Twilight Midnight Sun: 5 things to expect from the new, soon-to-be-out novel

12 years after Stephanie Meyer cancelled her new Twilight novel—then, a work in progress—owing to an online leak of the manuscript, the time was ripe to release it now as ‘Twihard’ fans all across the world continued to quarantine at home. In a video broadcast on Good Morning America, the author announced that Midnight Sun will be launched on August 4. The latest read of the popular young adult series is a retelling of the vampire story, but from a different perspective this time.

Despite making it to a few ‘greatest (guilty) pleasures’ lists, it certainly would have taken some skill to miss a phenomenon like this. The engrossing saga tapped into the concerns of teenage life, high-school romance, other-worldly creatures and friendship to offer to an audience of curious young adults.  

Continuing the legacy, the new launch will be “an epic novel about the profound pleasures and devastating consequences of immortal love”, according to publisher Little, Brown and Company. Scroll down for a detailed glance at everything we know so far, and all that you should be expecting already.

1. The book is a prequel to the existing Twilight series

Set before the first novel in the saga, which released in 2005, this book will reveal everything that led to the story we know so far. It chronicles the past of each character, specifically Edward Cullen's, and caters to unexplained elements in detail.

2. The story will be told through Edward's perspective

Sure, Edward loves Bella, but how did he let himself act on the emotion when he knew that it only poses a threat to her life? If there were questions that had arisen in your mind while watching the films or reading the novels, you're lucky to find some answers now, through Edward's point of view. The publisher quotes, “As we learn more fascinating details about Edward’s past and the complexity of his inner thoughts, we understand why this [his relationship with Bella] is the defining struggle of his life. How can he let himself fall in love with Bella when he knows that he is endangering her life?”

Furthermore, Meyer expresses a similar opinion, revealing that the character deserves to be the narrator indeed. “The more I wrote, the more I became convinced that Edward deserved to have his story told,” she wrote on her website. “At first I was planning to post it all here on my website, but I changed my mind for two reasons, the most important being that Edward’s version is much longer than Bella’s – Edward overthinks everything.”

3. There will be a dark twist

When you think about deep diving into the past years of a vampire's life, expecting a dark tell-tale of his memories and experiences is a given. Little, Brown has also confirmed the same, saying that “this unforgettable tale, as told through Edward’s eyes, takes on a new and decidedly dark twist." What grisly elements could have led to the details of the story? The audiences wait for all of it to unravel in the prequel book.

4. The plot will acknowledge the evolution of human-vampire relationships

“It helps a little if you think of them as people,” Alice tells Jasper in the excerpt released by Meyer on her website. Not just any human-vampire relationship, but the story will also feature why, in the first place, Edward thought about Bella, the new girl in the class; and for what particular reasons he was interested to know her opinion on the “chalky-skinned families that everyone avoided.”

More than a decade ago, when Meyer's work was illegally released online, she had decided to drop the title from the book series. In a statement, the author had written, “So where does this leave Midnight Sun? My first feeling was that there was no way to continue. Writing isn't like math; in math, two plus two always equals four no matter what your mood is like. With writing, the way you feel changes everything. If I tried to write Midnight Sun now, in my current frame of mind, James would probably win and all the Cullens would die, which wouldn't dovetail too well with the original story. In any case, I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on Midnight Sun, and so it is on hold indefinitely.” 

5. Midnight Sun will be out in summer 2020

After the leak, the author had made a short excerpt available on her website to read, but expressed that she “did not want the readers to experience Midnight Sun before it was completed, edited and published.”

Now, as Meyer believes that it “didn’t seem right to make you [the readers] wait any more,” the announcement has created a frenzy among the fans. “It’s a crazy time right now and I wasn’t sure if it was the right time to put this book out," she says. "But some of you have been waiting for just so so long." The book is slated for a summer release this year, but a date is yet to be confirmed.

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