This week’s giveaway is all about clearing off the book shelves. All of the books we’re featuring here are new (with the exception of Firesong), that we just never got around to reading. So we’re thinking it’s time to pass them on so that they can hopefully get the attention they deserve! Here’s what we’re featuring:
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J.K Rowling changed the game when her Harry Potter Series turned out to be a mega-million dollar movie franchise. Then, after Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga found similar success we started seeing studios fishing for their piece of the pie. Some failed miserably, at least as far as the studios were concerned (Inkheart, The Golden Compass, Eragon) and for others the jury is still out (The Narnia Franchise, Percy Jackson). However, after the box-office-blowing success of the Hunger Games, these studios have gone into a full-fledged movie-rights-buying frenzy. Anymore, it’s not uncommon for these studios to scoop up the film rights to books before they’ve even been published, and in some cases, before they’ve even been written. Who knows, maybe this is becoming the new norm, which is nothing but great news to the millions of fans out there hoping to see their favorite reads brought to life on the big screen. But when we started to look up what adaptations we could start getting excited about, we were shocked that there was no one place to get the inside scoop. So we’ve spent days-weeks-hours researching this just for you! And here’s what we’ve come up with: 60+ young-adult (YA)/ middle-grade (MG)/ fantasy/ books we love, that all have adaptations in the works. Just a little bit of a side note; movie-making is a crazy business, and to over-simplify a process that is more complicated than any celebrity romance, I’ll just say this- there’s no telling if half of these will actually make it to theaters. There are a million things that happen between the point that a studio buys, or rather “options”, the film rights to a book, to the point when the movie actually gets “the green light” to be made… and then there are still a million more things that have to happen after that to when we get to finally see it. Like I said, it’s complicated. We did our best to explain to you below where the various studios are in the development process and we are continually updating this list and the information about the various movies as things change (movies often change directors, writers, producers, actors, release dates, and sometimes even studios etc.). So from here, keep your fingers crossed and just enjoy the show (or rather the possibility of getting to see these stories come to life one day). And hey, if nothing else- these books are great to add to any “must-read” list! *Oh, and please don’t replicate this list. If you like the info and want to use it, just link here to our blog… we really did work hard on it =)
The Book: A Discover of Witches: All Souls Trilogy
The Skinny: The All Souls Trilogy, released in February 2011 by Deborah Harkness, may soon be the next big movie franchise. Warner Bros has acquired the film rights and plans to create a theatrical version of A Discovery of Witches with producers Denise Di Novi (Edward Scissorhands) and Allison Greenspan (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants). Attached to pen the script is Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner, playwright David Auburn (The Lake House). Even though it’s too soon to know if anything will ever actually come of this project, it seems as if Warner Brothers is taking it pretty seriously.
The Book: The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel
The Skinny: Michael Scott’s bestselling 6-part children’s series has been widely popular- printed in 20 languages and available in 37 countries. After 2011′s finale of Harry Potter, Scott’s story, about 15 year old twins who are on a quest to save the world, seem like the natural next step for all those hungry fans. And it seems like this adaptation has finally found a home. Originally the rights were snapped up by New Line and Mark Burnett in 2006, but they only held on to them for 3 years. Then in 2009, Di Bonaventura Films (Transformers; G.I. Joe; Salt) took advantage of the newly available rights only to let them go, yet again, 3 years later. But finally, it looks like this film is in the right hands with the Australian company AMPCO, who plan to start filming February 2013 in Australia and New Zealand. They have still not named a director, but Scott will write the screenplay.
The Book: Aliens on Vacation: The Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast Series
The Skinny: Leave it to Disney (Hyperion) to publish such a creative concept in May 2011, which has since become a bestseller and translated into nine different languages. The story, by Clete Barrett Smith, is the first book of The Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast Series. It’s about a boy named Scrub who goes to work at his grandma’s bed & breakfast in Washington State, which turns out to be a bed-and-breakfast run for aliens. The movie rights have been bought by some producers associated with Disney (the movie to be titled The Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast). With Disney people on board, it’s bound to be entertaining.
The Book: The Amulet of Samarkand: Bartimaeus Trilogy
The Skinny: Written by Jonathan Stroud, Bartimaeus is an MG triliogy that would be very appealing to Harry Potter fans. Based in a dystopian-esque London, families often give their children up at birth to be raised and trained by a magician to one day be one themselves. However, these aren’t your magical-born magicians of Hogwarts- these are people who get all their power by summoning, binding, and controlling various types of spirits from the Other Place. The story follows the career of Nathanial, who finds himself in a big mess when he summons an unbelievably sarcastic, 5000-year-old mid-level demon- who is way beyond his skill level. According to The New York Times, Mirage Enterprises Production Company bought the film rights and had plans to make the film as of 2009, with John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) attached to direct with screenwriter Hossein Amini. However, best we can tell both director and writer have dropped the project and there is no updated news or any obvious intentions out there to currently make the adaptation. So it’s looking like this one has been canned for the time being.
The Book: Artemis Fowl: Artemis Fowl Series
The Skinny: Eoin Colfer created this fantastical story, consisting of eight novels, revolving around 12-year-old antihero, Artemis Fowl, a millionaire, genius and criminal mastermind. Colfer, describes the series as ”Die Hard with fairies.” It makes sense how this could be a natural next step in the franchise frenzy, an easy 8-9 movie deal, reaching tons of Harry Potter fans who are now left wanting. However, this movie has been “in the making” for a long time now, with not much happening. Originally, Miramax was going to produce the first film in 2002, but that fell through. In a video interview from January 2011 (skip to minute 7:30) Colfer discusses the movie progression- “They seem to be moving ahead but very slowly”. He also says he hears at least once a year that progress is being made, so we’ll see. Currently, The Weinstein Company has the film rights with producers Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal attached to produce. Supposedly scripting, budgeting, casting, and planning began again as of August 23, 2010. But we’re still a little uncertain whether this film with ever get the green light.
The Book: Before I Fall
The Skinny: Think Twilight meets Groundhogs Day. This book is written by author Lauren Oliver who currently has two books being adapted for the big screen (Delirium, the other). This is a standalone story about a high school student that finds herself caught living, what could be her last day on Earth, over… and over. The rights for the film are held by 20th Century Fox, who are currently in talks with Gina Prince (The Secret Life of Bees) to direct. The movie development only began as of March 2012, which means it’s way too early to say anything for certain.
The Book: Blood Red Road: Dust Land Series
The Skinny: Moira Young’s debut Dust Land Series, has been reviewed far and wide as the dystopian books to fill the void left after the conclusion of Hunger Games. It was also the 2011 winner of the Costa Children’s Book Award. So it should come as no surprise that the film rights to this book, which has been picked up for publication in 14 other countries, have been bought- and by Ridley Scott nonetheless. Scott will produce under his own production company, Scott Free Productions (The A-Team; Unstoppable) and screenwriter Jack Thorne (Skins- TV Series) is on board to pen the script.
The Book: The Book Thief
The Skinny: This book, published in 2005 by Australian author Markus Zusak, has won numerous awards and listed on the New York Times Children’s Bestseller List for over 230 weeks. It is a standalone novel which follows a young girl’s relationship with her foster parents, the other residents of their neighborhood, and a Jewish fist-fighter who hides in her home during the escalation of World War II. Such critical acclaim has had movie makers eye-balling this as a potential feature film. Currently Fox 2000 has the rights for the young-adult novel, who optioned it in 2006. However, development didn’t begin until February, 2012, and it seems like it’s finally moving along. Director Brian Percival (Downton Abbey) has signed on to direct the picture and the latest news has cast members Sophie Nélisse, Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson on board with the film.
The Book: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
The Skinny: National Book Award finalist (2009) author Laini Taylor hit a home run with this novel- which found its way, a mere 3 months after its release, to both Amazon’s Top 10 list of Editor Picks and Publisher’s Weekly Best Books for 2011. This projected 3-book trilogy is full of excitement. It’s about an art student in Prague, with electric blue hair, who hangs out with half-human, half-animal creatures and ends up finding herself at the center of an otherworldly, supernatural war. Movie-makers just couldn’t wait to get their hands on this one and Universal Pictures wound up landing the worldwide rights. They have Joe Roth (Snow White and the Huntsman) producing the film and Stuart Beattie (G.I Joe: The Rise of Cobra) to pen the adaptation. Other than that, Development only began December 2011, so this adaptation has a long way to go before we see these pages hit the screen.
The Book: Delirium
The Skinny: Young author Lauren Oliver, already has quite the career going for her, with two bestselling novels by the age of 27 and both heading from page to screen. Delirium, her first dystopian novel, which is part of a trilogy, which is set in a world where love is treated as a curable disease and compassion and affection are forbidden weaknesses. The main character comes down with the dreaded disease called love, causing her to reevaluate whether her government really should have the power to choose who she marries and her life path. Fox 2000 has purchased the screen rights to this mega-popular YA novel, which we assumed was originally intended for the big screen, but the latest news is that it’s actually going to the next big drama on Fox. Prison Break‘s Karyn Usher scripted and will produce the Fox-ordered drama show, and Lauren Oliver seems quite excited about this route.
The Book: Divergent
The Skinny: Published in May of 2011, Veronica Roth’s YA dystopian novel is the bestselling first book of a trilogy. This adaptation is sure to pick up fans of Twilight and Hunger Games, which is probably why Summitt Entertainment (now Lionsgate) was so eager to scoop up the movie rights. In a recent interview Roth discussed the upcoming film- “I’m crazy-excited! My experience with the people at Summit has been very positive so far—I think they have a great vision for the book, one that is close to my own. I also think they’re no strangers to taking risks, which is important to me.” Development of the film began March, 2011 with producers Doug Wick (Jarhead), Lucy Fisher (Memoirs of a Geisha), and Pouya Shahbazian attached to produce. The director will be Neil Burger (Limitless and The Illusionist) and the scribe of Snow White and the Huntsman, Evan Daugherty, has finished the screenplay. Filming will probably start early next year, as the release date for Divergent is set for March 21, 2014. Shailene Woodley has been cast as Tris, the lead character and Veronica Roth is very enthusiastic about it! They have currently narrowed down the male lead (Four), to [ironically] four men. If the bestselling novel proves to bring the same success this studio is used to, they will undoubtedly push out Insurgent (the second book in this series), the following year.
The Book: Down a Dark Hall
The Skinny: Twilight Saga author, Stephenie Meyer and Meghan Hibbett have started a production company called Fickle Fish Films that aims to bring works of literature to the big screen. The studio has announced that its newest project will be Lois Duncan’s 1974 gothic novel Down a Dark Hall, about a young girl who gets enrolled into a boarding school where she finds that there only three other students attending. This tale isn’t about werewolves or vampires, but doesn’t fall short of all other things supernatural and evil. There is no release date yet, as the project was just announced, but rumors are that they are aiming for some time in 2014.
The Book: Ender’s Game
The Skinny: Orson Scott Card’s massive story has become a sci-fi modern-classic that consists of 11 novels, 12 short stories and 45 comic issues (and a prequel to be released this summer). First published in 1985, the story takes place during a time where aliens are real and have attacked Earth twice- leading the government to breed child geniuses, who they train to be super soldiers. Summit Entertainment is bringing this story to theaters in November 1, 2013, under the direction and screenplay of Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine). There’s also an incredible cast to look forward too, including Harrison Ford, Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), Asa Butterfield (Hugo), Viola Davis (The Help) and Ben Kingsley. For more information about the film check out this earlier post.
The Book: The Forest of Hand and Teeth
The Skinny: Seven Star Pictures optioned this YA thriller by Carrie Ryan and seems to have put it on the fast track for production. They have announced that rookie director Peter Iliff will be adapting the film with producer John McAdams. Other than that, little is known about the details of the movie. For more information about this hit post-apocalyptic zombie bestseller, which is the first of a series- have a look at our earlier post about 2012-2014 YA film adaptations.
The Skinny: Lauren Kate is an international bestselling author whose Fallen Series is translated into more than 30 languages and made its way to number three on The New York Times bestsellers list. The story takes place in Georgia and is about a girl who winds up being torn between two men (who happen to be fallen angels) and have fought over her for centuries. So there we have it, a young hot girl, a love triangle involving supernatural beings and a huge pre-existing fan base= the next big franchise possibility. The latest information we’ve learned is that Australian filmmaker, Scott Hicks, who received several Oscar nominations for writing and directing 1996′s Shine, is in final negotiations to direct Fallen. Disney optioned the rights to the four-part series in 2010 and Mayhem Pictures will be the production company. Executive producer Oren Aviv (The National Treasure movies) as well as Gordon Gray and Mark Ciardi, who have worked together before on such movies as Secretariat and Invincible, are attached to produce the film. Screenwriter’s Nichole Millard and Kathryn Price, who also co-wrote The Game Plan will pen the script. However there is still no director attached to the film, and that’s definitely the important next step, which means this movie could still be a few years away.
The Book: Firelight
The Skinny: Dragons. Well that’s a refreshing addition to the paranormal romance pot. Sophie Jordan’s first venture into teen writing turned out to be a bestseller. In this trilogy we follow twin sisters who are descendants of dragons but get sent away from their own kind to grow up among humans. Mandalay pictures bought the rights to this trilogy which debuted in July 2010. Since then little progression has been made to develop this film other than naming Nick Pustay as the screenwriter (he is also in line to adapt YA bestseller Shiver).
The Book: The Giver
The Skinny: Lois Lowry’s 1993 controversial children’s book has become something of a sensation- selling more than 5 million copies and winning her the 1994 Newbery Medal. The movie has been in the making for nearly two agonizing decades with people, at one point or another, attach and then drop the project, such as directors Vadim Perelman and David Yates (Harry Potter) and various actors including Dustin Hoffman. They just can’t seem to get it together. In an interview with EW, Lowry explains, “the film rights have been out there for 15 years now, and every now and then, some big studio gets involved, and some major player gets involved. And then time passes, and it all collapses again,” she says with a laugh. “So it’s out there, and I should be feeling excited, as if now is the time it’s actually going to be made. But this has happened so often before that I’ve become kind of sanguine about it.” Warner Bros. initially had the film rights, but since then have been handed over to Jeff Bridges and producer Nikki Silver. Currently Jeff Bridges is the only cast member attached to film (set to play “The Giver”). * In recent news, as of last fall (2012) The Giver was given the greenlight, according to Lowry. If it does actually come to life, it could make for a nice franchise, as the fourth and final book to this series was just recently released.
The Book: Goosebumps
The Skinny: R.L Stein, infamously known for introducing PG horror to children’s books has already once had his work adapted for television. Now there is some interest in bringing this mega-popular series to the big screen. Back in 2008, producer Neil H. Moritz (Fast and Furious) began working with Scholastic Entertainment and Columbia Pictures on creating a theatrical version of these stories by scooping up the rights to more than 50 of the author’s works. Since then it’s proven to be a bit more complicated, with several screen writers attempting to translate Stein’s work to film and failing. It doesn’t seem like they are ready to give up on this project yet, by most recently bringing Darren Lemke on board to start penning from scratch. Lemke’s most recent work includes the upcoming film Jack the Giant Killer (which also happens to be produced by Moritz). Some believe the reason for this delay/change in screenwriters is because most of the previous writers were experienced in adult horror films whereas Lemke, who previously co-wrote Shrek Forever, will help bring Columbia’s vision of a more family-friendly version to life.
The Book: The Graveyard Book
The Skinny: This adaptation has been in a constant whirlwind for several years. Neil Gaiman won nine awards in 2009 for this book, including the coveted Hugo Award for Best Novel (his 4th) as well as the Newberry Medal. That same year the film rights were picked up by Miramax, with Academy Award winning director Neil Jordan (Interview with a Vampire) attached. Unfortunately, the studios financial stupor found them handing over the rights to Chris Columbus’ 1492 Pictures and CJ Entertainment a year later (May, 2010), who would still use Jordan to direct/write. However, after two years passed fans were more and more doubtful that there would ever be a film. Recently, bringing new life in the project, it was just announced that after a huge bidding war Disney will now be doing the movie (April 2012). The original plans seemed to be an animated film under director, Henry Selick (Coraline), but a few months later Disney put a halt on production siting creative issues. The latest news is that Disney has opted to do a live-action re-telling of this story under mega-star director Ron Howard. So it’s looking like they are putting this film (*finally*) on the fast-track.
The Book: The Heist Society
The Skinny: Currently only two books in The Heist Society series are published, which author Ally Carter says the series arc is unknown (so possibly many). So on that note, this could mean big franchise possibilities. As far as movie development goes, the finished screenplay has created some big media buzz by topping two of Hollywood’s most reliable lists for the most liked scripts in 2010 and 2011. In addition, A-lister Drew Barrymore has been attached to the movie for some time. This is why it’s so puzzling that no reported activity has been made to push this film forward and popular sites like Movie Insider suspect that this film is years away from being produced, if ever. We do know that Warner Bros. currently has the rights and newbies Eddie O’Keefe and Chris Hutton have written a stellar script. So we’ll see.
The Book: If I Stay
The Skinny: Summit snagged the film rights to this book back in 2009 before it even hit shelves. Gayle Forman’s novel is about a teenage musician, her boyfriend and a fatal car crash. Okay, the story’s a bit more complicated than that- the lead spends most of the story in an out-of-body experience deciding whether she wants to live or die (with many reviewers screaming about echoes of The Lovely Bones). Since ’09 the project has hit some big bumps. Originally, Twilight’s Catherine Hardwicke was attached to direct the film but ended up dropping the project to shoot Red Riding Hood. Then, after that blow, A-list starlet Dakota Fanning jumped on board to play the lead only to step down a few months later in order to finish high school and then Brazilian filmmaker Heitor Dhalia (Gone) dropped his role as director. But not to fear, we’ve just recently learned that Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass, Hugo) is attached to star as the lead character Mia and RJ Cutler (The September Issue) has been pegged to direct. Both are super talented and it’s exciting to see this movie begin to move forward.
The Book: The Immortal Rules: Blood of Eden Series
The Skinny: Bestselling author Julie Kagawa, of the award winning Iron Fey Series, is joining the gamut of authors who are optioning film rights to their books before they’ve even been published. A week before publication of Kagawa’s newest vampire series Blood of Eden, Palomar Pictures announced that it had optioned the rights to make it into a movie. The story takes place in a future world where a deadly virus has decimated humanity and- the now- flourishing vampires are in charge. With vampires as the elite, the remaining humans exist solely as a food source and as slaves. Palomar principal Joni Sighvatsson said she was passionate about the film potential of The Immortal Rules and was eager to secure film rights for this book as well as the rest of the Blood of Eden series.
The Book: Incarceron
The Skinny: This adaptation caused some crazy buzz last year when Taylor Lautner announced he would play the lead character from Catherine Fisher’s 2007 children’s bestselling novel. 20th Century Fox has the film rights to this 2-book series, but development seems to be resting comfortably at a standstill. Yes, Lautner says he’s still on board to play the young boy who has lived his whole life in a prison-which is actually a society of its own. However, he has continued to put other projects first for some time now, so who knows what’s going on. We also know that Blake Lively, Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Watson were all offered the part that would be Lautner’s lead lady- but turned it down. Despite the delay, it does appear as though a film is still in the works. John Palermo (all X-Men films) is still producing and has singed on Bill Collage and Adam Cooper, who co-wrote Tower Heist, to pen the script. Initially the movie was expected to come out sometime in 2013, but it’s doubtful if that will actually happen.
The Book: The Iron Trial
The Skinny: Recent buzz is that Scholastic has signed a 5-book deal with bestselling authors Cassandra Clare and Holly Black, who are teaming up for the first time to write an MG novel. Perhaps it’s just coincidence but the same studio working on adapting Clare’s hit Mortal Instruments, Constantin Films, has already secured the film rights for The Iron Trial. The first book, set to release in 2014, follows the story of ”twelve-year-old Callum Hunt, who has grown up knowing three rules by heart. Never trust a magician. Never pass a test a magician gives you. And never let a magician take you to the Magisterium. Callum is about to break all the rules. And when he does, his life will change in ways he can’t possibly imagine.” Clare and Black will adapt the screenplay.
The Book: The Knife of Never Letting Go: Chaos Walking Trilogy
The Skinny: Patrick Ness’ hit trilogy has been picked up by the studio that brought us Hunger Games. What makes this dystopian thriller unique is that it has a sci-fi flare and a male lead. In summary The Knife of Never Letting Go takes place on an earth-like planet where an infection called “Noise” makes all thought audible, eliminating privacy. An autocrat threatens to take over the human settlements and wage war with indigenous aliens, and only one young boy can stop planet wide destruction. The adaptation of this Carnegie Medal winning story will be produced by Doug Davison (How to Train Your Dragon) through his company Quadrant Studios. Very recently the studio announced that Charlie Kaufman, the famous scribe of such original and abstract films as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich, and Adaptation has signed on to pen the script. If things keep moving at this pace, we may actually see this in theaters before the Hunger Games films are complete.
The Book: Legend The Skinny: 27-year-old author Marie Lu has already sold the film rights to her debut novel, first in the trilogy- another to join the dystopian shelf. Only published recently (November 2011), the film rights were almost instantaneously purchased by CBS Films and already has producer Wyck Godfrey, from Twilight, on board. Movie Insider describes the story as being set in a dark future when North America has split into two warring nations. The story follows Day, a young Robin Hood, and June, the teen prodigy hired to hunt him down; together they uncover an impossible truth about their totalitarian leaders. Although this movie still has a long way to go (development hasn’t even begun), having a director attached, Jonathan Levine (50/50), and a completed first draft screenplay, by newbies Andrew Barrer and Gabe Ferrari, means that the studio is stepping in the forward direction.
The Book: Leven Thumps
The Skinny: The adventurous best-selling children’s series, by author Obert Skye, is sure to swoon the hearts of Harry Potter movie fans. A classic tale of good vs. evil mixed with magic and mayhem has some real franchise potential with 5 books making up the initial series and a follow up series planned which takes place in the same magical world. Celtic Rose Entertainment purchased the film rights in 2006 but unfortunately has made no steps to develop the film since. On one hand, the future of this film looks grim, seeing as it’s not listed at all on Imdb.com and nothing has happened since the purchase of the film rights. On the other hand, Celtic Rose still currently has Leven Thumps listed on their website, so we don’t really know what’s going to happen with this adaptation. Maybe it’ll be in the cinemas next year or maybe it’ll never get there at all.
The Book: Looking Glass Wars
The Skinny: Frank Beddor’s bestselling trilogy is one of many famous childhood stories with silver screen deals. This one is a twist on Lewis Carroll’s classic tales, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. Atlas Entertainment bought the film rights several years ago, but wanted to wait until after Tim Burton’s 2010 Alice in Wonderland remake was released, to see if there would still be a market for Beddor’s work. It seems as if things are finally moving forward now, with producer Charles Roven (The Dark Night) joining, a finished screenplay by the book author himself (he has actually produced several films including Something About Mary) and an open casting call by the studio. If things continue moving in this direction, we may actually see this in theaters in the next few years.
The Book: The Lost Books of Merlin
The Skinny: T. A. Barron’s epic five book series was first released in 1996 and is based on the infamous wizard. However in this original story we follow Merlin’s journey from being a boy washed on the shores of Wales with no memory and no home who grows into a young man learning to use his powers to become the defender of the natural world and mentor to King Arthur. Warner Brothers holds the film rights, with Donald De Line (The Green Lantern) on board to produce and rookie scribe Ed Whitworth, who has finished the first draft of the screenplay. Barron recently posted on his site that “the good news is — The Lost Years of Merlin film is making great progress. I’m genuinely excited about what lies ahead… The bad news is — this has taken much longer than I ever thought. Seriously, I know glaciers that move faster than Hollywood”. So on a positive note, this adaptation is still getting some attention… however it seems like it’s still years away from being finished.
The Book: The Magician’s Nephew: Narnia
The Skinny: Long time rumors of this being the next installment of the existing Narnia franchise, were recently confirmed by Walden Media in an article released to the Christian Post. However, as Next Movie explains, “don’t start clearing your calendars just yet, though, because it’s going to be a while before “Narnia” fans get a chance to see “The Magician’s Nephew” on the big screen. We are starting to talk to Fox and talk to the C.S Lewis estate now about “The Magician’s Nephew” being our next film,” Walden Media’s Michael Flaherty said. “If we can all agree to move forward, then what we would do is find someone to write the script. So, it could still be a couple of years.” For much more details on the films click here or visit Next Movie.
The Book: Marked: House of Night Series
The Skinny: The first book, in this projected 12 book series, was published in 2009. Since then the mother-daughter writing duo, P.C. and Kristin Cast, have released eight more books in a two year period of time and it finally landed a movie deal. Davis-Films acquired the film rights in November 2011, to this vampire pop-culture story. Producer Samuel Hadida, who brought us the Resident Evil films, has shown a lot of excitement about developing the project saying the studio believes this series has the potential to become a huge franchise.
The Book: Matched
The Skinny: The film rights for Ally Condie’s first book created a bidding war almost a year before it was released. Disney and Offspring Entertainment eventually outbid Paramount, in hopes that it will become the next Twilight-esque film franchise. Unlike Twilight, this series doesn’t fall onto the paranormal romance shelf but rather joins the plethora of dystopian novels currently being released. Set in a society where the government chooses everything in a person’s life, from who they marry, where they’ll work and even when they’ll die- this story becomes a question of free will. Disney optioned the rights back in September 2010, however not much has happened in terms of film development since. We know that writers Michele and Kieran Mulroney, known for their co-work in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows will pen the script. We also know that producers Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot, who have also worked together before on such projects as The Last Song and the Step Up movies, are signed on to produce these films. *Recent news says that G.I. Joe: Retaliation director Jon Chu is in negotiations to helm the big-screen adaptation.
The Book: Maximum Ride
The Skinny: This adaptation based on James Patterson’s bestselling 8-book series has really gone through a mess. The story, concerning a flock of children on the run, who are mostly human but slightly mutated (they have wings and can fly) was originally purchased by Columbia Pictures. However, after going through a year of production they ended up passing over the reins to Universal in 2010. Hitting yet another bump in the road, Twilight director Katherine Hardwick, who for years has been attached to direct this film (and just shortly after demanding a script re-write) recently dropped the project. It appears as if screenwriters Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (Iron Man; Cowboys and Aliens) will write a new take, so who knows, maybe getting a new director is a good thing, and this project will finally begin to move forward.
The Book: The Maze Runner
The Skinny: This adaptation has been collecting dust since 2009 but is finally gotten the attention it deserves. Another dystopian novel, by author James Dashner, is set apart for being one of only a few that follows a male lead. In this story we find a world where boys have their minds wiped clean and are then put inside an impossible maze to try and find their way to safety. The most recent news we got (off of Dashner’s site) is that Wes Ball is directing, The Gotham Group is producing, 20th Century Fox is the studio, and the film is in pre-production. Also, the casting process has begun and Will Poulter (Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader ) has taken the lead role, playing Thomas and Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Love Actually) will play Newt. All of these things are great signs in terms of forward movement for production.
The Book: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
The Skinny: This “peculiar” little novel, by debut author Ransom Riggs, has stirred up alot of excitement in the film industry, creating a fierce battle over the rights even before the book was released. Fox ended up winning the war, taking home the rights last May, and things seem to still be moving forward. Dylan Clark and Peter Chernin (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) along with Jeno Topping (Charlie’s Angels film series) are set to produce the film. Even more exciting is that Tim Burton has been in serious talks to direct this story that follows a 16-year-old boy who finds himself on island full of orphans who have special powers and are in danger of being destroyed. The script is being penned by X-Men: First Class screenwriter Jane Goldman. Hopefully things will continue to move in such a positive direction and we could end up seeing this top the box office in the next couple of years.
The Book: The Mortal Instruments
The Trailer: Click Here!!
The Skinny: This mega-popular bestselling series by Cassandra Clare created a fan-frenzy last year when the world found out that Sony’s Screen Gem would be bringing this story to life. They were all set to go with a release date, director, cast and all, then out of nowhere they dropped it. Do not despair! The studio has picked the project back up to be heading to a cinema near you… and not to long from now. The film will star Lily Collins (Abduction) and Jamie Campbell Bower (Breaking Dawn; Harry Potter) and is now under the new direction of Harald Zwart (The Karate Kid). Other stars will include Robert Sheehan (Season of the Witch) to play Simon, Kevin Zegers as Alec, and French actress Jemima West as Isabella. This will be another paranormal romance to warm the heart of Twilight fans- this half angels-half human story is scheduled to release August 23, 2013.
The Book: The Night Circus
The Skinny: Even though Erin Morgenstern’s debut novel The Night Circus was written for adults, its combination of magic and forbidden love has had a cross-generation appeal. The story is about two magicians forced to compete against each other in an elaborate duel but instead fall in love. The film rights were scooped up by the production company behind the Twilight Saga franchise- Summit Entertainment, in January 2011. Since then David Heyman (Harry Potter Movies) has signed on to produce alongside Jeffery Clifford (No Strings Attached; Up in the Air) with Moira Buffini (2011, Jane Eyre) as the scribe.
The Book: Origin
The Skinny: In Jessica Khoury’s debut novel we find a story about a young girl named Pia, who has been genetically engineered to be immortal. Living in a lab in the middle of the Amazon jungle, an action packed adventure ensues as she escapes the confines of her laboratory in search of the secrets to her existence. Scott Pictures has optioned the film rights to this stand alone novel.
The Book: The Paladin Prophecy
The Skinny: The Paladin Prophecy is a new young-adult trilogy by author Mark Frost, which will be released by Random House September (2012). There are still a couple of months before the book’s release, but that hasn’t kept Frost from landing a seven figure movie deal- Reliance Entertainment and Kintop Pictures now hold the film rights. Frost is well known for co-creating the TV series Twin Peaks with David Lynch and adapting/producing the Disney film, The Greatest Game Ever Played, based on his book. This gives him plenty of practice to do it again- as Frost will not only pen the script but also work as executive producer on the first film in his upcoming trilogy. The film, which is about a boy named Will West who possesses unusual abilities that, if revealed, will bring about life altering consequences- is slated to be released sometime in 2014.
The Book: Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
The Skinny: The long awaited 2nd installment of the Percy Jackson franchise is finally on the way. It’s looking as if the cast will remain mostly the same but the company has hired a different director, Thor Freudenthal (best known for the similarly boy-oriented movie, Diary of a Wimpy Kid). He’ll pick up where Lightning Thief director Chris Columbus left off (Columbus will only produce). Shooting has already begun and the movie will hit theaters March 26, 2013.
The Book: Peter and the Starcatchers
The Skinny: Disney is working on adapting a novel from its’ own publishing house, Peter and the Starcatchers, written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. In even more exciting news, Gary Ross, the director behind The Hunger Games is on board to direct. Jesse Wigutow is working on another draft of the screenplay, which is a sequel of sorts to the original Peter Pan story. The story has already been adapted into a Broadway play and seems to be moving steadily forward in the movie making process.
The Book: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
The Skinny: Author Seth Grahame-Smith finally found his niche in 2009 when he wrote this book and then followed it up with Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (which will make it to the big screen this summer). Unfortunately Lionsgate, who almost instantly bought the film rights, has had a nightmare getting this project moving. Having already lost the first two directors, David O. Russell (The Fighter) and Mike White (Year of the Dog) it came as a big blow, at the end of last year, when the film’s third director Craig Gillespie (Fright Night) pulled out as well. This was supposedly due to casting complications, which has been disaster of its own. First, Natalie Portman, who was set to produce and star in the film pulled out. Then to top that, Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland), Scarlett Johansson, Emma Stone (The Help), Blake Lively (The Green Lantern), and Rooney Mara (Girl with the Dragon Tatoo) all turned downed offers to play Elizabeth Bennett, the lead lady. Even though the future is looking bleak, Grahame-Smith conveyed in a recent interview that he still believes there is a will to see the film through at Lionsgate. He’s hoping that the film release of his other movie along with Snow White and the Huntsman will renew an appetite for the project. He really believes that this film will eventually come to life.
The Book: Pure
The Skinny: Seasoned author, Julianna Baggott grabbed some serious media attention when her first venture into YA writing landed a major movie contract, just days before she actually signed a half-million dollar publishing deal. Once again falling onto the dystopian shelf, Fox 2000 battled hard to nab the film rights to all three books (which probably didn’t hurt in getting her the big bucks from a publisher). One of the producers of the Twilight Saga, Karen Rosenfelt has signed on to produce this film, which is about two classes of people who became distinguished after a series of terrible explosions left half of them protected and the other half exposed. Intentions to make the film began as of November 2010, but other than naming a producer, little more is known.
The Book: The Raven Boys
The Skinny: Maggie Stiefvater is in the middle of a movie frenzy, with three adaptations in the works. Raven Boys is the most recent of her three novels to get movie deals, and is part of the four book “Raven Cycle” series. The story follows a 16 year old girl who is cursed- when she kisses her true love he will die. Doing her best to avoid the opposite sex, she still finds herself in the middle of a love-triangle (involving two brothers), a murder and Welsh mythology. New Lines Cinema snagged the rights to this September, 2012 release, with Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind) on board to produce. They are still searching for a screenwriter.
The Book: Revenge of the Witch: The Last Apprentice Series
The Skinny: Back in 2009 Warner Bros picked up the rights to this international bestselling MG book, by British author Joseph Delaney, which will carry the movie title The Seventh Son. So far there are eight books in the series which follows the young boy Tom, who is a seventh son of a seventh son and thus has special supernatural abilities that require training from the local “spook”. He finds himself in an exciting adventure when he accidentally offends a witch who is eager to take revenge. The adaptation already looks promising with stars like Jeff Bridges set to be the Spook and Julianne Moore as the witch. Oddly enough they have cast 30-year-old Ben Barnes (a.k.a Caspian from the Narnia movies) to play the main character Tom (who is 13 in the first novel). The movie will hit theaters February 15, 2013. For more info go here.
The Book: Septimus Heap: Magyk
The Skinny: Warner Bros., who took out an option on Angie Sage’s international bestselling children’s series several years ago, finally bought the rights to adapt all seven books. Hoping to reach Harry Potter fans, the studio never intended to begin working on the project until after the release of The Deathly Hallows: Part 2. The story, about two babies switched at birth, a girl destined to be a princess and a boy who’s the seventh son of a seventh son, is to be directed by David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada; Marley and Me). Unlike many sites out there have said, the film will not be animated, although no casting announcements have been made yet. Finally, Sage will work as executive producer alongside Twilight Saga producer Karen Rosenfelt (also in line for the upcoming Percy Jackson film and YA hit Pure). Imdb has an estimated release date of 2017, but there’s really no telling at this time.
The Book: Shadow and Bone
The Skinny: Yale graduate, Leigh Bardugo’s smash debut novel has been picked up to be adapted by DreamWorks. But what’s seemed to have fans buzzing like crazy is that Harry Potter producer, David Heyman, is on board to produce. It’s still really early in the movie process to know when/if this movie will ever happen, but this story, about about an orphan girl whose ability to harness a rare magic makes her one of her nation’s most coveted warriors, is bound fill the hearts of Potter fans alike.
The Book: Shatter Me
The Skinny: Almost simultaneously as Tahereh Mafi’s debut dystopian novel hit the shelves in November 2011, did Twentieth Century Fox acquire the screen rights. The book, with foreign rights sold in 19 countries, follows a 17-year-old girl who is imprisoned for possessing a fatal touch. As the world crumbles around her she finds herself with the dilemma of choosing between surrendering her power or using it to save the world. This movie deal is still very young, meaning there’s no telling what will come of it. However, what we do know is that producers behind the film Rise of the Planet of the Apes Peter Chernin and Dylan Clark are on board to produce the project.
The Book: Shiver: Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy
The Skinny: Maggie Stiefvater reached hungry Twilight fans with her Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy. Shortly after the first book came out in 2009, the option for the film was picked up by Seaside Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. (although we’re finding little evidence that Warner Bros. is still part of this project). Bob Shaye and Michael Lynee, who have worked together on several films, most notably The Lord of the Rings and The Golden Compass, have been on board as producers since the initial stages. Since then, producers Leah Holzer and Mark Kaufman (Valentine’s Day) have jumped on board. Finally, screenwriter Nick Pustay (Ramona & Beezus) has finished penning the script. Realistically, we know that little movement has been made over the past few years involving this film, so the future is totally up in the air.
The Book: The Scorpio Races
The Skinny: Maggie Stiefvater must feel like a million bucks having two books in the movie making. We discussed Shiver above, but along with that adaptation her most recent release, The Scorpio Races, was picked up by Warner Bros. almost as recently as the book came out. David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith (who has two YA novels heading to the big screen himself) will produce under KatzSmith Productions. The story, another dystopian tale, has found major success about a society that has an annual race where competitors ride upon water horses (or rather flesh eating beasts from Celtic mythology). It’s a dangerous race, where many perish along the way but the catch is that women are forbidden to participate, yet our lead just happens to be female. Little is known about the film, but it’s really too soon to expect more.
The Book: Tempest
The Skinny: Unlike any other novels on this list, Tempest is a “time-travelling” YA thriller. Yet, like many novels on this list it had a silver screen deal almost simultaneously with its publication release. Julie Cross’ debut novel is part of a trilogy which was released early this year (2012) and has already been optioned by Summit (Twilight Saga) to become a movie. This story follows a young man who can travel through time and gets stuck two years in the past after trying to make the biggest time-jump of his life, in an effort to save his girlfriend who was mortally shot in front of him.
The Book: Tiger’s Curse
The Skinny: Author Colleen Houck is somewhat of a sensation in her climb to fame. She first self-published Tiger’s Curse in 2009 for the Kindle and then, defying any expectations for a shelf-publisher, her story shot to the number one spot for bestselling fiction. With such success she ended up getting a traditional publishing deal (in 2011) where the book has since then found itself near the top of the New York Times bestselling Children’s List, translated into 15 languages, and landed a movie deal. Paramount Pictures acquired the film rights in December 2011, and Mary Parent (Role Models) will produce through her Disruption Entertainment banner. Also, the writer behind the hit TV series Vampire Diaries, Julie Plec is on board to scribe the screenplay. The story is about a 17-year-old girl who ends up caring for a white tiger through her temp job at a circus. She ends up on an epic adventure when she learns the tiger is a cursed Indian prince who turns into a man for only 24 minutes per day. The film is years away.
The Book: The Traveler: Fourth Realm Trilogy
The Skinny: John Twelve Hawks, author of the dystopian trilogy Fourth Realm, which has been translated into 25 languages and sold more than 1.5 million books, is now heading to the big screen. Warner Bros. optioned the film and plans to start working on The Traveler straight away. “I’m so pleased that the trilogy is at Warner Bros, a studio whose history of otherworldlystorytelling is so indelible and whose vision for the Fourth Realm Trilogy is so inspiring” the author said in a statement. This project was only announced this March (2012), so very few details are currently available.
The Book: Trylle Trilogy: Switched
The Skinny: Amanda Hocking, the 26-year-old self-publishing marvel, has not only made the bestsellers list with this series, she’s now heading towards a movie deal. Media Rights Capital, a prominent film financier and production company, involved in movies like The Adjustment Bureau and Bruno, has snapped up the rights to the Trylle Trilogy. Terri Tatchell, a co-writer of the hit science-fiction film District 9, is a huge fan of Hawking’s and is already working on the screenplay. In fact it was Tatchell who brought the books to MRC’s attention, who plan to turn the three books into two movies. The story centers on a young girl who starts to discover that she isn’t exactly human- with the help of a young man she finds her way into the mysterious world of Trylle. The next step in the movie process is for them to find a distribution company, which shouldn’t be hard giving MRC’s close working relationships with studios like Universal and Warner Bros.
The Book: Uglies
The Skinny: Scott Westerfeld’s futuristic series takes place in a time where kids are called “Uglies” until they reach 16 and get surgically transformed into the attractive “Pretties” and move to the glamorous part of town. A precocious teen is threatened with being denied the procedure unless she spies on a pal who skipped the operation and joined a rebellious group. First intensions to adapt this multi-million dollar trilogy began in 2006, but little happened over the following years and 20th Century Fox, who first owned the rights, released them. However, in the summer of 2011 Westerfeld announced that producer John Davis and the founders of Lola Visual Effects will team up to finance, develop and produce an adaptation of all three books. So far the team includes producers John Davis (I, Robot), Jordan Davis, Colin and Greg Strause, via their Hydraulx Entertainment banner; with Jacob Forman to pen the script. What’s seemed to get the most excitement from Westerfeld’s fans is the fact that Lola is involved; the same company responsible for the Benjamin Button and Captain America facial special effects that would be necessary for this film to work. This project, however, is still a couple of years away from happening.
The Book: Under The Never Sky
The Skinny: Veronica Rossi’s debut novel, another to join the dystopian shelf, has been a smash- already selling in 20 markets (and landing six, six-figure advances in those foreign sales). Being billed as the post-apocalyptic Romeo & Juliet, Under the Never Sky is the first in a planned trilogy and is heading to the big screen. Beating out both Summit Entertainment (which produced the Twilight Saga) and Fox, Warner Brothers will be working to bring this story to life. They’ve still yet to name a producer, or make any movement on the project.
The Book: Vampire Academy
The Movie Title: “Blood Sisters”
The Skinny: Richelle Mead’s bestselling 6-book series has huge potential for being the Twilight follow up franchise. Although a much different story, the vampires in this story are evil and the main character is at an academy being trained to fight them as well as protect a special race, the Moroi (one who happens to be her best friend. Angry Films, along with producer Don Murphy (Natural Born Killers, Transformers) have optioned the film rights. There had been no forward movement in the production of this film for the last two years, and as we had guessed, there wouldn’t be any until after the final installment of the Twilight Saga. As it would seem, they are moving full steam ahead, already naming the three lead cast members- Danila Kozlovsky as Dimitri, Zoey Deutch (Beautiful Creatures) as Rose and Lucy Fry as Lissa. Brothers Mark and Daniel Waters are both working on the project. Mark will direct while Daniel has written the script.
The Book: Wake
The Skinny: Paramount and MTV Films are working together towards adapting this paranormal thriller by Lisa McMann. A 2008 bestseller, Wake is the first of three books and is about a girl who happens to have the undesirable ability to get sucked into other people’s dreams-but one day someone’s terrible nightmare takes her from witness to participant. This adaptation caused a media frenzy last year (Jan., 2011) when Miley Cyrus jumped on board to play to lead lady. Since the intentions of this project were made, the release date has been pushed back two or three times (likely to do with Cyrus’ and her schedule), but here’s to hoping something gets started soon.
The Book: Wicked Lovely
The Skinny: Melissa Marr’s mega-popular 5-book fantasy series introduces us to a young lady who has lived her whole life seeing fairies but comes into danger when the fairy king decides he wants to take her as his bride. Two years after Marr’s 2007 debut, Universal picked up the movie rights to be produced by Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Picture Show Productions and things seemed to be moving along. They even got as far as signing on Mary Harron (American Psycho) to direct and then two months later dropped the film. Luckily for Marr and her fans, the producers and Harron haven’t given up on the project. The book landing on The New York Time’s Bestsellers List has interest in the film growing, so it isn’t dead yet, just keep your fingers crossed for a studio to pick it up.
The Book: Wildwood
The Skinny: The Decembrists lead singer Colin Meloy’s first venture into writing has landed a movie deal. The animation studio behind Coraline, Laika, has optioned this MG fantasy about a girl named Prue McKneel, who is forced to leave Portland, Oregon and enter the bordering “Impassable Wilderness” after her brother is kidnapped. Wildwood is set to be a trilogy in world filled with magic and danger. Although no progress has been made yet in the development of the film, it is likely that it will be in 3D, like Coraline and Paranorman.
The Book: Wings
The Skinny: Disney picked up the rights to Aprilynne Pike’s NYT bestseller, and along with Wicked Lovely, became one of two fairy related books to get movie deals in the same summer (2009). Shortly after, talks with Miley Cyrus about starring in the film created a huge media frenzy, but since then it appears as if Disney’s little starlit won’t be part of the project after all. The adaptation is about a teen-age girl who has grown up as a human, but at the age of 15 learns she is actually a fairy sent to live among humans to protect the gate to Avalon. Wings is the first of five novels and the film is still in the development stage, with Katie Welch (The Secret Circle) penning the script alongside Marty Bowen (Twilight Saga: Twilight & Eclipse), Tish Cyrus (The Last Song; LoL), and Wyck Godfrey (all Twilight Saga films) as producers.
**Tell us if you know of any we’ve missed**
Comments Please!!! Which of these adaptations are you most excited about and what books out there are you hoping to see on this list one day? We’re eager to know your thoughts!
This article was originally posted May 16th, 2012, but has since been modified and updated many times.
Happy St. Patty’s Day Week!!!
We have another great giveaway for you this week, it’s our way of saying- Hey! Have a great Patty’s Day! We love you! So to get this party started we’ve got 8 great MG/YA/Children’s books to offer, that 8 lucky BBTV followers will win. Here’s what we’ve got:
The Flint Heart, by Katherine and John Paterson (signed, paperback, ARC); Stealing Air, by Trent Reedy (paperback, ARC); Nina, That Makes Me Mad!, by Hilary Knight (signed, hardback); The Sword of Darrow, by Hal and Alex Malchow (signed, paperback); Peter and the Shadow Thieves, by Ridley Pearson and Dave Berry (ARC); Goosebumps: Wanted, The Haunted Mask, by R.L Stine (signed, hardback); Colin Fisher, by Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz (paperback, ARC); and finally, The Name of this Book is Secret, by Pseudonymous Bosch (paperback).
To sign up for the giveaway, use the Rafflecopter widget below. The rules are simple: You must be a blog follower. We must be able to verify that you are a blog follower (so be sure and use the same email that you use to follow our blog that you use to sign up on Rafflecopter or send us an email). Otherwise, feel free to do any of the other options an extra chances to win (we must be able to verify that you’ve completed these as well- for example, if you’re using “spread the word” as an extra option, tag us on facebook or twitter). Great. That’s it.
!GOOD LUCK!
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It’s Giveaway Season!
We have over two solid months of back-to-back giveaways coming your way! We’re kicking it off with the “Lunar Love” hop, featuring books that are paranormal, supernatural, science fiction, space travel or that have something to do with the moon. Check out the other some-odd 130 blogs participating in this hop for some more great books to win!
As for our giveaway, four lucky BBTV followers will win one of the following four books: A Million Heavens, by John Brandon (paperback); Skylark, by Meagan Spooner (paperback, ARC); Children of the Sky, by Vernor Vinge (signed, paperback, ARC); and Book Two of the Survivors Series, Point of Origin, by Amanda Harvard (paperback, signed, ARC). The hop goes live March 8th-12th.
To sign up for the giveaway, use the Rafflecopter widget below. The rules are simple: You must be a blog follower. We must be able to verify that you are a blog follower (so be sure and use the same email that you use to follow our blog that you use to sign up on Rafflecopter or send us an email). Otherwise, feel free to do any of the other options an extra chances to win (we must be able to verify that you’ve completed these as well- for example, if you’re using “spread the word” as an extra option, tag us on facebook or twitter). Great. That’s it.
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Immortal Beloved Review
Finally. A fresh story and an enjoyable read about immortals! Immortal Beloved is a true first in a series, mostly laying out the foundation for the next books, which I found entertaining from cover to cover. Cate Tiernan’s masterful portrayal of the 459 year-old immortal, Nastasya, is truly captivating. All the mystery about this character, compounded by her lack of knowledge about the immortal world and its’ history, makes this story incredibly compelling. And though it isn’t free of clichés, by any stretch, the fact that Immortal Beloved is centered on self-realization and the difficulties of making life-altering changes, sets it apart. Finally we have a story that has relatable struggles and realistic conflicts such as- the agony of ending unhealthy friendships, finding humility, making hard choices that lead to being ostracized and isolated, admitting to addiction or unhealthy life-styles, as well as the struggle of having integrity, when not bothering would be so much easier. In a time when the YA market is saturated with so many books containing very few unique qualities, I really found this story to be refreshing. I appreciate that the whole of this story is about personal reflection and growth, rather than obsession over two boys, teen-aged drama and the self-centeredness that so many lead characters seem to employ. It’s a rarity for YA books to get me thinking deeply about my own life, which this one did more than once. Several times I found myself reflecting on the patterns of my life that may be unhealthy, and feeling encouraged that change is possible for anyone, even if that means taking drastic measures if it’s necessary. So overall, I really enjoyed going with this ageless girl on a journey of monotony, as she learns to live in the now, to re-identify herself, so that she can ultimately feel all of the emotions that are essential to give meaning to the experience of life. And I would certainly recommend this book to any lovers of this genre.
However, as engaging as this story is, and for the many fruitful lessons hidden in these pages, there’s really not much else that happens, in terms of excitement. After I finished the book, I found myself wondering when and if the climax occurred, and for that matter, what the conflict even was. There is little build up between Nastasya and her antagonist, nor any reasonable explanation as to why this tension exists and plays out the way it does. For that matter, there were many other potential villains that would have made much more sense. Unfortunately, as it is, the climax ends before it really begins, which left me feeling like I had a bad case of whip-lash without the car-wreck. Nevertheless, the lack of a thrilling “bad guy” doesn’t really take that much away from the story. Since the drama that does happen goes so underdeveloped, it just ends up feeling like an unnecessary afterthought. And in a sense, Nastasya’s identity crisis has her playing the role of both the protagonist and the antagonist, which is much more entertaining in the end.
I also found the love story-line to be really disappointing, but thankfully it doesn’t consume too much time. I’ll be the first to admit that I have really low expectations and little respect for most YA romances, but bias aside, this relationship is just wrong. As the story unfolds, Nastasya learns that her past is deeply intertwined with the past of her love-interest. As it turns out, they are indeed mortal enemies… who just happen to find each other completely irresistible. What’s worse is that this guy has a terrible past as a pillager and rapist- and not to give too much away, he had even once attempted to rape Nastasya. This is where the whole love theme just becomes too big of a stretch for me. I’m not sure if this was just a bad effort at a creating a new kind of forbidden love or what. And while I’m all for lessons on forgiveness, living in the now, “we all have pasts” sort of thing- I just don’t see the value in teaching young girls the virtue of forgiving a rapist. I could have actually bought into this part of the story if they had just simply been mortal enemies, but I mean seriously, this is too unnecessarily messy. And in terms of finding anything relatable about their love, it’s impossible for me to understand how anyone could get past such a violating experience. Regardless, even if none of this were part of the story, the few moments that these two are together feels very unnatural. It’s typical, ridiculous, YA romance that goes a whole lot like- “I hate you, now let’s make-out”, and me going, “Whaaaat!?… Whyyy??? Nooo”. So I’m just going to do my best at forgetting that rape is even part of the plot, so that I can just go on ignoring the love story-line and enjoy the rest.
On a final note, and all criticism aside, I really do recommend this book to any fan of this type of fantasy. There are some really valuable lessons that Nastasya’s journey has to offer. We all suffer from the busyness of life, and very much like immortals, can relate to how time is always escaping us. So in a world where finding the next distraction is just too easy and we treat boredom more and more like the plague, it’s nice to find a book that actually asks us to embrace it. This book had me wishing, more than once, for my own place to go and learn how to appreciate the mundane things of life. I am so very guilty of being on a constant search for my next big adventure that I often miss the one that’s happening right here all around. But that’s what’s so special about books, isn’t it!? We get to go to such places between the pages.
Book Summary (No Spoilers)
In the world of “Immortal Beloved”, immortal beings, unbeknownst to humans, live all around. These immortals, aside from being very difficult to kill, are all born with access to magic- although most of them have stopped learning how to use it long ago. This is a relief for the 459 year-old Nastasya, the story’s lead character, who becomes violently ill every time she has tried using it. Plus, she much prefers her current life in London of blending in with humans, endless partying, binge drinking and club hopping, where no magic is necessary. The story begins with her and her closest friends going out for a usual night of over-indulgence when on their way she witnesses a terrible event: her best friend using dark magic to harm a human. Instead of responding in any particular way, she continues on with her night, as if nothing had happened. It wasn’t until the next day, while remembering the evil she’d seen, that she becomes overwhelmingly horrified by her complete indifference. In a sudden world shaking moment of self-realization, she panics and fleas in search of help. No longer trusting her friends, she doesn’t know where to go or who to turn to, so she sets off at first, just hoping to disappear. But when she recalls a memory from many years before, she finds herself heading to America, in search of a lady who had once offered her an alternative way of life. Although the proposition didn’t resonate at the time, what she most remembered about this woman is that she seemed different, and it was that difference that Nastasya most desperately wanted now. However, what she finds at this woman’s home is a rehab, a sanctuary of sorts, where immortals live together, learning how to value life, as well as how to use white magic. As it turns out, this place is like a foreign world to Nastasya, full of inhabitants that she doesn’t understand, with an approach to life that she finds almost unbearable. But what choice does she have? She wants to be a better person and she really wants to stay lost from her friends. That doesn’t keep her from growing impatient with her treatment plan, which she’d honestly hoped would be a quick fix. Instead what she finds is a prescription of doing dishes by hand, eating bland food that she’d grown herself, and going on pointless star-gazing walks- a far cry from her prior big-city, bar-hopping life style. River, the care taker of this place, with great insight explains to Nastasya that it’s vital to slow life down, back to being about the small moments, in order for her to re-gain a sense of the meaning in life. She explains that for immortals, life becomes a big blur of years meshing together, and existence becomes all about finding the next grand experience or any semblance of a new sensation. So even though help doesn’t come to Nastasya in the way that she had hoped- a quick dose of meds or two weeks of detox- she ends up finding so much more… herself.
So, needless to say, I’m looking forward to continuing on to the next chapters of this story. We still don’t know much about the leaders of the sanctuary/school/ rehab, where Nastasya is now living, or the extent of their magical power. Can they read minds? Who are they and how did they get to this place? We will also, hopefully, learn a lot more about what it means for Nastasya to be from the family she’s from and what sort of power that might mean she has access to. There’s also the issue of her friends from back home, who seem to be much closer to finding out her location. Will they be the new antagonists or will the one from Immortal Beloved start to make some more sense? All of this leaves me anxious to read the next book, and excited to learn more about Nastasya and what her future holds.
There’s been a lot of buzz around the book-to-film adaptations lately, and many future project updates!! As 2012 came to a close we said farewell to the Twilight Saga, with its last installment Breaking Dawn: Part 2, getting rave reviews from fans across the board, calling it the best of the saga. In December, the much anticipated Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, left die-hard Tolkien fans a bit bewildered by Peter Jackson’s take on the story. On the contrary, Ang Lee’s version of Life of Pi has received numerous nominations as well as book-lovers and critical praise. As we turn the page to the New Year, 2013 has huge “book-to-film” momentum. In January, the dark re-telling of the Grimm Brother’s classic tale, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, didn’t seem to resonate too well with viewers. Perhaps it had to do with the studios odd choice of making this a rated ‘R’ film, but the unusually-violent and gory fairy tale has only earned about $9.4 
million in the box office so far. Then, much to our surprise, February brought with it a huge hit, with the YA adaptation Warm Bodies. This zombie Rom-Com topped the box office opening weekend and with its unexpected wit and charm won over fans and critics alike. Time magazine called it “the first movie worth paying for this year”. Trailing just one week behind, and opening next weekend, is Richard LaGravenese’s adaptation of the YA supernatural love story, Beautiful Creatures.
There are other great adaptations to look forward to this year as well, and some of them are just right around the corner. In theaters next month we’ll see Oz the Great and Powerful, Jack the Giant Killer and The Host. Then in August, the much anticipated Mortal Instruments Series will make its debut, as well as the second installment of The Percy Jackson Series, The Sea of Monsters. Then, with the end of the year we’ll get to see the first installment of the Last Apprentice 
Series, Revenge of the Witch- with the movie title The Seventh Son, in October. In November, the long awaited sci-fi hit, Enders Game will finally make its film debut, as well as, the sure to be smash-hit, second installment of Hunger Games, Catching Fire. Finally, in December, we’ll get to see if Peter Jackson’s second segment of the Hobbit, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, will be any bigger of a hit with fans.
Along with all of this year’s box-office action, there seems to be a lot of forward movement in future projects! Veronica Roth’s Divergent Series has been all the buzz lately, with rumors of Kate Winslet joining the cast, the yet-to-be-filled lead male role, and open casting calls in Chicago. The Giver receives a solid greenlight, with Jeff Bridges attached to star and The Daughter of Smoke and Bone gets the support of big-time producer Joe Roth (Oz: The Great and Powerful, Snow White and the Huntsman) backing the film. We also learned that Lauren Oliver’s hit series, Delirium, which was optioned by Fox, will be adapted into a television drama instead of a film, to be aired in the future on their network. The Book Thief finally seems to be making huge progress, recently casting stars Sophie Nelisse, Geoffrey Rush, and Emily 
Watson. The film will also be under direction of Brian Percival, best known for his work on the hit television drama Downton Abbey. Fans of the bestselling Graveyard Book will be happy to learn that Ron Howard has signed on board to direct the adaptation, which will now be live-action version, rather than the previously rumored animated film. It’s also looking like Ally Condie’s Matched is about to get a director- latest rumors are that the studio is in negotiations with G.I. Joe: Retaliation director Jon Chu, to helm the big-screen adaptation. In more great news, devotees of Richelle Mead’s bestselling 6-book Vampire Academy Series will be happy to know that the adaptation appears to be moving full steam ahead. They have now named the three lead cast members- Danila Kozlovsky as Dimitri, Zoey Deutch ( from Beautiful Creatures) as Rose and Lucy Fry as Lissa. Also, they have decided to change the film title to “Blood Sisters”, with brothers Mark and Daniel Waters working on the project; Mark will direct while Daniel has written the script. Finally, Gayle Forman’s If I Stay, was put on hold after Dakota Fanning, set to play the lead, dropped the project. They have finally found her replacement with the mega-talented Chloe Moretz, known for her roles in Kick-Ass and Hugo. The film is also under the new direction of RJ Cutler, which hopefully means this project will get moving more quickly.
Best Books of 2012
As the year is quickly coming to an end, we decided to take a look at the best 12 books of 2012. To compile our list, we compared seven different lists from six different companies who use professional book critics to pick the best-of-the-best each year. The following books were chosen by us based on the frequency they appeared on these lists; Amazon’s Editors’ Picks, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Washington Post and Vogue Magazine. These are the ONLY books that appear on more than one of these lists, meaning that we were able to include every book that appeared at least twice on all seven of lists! That means two things- there were ALOT of great books in 2012 and these 12 books must be extra special =) It is worth noting, if we were to pick the best book of 2012, it would have to be Hilary Mantel’s, “Bring Up the Bodies”. This book appeared on all but one of these lists and was also featured in several other lists we didn’t use to make our picks. Then coming up closely behind would be “Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity”, by Katherine Boo; and “The Yellow Birds“, by Kevin Powers- both of which appeared on at least three of the seven lists. Finally, “Fifty Shades of Grey“, by E.L James was included on this list, not only because it showed up on two of these editors’ choice lists’, but also because it won the best selling book of the year in the U.S and in the U.K, where it won a National Book Award for being so. James also won Publishers Weekly “Publishing Person of Year“. So, while we can’t say that 50-Shades made this list for its’ literary acclaim, it certainly earned it’s spot through sales. It also earned Random House employees $5000 Christmas bonuses this year… COMPANY WIDE! We think it deserves a spot on this list just for that =)
Let us know if you’ve read any of these and what you think? And feel free to let us know what your favorite books of 2012 were, even if they’re not on here!!
Since the movie business is ever-changing, we have to work hard at keeping our Big Movie List up-to-date. Here are some of the new additions to our list, which would also make for some really good reads! For full details on the adaptation, see our full list.
If you haven’t noticed, love triangles have entirely infiltrated YA literature. I mean, they’re everywhere! This got us wondering why this is and what this says about pop-culture, if anything. Not that vampire fiction has been demanding much attention in the academic arena, but as this theme continues to become ever more present, maybe it should. Have you ever heard of the Cultivation Theory? It’s a widely popular social theory that looks at the effects that television viewing has on people. Essentially the theory suggests that the more time people spend “living” in the television world, the more likely they are to believe their own social reality to be the same, or part of it. So that started us thinking- why couldn’t this apply to reader’s and the relationships they form with book-worlds? After all, people spend hours upon hours reading their favorite books, and I don’t know about you, but I find book worlds to be much more tangible than what I see on TV or in movies. Anyway, it’s just a curious thought, and even more-so when you think what affect love-triangles may be having on readers who are spending days and weeks of their lives, living fictionally within them. Even more, what affect is this having on young people who are only just beginning to define love? And if books are meant to reflect the human experience, have we missed something? Because neither of us have ever been in a love triangle. Anyway, all of these thoughts and conversations between Kathryn and myself led us to conduct our first ever discussion blog. The following short discussion takes a quick look at our thoughts, and those of four of our fellow book loving friends, on the whole love-triangle frenzy. Take a look and then join in on the fun!
The Group
Kathryn: One of the “Tiny Voices” here on our blog.
Tiffany: The other “Tiny Voice”.
Manon: A Librarian from France, currently living in Norway.
Margaret: A Tennessee school teacher for over 25 years.
Vanna: A North Carolinian Psychologist in training.
Tori: A marketing assistant in the remainder book industry and one of our blog’s volunteer editors.
The presence of a Love-Triangle is more pervasive than ever in YA fiction. How do you feel about them?
Kathryn: I honestly wonder why this is? Why have they become so “pervasive”? If writing is supposed to somehow reflect parts of the human experience, are we supposed to understand that this is a normal part of it? If so, then I’ve clearly missed out on it! Regardless, it is what it is- and my biggest problem with them is that I just simply don’t believe in them. Maybe in YA books, it’s more about these girls loving that two boys love them. That it’s more about them being loved than finding the one true love. This isn’t a true reflection of romance. But, in saying all that, I don’t necessarily always hate reading them either. They can add a little spice and suspense to a story. They can also add a dimension to a plot that would otherwise be absent. But in the end, I just know it’s not how romance works in real life.
Tiffany: My general feelings on love triangles is that they are not a necessary aspect to literature, and that they don’t have to be present for a book to be good. I blame Stephenie Meyer. Yes, I know that love triangles have existed since the beginning of fiction- that they were even present as far back as Camelot- but ever since Meyer’s huge success, they seem to have become an essential part of the YA formula. I’m pleading- ”Authors. Originality. Please.”! But perhaps it is true; that there is nothing original anymore… but that doesn’t keep me from wishing. Sure, love triangles done correctly can add a suspenseful aspect to a story. I just hate that I have come to a place where I expect to always find one.
Manon: A good love triangle can both really spice a story up and make it even more addicting to read. But while it can be a really positive element, it can also destroy a good idea if it’s not done well. At the end of the day, a love triangle works when the author is able to write it in such a way that it reaches multiple age levels. This is why, at 25, I am able to [at times] really enjoy romance in a YA novel.
Margaret: In general, I’m not really a fan of love triangles. However, for the most part, I think they can be effective in drawing young readers into the story line because they are able to relate, in some way, to the situation. Most people go through the young love stage in which they “like” someone that either does not know or does not return their feelings. So the author can use this strategy to get the 
reader to “take a side” and feel part of the story. But for me, as I read them, I just try to see the pros and the cons of each relationship, and there is usually “a straw that broke the camel’s back” reason that makes me choose one relationship over the other.
Vanna: In my opinion, love triangles in young adult fiction are often predictable and sadly overdone. Quite frequently YA authors make a seemingly over-compensatory effort at complicating the plot through the use of embellished romantic content. I find that the remaining story line is bland and devoid of any true flair, making the romantic sections seem wildly and laughably exaggerated.
Tori: I “understand” why love triangles are used in young adult literature- because they draw people in, they sells books, they force readers 
to take sides… and they bring on controversy and conflict. That being said, I don’t like them. I find that love triangles depend on fickle characters, which always makes them seem weak to me. Obviously, loyalty, a quality I like to see in the main characters is completely absent. And finally, I hate that it’s always sooo obvious which two are going to end up together in the end.
What effect do you think Love Triangles have on young readers?
Kathryn: My first thought is that they probably have no effect at all. I mean, they wouldn’t have affected me as a young reader because I always knew the difference between real life and fiction. But if there was anything negative coming from this, it would perhaps be that young girls might think that having- or being in- a love triangle is cool? That would be such a lie, and if girl’s try it out they’d find out the hard way that it never works out in real life like it does in the books. Teenagers are already all over the place with their relationships- they change them as often as they change their clothes. Adding the extra stress of trying to juggle two guys at once would be a disaster! But overall, I just honestly don’t believe that love triangles are doing anything bad to the teenagers reading them.
Tiffany: I’m really apprehensive about how these stories define love, which leaves me with two major concerns: First, that it deceives young girls into thinking that there are any worthwhile men out there who would be willing to be in an “open relationship”… or more specifically, willing to share a girl that they love. On one hand, I want young girls to be taught to love themselves enough to expect commitment (if that’s what they’re after) from the guys they love. On the other hand I don’t want these open relationships or “love-triangles” to be something young women hope to aspire to. In real life, love triangles are negatively looked upon and should be avoided, if for no other reason than because they come at an extremely high price. This is the part of the story that YA books never truly convey. Even more, I believe there is something written onto the soul of every human that makes us want to be somebody’s “one and only”. But if these girls grow to expect love triangles to be a normal part of the growing-up experience, I fear what it will do to their hearts, because like I said, I don’t think it’s natural for us to want to share love. But as it is, we now have an entire generation of girls who have grown up knowing love triangles, such as the one they’ve read/seen in Twilight- where Edward loves Bella and because of his love for her, he accepts her “friendship” with Jacob. Yet Edward, knowing this, still doesn’t show any reasonable amount of jealously when this “friendship” looks a lot more like romance. These guys don’t exist in real life, and if they do, this reaction is certainly not coming from a place of love. It’s indifference. Plain and simple. I really don’t want young girls to mistake indifference for love, for there is nothing more heartbreaking in life than receiving indifference from a person you care about. My second concern is that the nature of these books is to have the girl 
love the guy she shouldn’t love; it’s the “forbidden love” theme. Then the love triangle is completed by the warm, secure, supportive guy, who loves her without question and with complete devotion- he is also the guy that never gets chosen in the end. What’s worse is that these stories are written in such a way that we don’t want her to choose the supportive guy. We cheer for the forbidden love, or the “bad boy”, who always conveniently gains all of the “good boy” qualities by the end of the book. In reality, people don’t usually change, and even if they can or do, it’s not worth betting on. Even more, it’s a tragedy to date a guy hoping he’ll change, not to mention unfair. No, in real life, girls should choose the nice, transparent one because, at the end of the day, he’s the one who makes a good husband. He’s the one we want to introduce to our friends. He’s the one we want to spend the rest of our lives with. I can only hope that young girls understand, that while the “bad boy” is thrilling… there are also good guys out there who can be both challenging and yet warm. Warm… safe…kind- it’s okay; it’s okay to feel safe in relationships and it is my biggest wish that THIS trait would be romanticized to young people… not these unrealistic, ridiculous, “happily-ever-after” love-triangles.
Manon: I really think that some teenagers can misread or misunderstand these love triangles. Think about all of the crazy buzz that surrounded Twilight, with the whole ‘Team Edward’ and ‘Team Jacob’ frenzy. I believe this happens because sometimes young readers 
become too involved in the fictional world. This is dangereous and insane! I have no idea if this is something new within this current generation of teens, but I know that I was absolutely never like this. Then it becomes an even bigger problem when some of these girls try to re-create these stories in real life. This is just so wrong! Some young readers obviously don’t have the distance it takes to separate reality from fiction. I don’t mean to sound like I believe the majority of young readers are incapable of maintaining a healthy balance while reading either. In fact, I think that most of them are quite able to leave fantasy in the book. It just boils down to the personality of the reader. Either way, the potential is still there for some young readers to be negatively affected, and I’m not sure if this responsibility falls on the parents or the author- perhaps both. But in the end, it’s definitely something to be mindful of concerning love-triangles in YA fiction.
Margaret: I think love triangles definitely set young people up with certain expectations for what a relationship should be like. They are also entirely unrealistic and are not what love should be about at all. For me, loyalty and commitment are two of the most important principles in life. But I think it’s impossible to portray these qualities within a love triangles because they are contingent on characters not being loyal or committed. This is the main reason I am not a fan of love triangles being so present in YA literature.
Vanna: The heroine’s featured in YA literature often speak to the realness of teenage awkwardness in a way that makes the character, and the story, believable. This flavoring of the story with sprinklings of real adolescent struggles adds the promise of a potentially obtainable reality; writers utilize universal sources of struggle to make the reader feel like she is one and the same with the heroine, a clever plot to keep readers mesmerized and coming back for more. However, from the stand point of an adult, having lived and learned through both good and bad relationships, I believe that this trend of love triangles is misleading if not potentially emotionally damaging for young readers. Teens, struggling to grasp new budding emotions and bodily changes, are susceptible to “magical thinking” where romance and love are concerned, particularly teen females. Books which feature love triangles, especially triangles including almost obsessive male attention and devotion, predispose inexperienced young women to expect astronomical amounts of affection, attention, adoration, and maturity from potential partners. It goes without saying that the average teenage male is anything but capable of providing these things. Overzealous expectations and wildly distorted views of love may cause young ladies to seek out the wrong kind of partner, or to refrain from giving young men a chance based upon unrealistic standards. Additionally, impressionable and insecure young ladies may associate the lack of amorous pursuit, like the ones featured in these love triangles, as an indication of some fault within themselves. They may wonder what special “thing” they are lacking personally, when the female lead (who is often portrayed as a highly relate-able character) is receiving endless outpourings of love from multiple suitors.
Tori: I think the biggest harm is that young people, who are too young to know what love really is, are trying to define it for themselves based on very shallow plot developing interpretations and the limited time frames offered by the pages of a book. Love triangles, of course, are unrealistic and more often than not lead to unrealistic expectations of love.
What is your favorite Love Triangle?
Kathryn: I never really love love triangles, but if I have to name one, I’d say the one from The Hunger Games. If Katniss had never been put into “The Game”, I would have much preferred her end up with Gale. I may have even wished that at the end, but the way the story is told, I understood why she chooses the way she does. Collin’s does a great job explaining the logic of Katniss.
Tiffany: My favorite love triangle- hmm, well I don’t usually love them so this is a bit tricky. I would probably have to say the triangle in Ally Condie’s Matched. At least I didn’t mind this one. Perhaps this is because I saw it as an essential building block to the story and not just an unnecessary addition of suspense. In Matched there is a very believable element to her loving both boys, just differently.
Manon: Katniss-Peeta-Gale, from The Hunger Games. It was great to see how Katniss was torn between the two guys. Most of the time I don’t really get into the 
love stories in books because it ends up being more annoying than interesting, but it wasn’t in these three books at all. I was really surprised.
Margaret: I don’t know that I really have a favorite love triangle, although one of the most widely known is the Twilight Series. The movie companies have played that angle, and it has proven to be very effective. For me, the love aspect of this story was basically the second main component, and as it was so fantasy based, I did not over think it too much. So I liked it “OK”. At the end of the day, the story would have been a completely different story without it… so I didn’t find it an unnessary part of the plot.
Vanna: I really don’t like any love-triangle.
Tori: Honestly, probably the one from Damned, in the Crusade Series by Holder and Viguie. It’s really discrete and doesn’t even happen until the second book, but so far it’s keeping me on my toes. I sort of want her to pick the one I know she won’t (and the third book isn’t out yet so we’ll see…).
What Love Triangle did you hate?
Kathryn: I really didn’t like the love triangle in the Vampire Academy series, by Richelle Mead. Rose (the main character) clearly never feels anything romantic towards Adrian. Her heart is always with Dimitri- but Adrian is just so pathetic about it and then Dimitri’s character changes… I just wanted the whole thing to stop. The entire “love” element in this story is just awful and actually takes away from the bigger story, which would have been much better without it.
Tiffany: Easy. The love triangle in The Immortal Instruments (by Cassandra Clare). A). I hated that I was forced to love a romance for 3 books between two people who are supposedly siblings. And B). that Simon, the best friend of Clary (the main character), forcefully pushes her through a frenzy of ultimatums, until she finally dates him. I found it painful every time she was kissing him ect., because I knew she was not remotely in love with him and was only 
dating him because she didn’t want to lose his friendship. How pathetic is this!? Any self-respecting guy should know better than to desperately push a girl into dating him!? He knew that she didn’t have feelings for him and was just hoping that they’d, what… change?! It just made me nauseous. And their whole best-friendship/romance made me dislike Jace (her supposed brother/ the guy she really loves), because he responds to it with total indifference. I am no fan of indifference, yet in this story I think it was meant to be charming. But hey, what was he supposed to do!? Clary was apparently his sister, and he was in love with her… which brings me to my final rant. I hated the author for putting me through the daunting task of hoping that a pair of siblings would somehow wind up together!?! They even have a make-out session, both still thinking they are brother and sister. Gross. I can’t describe how much I wish this love story had gone differently because, besides all this, it was a fun read. But this is too huge an element to have not strongly shaped my opinion of the book. It’s a lot to ask of me, as a reader, to trust Clare, as the author, to somehow work it out, that they’ll end up un-related in the end. Anelement of suspense? For sure. But a cheap shot nonetheless.
Manon: Sookie-Bill-Eric, from Charlaine Harris’ The Southern Vampire Mysteries (A.K.A: Trueblood- HBO’s hit TV series). I hated this love triangle in the first books (I haven’t finished them all) because Sookie is horribly annoying and at some points I just wanted to kill her.
Margaret: The love-triangle in Camelot. I think this is because it was so realistic I found it hard to endure. It touched on all of my values and principles- loyalty, commitment and trust. In the end, it was a lose-lose situation and I just always felt saddened by it. I am not a fan of sad books.
Vanna: Again, I really don’t enjoy reading any love triangle.
Tori: Oh, Twilight for sure. Why? Because Bella never loves Jacob. Everything about this relationship felt like Meyers was forcing it upon me. I think the tent scene pretty much explains my hatred of this entire love triangle in one sequence. Bella kisses Jacob in front of Edward who she love, who does nothing about it because… well I really don’t know. And for what? So by the end of the series Jacob can “imprint” on her infant daughter? Thanks for that one Stephenie Meyer.
Has there ever been a Love Triangle which you couldn’t decide which two you ultimately wanted to be together in the end?
Kathryn: I don’t really read stories that way. I always seem to have an opinion about what choice the person should make, and I assume that’s based on what I think the character truly wants. It always seems obvious to me where the character’s heart is, and ultimately I’m hoping she’ll follow it.
Tiffany: Easy- The Hunger Games. To me there wasn’t really a “love triangle” in this book, at least in the typical sense, because romance took a very private back-corner seat in the grand arena of events. I mean after all, who has time to think of romance when you’re “in the games”. But this is one of the few examples, where I completely didn’t know (even up to the last pages) who “the girl” would choose, yet I would have been fine either way. That is in complete respect to Collins, who is a genius author. I knew, as a reader, that I could trust her however she choose to write this one out. She has an uncanny ability to justify her characters actions and choices, so in this way, I found the love triangle to be very realistic and reflective of real life.
Manon: Again, The Hunger Games is the only one that comes to mind- it was just perfect. In the end, I had no idea which one was my favorite and I loved both couples. I just really enjoyed this story and have great memories of it.
Margaret: I would say The Hunger Games. It certainly didn’t turn out the way I wanted it too, but I wasn’t surprised that it turned out the way it did either. Looking back I think I had a feelings, based the “using” of people in the rest of the story.
Vanna: I honestly haven’t read enough of them to say.
Tori: Well, I’ve only read Matched, the first in Ally Condie’s series, but I honestly love both men in this story and would really love some sort of crazy twist to happen where she doesn’t end up with the one I think she will.
What are your favorites, least favorites and general thoughts on the whole love-triangle frenzy? Join in on the discussion and let us know what you think!!!
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Young Adult Crusade Series, I highly recommend reading it- it’s one of the most exciting (teen) stories I’ve read in a long time! I came across it accidentally at a Borders closeout sale (ahh, I miss you Borders) and it was such a pleasant surprise! While it’s not the most intricate story I’ve ever read, it definitely makes up for it with tons of action and lots of fun. Bestselling authors of the Wicked Series, Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié, have spun a compelling dystopian-esque tale set in a world where vampires, or Cursed Ones (C.O), live openly among humans with leaders who have an ultimate agenda of world domination. I love that the vampires in this story stay true to the ageless myths surrounding them- evil creatures that see humans as nothing more than prey. At the center of this story is an international team of six vampire hunters, who have come from all over the place to study at the Sacred Heart Academy in Salamanca, Spain. The first two installments burst cover to cover with action sequences that will keep your heart racing as you travel the world trying to save it.
Damnedis the 2nd book in the Crusade Series, and I definitely would not recommend reading it first, as it picks up where Crusade leaves off. (On the same note, if it’s been a while since you’ve read Crusade, the authors do a good job of filling you in throughout the book so that you won’t feel lost- which can also be a bit daunting at times). After a somewhat failed mission in New Orleans, Team Salamanca has retreated to their university in Spain and are trying to pull themselves back together. Amidst accessing who their allies truly are and the lurking rumors of a super species vampire threat, we find Jenn trying to adjust to her new role as leader- and she’s not the only one struggling with her new position. Further deepening the complexity of the story, in Damned we are offered great insight into the lives of the other major characters, which we’ve only briefly gotten to know before. Through flashbacks and by following several points of view, Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié weave a compelling world built on sub-plots, all the while telling a larger story. What we find at the heart of Damned are the internal battles plaguing the minds of each team member as they struggle to unite and fight together for a purpose they all passionately believe in. Ultimately, this is a great continuation, surely worth reading if you enjoyed Crusade, and definitely carries its’ weight in entertainment. At the same time, while I couldn’t help myself from frantically flipping page after page and never wanted to just shelf it (for me it’s simply a guilty pleasure), there are some massive holes in the plot as well as intriguing but confusing themes that I would like to address. Since Damned, very much like Crusade, is diluted by multiple POV’s, I am going to break this down as simply as possible- by character.
***The Following Segment Contains Spoilers***
Antonio: Jenn and Antonio, their forbidden love and twisted pasts are the driving force of Crusade. However, the story begins on a different foot in Damned as Jenn has distanced herself from Antonio in light of seeing what a monster her sister Heather has turned into as a vampire. She is somehow blaming him and/or can no longer trust who he is at his core. This is the very essence of the plot in this book. Who is Antonio and why is he the only vampire on Earth with a conscience, or even worse, a soul? As soon as the story picks up and gets juicy, Team Salamanca finds itself on a mission to Russia where there is a rumored vampire creating a super species that can withstand daylight. At first Antonio stays behind to continue his effort with Heather, hoping to bring back her humanity (after all, if he can fix Heather he is both helping Jenn and gaining back her trust). However, as the imminent threat of the team is made known, Antonio can’t resist the urge to go and try and protect the girl he loves. Unfortunately, as it turns out, while on this mission in Russia the team is infiltrated by Aurora, the vampire villain we met in Crusade. We are given more insight into her interest in Antonio through a series of flashbacks. It boils down to the obsession of her unnamed sire (the Father of all vampires in-sorts), who desperately wants to understand how Antonio defied the basic nature of vampirism. Antonio’s existence threatens his plans to over-take the world. Therefore he has sent Aurora to capture him, and this time she succeeds.
I have mixed feelings about Antonio’s part in this story. On one hand, it is through him that we find all the action, excitement and fun as his capture forces the team to go on a rescue mission in Las Vegas. However, between the time he is captured and the team actually getting there, Aurora somehow manages to “break” him and he resorts back to being a vampire through and through. When the team finally finds Antonio to rescue him, it is just moments after he has ventured into a church, just for fun, killing every praying member present, and just before he is about to kill the last human there- a wailing infant. It’s during this scene that I realized I just really didn’t care. This should have been a horrific scene, yet I found myself mostly indifferent. Through the building blocks of this story Antonio never proves to be that compelling of a character; if he wasn’t that interesting as a vampire hunting vampire… he certainly wasn’t interesting as a murderous one. I do realize that the authors are trying to hammer in the underlining question of how Antonio can be so different. Fair enough. But I would have just preferred exploring that question without the daunting drama that comes with his digression and now rehabilitation. There is an aspect here concerning religion that I would like to touch on later, but as far as the love story goes between him and Jenn- I just can’t see, especially now, how they can ever work out. Honestly, they were never really together in the first place, but if Jenn was having her doubts after seeing the state of her sister, how could she ever see past this? I also think this is because I was never fully convinced that they were actually through and through right for each other. I mean, he wants to be a priest and somehow feels that his commitment to God is sustained through a celibate life and she’s an atheist who has committed her life to hunt down vampires- the very thing that he is. All-in-all, in other stories where passion seems to trump the obvious road blocks, perhaps this would have worked. But this is a story where passion is hidden deep beyond every other smaller dilemma that always seems to take precedence. Their love story really causes conflicting emotions in me, because ultimately I know this is the couple the authors want us to be cheering for, but there is just something missing between the two of them, and on a simpler note, there is just something missing about him.
Jenn: Life for Jenn is more complicated than ever. She’s dealing with the ultimate betrayal of her father, the feat of saving her sister who no longer recognizes her, loving a person who is the very thing she hates and, in the meantime, being placed into the leadership position on a team that lacks any essence of cohesion. Here’s the thing- if I found it odd before that “just Jenn” (as she often refers to herself in Crusade) was named leader at the end of the first book, my feelings have at least quadrupled after reading this one. Finding her identity as leader is a huge and exhausting theme throughout these some odd 500 pages. I found myself constantly charging; ‘just because you call someone a leader doesn’t make them one!’. Jenn’s character is meek, indecisive, wishy-washy, emotionally-driven, and basically lacks just about every possible leadership quality out there- not to mention her teammate’s respect. I just don’t get the point. Why is it even necessary to have her be a leader? Is it just to give her some essential role to the story? But as it is, this is a major driving force in the story so we have to endure endless banters from both her and the other characters as they constantly go back and forth concerning her ability or rather inability to lead. This whole theme continues to build until the end where she suddenly, and somewhat miraculously, has a split-personality episode and ends up taking charge in a way that winds up feeling very unbelievable.
Skye: The White Witch Skye adds an interesting element to this story as her history and character become significantly deepened. We finally get to meet her mysterious ex-boyfriend, Estefan who kept popping into her mind in Crusade and scaring the life out of her. As it turns out he is a dark witch who has teamed up with Aurora and is part of the ambush in Russia. He is also apparently still very much in love with her, despite the twisted manner in which he chooses to show it. Since Skye has kept him a secret all this time, much at the expense of her team’s safety, she is driven by guilt throughout this story. She feels personally responsible for Antonio’s capture and his murderous actions which in turn drives her capability of using magic to a new level as she seeks to heal him (a.k.a find his humanity). In particular, I really liked the scene where she and Father Juan decide to call upon her Goddess to help with Antonio and through a ritual Skye actually becomes completely filled with her spirit. The authors are clearly trying to set something up here for the next book, as we find shortly after the ritual, she sees the Goddess’ mark on Antonio. In that, paired with Skye’s inconsistent ability to hear Antonio’s thoughts, we are seeing that they are somehow spiritually connected, we just don’t know how yet. Overall, I like Skye’s role in this story. She is a peace-keeper, encourager, healer and consistent within herself. I do wish at times that she’d be able to use magic in a way that would make her more capable in battle- but that goes against her commitment as a witch to ‘never cause harm’. That is perhaps the only downfall to her character- she is constrained by this belief which in turn makes her really weak in battle and frankly a liability as a team member. The only other completely confusing thing about Skye is that she apparently loves Jamie. This is only slightly focused on and probably just a simple element of drama to spice up the story. Either way we are given no foundation for why these feelings exist or what she really sees in him.
Jamie: Out of all the characters in this story, Jamie grows the least. We aren’t given that much more insight into who he is other than a very hardened young man that, back in Ireland, lost his whole family in a tragic and brutal werewolf attic. His harshness was only further cultivated as a result of being raised by a ‘real men don’t cry’ sort of grandfather. He and Jenn are the only two on the Salamanca team who have no supernatural qualities, but his engulfing hatred of the C.O and knowledge of explosives make him an asset in battle. That, however, is his ONLY strength as a character, and it doesn’t count for much. (Well, that and the fact that he is somewhat secretly in love with his fighting partner Eriko and works very hard to protect her). That being said, I don’t think I have ever hated a ‘good guy’ as much as I hate Jamie. He argues just to argue. He goes against every decision that gets made. He verbally beats down every single person he comes in contact with, which is particularly annoying with his teammates. Everything out of his mouth is a jerk-ish remark making him the embodiment of negativity. In this way the authors’ way over-do it. He just simply isn’t compelling. There were so many times I wanted to jump into the novel and kick him off the team (or have someone punch him in the face, take your pick). Now that being said, and as many times as I thought to myself “he has what’s was coming for him”- I cannot express how utterly ridiculous this is when it happens. Jamie’s attitude and Jenn’s leadership theme finally come to head at the end of the book and Jenn’s solution is to challenge him to a fight. Give me a break. Not only do I find it unimaginatively unbelievable that little Jenn could win this fight, if the authors were trying to teach us anything insightful about leadership (or just simply trying to convince us that she could lead)- well they completely missed it. They spent the whole story building up to this final moment, attempting to cement Jenn in as leader and they do it through a barbaric duel?!? After she beats Jamie, apparently so badly that ‘he would need magic to survive’, I couldn’t help but laugh as she turns and asks each person there, one by one, ‘will you follow me?’ I know this was meant to be somewhat of an epic moment but it just felt so hollow and cheesy. Why couldn’t she have just given Jamie the choice to stay and follow her or leave? I mean just simply standing up to him would have been more of a challenge than she posed to anyone in the entire book.
Holgar: I’m pretty sure the Danish werewolf Holgar is my favorite character after this installment. He has every quality I want out of a male lead (only he’s not exactly the lead). As a werewolf he’s extra-strong and courageous but as a person he’s extremely intuitive and sensitive. With others he proves to be aware of himself and aware of them and their needs, making him one of the most loyal and encouraging characters in this story. In this way he becomes a source of strength to many of the members on his team. He is in love with Skye, his fighting partner, who (for God knows what reason) is blind to this by her infatuation with Jamie. I really hope in the next book they will develop something between Skye and Holgar, not only because he’s the sort of character that you’re always rooting for, but mainly because they have such great chemistry together as fighting partners. They just seem to fit. As far as further insight into Holgar’s story, we learn that the reason he left his pack in Denmark was because his father, the pack leader, decided to team up with the C.O and live openly ruling over humans. When Holgar stood against him and said that this was wrong, his father gave him no other choice but to leave. Making it an even harder decision, Holgar’s fiancé refused to join him and thus called off their marriage. In light of this it seems, in many ways, the choice Holgar made to leave his pack is just as significant and unlikely as Antonio having a soul. After all, he is not only going against his own kind but actually defying who he was born to be- a pack member. Only, for some reason, this doesn’t get that much attention. Moving forward, at the end of the book, when the team arrives back in Salamanca they find the university destroyed and Aurora there waiting for them. Only this time she has a pack of wolves with her. Yeah, you guessed it. It’s Holgar’s family. As the battle ensues Holgar ends up killing both his ex-fiancé and his father. This is a really crazy aspect to his story line but, in the midst of all the other fighting chaos, ends up feeling really rushed and over looked. It seems too heavy of a plot twist for only a few brief sentences to convey. I wish the authors had held off on killing them until the next book, build it up some more and allow us, as readers, to go with Holgar on this emotional journey. The pain and struggle that would accompany having to kill two people you once deeply loved is a pretty big deal. It just seems like such a wasted opportunity on building his character. Instead, I’m sure we’ll get to focus on his love for Skye. It just happened to play out that while Holgar was fighting his estranged father and ex-lover, Skye was captured by Estefan. Holgar is going to feel like it is totally his responsibility to do anything it takes to get her back.
Eriko: The Japanese member of the group Eriko was named ‘Hunter’ of their team before the story ever began. As Hunter she is given a special elixir, made by Father Juan, which gives her supernatural qualities such as super- strength, speed, and hearing. This in turn gives her the biggest advantage of the group in fighting vampires, as it makes her almost their equal. What we learn in this installment is that she thinks this elixir is slowly killing her and she spends the majority of the book in a great deal of pain. We also get to learn more about her past as a Japanese pop-star singer, when pieces of her life come to play during their rescue mission in Las Vegas. On that note, the authors do a great job of showing us her Japanese culture, which in-turn makes her character very believable. What I like most about Eriko is that she always seems deserving of having been chosen as the team’s Hunter. She never fails to be driven, committed, and fearless in what she does. Her character never complains, never gives up, never falls apart and never puts herself first, making it easy to both love and admire her. In the final battle, despite being in an extraordinary amount of pain, Eriko fights with the fullness of her heart. She ends up dying heroically trying to defeat Aurora and it happens in such a way that you feel she would have been proud to die. Since we know throughout the book that she is slowing dying anyway, her death feels less shocking when it finally comes, but I am glad it happened in battle and not sickly in a bed.
Noah and Taamir: Two new characters show up in this story, Taamir and Noah, who incidentally end up getting adopted by Team Salamanca after the Russia mission goes wrong. Taamir basically goes completely undeveloped and seems to be there only to deepen our connection with Noah for the next book, since he is killed in the final battle. Noah on the other hand, is a much bigger character and is over-all very likable. He mostly seems to function as a source of encouragement for Jenn as she struggles being the team’s leader. He also doesn’t make his feelings for her hidden. There is definitely a love-triangle lurking on the horizon and as far as I’m concerned, I would just as much assume he and Jenn get together rather than she stick with Antonio. In many ways the two of them make more sense and have much better chemistry. However, as we know from the first book and now through this one, Father Juan has foreseen that Jenn and Antonio have a shared destiny with each other, which we can only assume involves their love for each other. I hate getting invested with love triangles, so I’ll keep any further opinions I have on the matter mute.
Father Juan: I both love and hate Father Juan’s part in the story. Okay, in fairness I just love him, it’s just that after finishing the first two installments of this series (and plenty of hinting around), we’re still left with the question of who he really is (and I really want to know!). Is he a saint sent from heaven for the end days? Is he an immortal being? Can he die? Is he human? This is sure to be a major part of the next installment, as they’ve spent too many pages building it up for it to go overlooked in the third and final book. Regardless, the authors have done a great job developing his character and making it a vital role. You really can’t imagine these books without him in it, because even though he’s largely absent at times, he’s still somehow the story’s nucleus.
On a deeper note, I saved Father Juan (FJ) to talk about last because you can’t talk about his element of the story without talking about the theme of religion, which is a rather huge aspect here. FJ, despite all of his mystery, is a devout Catholic priest. There is no denying this or confusion concerning his life commitment to the church. However, he also seems to be very practiced in other religions. For example, during the scene I mentioned with Skye, when she is filled by the spirit of the Goddess- well this is apparently a very complicated ritual that can’t be done without FJ’s help. The role that he plays required him to completely set aside his Christian faith and commit himself to the Goddess. Regardless of the fact that he somehow knows every single part of this ritual (as if he’d done it 1000 times before), I find it perplexing that someone as committed to a certain faith as much as he is, would so easily set it aside for another. I’m wondering what underlining statement the authors are trying make. Is it that we are stronger when we are spiritually united? Even later, we see this theme of intertwining religions become highlighted as Skye talks about seeing the mark of the Goddess on Antonio, who as far as we understand has found his humanity through his strong Catholic faith. So what does it mean that the Goddess has now claimed him? The authors have clearly made religion a huge aspect in these novels, by over and over again joining people together from very strong, but different religious (or anti-religious) backgrounds. I’m just not exactly sure what they are trying to convey as we see this both strengthen individual characters but weaken the group. My confusion is further compounded in that they also send a clear message that religion can be restraining in an unhealthy manner. For example, Skye believes that Antonio’s cure to finding his humanity will be found in his love for Jenn. However, Antonio is convinced that he needs to give her up to further his commitment to the church as a priest. We slowly see towards the end of this book that this is not the answer, but rather the solution might be found by both allowing himself to have his faith and his love for Jenn. Furthermore, we see countless times where Skye is also restricted by having such fundamentalist interpretations of her own beliefs. Her ultimate commitment ‘to not do harm’ leaves her defenseless on the battlefield, thus allowing her to be taken hostage in the end. So we see here that religion both weakens and strengthens the characters, but we’re still left wondering, which is it? Ultimately, there is an unclear theme involving religion here that is arguing both for the positive and the negative. Either way, I appreciate that the authors are bringing to light a very basic notion- that it is impossible to tell a story about immortal beings without pondering what their very existence says about the afterlife, religion, and where those belief systems began. This idea, in its simplest form, is the basic driving force of the story now. Is Antonio different from other vampires because of his faith? Who has given FJ such supernatural abilities, if not God? And finally, can religion be the uniting force that finally makes this dysfunctional team cohesive?
Overall, the 2nd installment of the Crusade Series really steps it up in terms of thickening the plot. Even though I think their use of several POV, flashbacks and action sequences take away from developing the characters as well as they could, it does make for an exciting fast-paced read. The authors do seem to be working towards building this into a more serious story- and indeed I am taking it more seriously. I have greatly enjoyed the time I’ve spent living in this world, and can’t wait to read the conclusion Vanquished, which comes out in August (I’ve already pre-ordered it!). Whatever the answer is to all of these questions, what we can conclude is that the final book will follow The Father of all Vampires (maybe the Devil?) as he searches for them. For whatever truths these questions hold, they may be the very thing that prevents him from taking over the world.
