'Forever' Wolves of Mercy Falls #3 by Maggie Stiefvater

From the BLURB:

In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.

This story started with a girl, and her wolf in the woods. A fairy story with an impossible transformation that breached two worlds and bought the young lovers together – a boy who turned into a wolf in the winter months, and turned back into a boy to be with his summer girl.

But then the story changed. The boy was cured, the lovers united and all seemingly right with the world . . . until the roles were reversed. Now it’s the girl who is a wolf and the boy who pines in the long and never-ending cold, waiting for his love to return.

‘Forever’ is the third and final book in Maggie Stiefvater’s glorious literary YA trilogy, ‘Wolves of Mercy Falls’.

In the build-up to the book’s release, I pined for months – salivating over the cover, pondering the conclusion and crossing my fingers for a happy ending. But I found that when the book was finally delivered into my hot little hands that I was reluctant to get stuck into it. Ironically enough, it took me forever to read ‘Forever’ because I didn’t want ‘Forever’ to end. . . and by the last page I had conflicting feelings – unsatisfied but pleased, unsurprised but frustrated.

Let me just start by saying that I knew ‘Forever’ wouldn’t be an easy book to read. For one thing, Stiefvater had set up the emotional turmoil back in ‘Linger’ with the tragic role-reversal between Sam and Grace. The angst had been well and truly built up for the finale as Grace and Sam were written back to square one as star-crossed lovers, separated by a gulf of transformation and the endless wood. Secondly, I know that Stiefvater is a tough author. Her series is a bit of a contradiction – at once touting the current supernatural/werewolf fad, but with real literary flair (you need only look at the pages peppered with Rilke and Yeats to get the idea that this is no ordinary YA). And I know from reading her first novel ‘Lament’ that Stiefvater is not the sort of author to finish her book in a neatly-tied bow. I knew all of this, and yet I still came out of ‘Forever’ a little bit miffed and dazed.

One problem I had with the book was the character of Cole St. Clair. I know that when Cole first appeared in ‘Linger’ there were many fans who were perplexed and disgruntled by his new narrative role. I, personally, loved Cole’s addition and his complex almost-romance with Isabel Culpeper. I thought Cole and Isabel as two snarky, jaded and lustful lovebirds was genius (if a little warped) – Isabel as the Mercy Falls queen bee bitch, and Cole as an infamous rocker from the band NARKOTIKA who is on the run from fame, fortune and himself. True, Cole being a rocker on the run who was recruited to lead the Mercy Falls wolves was a little strange – but I appreciated his and Isabel’s imperfect characters to balance out the squeaky-clean and sweet Sam and Grace. However, in ‘Forever’ Cole really stood out to me as a glaringly odd character in the series. I was willing to take on his curious background as a world-famous musician who was self-destructive and thought the only way to escape his life was to follow a crazy, wolfy scheme. Okay. A little ‘out-there’ but otherwise fine and interesting . . . what’s hard to swallow in ‘Forever’ is the subsequent convenience that not only is Cole a sociopathic rocker with a death wish – but he also happens to have a brilliant scientific mind (thanks to his scientist daddy) and is on the hunt for a cure to the malaria-like wolf gene.
Huh.
When you type it out like that his whole storyline does seem really contrived and down-right ridiculous. And, honestly, even with Stiefvater’s brilliant characterization and pin-point writing, Cole was a bizarrely awkward character in ‘Forever’.

That’s not to say I didn’t like Cole. I think the series needed a Cole-like character, someone whose perversely jaded outlook on life could balance out Sam’s sometimes sappy-sweetness. And I think Stiefvater communicates some brilliant insights through Cole’s musings;

Life was a cake that looked good on the bakery shelf but turned to sawdust and salt when I ate it.

I also really liked Cole and Isabel’s relationship. Both of them are self-destructive, self-hating pessimists who fight their attraction to one another tooth and nail. I loved their difference to Grace and Sam and their puppy love romance. But by book’s end I felt like maybe Stiefvater had tipped Cole and Isabel’s relationship-scales too much to the side of doom and gloom without offering up enough slivers of hope for their young souls.

Cole St. Clair was really the only aspect of ‘Forever’ that was out of step for me – but it was a pretty big misstep, especially because it seemed another aspect of the series was sacrificed for Cole’s sake. One of the things I loved about the first two books ‘Shiver’ and ‘Linger’ was Stiefvater’s concentration on Grace’s family life. So often YA books sweep parents under the rug and conveniently write them out of the entire book. Stiefvater took that commonality and flipped it on its head – making the absence of Grace’s parents into a really compelling (and infuriating) side-story that offered up plenty of home-life melodrama. I really missed that in ‘Forever’.

But, of course, ‘Wolves of Mercy Falls’ has always been the Sam and Grace show. From the moment Sam sang about his summer girl readers were hooked into their doomed romance – and with good reason. Stiefvater has turned the hotly popular werewolf story into a Machiavellian/Shakespearian tragedy of epic proportions. Grace and Sam have a seemingly impossible romance – made all the more bitter sweet for them being soul-mates of the highest order. A good portion of ‘Forever’ articulates the rift that Grace’s wolfiness has caused to Sam’s life, and it’s brilliantly heartbreaking;

Without Grace, I was a perpetual motion machine, run by my inability to sleep and my fear of letting my thoughts build up in my head. Every night was a photocopy of every day that had come before it, and every day was a photocopy of every night. Everything felt so wrong: the house full to the brim with Cole St. Clair and no one else; my memories edged with images of Grace covered in her own blood, shifting into a wolf; me, unchanging, my body out of the seasons’ reach. I was waiting for a train that never pulled into the station. But I couldn’t stop waiting, because who would I be then? I was looking at my world in a mirror.

Throughout ‘Forever’ I kept thinking how ingenious Stiefvater’s wolf-world is. She really has turned the old werewolf mythology into an utterly unique tragedy – a conundrum to twist her character’s lives that keeps readers guessing how it will all end.

True to Stiefvater’s tough, literary reputation ‘Forever’ doesn’t finish neatly. There’s no contrite happily-ever-after or quick-fix finale. Rather, the book finishes with a nice open-endedness that can be read as either fulfilling or frustrating for the way that her characters seem about ready to live on – beyond this trilogy and the woods of Mercy Falls.

3.5/5

‘Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception’ by Maggie STIEFVATER

From the BLURB:

Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's also a cloverhand - one who can see faeries. Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy who enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of thin air. Trouble is, the enigmatic and gorgeous Luke turns out to be a gallowglass - a soulless faerie assassin. An equally hunky - and equally dangerous - dark faerie soldier named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre. Sworn enemies, Luke and Aodhan each have a deadly assignment from the Faerie Queen. Namely, kill Deirdre before her music captures the attention of the Fae and threatens the Queen's sovereignty. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend. Deirdre had been wishing her life weren't so dull, but getting trapped in the middle of a centuries-old faerie war isn't exactly what she had in mind . . .

Deirdre is a sixteen-year-old genius harpist. She is about to take the stage for a student music competition when a young man (who happens to have featured in some of her most recent and interesting dreams) approaches her. Luke Dillon is golden and beautiful, he plays the flute as well as Deirdre plays the harp, and together they make sweet music.
Deirdre knows that there is something strange about Luke. She knows it is odd when she starts finding four-leaf clovers everywhere, and the smell of thyme hangs in the air. But Luke feels so much a part of her, like her life was just stalling until he came along...

But Deirdre cannot ignore the unordinary for long. Not when her Granna insists she wear iron jewellery and watch out for ‘Them’. Deirdre cannot ignore Luke’s mysterious riddles or the fact that he’s always looking over his shoulder. And pretty soon Deirdre will have to face the fact that Luke Dillon is a faerie Queen’s assassin, and he has been sent to kill her...

‘Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception’ is sublime.
I really shouldn’t be surprised that I loved this book, considering the fact that Stiefvater’s ‘Wolves of Mercy Falls’ is an all-time favourite YA series of mine. But I had put off reading Stiefvater’s 2008 debut novel in case it didn’t hold a candle to ‘Shiver’... but as it turns out, I had nothing to worry about.

‘Lament’ is a modern faerie-tale. Stiefvater draws on Shakespearean and folklore tales and beautifully weaves old-world mythology into this modern-day young adult novel.
This is what I love most about Stiefvater, and what she does in ‘Wolves of Mercy Falls’ she also brings to ‘Lament’... and that is effortlessly blending ancient fantasy with the modern day. Yes, ‘Lament’ has toadstool-dancing faeries, but at its heart the book is a love story about young lovers and their desperation to be together.

Deirdre is a child prodigy; a musical genius destined for great things. But deep down, she just wants to be ordinary. Deirdre doesn’t want to be loved for her potential; she wants to be loved as she is. Likewise, Luke is a character haunted by his past who wants to be judged and accepted based not on his previous actions, but current loyalties.
Luke Dillon is utterly fascinated by Deirdre and her hunger for ordinariness. Deirdre is dazzled by Luke’s quirkiness and his secrets... they are each other’s soul-mate. They strive to make the other a better, truer person – to be honest about who they are and what they care about.

That’s another thing I love about Stiefvater’s books – the fact that they are romances, made no less epic for their teenage protagonists. Luke and Deirdre have a very deep, passionate love affair that is entirely believable and beautiful. Stiefvater is a YA author who treats her readership with respect and grants her young hero’s the weightiness they deserve. Her teenage characters are their own saviours, and their romances are not based on naive ‘puppy-love’ but a truer, deeper connection.

Though his mouth was as hot as the hidden summer sun, I shivered and closed my eyes. My hands were crushed between us – I wouldn’t have known what to do with them anyway. He kissed me again, farther up my neck, and I pushed him back against the wall.
My mind searched for logical thought, a rational life raft before I drowned in wanting to kiss him. I managed, “We’ve only met a few days ago. We don’t know each other.”
Luke released me. “How long does it take to know someone?”
I didn’t know. “A month? A few months?” It sounded stupid to quantify it, especially when I didn’t want to believe my own reasoning.

The double-edged sword which could work against ‘Lament’ is its similarity to the ‘Wolves of Mercy Falls’ series. On the one hand, as a Stiefvater fan coming to ‘Lament’ via ‘Shiver’, it was a relief that this book captivated me as much as her latest series. But the storylines are somewhat similar. Young girl discovers magical world in her ordinary life, falling in love with a boy from that universe. Music has a special significance in both books, and the romances are somewhat similar for the quiet girl/extraordinary boy dynamic.
It might be nice to read a Maggie Stiefvater book that is unlike anything she has ever written... but at the same time I love her writing and style and that old adage of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ may apply.

‘Lament’ also reminded me (faintly) of Melissa Marr’s ‘Wicked Lovely’ series. The obvious connection being the faerie theme, as both books hark back to old-world mythology and sonnet and both Maggie Stiefvater and Melissa Marr write a very mature romance for their YA readers. But the similarities are superficial at best – the overarching plot is entirely different, and each series is distinctive for the writer’s vastly different prose style. Still, if you are a fan of Melissa Marr’s books then ‘Lament’ will probably hit the spot for you too...

I love Maggie Stiefvater’s ‘Wolves of Mercy Falls’ series. Her debut book ‘Lament’ is just as brilliant; a young adult literary feat that delights for the melting romance and Stiefvater’s charming style. A definite must-read for YA connoisseurs.

5/5

'Linger' Wolves of Mercy Falls #2 by Maggie STIEFVATER

From the BLURB:

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

Maggie Stiefvater is a YA author goddess! I love her, and I adore her series ‘Wolves of Mercy Falls’. First book ‘Shiver’ enchanted me, and Stiefvater continues to weave her magic in this second instalment, ‘Linger’.

The book starts with an ominous prologue;

This is the story of a boy who used to be a wolf and a girl who was becoming one.

From the on-set you get the idea that this second book is setting up for a big cliff-hanger. ‘Wolves of Mercy Falls’ is a trilogy, and the third and final book is out in July 2011 – so you just know, going in to ‘Linger’, that this book will be a lead-in to the finale. The prologue’s foreshadowing gears readers up for an emotional journey, but despite the slight cushioning the events in ‘Linger’ still pack quite a punch.

When the book begins Sam is cured. The events of ‘Shiver’ have seen Sam shed his wolf once and for all, and not even the bite of frost in the air will see him shift. Sam can finally be a human boy, able to enjoy summer without the worry that winter and wolf are just around the corner. Sam can finally be a boy who loves a girl called Grace. But when Grace stumbles across a dead wolf in the forest she sets off a series of events that will forever change the course of her, and Sam’s, lives. After encountering the dead wolf Grace comes down with a fever. Then she starts to get nosebleeds. Pretty soon a clawing in her stomach leaves her aching and waking in the middle of the night... Grace and Sam know what is happening, but they are helpless to stop it.

Coinciding with Grace’s story is the introduction of a new wolf to the werewolf pack. Cole St. Clair was the legendary lead singer of NARKOTIKA, a young muso prodigy who one day vanished off the face of the earth.... only to turn up on Sam’s doorstep in Mercy Falls. Cole is running. Running from his fame, his fucked up life and the ability to turn everyone he loves against him. Cole tried the oblivion of drugs and drinking, but found a far greater stupor in turning animal and shedding his humanity. Except that he can’t seem to hold onto the wolf – he keeps changing between wolf and human; the cold can’t keep him and his memories won’t let him stay a man.

Grace wants to stay with Sam. Cole wants to get away from himself. Neither will get what they want.

‘Linger’ is sublime. It’s that simple. I thought Stiefvater knocked the wind out of me with ‘Shiver’, but in this second book she brings me to my knees.

Unlike the first book, ‘Linger’ sees the narration grow beyond just Sam & Grace, to introduce new character Cole and previously minor character, Isabel Culpeper, to the cache of narrators. I was a little sceptical at first, of having 4 protagonists... but it works. Isabel and Cole are brilliant contrasts to Sam and Grace. To be honest, Sam & Grace are kind of squeaky-clean teenagers, and there was the possibility that their innocent love and sweet dispositions (where compelling in ‘Shiver’) could have been too cloyingly sweet the second time around. But Stiefvater throws Cole and Isabel into the narrative mix, giving readers the taste of two supremely messed up teenage characters who are complete opposites of Sam and Grace.

Cole is so royally screwed up; it’s hard to know where to begin. He hates his own skin, he wants to be a wolf so desperately because he can’t stand to remember the things he has done and the person he is/was/is trying not to be. Yes, he’s a famous musician, but in Mercy Falls he is trying for oblivion and to remain under-the-radar. And actually his fame doesn’t turn him into a cliché, but adds layers to his twisted history and damaged psyche. I pictured Cole as a type of Jeff Buckley muso golden-boy. Cole is a wonderful contrast to Sam, who fought so hard to remain human and who is trying so desperately to keep his girlfriend that way;

I tried to keep the irritation out of my voice as I replied, “Yeah. I get it. You want to be a wolf. You do not want to be Cole. You want to be a wolf. You’ve made it really clear. Well, I have no magic formula to make you stay a wolf. Sorry.” I noticed that he had a bottle of whiskey sitting on the countertop next to him. “Where did that come from?”
“Cabinet,” Cole said. His voice was pleasant. “Why does it bother you so much?”
“I’m not really crazy about you getting drunk.”
“I’m not really crazy about being sober,” Cole replied.

Then there’s the beautiful Isabel. Isabel is still emotionally reeling from the events of ‘Shiver’ which saw her try to save her brother, but fail. She is cold, cutting and confused. She has an iron-mask that she dons for everyone else, but deep down she is suffocating from her guilt and the part she played in her brother’s death. The only time she reveals a different side to herself is around Cole, because something about him makes her break down and *want*.

‘Linger’ offers up a second romance to complement Sam and Grace’s love story. Cole and Isabel are two very damaged people who are inexplicably drawn to one another. They are a car-crash waiting to happen, but at the same time there is something very *right* about them together. I get the impression that Stiefvater wanted to write Cole and Isabel as two people who shouldn’t be together, but can’t seem to help heading to that conclusion... but I was quite touched and intrigued by them and their tentative feelings. Their repartee provided some of my favourite scenes in ‘Linger’;

Isabel sounded unconvinced. She paused, then finally said, “You want to talk? Fine. Talk. Tell me something you’ve never told anybody else.”
I thought for a moment. “Turtles have the second-largest brains of any animal on the planet.”
It took Isabel a second to process this. “No, they don’t.”
“I know. That’s why I've never told anybody that before.”

Cole and Isabel are a very different love story compared to Sam and Grace. Where Sam and Grace fit together like pieces of a jigsaw, Isabel and Cole are lethal and combustible... but that just made them all the more interesting to read.

Stiefvater is a beautiful writer – everything comes together in her books so perfectly. The story is big and dramatic, a true page-turner and haunting fairytale. Her writing is precise and mesmeric – some of her sentences melt on your tongue for their deliciousness. I love her! I would say that Maggie Stiefvater is to YA urban fantasy what Patricia Briggs is to adult urban fantasy – they are two authors that breach genre and readership, who write beyond their ‘fantasy’ tag and mix heart-palpitating plots with sublime storytelling.

If you haven’t read ‘Shiver’ yet then you are crazy! Even those high-minded readers who scoff at the idea of a ‘werewolf’ story will find Stiefvater’s prose a lyrical delight, the story a twisted fairytale and the entire book a literary feast. If you haven’t read ‘Shiver’ yet then you absolutely, positively need to... like, now.

5/5

Urban Fantasy MOVIE adaptations

With the release of the new Twilight trailer for 'Eclipse' I got to thinking about how much the Urban Fantasy genre has blown up. There are so many great movie/TV/graphic novel adaptations going on - the genre is really branching out into different forms of New Media. So I thought I'd do a little post updating you on what's coming, what's cancelled and possible future endeavors.... Enjoy!

Melissa Marr:

It was announced last year that the first book in Melissa Marr’s ‘Wicked Lovely’ series would be coming to the big screen.

Many in Hollywood believe Marr’s project was chosen to compete against the adaptation of Aprilynne Pike’s book ‘Wings’, which has confirmed Miley Cyrus for the lead. Both books are aimed at the YA audience. Both are about fairies, which is tipped to be the ‘next big thing’ after vampires for 2011.

‘Wings’ will be made by Disney, and is being produced by the same team who made ‘Twilight’ (Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey). ‘Wicked Lovely’ has no cast as yet, but is being adapted by Universal Pictures. Both have a tentative 2011 release date – and I wouldn’t be surprised if they went head-to-head to battle it out at the box office.

Patricia Briggs:

In 2008 the ‘Mercy Thompson’ books were optioned to 50 Canon Entertainment. 50 Canon created TV show ‘Huff’, but they’ve also done movies such as ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’. It’s unclear whether the ‘Mercy’ series was optioned with the intent of turning them into movies or a TV show.

Since 2008 nothing has come of the contract. It might just have been a case of 50 Canon hedging their bets. At the time ‘True Blood’ (adaptation of Charlaine Harris’s ‘Sookie Stackhouse’ series) hadn’t hit our TV screens, so maybe they bought the ‘Mercy’ rights and then waited to see how ‘True Blood’ fared.

Since the HBO success, 50 Canon may have decided not to compete against such a high-rating show, or they could be waiting to see how audiences respond to the werewolf storyline of season 3….

Also at the time of the contract, Briggs’s comic book adaptation of her series hadn’t hit shelves. ‘Homecoming’, the first ‘Mercy’ comic by Dabel Brothers, came out last year to an underwhelming fan response. This could have impacted 50 Canon’s decision to adapt, but it’s highly doubtful.

The contract between Briggs and 50 Canon was rumoured to be in the six figures (if, or when, they decide to adapt). So regardless of whether or not the adaptation gets a green light this was a huge coup for Briggs professionally.

I, personally, think that the ‘Mercy Thompson’ books would make a great TV show… but at the same time I feel very precious about the series and would want it to be done *just* right.

Laurell K. Hamilton:

Last year Hamilton announced on her blog (with much ego-stroking) that her ‘Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter’ series was being bought to the small screen by IFC (independent film channel).

I was actually really excited for ‘Guilty Pleasures’ (the first book in the Anita Blake series) to be adapted. Hamilton’s first books in the series were great (it all went downhill around about ‘Narcissus in Chains’) and I think they would have made for a really entertaining mini-movie.

Unfortunately the deal with IFC fell through, rather disastrously.

Ms. Hamilton told fans about the no-go ‘Anita’ movie back in November 2009. She posted this rather quizzical statement on her blog: “It has been frustrating watching other shows in the genre I pioneered go on the air while we didn’t, but in the end I believe most things happen for a reason. I would rather have no television show than a bad one.”

Fans have been left to speculate about this cryptic blog post. It’s pretty obvious that there was some sort of creative difference going on between Hamilton and IFC.

And her reference to ‘other shows’ being made from adaptations – she can only mean Charlaine Harris’s ‘True Blood’. Maybe it stuck in Ms. Hamilton’s craw that Ms. Harris got HBO while she was stuck with IFC? Who knows? All we know for sure is that an adaptation of vintage Anita Blake is probably never going to happen now. If Hamilton was ‘difficult’ to work with, chances are other movie production companies will follow in IFC’s footsteps and not touch her.

Hollywood’s a big damn pond, and authors are small fish – especially when the Urban Fantasy genre has blown-up and there are plenty of possibilities for adaptation.

Charlaine Harris:

Ms. Harris has said in numerous interviews that she was quite surprised that, of all her books, it was ‘Sookie Stackhouse’ that was made into a TV show. She always thought that ‘Harper Connelly’ was more screen-friendly, and a more likely choice for adaptation.

Well since 2008 ‘True Blood’ has been going from strength to strength, and has regained HBO’s status as the premier network (not since ‘The Sopranos’ have ratings been so high). So it’s no wonder that people are sniffing around Harris’s other work.

It was recently announced that Harris’s ‘Harper Connelly’ series was being adapted into a graphic novel. ‘Dynamite Entertainment’ bought the rights to the 4-book series – which is about a young woman who can ‘sense’ the dead and see the last moments of a deceased’s life.

There’s no release date as yet, but it’s likely the graphic novel will come out late 2010, or early 2011.

This might just be the first step before turning the ‘Harper Connelly’ books into a movie or TV show. No doubt the media will be abuzz over this adaptation, purely because of Charlaine Harris’s recent fame with ‘True Blood’ and the ‘Sookie’ books being a staple of the New York Times Bestseller’s list. If the comic book gets enough hype, I wouldn’t be surprised if a production network snaps up the movie/TV rights.

I, for one, would love to see a big/small screen adaptation of this series. All of Charlaine Harris’s series’ are great, and deserve as much attention as ‘Sookie Stackhouse’ – but I have a particularly soft spot for the brilliant ‘Harper Connelly’.

Kelley Armstrong:

Back in 2004 Armstrong’s ‘Bitten’ was sold to Warner. Bros and several screenplay drafts were written. Angelina Jolie was even rumoured to star.

Since then the contract has run out and Warner. Bros decided not to renew. That means another production company could try and buy the movie rights, but Ms. Armstrong has advised fans not to hold their breath.

Bummer.

Maggie Stiefvater:

September last year Ms. Stiefvater broke the happy news on her livejournal.

Her ‘Wolves of Mercy Falls’ trilogy has been picked up for movie adaptation. It’s being made by ‘Unique Features’.

No news yet about casting or release dates – but I think the movie will be a sure thing. Werewolves are so hot right now; the YA/tween audience cannot get enough of Taylor Lautner.

‘Shiver’ will be like a “what if Jacob got Bella in the end?” to satisfy all those who weren’t in the ‘Team Edward’ camp.

‘Shiver’ is a gorgeous book and absolutely deserving of this happy news!

Kim Harrison:

In July 2009 Kim Harrison announced that her series 'The Hollows' was going to be adapted into a Graphic Novel by Del Ray. Ms. Harrison is actually writing the script herself, so expect plenty of that snappy dialogue and dry wit that we've come to love.

The novel will be told from Ivy's POV (*squee!*) and is set around the time of her 'Hollows' novella in 'Dates From Hell'. And Kisten is still alive (*SQUEE!*).

The 8th 'Rachel Morgan' book was released this month (to much success, of course) and the Graphic Novel is tentatively scheduled for a fall 2010 release (could possibly turn into a 2011 release though). The artist is Pedro Maia and Ms. Harrison has posted some (very rough) sketches on her blog.

The graphic novel looks and sounds great so far. I especially like the idea of it being told from Ivy's POV - hopefully we'll learn a lot more about the 'behind the scenes' of the vampires and their politics. And I think it will be great to get into Ivy's psyche and maybe discover when her feelings for Rachel changed.

I think the 'Rachel Morgan' series is one of the best Urban Fantasies out there. Hands down. Brilliant. But I think a movie/TV adaptation would be very hard, if not impossible to accomplish. The world is so intricate and there's so much back story... I don't know that such a screen adaptation would be possible. But a graphic novel is just the right kind of new media for Ms. Harrison. It allows her to work closely on script and visualize her 'Hollows' world without constraint. Fantastic!

'Shiver' by Maggie STIEFVATER

From the BLURB:

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

‘Shiver’ is the first book in a romance trilogy called ‘Wolves of Mercy Falls’. This book is breathtaking. I absolutely adored it - so much in fact that it has become one of my all-time favourite YA books.

Stiefvater has twisted the werewolf myth in a most intriguing way. In her world lycanthropes do not come and go with the moon – rather they remain wolves through winter, and become human during summer. But as they grow older and remain wolves for longer, eventually the change stops and they remain wolf. This slight twist in the myth creates a real dilemma, and for Stiefvater’s characters lycanthropy is a true curse. It is a real hardship especially for our protagonists, Sam and Grace.

Sam met Grace when they were eleven and she was being attacked by his pack. Sam saved her, and for six years he has been forced to watch Grace from afar. Grace has always thought of Sam as her wolf – he watches her from the woods that border her house, his yellow eyes always in the distance.

In ‘Shiver’ Grace and Sam are finally able to meet when Sam gains two-legs. But they are still divided by the curse because Sam is sure this will be his ‘last time’ turning human. Grace and Sam try to fend-off the cold, postpone winter and prolong their romance.

“You’re beautiful and sad,” I said finally, not looking at him when I did. “Just like your eyes. You’re like a song that I heard when I was a little kid but forgot I knew until I heard it again.”

For a long moment there was only the whirring sound of the tires on the road, and then Sam said softly, “Thank you.”

Sam and Grace are wonderful leading characters. Grace is witty, independent and pragmatic; a protagonist that the YA audiences can admire and emulate.

Where many YA books lack authenticity for the simple fact that protagonist’s parents are non-existent, Steifvater turns absentee parents into a side storyline. Grace’s mother is a flighty artist, her father a self-important real estate agent. Grace is an afterthought to them, and her family unit is a contrast to Sam’s pack. Through flashbacks and Sam’s own storytelling, Stiefvater reveals the wolves to be loyal kin.

Sam is likewise a fascinating character. He observes that his most violent memories come from when he was human. It creates an interesting predicament – Sam misses himself when he turns wolf, but he is scared of himself when he’s human. Stiefvater has brilliantly created a war within Sam, and it is enthralling to read.

Sam and Grace are a very romantic couple. Most of their romance stems from the fact that their ‘fairytale’ is ultimately, tragic. Because Stiefvater has masterfully crafted ‘Shiver’ to read like a fairytale – complete with beauty, beast and a curse. Stiefvater imbues the entire book with a sense of doom and foreboding – leaving readers with the sense that an anvil is being held above their heads. Sam and Grace are incredibly sweet and there is plenty of sexual tension – but they love on borrowed time, and readers know it. It makes for a more intense relationship, a sharpened romance.

Stiefvater has sold the movie rights to ‘Shiver’ and it is heading for a 2011 release. It’s quite unfortunate that everyone keeps comparing ‘Shiver’ to the ‘Twilight’ franchise; it will always come down to “if you liked Twilight…” Which is a real shame, because ‘Shiver’ could stand on its own two feet as a beautiful and unique young adult fantasy.

Unfortunately there’s little doubt that ‘Shiver’ (like so many recent YA books) would never have been as popular, wouldn’t be turned into a movie and possibly would not even have been published had it not been for the ‘Twilight’ craze. What is truly ironic though, is that ‘Shiver’ is better than ‘Twilight’. Stiefvater is a far superior writer to Stephenie Meyer – her characters are vivid and charismatic, the plot is intricate and fulfilling and her writing is lyrical and spellbinding.

But, alas, ‘Twilight’ came first and dominated, and no matter how much you try to explain to its loyal tween audience that Ms. Meyer isn’t actually that talented a writer - they will not budge.

Slightly older audiences who are aware of the nuances in the ‘Urban Fantasy’ genre will recognize and appreciate ‘Shiver’ as the superior YA novel. And if ‘Shiver’ draws any comparison, it should be to the 1997 Annette Curtis-Klause novel ‘Blood and Chocolate’. Both are novels about teenage werewolves and their human lovers, both novels have a heated sexual relationship between their protagonists and both Klause and Stiefvater permeate their novels with a sense of doom.

I absolutely loved ‘Shiver’, and after reading it I went straight to ‘Amazon’ and pre-ordered the second novel in the series. ‘Linger’ is coming out July 20th this year, and ‘Forever’ July 2011.

5/5