Today, Stephenie Myer announced the August 2020 release of Midnight Sun, the much-anticipated book which will tell the original Twilight story, but from Edward's perspective.
When Twilight was published in 2005 the book was met with international success, skyrocketing Stephenie Myer into international fame.
However, the book was met with heavy criticism, from comments about the poor writing style, lack of plot, poor themes, and sexism.
In the late 2000s, when an early draft of Midnight Sun was leaked on to the internet it was criticized. Many fans thought that the book would never see the light of day. Nevertheless, here we are.
Here is what KNOW about Midnight Sun
A few details have been released by Myer and the published about the book, here is what we know:
it is the Twilight story, but told from Edward's perspective
it will tell Edward's side of the story
it will go into the details of Edward's past
we will learn more about the internal struggles of Edward, and why meeting Bella was the most "intriguing and unnerving" event he had ever experienced as a vampire.
Here is what we can EXPECT from Midnight Sun
1. More power to women
I predict that Stephenie Myer will have taken on board some of feedback from the first novel, particularly as it pertains to Bella's passivity as a female character, often being the object of Edward's affections and the typical "damsel in distress". Now, we will see Bella in a more active role.
By showing the story through Edward's eyes, the reader will be able to see Bella in a more active role. In Twilight, Bella is obsessed with Edward and how he makes her feel. Now, the situation will be reversed. We will see Bella's actions from Edward's perspective, and perhaps be privy to some of Bella's smaller actions (which were not mentioned in Twilight) which shaped Edward's responses.
2. Details, details, details
Fans of Myer often comment that they love the detail in her novels, particularly the emotional detail. Twilight focuses on Bella's sensory experiences and gives a deep insight into Bella's psyche. We will get ALL the details of Edward's sensory experience, which is guaranteed to be very rich considering how sharp and rich a vampire's senses are.
I think we will see more worldbuilding, especially as it pertains to the vampire world, not only in the present, but also in the past.
While we are guaranteed to get a massive insight into Edward's past, why he was made a vampire, his struggles, his family and backstory. I think we will also see a lot of the Cullen Clan's past, especially Carlisle Cullen, who made Edward into a vampire.
3. Not as much diversity/representation as you think
In Young Adult fiction, there is a big emphasis on creating a diverse cast, inclusive of all races, genders, sexuality, and more. Personally, I don't think a lot of diversity will be present in Midnight Sun, or if it is, it will be a really subtle element.
Not only is this due to the fact that a lot of the plot and characters already set in stone from the previous books; remember, Myer was, and still is, a devout Mormon. I don't think that any time soon there will be a Jesper/Wylan romance as there was in Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse.
4. Conservative views
As I mentioned above, Myer is a Mormon. It is well known that her beliefs have shaped her novels. There is no drinking, smoking, or explicit sex scenes in her books. Edward and Bella remain abstinent until marriage.
Religious themes (such as personal choice, (im)mortality, temptation, and eternal life) are key features of Myer's writing. We can expect to see more of these themes and beliefs.
5. Improved writing style
If you have kept up with Stephenie Myer, you will have seen much much she has grown and changed as an author since her Twilight days. In May 2008, Meyer's young-adult sci-fi novel The Host, was released. While The Host did not receive as much attention as Twilight (it was still made into a major feature film), it was still much better written than Twilight.
Given that 15 years has passed since Twilight was release, and 12 years since The Host was published, I think we will see a marked improvement in Myer's writing style.