After 12 Years, Stephenie Meyer Is Finally Releasing Twilight Prequel Midnight Sun
It seems 2020 has brought us exactly the chaotic energy a Twilight reboot needed.
![stephenie meyer celebrates tenth anniversary of "twilight" with special qa at barnes noble](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/orLoW2W7qv8y35UiJBopN9-415-80.jpg)
If you survived the great Stephenie Meyer Website Crash of 2020, then you know the news by now: Twilight Mania has returned. Team Edward reigns supreme. Midnight Sun is coming.
After relapsed Twilight fans collectively lost their minds trying to decode a countdown timer that appeared last week on the author's website, the timer hit zero this morning—only to have the server crash at the last second. Twilight fans urged one another via Twitter to get off said broken server so someone could get in and report back with the news, but no such volunteers appeared. Thankfully, Meyer took to Good Morning America a few moments later to announce what everyone already suspected: After 12 years, Midnight Sun is finally dropping in August.
JUST IN: 15 years after the first novel in the “Twilight” saga was released, author Stephenie Meyer is bringing readers back to Forks, Washington, with her new book, “Midnight Sun.” Find the details here: https://t.co/IHD4UfAkkI pic.twitter.com/ZY3ZqnBahGMay 4, 2020
“I am very excited to finally, finally announce the release of Midnight Sun on August 4," Meyer shared with GMA. "It's a crazy time right now and I wasn't sure if this was the right time to put this book out, but some of you have been waiting for just so, so long. It didn't seem fair to make you wait anymore. Sorry about the bad timing. Hopefully this book can be a distraction from the real world. I'm so excited to finally be able to share it with you."
The book, with a cover featuring a rather unsettling crushed pomegranate, is set to arrive on August 4.
It speaks to the power of Twilight fever that the book has retained so much interest, given its long journey to the shelves. A prequel to the Twilight series, Midnight Sun is a reimagined version of the first book, but told from Edward Cullen's perspective rather than Bella Swan's. In 2008, Meyer released a partial draft of the story's first chapter, but after a copy of the manuscript was leaked online, she was so disappointed that she cancelled publication plans. She then posted a partial rough draft, but made no promises to finish the project.
"While I was procrastinating some real editing work (I’m always at my most creative when procrastinating), I started to wonder how the first chapter of Twilight would read if it were written from Edward’s perspective. There is so much more to his side of the story than there is to Bella’s in that first chapter," she wrote on her website.
But after releasing both The Host and The Chemist, still no Midnight Sun appeared. Fans were beginning to lose hope.
Stay In The Know
Marie Claire email subscribers get intel on fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more. Sign up here.
Yet 2020 seemed to herald exactly the chaotic energy a Twilight reboot needed, and so here we are, credit cards in hand, ready to pre-order another sparkly vampire love story—in fact, the same sparkly vampire story we've already read. Just from a different perspective! Is Meyer insane? Or is she brilliant? Considering her series has sold more than 100 million copies, it would appear we're the suckers.
For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.
RELATED STORIES
Lauren Puckett-Pope is an associate editor at ELLE, where she covers news and culture.
-
Our Complete Quiet Luxury Shopping Guide
30 quality closet classics that always have—and always will—endure.
By Emma Childs Published
-
Kaia Gerber and Cindy Crawford Medal in Mother-Daughter Olympic Matching
The pair touched down in Paris wearing coordinating navy looks.
By Julia Marzovilla Published
-
Prince Harry Reveals Royal Family Rift Was Worsened by Tabloids
"Yeah, that’s certainly a central piece to it."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
11 Books That Are the Antidote to Toxic Girlboss Hustle Culture
These memoirs and nonfiction titles will inspire you to focus on your personal ambitions.
By Andrea Park Published
-
20 Beach Reads to Devour While Soaking Up the Sun This Summer
Your beach bag isn't complete without one of these page-turners.
By Sadie Bell Published
-
The 30 Celebrity Memoirs That Are Actually Worth Reading
Britney Spears, Demi Moore, Jessica Simpson, and more drop some serious bombshells in these pages.
By Andrea Park Published
-
Julia Fox Opens Up About Celibacy, Her Former Career, and How Motherhood Changed Her
The actress and best-selling author spoke to editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike for 'Marie Claire' podcast "Nice Talk."
By Sadie Bell Published
-
'Queenie' Author Candice Carty-Williams Only Wants to Tell Authentic Stories
The author and showrunner discusses turning her acclaimed 2019 novel into a Hulu miniseries.
By Quinci LeGardye Published
-
The 18 Best Romance Books of 2024 (So Far)
From boy-meets-girl beach reads to queer retellings of classic lit.
By Andrea Park Published
-
36 Books By LGBTQ+ Authors You Need to Add to Your Reading List
You won't be able to put down these moving memoirs and touching romances.
By Bianca Rodriguez Published
-
The 37 Best Self-Help Books for Women to Read in 2024
Consider them a form of self-care.
By Rachel Epstein Published