 | 3 Dec 09 |
At present, Young Adult titles are hot. Hot, hot, hot. Have you been in a bookstore lately? (Yes, dumb question for this group!) The YA section is bigger than the Romance section and the Mystery/Thriller section at my Borders, and wonderfully laid out. Bigger in floor space, but not titles . . . but close. And you want to spend time in the YA section because it’s a bit roomier, has more freestanding displays, and the books are more artfully arranged.
I’ve been trying to get my #2 daughter, Kelly, to blog for me. But when I thought of it tonight (I do procrastinate and wait until the last minute on oh, so many things. . . ) she was already in bed reading. I’ll try to give her enough warning before my next blog, because she has some very interesting insights into YA books. When I say Kelly is an avid reader, I’m not joking. She’s in honors English and has to read 1800 pages by the end of the year. She read over 1800 pages in the first QUARTER. And that does not include the books she had to read for class.
The reason I’m so interested in YA is because Kelly is an avid reader and bringing YA books into the house. I know a lot of adults who read YA, but I’m not one of them. Not because I don’t want to, but because I don’t have time to read all the books I HAVE to read, followed by the authors I WANT to read when they come out. I’m still two books behind in the JD Robb series, and that’s practically a sacrilege because I buy them in hardcover. Preorder them because I have to have them right when they come out.
But, there have been a few I’ve picked up off her shelf and started reading and not wanted to put it down. Neal Shusterman, for example. He draws the reader in, YA or adult, immediately.
I started thinking about what was available specifically for the YA audience when I was growing up, and honestly? Not much. By the time I was Kelly’s age (13) I had moved pretty much into the adult book market. Stephen King, for example. I read a lot of mysteries because my mom had a lot of mysteries on her shelves. Ed McBain and Joseph Wambaugh, for example, were standard fare. I (cough) read all my mom’s Danielle Steele some of which were less appropriate for me than others 
. . . and the big 80s glitzy books like Judith Krantz and Jackie Collins. I know, so not me, but when you read a lot and can’t afford to buy books and your mother has this huge library, you start working your way through it . . .
When I was a pre-teen and younger, there was Judy Blume and Paula Danzinger and Lois Duncan, and of course Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew. Fabulous books, though mostly outdated now (though I saw at Borders a reissue of FOREVER with a new cover.) That was probably the raciest “YA” book I read. What I loved about Judy Blume, though, was that she dealt with pre-teen issues. Fatherless daughters, starting your period, weight, and more.
There were of course fantasy and science fiction which is not specifically YA, but appealing to most of us in the 70s and early 80s, like Robert Heinlein and C.S. Lewis and Tolkein, which I read as a freshman in high school. But when I look back on my childhood reading, there was no true transition. No “YA” targeted market like there is today.
Poor us. Because I look at Kelly’s bookshelf and I’m damn jealous! Where were these stories when I was growing up?
Kelly has always been a reader, but it was THE SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS that I think was the turning point for her. For Christmas, right before she turned nine, I bought her the first three books of the series. She devoured them. I got her the rest for her ninth birthday, and she lamented that she had to wait for #12 to come out that October, then another 9-12 months before the last book came out. By that time, she’d outgrown the series, but Lemony Snickett? THANK YOU! Luke is up next (if I can get Kelly to let him borrow her books. She is incredibly anal about her books–considering her clothes are all over her room, her bookshelves are pristine. What’s with that?)
I bought A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY for my oldest daughter, the one who doesn’t love to read. (I did find some books she loved–Jax Abbott/Alesia Holliday now Alyssa Day’s SUPER 16 books; Gena Showalter’s teenage alien huntress series; and RL Stine’s Fear Street. So if you have a 11-14 year old who doesn’t love to read, try those. Katie is now nearly 16 and only reads if she has to. Sigh. I swear, she IS my daughter.)
So Katie didn’t read it, but Kelly picked it up one day and started it. Loved it. The second book was out by that time, and she had to wait for the third, THE SWEET FAR THING, which she said was the best. She recently finished Libba Bray’s GOING BOVINE, a contemporary story about a boy with mad cow disease. She could not put it down.
And of course she read the TWILIGHT series. Again, I bought TWILIGHT for Katie, thinking she’d like it. She read the cover copy and said, “This is about vampires. Yuck.” (Okay, I’m picking on Katie, I know, but she’s not shallow. She dreaded summer reading for school, but once she started FAHRENHEIT 451 she was hooked and we had some great discussions about that book. Katie likes books to be to the point, fast-paced, and action filled. She gives the author three pages. Kelly doesn’t mind detail and description. She gives an author 100 pages, and then figures if she’s already invested that much time she’ll finish the book. Katie likes contemporary; Kelly will read anything, but has an affinity for historicals. Like, she’s read the LUXE series.)
Kelly is now reviewing YA books for RT Book Reviews. When she got the ARC for SHADOWLAND by Alyson Noel you’d have thought she’d won the lottery. The sheer joy and excitement on her face, the fact that she finds books she can not put down, reminds me of when I loved to read. (BTW, she “discovered” Alyson Noel before EVERMORE came out. I bought one of her books because I’d met and liked her, and gave it . . . again . . . to Katie who didn’t read it, but Kelly loved it. So she was anticipating EVERMORE before it because a hit.)
Don’t get me wrong–I still love to read. But since I’ve been published, my reading time is limited, and I find that I don’t risk my reading time. I read the tried and true authors, writers I know won’t let me down. Before I was published, if I started a book, I finished it. ALWAYS. Now? I give the author about three chapters. If I put it down and think, ho hum, I don’t care, I’ll never pick it up because I have far too many books to read–books I have to read (galleys for blurbs, the Thriller Award entries) that I’m not going to waste my time on something that doesn’t hold my interest. But I used to read every day. I read fast, and I’d read 2-3 books a week. I’m lucky to read one book a month for pleasure–solely because I want to read the book.
There is not a day that goes by that Kelly isn’t reading something. She can’t go to sleep without reading first. Over the weekend she finished BALLAD by Maggie Stiefvater (she loved it). Tonight, it’s EVERWILD by Neal Shusterman. She’ll be done by the weekend, then she has about ten books to choose from, all that have been released in the last few months. (BTW, Kelly created her first fan book trailer for Shusterman’s book UNWIND which she says is one of her all-time favorite books. He posted it to his website, isn’t that cool?)
We didn’t have those kind of choices when I was growing up. The authors we did have targeting the teenage market were fantastic, but there weren’t many. Now? Exploding and getting bigger every day.
I’d thought it might be a fad for awhile. The huge success of HARRY POTTER and TWILIGHT, among others, would go by the wayside after those kids grew up . . . but . . . it hasn’t.
New readers are coming in and excited by the choices, and authors are responding.
I always tell people DON’T WRITE TO THE MARKET. Write what you love, otherwise there will be no passion in your work. It’s not a secret that I started getting burned out writing romantic suspense. I didn’t want that, because I love romantic suspense. But after 12 books in a row, I was burning to write something different, and since my Seven Deadly Sins series had been on my mind for six years–and already sold–I itched to write it. I love supernatural stories, and I wanted to write a supernatural thriller, going back to the classic stories I loved growing up. And while ORIGINAL SIN may appeal to the Young Adult market like Stephen King does to some, it’s not a YA book.
Kelly always asks me if I’m going to write a YA. I tell her, if I come up with an idea I love. But I’ve listened to her talk about the books she reads, and one thing she doesn’t like is when an adult author changes and writes YA and talks down to the reader, dumps down the book, or doesn’t “sound” like a YA author. Voice is important in every book, but doubly important in YA. And thus, I don’t think I have a YA voice. I said that to her tonight, and she said, “Well, if you write something, I’ll tell you whether it’s any good. I’ll critique it. Harshly.” I told her she could read ORIGINAL SIN, but now I’m scared.
But . . . I’ve been thinking about it lately because Kelly talks about her books all the time. What WOULD I write if I wrote a YA series? One of the themes I’ve always loved to read was about Utopian societies (which are all really dystopias in disguise, but that’s a whole ‘nother blog.) Kelly read THE GIVER by Lois Lowry in school this year, which is a classic “utopian” society. I won’t say that’s what I WOULD write, but it’s close–a near future or alternate future “urban fantasy”/dystopian society with a teenage protagonist. Yes, it’s being done a lot now and I have no time. My other love is mysteries, a modern day Nancy Drew–like Veronica Mars meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer or something fun like that. But . . . I’ll never say never. Because I can’t change my voice, and I honestly don’t know if I have a YA voice.
So what is the future of YA? I don’t think it’s peaked in any way. But as with all genres, there is blending all the time. Urban Fantasy is moving into YA, Fantasy and Romance. Paranormal can be in thrillers, and YAs could be divided even more, some moving into adult genres, like romance, or fantasy, or mysteries. I don’t know if we CAN know what’ll happen, but right now I think the exploding YA market is great for the teens of today, and the adult readers of tomorrow.
So as an adult, do you read YA books? If so, why? How do they differ from adult books, or rather, what do they provide that maybe books for the adult market don’t?
Kelly’s UNWIND book trailer (the first trailer she did–the summer before last, when she was 12!). I’ll get her to write a blog soon; I’m sure it’ll be interesting!
© 2009 Allison Brennan. All rights reserved.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award winning author Allison Brennan has published fourteen romantic thrillers with Ballantine, plus a novella and four short stories. She lives near Sacramento, California with her husband and five children. Recently, RT Book Reviews said, “A master of suspense, Brennan does another outstanding job uniting horrifying action, procedural drama and the birth of a romance — a prime example of why she’s tops in the genre.” For fun Allison enjoys wine tasting, swimming, playing video games, and—of course–reading. Her most recent release is CARNAL SIN, the second book in the Seven Deadly Sins supernatural romantic suspense series. Her Lucy Kincaid series will launch in January, 2011 with LOVE ME TO DEATH.
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Loved “Ink Exchange” and the book before that, “The Forest of Hands and Feet”, Vincents “Soul to Keep” “Nevermore.” Read all the Harry Potter and Twilight books. Right now I’m reading “Under the Dome” good one so far.
by Carol Shenold December 3rd, 2009 at 6:56 amTried to write YA, just don’t have the voice. Think it’s too long since I was that young. The main difference I see from adult is romance with tension instead of graphic, prolonged sex, love that difference.
Allison, I’m so thrilled at the expanding YA market. When Harry Potter came out and some groups were banning it, then Twilight came out and people made the comment that they didn’t like it, I thought, “But it keeps the kids reading!” I love it! I think you and your daughter should collaborate on a YA series!
by Debra Webb December 3rd, 2009 at 7:23 amCarol, though the non-explicit sex is one factor, there’s more differences. Obviously the age of the protagonist, but it’s also voice and word use. Some of the books read more “mature” and from what I’ve seen (I usually read the openings of Kelly’s books) it’s the historicals that are more “adult” in tone but with teenage protagonists. But the contemporaries have a younger voice. I need to do a better analysis, and that means more reading time!!!
Debra, I firmly believe that parents should have the sole authority over what their kids read and don’t read. There are books that aren’t age appropriate. But I also think that parents abdicate the responsibility to the masses sometimes, letting kids read things they shouldn’t and not read thinks maybe they should. If parents have concerns THEY should read the books first. I don’t read before Kelly anymore, but I did when she was a little younger. I read the first Lemony Snickett book because I didn’t know anything about the series and she was only 8. But I didn’t read the rest of the series.
by Allison Brennan December 3rd, 2009 at 7:36 amWhen I was a teen, I read the Sweet Valley High books. There wasn’t anything like I’m seeing now. Or if there was, I didn’t find it.
I get quite a few YA ARCs mailed to me and I’ve been impressed with many of them. But I would like to see more parental guidance in YA. I know parents are a buzzkill when you’re a teen, but so many YA protagonists are running around at all hours of the day and night doing dangerous things without any sort of guardian showing concern for their well-being.
by S. J. Day December 3rd, 2009 at 8:21 amGood point, Sylvia, and I think this is part of the genre, that teens are kind of on their own. I mean, how boring is it to have a functional family who loves each other, kids who have straight As, and no conflict? Everyone has teen-age angst, ho-hum. HOWEVER, I agree. It’s one reason I loved VERONICA MARS. She made mistakes and there were consequences and her dad gave her a lot of freedom, but when she crossed the line he acted accordingly. I wish I’d thought up that series–it’s exactly the kind of YA I would like to write.
by Allison Brennan December 3rd, 2009 at 10:49 amIf this boom in the YA market means lots of young adults are reading, my hope is that they will continue reading well into their adult lives … and this should bode well for the future of publishing, no?
I find this trend so interesting, given what we keep hearing about youth and shortened attention spans and competition from so many other sources for that attention.
by Loreth Anne December 3rd, 2009 at 8:22 amThere is mega competition, but I think the boon is ultimately a positive. Still, I think readers are readers and non-readers will still only read the mega-hits (for adults, the non-readers might pick up the John Grisham or Dan Brown, but not 4 books a month. For readers, they devour everything.) What’s good about this is that because books are being seen by more teens as acceptable, those on the fence or who might not have been introduced to reading for pleasure because of poorly reading parents, will end up on the pro-reading side.
by Allison Brennan December 3rd, 2009 at 10:51 amI’m not a YA person. Not since I was 11 year old and read R.L. Stine’s ‘Fear Street’ books. Don’t get me wrong, I believe there are A LOT of great YA writers. I’ve tried to read some YA books. I just don’t have the patience for it.
by Barbie December 3rd, 2009 at 8:30 amI gave up reading Harry Potter mid series. I am highly annoyed by teenage drama and romance in real life, I really don’t wanna read about it in a book.
I read Twilight, too (and I’m going to see New Moon for the third time, go figure), but I am not obsessed with it. Teenage drama annoys me plenty, and Good Lord, there’s a bunch of it in those books. The only reason I DID like Twilight was because they have FANTASTIC non-teenage drama secondary characters. A book with great secondary characters always gets to me.
I started reading more ‘adult’ books when I was 13. Not the ones with explicit sex, not at all. At 13, I LOVED Mary Higgins Clark and her very non-rated books. It was the fact that the characters were adults that got to me. I liked it.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a pure personal prejudice.
I like children’s books, though. I am the BIGGEST fan of June B. Jones. I think those books are fantastic.
But teenagers trying to save the world, falling in love with ‘different’ guys, or whatever, not my thing. My mom and brother read YA all the time, though. My mom has the complete Lemony Snickett and Narnia series — for herself, as well as MANY others.
I guess I’m just picky.
My oldest daughter loved FEAR STREET I think because they were short, fast-paced, and as she said, “people die.” They’re scary. I also loved MHC when I was a young teen! I remember reading WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN? when I was 14 and totally freaked out. One of the best books ever.
by Allison Brennan December 3rd, 2009 at 10:53 amGreat post, Allison. I LOVE YA! I read a TON of it, and just gobble it up with unabashed joy. I started reading it because I wanted to “preview” what my daughter was reading. Then I discovered some amazing teen romance writers (who were also adult romance writers – like Lorraine Heath is Rachel Hawthorne) and just kind of died and went to YA heaven.
I’m not all about paranormal in adult or YA fiction, so I seek out the more emotional/romantic stuff. But I got a bunch of YAs for the RITA jugding one year, and discovered Melissa Marr (who won) and several others. Mia and I read the books concurrently and talk about them for hours. I’ve learned a lot about teenagers from reading the books (which has helped me with a 16 y/o son & 12 y/o daughter). I also LOVE Melissa Kantor and just about anything Meg Cabot writes.
I would LOVE to write a YA, but, like you, the right idea hasn’t hit me yet. I know that the market for YA paranormal is very strong, but it doesn’t speak to me as an author. YA is HOT and I’m glad to see that. I think the writing is fresh and edgy, and there is nothing quite like first love.
I did devour Twilight, well before the craze got so out of control, long before the movies, and I could see exactly why teen girls love it. I wasn’t all about the writing or the way that heroine was portrayed, but she did a great job of capturing the heady, dizzy, crazy sensation of a crush…and then took it to the extreme. You can’t argue with that kind of success.
Now my daughter will NOT read TWILIGHT. She can’t stand the way the girls in school act about it, and so she’s making a one-girl boycott and refuses to read it. Stubborn little thing. She has read the three of my books that have no on page sex. (Yes, I’ve written them!!)
by Roxanne St. Claire December 3rd, 2009 at 9:00 amRocki, I previewed books before Kelly started out-reading me. But she tells me everything about the books. She has some incredible insights into YA and what works (for her) and what doesn’t. She doesn’t like the romance as much as the conflict. She likes the EVERMORE series–in one of the books, the conflict is that if the hero touches the heroine, he’s sent to the shadowlands (kind of like purgatory) so they can’t touch. (Hmm, I kind of like that idea, as the mother of two teenage girls . . . LOL.) My girls can read ORIGINAL SIN–there’s a very brief sex scene and it’s less explicit that I write in my RS–but it’s very scary. They love scary. They are mine, after all
by Allison Brennan December 3rd, 2009 at 10:56 amI sort of bypassed YA when I was an actual young adult; if I ever tried any it tended to be moralistic and preachy, very after-school-special. But I know there some wonderful stuff out there now, and I keep meaning to try it. However, like you, Allison, I tend to stick with what I know will thrill me between my own deadlines, so I’m not sure when the Great YA Experiment will happen! At least I now have some good recommendations, thanks to this post!
by Louisa Edwards December 3rd, 2009 at 9:05 amI’m going to hopefully have Kelly here in two weeks to blog. I’ve been trying to convince her to write an article of RT and maybe the blog will give her the confidence.
by Allison Brennan December 3rd, 2009 at 10:57 amI read a YA book when I was a YA myself, The Grounding of Group Six. After that I changed to romance novels. It was scary. The tagline read, All parents would get rid of their kids if they thought they could get away with it. A scary idea floating in my sixteen year old head.
I’ve read the Twilight books, The Hunger Games, and the ones by Scott Westerfield (I think) because my son wanted me to so we could talk about them. all the Harry Potter’s too.
Being a teenager is scary, and I think reading YA brings all those scary, exciting feelings out again.
by Jill James December 3rd, 2009 at 9:26 amKelly read the Scott Westerfield series before it became really popular. She enjoyed it, she likes alternate worlds and complex moral issues.
by Allison Brennan December 3rd, 2009 at 10:58 amI grew up reading the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books. I loved them. Growing up my mom and I went to the library every Saturday morning. She went her way and I went mine. I don’t remember when we ended up in the same section but she never said a word about it.
My oldest was not a reader. Her Cerebral Palsy caused a learning delay. She hated to read. That hurt. Finally when she entered middle school she found a book she loved. She has been hooked on reading ever since and OMG if a book cover gets messed up there will be hell to pay. A great benefit of her reading all the time is her comprehension skills have improved. The state required tests she scored in the highest category for reading comprehension., several points over her gifted brother.
The only YA I’ve read is the Twilight series and the Wicked series by Nancy Holder & Debbie Biguie.
My daughter is pushing me to write a YA. I made the mistake of saying an idea out loud. Now it’s every day, “Mom, when are going to write that book?”
Ugh, should have kept my big mouth shut.
Sorry for the long comment.
by HollyD December 3rd, 2009 at 9:40 amComment away! I love it when someone finds a book they love, and then becomes a reader.
by Allison Brennan December 3rd, 2009 at 10:59 amOops, I forgot to mention the Harry Potter series. I loved it.
St. Martin’s is looking for books that are for the twentysomethings. I wonder if they are just seeing too many YA submissions.
by HollyD December 3rd, 2009 at 11:22 amI read mostly YA now. The reason – I find that there are no restraints no boxes constricting the stories. I don’t know what I’m going to get when I pick up a YA. I like to be surprised. I don’t get that in paranormal romance any more and of late not even in UF. I know what’s coming even before it happens.
I am continually astonished by the YA books out there. Some of them have gone on my all time fave books of all time.
The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins are two of the best books I’ve ever read.
Other favorites:
Morgainville Vampires by Rachel Caine
Possessions by Nancy Holder
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Devouring by Simon Holt
Fae series by Holly Black
Fae series by Melissa Marr
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Graceling by Kristen Cashore
I’ve read a ton others but these stand out to me.
by Vivi Anna December 3rd, 2009 at 10:06 amNow I have another list for my daughter (though she’s read at least half on that list.) UNWIND is still one of her favorites. She liked Melissa Marr’s books, two of the three. One she said wasn’t as good (unless I’m mixing up her comments, LOL.)
by Allison Brennan December 3rd, 2009 at 11:00 amI haven’t read YA since I was about…nine. Which is about the time I finished off all the books in the children’s section of the small local library and my dad let me move to the adult sextion. I have to admit, I never looked back. In recent times, I read about 1/2 the HP books and managed the 1st Eragon book. Twilight just leaves me cold. I do want to give PC & Kristen Cast’s books a try. My CP is writing a YA and I love her voice. Me? My YA voice pretty much is nonexistent.
by Silver James December 3rd, 2009 at 10:26 amKelly loved the Cast books. But felt they should have stopped after 4 or maybe 5. She has #6, but hasn’t read it yet–she keeps putting it at the bottom of her pile. Maybe YAs are like adults in that way–they don’t want a series to go on forever. Probably worse than adults because they are still growing and maturing and the books may not be because they’re still aimed at a target 12-21 audience.
by Allison Brennan December 3rd, 2009 at 11:02 amSocial comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by murdershewrites: YA Past, Present, Future: At present, Young Adult titles are hot. Hot, hot, hot. Have you been in a bookstore latel… http://bit.ly/6bxRFp...
by uberVU - social comments December 3rd, 2009 at 10:44 amMy daughter is 12 and reading YA books now, and I’ve picked up a couple she’s raved about. I just finished GENERATION DEAD by Daniel Waters, a teenage zombie book that’s really exceptional and nothing I ever thought I’d like. Julia’s also racing through James Patterson’s Maximum Ride series, although I haven’t tried those yet. I agree that voice is the biggest factor in YA fiction. I’ve got an idea I’ve been thinking about for a while now, and when I’m done with my next book I may give it a go.
by Karen Olson December 3rd, 2009 at 11:25 ami am sorely under read and have never read a YA. growing up it was straight up romance novels for moi!
all of that said, i am going to broaden my reading horizons. soon. after this book is in the can.
by Karin Tabke December 3rd, 2009 at 12:10 pmLike Karin, I am woefully under-read when it comes to YA. My boys were not big readers, though my youngest did love the Harry Potter books and had to read all of them the day they came out. For a complete non-reader, that was a big deal for me. Plus, there just wasn’t the variety available for them or for me to pick from to foist on them as there is now.
Now, however, I’m pretty fascinated with the YA stories coming out, because I do think I have a YA voice. I’ve got a couple of ideas.
What I’d love? If Kelly would post some of her favorites and a sentence or so about why they were her favorites? It’s the “why” that would truly be interesting, if she’s up for that.
by Toni McGee Causey December 3rd, 2009 at 12:53 pmGood idea. I’ll talk to her today!
by Allison Brennan December 3rd, 2009 at 1:31 pmI can so see a teenage Bobbie Faye blowing up the high school!
by Jill James December 3rd, 2009 at 2:10 pmOh goodness, a blog dedicated to me, MY do I feel special…
by Kelly (a.k.a daughter #2) December 3rd, 2009 at 4:36 pmThere’s probably a WHOLE lot I could comment/add to this blog but I guess I’ll just save that for the blog I’m apparently writing in 2 weeks
You ARE special
by Allison Brennan December 3rd, 2009 at 4:40 pmAllison, I am woefully late to the blog today–I got tied up with work.
I do read YA occasionally. For me, it’s always been more about what catches my interest the genre.
I’m not sure what YA books provide that adult books don’t. Maybe the way things are so fresh and vivid to a teenager/young adult? Maybe that they can’t rely on sex as much in the story telling? I’m not sure. It’s a good question.
By the way I love Alyson Noel, both the person and her books! Wish I had an ARC of SHADOWLAND! Kelly is so lucky!
by Jen Lyon December 3rd, 2009 at 6:41 pmOh boy! What a subject! I loved YA when I was a YA. Allison, I’m not that much younger than you but I must have hit it at the right time. Some of these authors I haven’t heard of but I’ve got another one to add to the list: Christopher Pike. I think I read just about everything of his I could get my hands on. Lois Duncan, the Sweet Valley High series, etc.
One of the reasons I have disliked the TWILIGHT series the most is that it just seems so under written. It’s like Meyer wanted it to sound like it came from a teenage girls head, but it just doesn’t gel for me (on the other hand, S.E. Hinton di did a great job of sounding like a teenage boy). Maybe because I spend so much time around teenagers…
Another reason is that it seems like a pale imitation of the vampire series I read as a teenager, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES. My friend Valerie and I were obsessed with that series! I haven’t watched the tv series based on it because I know the storyline has been changed, and I can’t bear to see how its been cannibalized.
by Lynnie December 3rd, 2009 at 10:19 pm