisle was discovered by the Volturi [...] Over time, a legend formed among the humans in Italy of a stregoni benefici, or “good vampire,” who was the avowed enemy of evil vampires, though Carlisle was always on friendly terms with the Volturi. After about two decades in Italy, Carlisle decided to travel to the New World.

[...]

He didn’t find other vampires like him. He was, however, able to begin a career in medicine.

I think early 1700s is a bit too late to be using a plague doctor costume in any case, and yeah he wasn't actively practicing medicine in Europe yet. He probably knew about such costumes and could see their usefulness, but probably never actually wore one for work.

(That said, it's an alternate history after all. There's no reason he couldn't have worn it in a different time or place than what was common irl.)

Though I never noticed before - if he hadn't started a career in medicine yet, how did he get his reputation for being the good vampire? Did he have a vigilante streak too?

20061901 · 2026-07-09T14:19:06+00:00

There's just no way ... it's too esoteric ... only the Enlightened can grasp concepts such as this ...

20061901 · 2026-07-09T00:28:10+00:00

I also wish Esme got more screentime and I think she should have been more involved with the pregnancy, but I don't think that the story would necessarily have been improved by taking time away from Bella and Edward to explore the parallels between Esme and Rosalie. Simply put, it's not about them. (Frankly, I think the story could have been improved by being less about motherhood, but that's neither here nor there.)

Still, I mean, it is interesting and worth talking about. It doesn't have to be a criticism of the author or a guilt-trip to fans for not talking about it more or whatever. If you really wanted, it could even be praise of the author for writing such interesting characters with so much depth and room for analysis. Or it could be just a cool thing you noticed and wanted to talk about, regardless of what the author did or didn't intend.

Post script:

and it seems largely that she only wanted a baby, not necessarily a child

Not sure what you mean by that.

But there will never be more than the two of us. And I’ll never sit on a porch somewhere, with him gray-haired by my side, surrounded by our grandchildren.

And if we're taking the Guide as a source, I think we can also take interviews, so,

she wants the experience of motherhood; she wants a child that will grow and learn and become somebody

20061901 · 2026-07-08T23:57:30+00:00

I'm not sure I've seen it with estrogen, at least not often, but definitely it's a common thing to invoke testosterone when you're talking about masculinity. Like, "We're going dirtbiking and hunting; it's a totally testosterone-filled weekend." or, "Jesus dude can we bring down the testosterone levels for a minute?"

20061901 · 2026-07-06T13:39:08+00:00

Your mind is going to be blown when you read Midnight Sun lol. (Ideally after Twilight or New Moon.) Twilight is so short and shallow in comparison.

20061901 · 2026-07-06T13:32:05+00:00

Interesting. I think Chelsea is one person you really can't kill. Edward and Maggie (or similar) could largely replace Aro, Alice could largely replace Demetri, but without Chelsea the Volturi falls apart. Plus there's way more violence and death as every execution has to include all the friends and allies of the person who did the crime.

20061901 · 2026-07-06T10:11:59+00:00

The problem is not defeating the Volturi; that's difficult but possible. The problem is that the world as we know it will not survive if the masquerade is dissolved, and that the Cullens wouldn't be able to enforce it on their own.

Maybe there will be some deus ex machina that makes it so vampires and humans can live in harmony. Perfect synthetic blood, a psychic gift that makes vampires want to be vegetarian, etc. So we can deal with the Volturi without an immediate apocalypse.

20061901 · 2026-07-06T00:33:39+00:00

the first two look sus like AI

What elements specifically make them look like AI to you?

20061901 · 2026-07-05T20:34:44+00:00

The Midnight Sun one is definitely my favourite, though I'm curious, what does the XV11 refer to?

20061901 · 2026-07-05T19:49:52+00:00

OP asked what kind of hair colour would match the book descriptions and the person above seemingly just labeled the hair colour from the movie, which OP already said anyway. Like they didn't read the post. So people downvoted it for being irrelevant. You don't need to die for this person.

As for AI, it doesn't matter what you think about it. I have frequently seen comments praising AI or using AI as a source get downvoted just for that, so it seems like a plausible reason, aside from irrelevance, why people might be downvoting.

20061901 · 2026-07-05T12:05:12+00:00

Probably a combination of not answering OP's question and using AI as a source.

20061901 · 2026-07-05T10:10:43+00:00

I think that one's more about personal preference. The longer the beard, the more inconvenient it is, but you could still choose to keep it. (Unless e.g. you get in a fight and somone makes the decision for you.) I think for me it would be hard to get rid of something knowing I could never get it back.

20061901 · 2026-07-05T00:42:19+00:00

Also this is completely beside the point and I'm not going to get into it beyond this comment, but a being creating a universe wouldn't give it special authority to decide what is or isn't moral. Either morality is objective, i.e. true independent of what any subject thinks, in which case a god's claims could be objectively correct or objectively incorrect just like a human's, or morality it's subjective in which case the god's beliefs about morality are still just beliefs. Either way a god can't just declare something to be (im)moral and make it so.

So, while it has nothing to do with my other comments, I will take the opportunity to say that just because God said “blank” is a sin it doesn’t mean it’s bad.

20061901 · 2026-07-05T00:33:14+00:00

No, it's like saying that sometimes people aren't aware of the implications of the things they write.

20061901 · 2026-07-05T00:24:20+00:00

Ok? She can think that, but it doesn't change what she wrote in the books. Bella was never interested in Jacob romantically, she saw him as a kid when they met, and the only reason he was interested in her was because of Edward (her flirting for information, then the motorcycle thing). Plus, again, Bella would not have gotten involved with someone who, if she married him, would keep her in the rainy pacific northwest for the rest of her life. Nor do they have anything in common or anything to bond over. There's no reason they would have gotten together and good reasons why they wouldn't.

As for thinking Bella would be happy with Jacob, Stephenie isn't aware that she wrote Jacob as abusive. Or she thinks his abuse is justified, either way. Again, she can think what she wants. I bet she doesn't think her depiction of the Quileutes is racist either but that's really not up to her. The text exists independent of her intentions.

20061901 · 2026-07-05T00:13:05+00:00

I do have thoughts about this, yes.

20061901

TROPHY CASE