Throwdown Thursday is a weekly thing [hosted by The Neverending Shelf] where we tackle books with similar characters, covers, themes, etc. to determine which one rocks more. And it is up to YOU to determine the winner!

Last week’s Throwdown asked: In the Blood vs. Night Myst? The verdict by unanimous decision: Night Myst. 

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Vampires have long been the bread and butter of the paranormal genre.  Everyone from Anne Rice to Stephenie Meyer have thrilled and titillated readers with tales of these fanged fellows.  And while I don’t think vampires are in any real danger of losing their place as fiction’s favorite bad boys, a new breed of paranormal creatures are taking a bite out of the genre in a BIG way: Angels.  Both the Adult and YA markets have picked up on the trend.  Check out the books below and cast your vote.  I personally think Nalini Singh has the right idea; her Guild Hunter series deliver’s both Vampires and Angels. What do you think?  Are Angels the new Vampires?

Angels vs Vampires

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Click HERE to read my review

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Fallen by Lauren Kate
Click HERE to read my review

There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.
Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

and Falling, Fly by Skyler White

In a dark and seedy underground of burned-out rock stars and angels-turned- vampires, a revolutionary neuroscientist and a fallen angel must put medicine against mythology in an attempt to erase their tortured pasts...but at what price?
Olivia, vampire and fallen angel of desire, is hopeless...and damned. Since the fall from Eden, she has hungered for love, but fed only on desire. Dominic O'Shaughnessy is a neuroscientist plagued by impossible visions. When his research and her despair collide at L'Otel Mathillide-a subterranean hell of beauty, demons, and dreams-rationalist and angel unite in a clash of desire and damnation that threatens to destroy them both.
In this fractures Hotel of the Damned, Olivia and Dominic discover the only force consistent in their opposing realities is the deep, erotic gravity between them. Bound to each other finally in a knot of interwoven freedoms, Dominic and Olivia-the vision-touched scientist and the earth-bound angel, reborn and undead-encounter the mystery of love and find it is both fall...and flight.

Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh
Click HERE to read my review of Angel’s Judgment

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh returns to her world of angelic rulers, vampiric servants, and the woman thrust into their darkly seductive world…
Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux wakes from a year-long coma to find herself changed—an angel with wings the colors of midnight and dawn—but her fragile body needs time to heal before she can take flight. Her lover, the stunningly dangerous archangel Raphael, is used to being in control—even when it comes to the woman he considers his own. But Elena has never done well with authority… 
They’ve barely begun to understand each other when Raphael receives an invitation to a ball from the archangel Lijuan. To refuse would be a sign of fatal weakness, so Raphael must ready Elena for the flight to Beijing—and to the nightmare that awaits them there. Ancient and without conscience, Lijuan holds a power that lies with the dead. And she has organized the most perfect and most vicious of welcomes for Elena…

EW.com just exclusively announced Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1!

I’m delighted to announce, exclusively, that Yen Press will publish Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1 on March 16, with a first printing of 350,000 copies.  Here’s a first glimpse at the book’s cover, as well as an exclusive peek at one of its panels (for a full ten-page excerpt, and the entire Q&A with Stephenie Meyer, see the issue of EW that goes on sale this Friday). –EW.com

Stephenie Meyer also talked about her involvement in the graphic novel:

I was definitely involved.  I didn’t do the original “script” for the book, so to speak.  But when I got the dialogue with the images, I did a lot of tinkering. In a couple of places, I asked for missing scenes to be inserted.  For example, the conversation in the car that Bella and Edward have after she faints in Biology.

Stephenie also talked about the possibility of more Twilight books:

I can’t say that I am done with Twilight forever.  I’m not working on anything new Twilight-related now, and probably not for a while.  But there’s still a possibility that I’ll go back and close some of the open doors.

Check out the whole announcement HERE and be sure to pick up this week’s edition of Entertainment Weekly.

 

Genre Swap Saturday is a regular post (not necessarily every week) hosted by All Things Urban Fantasy, that will highlight books outside of our focused genre that I think will appeal to you.  Feel free to use this on your site, just link me please.

Every Genre Swap Saturday book suggestion will include:

• Why you, an urban fantasy lover, might like this book:
• Why you, an urban fantasy lover, might not like this book: 

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The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Book Description: Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that takes over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. Wanderer, the invading 'soul' who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too-vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

My Take:
I picked up The Host the same day that Breaking Dawn came out, but after being somewhat disappointed by the latter I wasn't exactly eager to read the former. The description of The Host sounded like a very hardcore science fiction effort, one that I was afraid would not be able to support a credible love story.  I am more delighted than I can say that I was wrong.  This book has one of the most gut wrenching love stories ever put to paper.  I read someone describe The Host as science fiction for people who don’t like science fiction.  The sci-fi elements (despite being among my least favorite genres) didn't bother me in the slightest .  On the contrary, I found them to be provocative and deeply emotional.  I found myself fully invested in all the characters (even the non-human ones) and even cried at the end. *SPECIAL NOTE TO TWILIGHT FANS* ~ Meyer really seems to enjoy the dynamic of two men in love with different aspects of the same woman.

Why you, an urban fantasy lover, might like this book:

1. Excellent world building that is not heavily sci-fi
2. Meyer knows how to write a gut wrenching love story
3. If you liked Twilight, you’ll be kicking yourself for not reading this sooner

Why you, an urban fantasy lover, might not like this book:

1. Aliens.  Not vamps or weres, but aliens.
2. Some sci-fi technology jargon

 

Click here to order The Host.

Click here to read an excerpt from The Host.

Yep.  I was one of those people who went to the midnight opening of The Twilight Saga: New Moon on last night (or technically this morning) and I even took my teenage sister and a carload of her friends (all clad in T-shirts and other Twilight paraphernalia plastered with Robert Pattinson’s face and one lone Jacob holdout) with me.  Yes, there was a lot of screaming. 

I finished re-reading the book the night before(I wanted all the details as fresh as possible prior to seeing the movie. The basic story is the same in both the movie and the book:

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Book 

Reading level: Young Adult

Hardcover: 608 pages

Publisher: Little, Brown Books

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0316160199

ISBN-13: 978-0316160193

"Shoot," I muttered when the paper sliced my finger; I pulled it out to examine the damage. A single drop of blood oozed from the tiny cut. It all happened very quickly then. Edward threw himself at me, flinging me back across the table... I tumbled down to the floor by the piano, with my arms thrown out instinctively to catch my fall, into the jagged shards of glass. I felt the searing, stinging pain that ran from my wrist to the crease inside my elbow. Dazed and disoriented, I looked up from the bright red blood pulsing out of my arm-into the fevered eyes of the six suddenly ravenous vampires. Legions of readers entranced by Twilight are hungry for more and they won't be disappointed. In New Moon, Stephenie Meyer delivers another irresistible combination of romance and suspense with a supernatural twist. The "star-crossed" lovers theme continues as Bella and Edward find themselves facing new obstacles, including a devastating separation, the mysterious appearance of dangerous wolves roaming the forest in Forks, a terrifying threat of revenge from a female vampire and a deliciously sinister encounter with Italy's reigning royal family of vampires, the Volturi. Passionate, riveting, and full of surprising twists and turns, this vampire love saga is well on its way to literary immortality.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Film

Opens Friday, November 20, 2009

Runtime:2 hr. 1 min.

PG-13 some violence and action

The supernatural tale of star-crossed lovers continues as the Cullen family flees Forks in order to protect Bella (Kristen Stewart), and the heartbroken high-school senior discovers that vampires aren't the only creatures in town. Realizing that Bella will never be safe as long as he's around, Edward (Robert Pattinson) makes the difficult decision to leave his beloved behind shortly after her 18th birthday. Reeling from her loss, Bella embraces self-destruction after being comforted by Edward's image during a moment of mortal peril. But as heavy-hearted as Bella may be, her old friend Jacob (Taylor Lautner) distracts her from her sorrows by helping her renovate a weather-beaten motorbike. When Bella encounters a former adversary with a sizable grudge, she's rescued from harm at the last second by pack of enormous, ferocious wolves. Subsequently delving into the history of the Quileutes, Bella discovers the secrets of Jacob's tribe while looking forward to a reunion with Edward that may have deadly consequences. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

I was late in jumping on the Twilight phenomenon, I read Twilight only after seeing the trailer for the movie version.  But I made short work of the series and have been eagerly awaiting New Moon ever since. And overall, I think director Chris Weitz did a wonderful job.  The effects are beautiful without screaming, ‘hey look at me I’m a special effect!’  I’m a huge werewolf snob when it comes to movies (the weres from Dog Soldiers are my favorite from recent years, whereas the Van Helising were was horrendous),  so I’m relieved to report that the wolves in New Moon look particularly stunning in a way the previews didn’t quite capture. Another bonus: There isn’t the sweat/glitter this time out either.  When the vampires are in the sun they look much more like I imagined they would from reading the books: like their skin was diamonds.

The actors have all settled into their roles (specifically Michael Sheen who plays the Volturi vamp Aro with a delightful abandon).  Even Taylor Lautner who I had misgivings about has grown-not just physically- into a more than credible Jacob Black.  He doesn’t quite portray the simmering anger that Jacob battles throughout the book, but he does bring the humor and devotion that is so vital to his character to the big screen.

The differences between book and movie are for the most part minor; a compressed scene here and there, some liberty taken with dialogue etc. Certain characters are given smaller/larger roles than in the book (Charlie has some great not-in-the-book scenes).  All of which serve to tell the story better given the film medium.  The biggest difference is Edward.  He is absent for most of the book, but in the movie Bella’s hallucinations are not just audible, they are visible too.  Again, I think this was a good decision that worked to better communicate the story on screen.

If the consensus between the teenagers I brought with me is any indication (not to mention the applauding audience when the credits rolled), you won’t be disappointed.  Our whole pack agreed that New Moon was a better movie than Twilight.  As for me,  I got home at 3 am and had to start re-reading the beginning of Eclipse before I could go to sleep.  So, yeah, I’m tired today, but really, really happy.

So I know The Host isn’t an exactly an urban fantasy, but if you haven’t read it yet, go, right now.  I picked up The Host the same day as Breaking Dawn, but after being somewhat disappointed by the latter I wasn't exactly eager to read the former.  The description of The Host sounded like a very hardcore science fiction effort, one that I was afraid would not be able to support a credible love story.  I am more delighted than I can say that I was wrong.  This book has one of the most gut wrenching love stories ever put to paper.  The sci-fi elements (despite being among my least favorite genres) didn't bother me in the slightest .  On the contrary, I found them to be provocative and deeply emotional.  And, I think this will appeal to urban fantasy lovers which is why I’m sharing the movie news with all of you. from Stephenie herself:

“Hey guys, great news! The Host is on its way to the big screen: I'm so excited to be working with Nick Weschler, and Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz to bring The Host to a visual format. They've all been a dream to work with, so lovely and collaborative, and I feel like we're in a really good place to make a great movie together. And then to have Andrew Niccol writing and directing? Truly awesome. If you've never seen Gattaca, go watch it now. One of my favorite movies of all time. It's such a great example of character driven science fiction, which is ideal for The Host, no? I'm having an absolute blast imagining different dream casts, which I would post if people didn't take my silly blogs so seriously these days. I'm looking forward to seeing the cast lists you come up with in the fansite forums, and if any of them match mine. So, very exciting. Yay Host!XO-Steph”

From Variety: Producers Nick Wechsler, Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz have used their own money to acquire screen rights to “The Host,” the first adult novel written by Stephenie Meyer, author of the “Twilight” series. 

Andrew Niccol will write the script and direct.

Meyer’s novel is a love story set in the near future on Earth, which has been assimilated by an alien species that call themselves “Souls.” They are benevolent parasites that subsume the conscious of humans and take possession of their bodies. One such soul, The Wanderer (so named because she has wandered among so many different worlds) is fused with a dying human named Melanie Stryder, in an attempt to locate the last pocket of surviving humans on Earth. The Wanderer cannot subsume the forceful Melanie, and they battle for the girl’s memories and her spirit.

Wechsler and the Schwartz’ are separately teamed on “The Road,” the John Hillcoat-directed adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel that will be released November 25 by The Weinstein Company. They are also producing the Paul Schrader-scripted “The Dying of the Light,” and an adaptation of the Pete Takada book “An Eye at the Top of the World,” which is being adapted by Ryne Douglas Pearson.

They will develop the project independently.

The trio wanted to make a science fiction film and fixed on “The Host.” In addition to writing four volumes of the “Twilight” series, Meyer has been heavily involved in the blockbuster screen transfers, and she spurned several overtures for “The Host.” The producers continued lobbying the author and her reps at UTA and The Writers House with a significant offer, a strong vision for the project, and a collaborative spirit. Meyer eventually said yes.

In fact, Niccol first came under consideration after Wechsler and the Schwartz’ asked Meyer her favorite science fiction films, and “Gattaca” and “The Truman Show” were in her top five. Niccol wrote and directed “Gattaca” and scripted the Peter Weir-directed “The Truman Show.”

Niccol read the book, met the producers and author, and the New Zealand-born writer/director sparked to the assignment. 

“We wanted Stephenie to be involved in the adaptation, and have her endorse and be part of the creative decisions,” Wechsler said. “`Twilight’ has proven she more more about what works than most.”

Summit releases the second installment of Meyers’s vampire series, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” on November 20.