Midnight Sun

The words “d–n,” “d–mit” and “jacka–” all make an appearance two or three times each in this 600-plus page book.

Being a vampire novel, you can definitely expect that there are violent things afoot as well. When Edward first meets Bella her scent alone drives him nearly crazy, causing a fiery burning that swells in his throat and lungs after a mere whiff of her. He describes at length his desire to rampage and his enraged plans to “snap necks” and rip “flesh from bone” to keep the Cullen secret in the dark while sating his overpowering savage bloodlust.

Edward barely keeps himself from following through, but eventually he grows to control the urges unleashed within him by Bella’s nearness. For much of the book, however, we experience Edward’s ongoing mental torments—near-torturous physical feelings he endures in order to stay near the woman he loves.

There are other moments where Edward’s rage leads him to think of killing and tearing human flesh. For example, at one point, men corner Bella in an alleyway with the intent of raping and savaging her in various cruel ways. Edward reads the mens’ ugly mental conversations (as do we) and weaves mental images of his own, focused on ripping the men to pieces in turn. This version of the scene (as compared to the one portrayed in Twilight) becomes much more intense and visceral when seen through Edward’s eyes. (Once again, though, his concern for Bella helps him step away from the massacre he’s so strongly tempted to unleash.)

In another sequence, a vampire hunter sets its sights on Bella and, in this case, the creature follows through. Bella is bashed, torn, punctured and smashed around a small room full of mirrors during an agonizing scene. The book describes the bloody nature of her wounds as someone rushes to her aid. She writhes in excruciating pain from a venom bite. We also see a short sequence of how rescuers deal with her attacker. We’re told that a vampire can only die if it’s torn limb-from-limb with the resulting pieces being burned, and it’s implied that that is exactly what happens. 

During memories of his early life as a newly “turned” vampire, Edward remembers hunting and killing foul-minded evil humans as part of his hunting regimen. (However, the members of the Cullen family classify themselves as “vegetarian” vampires, meaning that the only hunt animals and abstain from human blood. And Edward states clearly that even those wicked lives he once took still weigh heavily on his conscience.) There are other human situations, such as a small car crash, that leave some teens cut and bleeding. And Bella suffers some moments of pain even in the most careful moments with Edward because of his increased strength.

It should also be noted, that author Stephenie Meyer shows restraint in all of the scenes listed above. They are certainly bloody, or in some cases implied to be, but they are never spelled out in the goriest manner.