Edward Cullen sparkles in the sunlight, has a thing for blood and was a mega hit in the book “Twilight.” Now, the centenarian vampire with a 17-year-old’s good looks has returned to the page in “Midnight Sun.”  

In “Midnight Sun,” Edward the vampire meets a cute girl named Bella in biology class, and his reaction is to imagine draining her of all her blood. He barely makes it through class without an incident that would expose his family of peaceful vampires who normally stick to animal blood, yet things get even more dangerous when he admits to falling for Bella and wanting her to like him back despite the danger. 

Fans of “Twilight” will clamor for this 10-year anniversary novel.  This Edward-narrated version of the same story is filled with male brooding and more insight into Edward’s heart than ever before. This book has a breakneck pace and already familiar plot points, which means that instead of surprise twists it’s all about characterization.  

The author Stephenie Meyer doesn’t shy away from making Edward seem weird, which departs from Bella’s view of him. The story excellently showcases the pent-up emotions of teenagers. Bella definitely benefits from being seen without the curtain of self-deprecation from the original book as Edward analyzes her every action for clues to her personality and finds a normal girl who is kind.         

The deeper, richer characterization of the two main leads comes at the expense of the secondary cast that consists of dimwitted jocks and jealous mean girls. Much can be said about Meyer’s writing style, but the story is an easy read. The storyline is truly creative, but the same can’t be said for the text length which is too long at 607 pages with a lot of flowery words.  

In the end, “Midnight Sun” is exactly what the “Twilight” fans wanted. It leads readers further into this mystical world that Stephenie Meyer brought to life and casts a spell of nostalgia over our hearts.