Twilight, Vampires & More
By Sonali Jindal
Have you ever had that feeling? That crazy, exasperating feeling when you have had an extremely embarrassing experience and yet, want to tell people about it? I’m hoping you do, and if not, then have the patience to put up with such an exhibition. So, here’s the big reveal — I have read Twilight, relished it, and been drawn to the anti-Stroker idea of friendly vampires. Don’t get me wrong, I love Dracula, but I’ve always believed that if extremes have to occur, they should occur on both sides. And that’s what Twilight is — the other end of the spectrum (yeah, yeah, I know that goes for more than the story line).
Anyway, once examinations were over and done with, I had an urge to explore the supernatural — specifically witches and vampires — in the beautiful world of fiction. So, when I made my first stop in the journey, i.e., knocking at Google’s bountiful door, I found out that my “intellectual” cravings were hardly unique (World — 1, SJ — 0). “Books like Twilight” was a very, very popular search string and so, I came across three names that were present in almost all the search results. Needless to say, I gobbled up all three in a couple of days. The first was Vampire Academy, a series which completely exorcised any remaining ghosts of Bella & Edward from my mind. It is a well written series and surprise, surprise, does not focus on a romantic liaison. Rather it focuses on the two female protagonists as they battle their various demons (literally). Oh, and do not judge it by the movie because it does the books no justice. A spin off series on the same, Bloodlines, while not as good, is eminently enjoyable too.
Second in my list was, Morganville Vampires, a series which focuses on the lives of the living, dead, undead and ghostly people (and I’m not kidding) of the town Morganville. Again, even if inelegantly written, I thought it was enjoyable (especially because the women kicked ass). The third was Blue Bloods, a series about the vampires who were actually fallen angels and their tussle between good and evil.
My second stop in my journey, were my friends. I specifically remembered my very good friend, N — — — , who, by the way, is a very sensible reader, telling me she loved the Vampire Diaries series. I can only say, Dear Reader, that that was my very last stop in Vampireville for a while. If the Vampire Academy series exorcised a ghost, Vampire Diaries, surely reminded me of it, so strongly that I felt compelled to give up on such books for a while. But I’m sure the urge shall rise again, like the hungry tide yearning for the far moon and then, I’ll back in this dark room, with its bloodthirsty shadows, writing the next chapter of this dreary tale.
About the Author:
Sonali Jindal is a dreamer, writer and a proponent of productive laziness. After spending her childhood being woken up by her parents humming ad jingles, she developed a love for marketing & PR, along with her passion for writing and music. She’s also an avid reader, and a big believer in magic and miracles. If you hear someone humming a song nearby, follow it and you’ll probably find her nearby.
