Vladimir Tod vs. Twilight
There are four things that are important in my comparison of these books. Blood and gore, horror and fear, romance, and believability.
Blood and gore:
Thanks to ER, Grey's Anatomy, and NCIS, blood and gore don't really bother me. I could sit through a gruesome autopsy or a murder without blinking. And I'd enjoy it. (Not saying that I'm bloodthirsty or condone murder!)
Horror and fear:
When I was about 12, I picked up my first Allison Brennan suspense/thriller novel. It wasn't too scary. Nothing I couldn't handle. Then I picked up my second. It was like a horror movie in my brain. I had nightmares for weeks. Eventually, I learned to get over the irrational fear of the fictitious circumstances and enjoy that scary story.
Romance:
I think every girl had romance ingrained in her from the beginning, even if it's just a little bit. I like happy endings with romance, but I love the trip we take to get to it. The will-they-won't-they scenes, the almost-kisses... Subtly is the key, though. I don't like die-hard romance novels. I like stories that have romance buried within them, under the real plot.
Blood and gore:
Thanks to ER, Grey's Anatomy, and NCIS, blood and gore don't really bother me. I could sit through a gruesome autopsy or a murder without blinking. And I'd enjoy it. (Not saying that I'm bloodthirsty or condone murder!)
Horror and fear:
When I was about 12, I picked up my first Allison Brennan suspense/thriller novel. It wasn't too scary. Nothing I couldn't handle. Then I picked up my second. It was like a horror movie in my brain. I had nightmares for weeks. Eventually, I learned to get over the irrational fear of the fictitious circumstances and enjoy that scary story.
Romance:
I think every girl had romance ingrained in her from the beginning, even if it's just a little bit. I like happy endings with romance, but I love the trip we take to get to it. The will-they-won't-they scenes, the almost-kisses... Subtly is the key, though. I don't like die-hard romance novels. I like stories that have romance buried within them, under the real plot.
Believability: (Three levels)
Level One: Certain books are fun to believe in--like Harry Potter and Inkheart--even though you know there's no way the plots are real. Level Two: Some books provide entertainment with a bit of believability that make the story more real. Level Three: Others are so incredibly, painfully real that you can't help but be intrigued with the story.
Let's compare these two vampire sagas with my four criteria...
-Twilight's blood and gore is limited. A few fight scenes that don't give a lot of detail.
-Vladimir Tod's gore starts with the first couple chapters of the first book. It is the real bloody, monstrous nature of vampires that shows in this book that the author is not afraid of letting her bloodthirsty side show.
-Twilight's horror is limited to the Volturi and the werewolves that don't give a real threat to Bella and the Cullens, thanks to negotiations, sweet-talking, treaties, etc. And while this may not even be considered horror, the mythology of the Volturi was actually very good, so I'm letting this one pass. Plus it was fun to imagine werewolf teeth ripping apart the vamps.
-Vladimir Tod's horror is very real. With explicit physical pain that D'Ablo mercilessly wreaks on Vlad, and the details of feedings and killings for sport, it is no shock that the pages are turning just as quickly as your stomach. Always theatrical, I am exaggerating slightly, but the happy endings of Twilight definitely do not exist in the fearful scenes of these books. While unnecessary killings are avoided most of the time in Twilight, torture is used for sport on many characters in Vlad Tod. The story could have survived without it, but it wouldn't have made the point it was trying to. I believe that point was something along the lines of "we don't play nice, even when we say we will."
Level One: Certain books are fun to believe in--like Harry Potter and Inkheart--even though you know there's no way the plots are real. Level Two: Some books provide entertainment with a bit of believability that make the story more real. Level Three: Others are so incredibly, painfully real that you can't help but be intrigued with the story.
Let's compare these two vampire sagas with my four criteria...
-Twilight's blood and gore is limited. A few fight scenes that don't give a lot of detail.
-Vladimir Tod's gore starts with the first couple chapters of the first book. It is the real bloody, monstrous nature of vampires that shows in this book that the author is not afraid of letting her bloodthirsty side show.
-Twilight's horror is limited to the Volturi and the werewolves that don't give a real threat to Bella and the Cullens, thanks to negotiations, sweet-talking, treaties, etc. And while this may not even be considered horror, the mythology of the Volturi was actually very good, so I'm letting this one pass. Plus it was fun to imagine werewolf teeth ripping apart the vamps.
-Vladimir Tod's horror is very real. With explicit physical pain that D'Ablo mercilessly wreaks on Vlad, and the details of feedings and killings for sport, it is no shock that the pages are turning just as quickly as your stomach. Always theatrical, I am exaggerating slightly, but the happy endings of Twilight definitely do not exist in the fearful scenes of these books. While unnecessary killings are avoided most of the time in Twilight, torture is used for sport on many characters in Vlad Tod. The story could have survived without it, but it wouldn't have made the point it was trying to. I believe that point was something along the lines of "we don't play nice, even when we say we will."
-Twilight is a romance. It has the twists and turns of Edward saving Bella because of his nature, but it is ultimately a romance. It's not very subtle, but romantic, very "Romeo and Juliet," except a little more desperate. One thing that bothered me with this romance was Bella's dependent attitude towards Edward, clearly displayed in "New Moon." While their love was "forbidden," nobody died over it. There were threats, but none were carried out.
-Vladimir Tod's romance is limited to the love of Vlad's parents who (SPOILER ALERT) "died" before the first book, the shy and oh-so subtle love between Otis and Vlad's Aunt, and Vlad and Meredith, which I need to go back to. But if the newest installment is any indication, we might be getting more detailed romance of Vlad's father's forbidden devotion to his wife. Otis and Nelly is, in my opinion, an adorable story with the subtle love that I think was produced because of a need for someone to protect them in their lives. But the point is that it's subtle and doesn't overwhelm the story. Now, back to Vlad and Meredith--THEY'RE TEENAGERS. They had a make out session in a school closet, yes, but what happened during that? Vlad's monstrous need made him almost drink her dry. It was cute and romantic, but it was replaced with the real plot and problem--Vlad's growing need for real blood, instead of the bags--instead of getting warped in the romance. Then there's Snow. Sigh... I have nothing to say about her except that even though she likes him, he loves Meredith. Snow is there for one reason: to give Vlad blood.
-Twilight's believability falls around Level One. With vampire's nature, I don't believe Edward would be able to control himself like that, if he were really the monster he said he was. 'Nuff said.
-Vladimir Tod's believability is closer to Level Two. Bram Stoker's "Dracula" paints a picture in our heads of the creature the vampire, and Vladimir Tod just instills that picture deeper, while getting us into the whole "Pravus" thing. Vlad is a character that is easy to connect to, as well. Flawed, stressed, lonely teenager and all.
Vampires are monsters. Not love-sick heartthrobs. They get mistaken for goths, they're allergic to garlic and sunlight, and their life stories don't involve the words "happily ever after."
-Vladimir Tod's romance is limited to the love of Vlad's parents who (SPOILER ALERT) "died" before the first book, the shy and oh-so subtle love between Otis and Vlad's Aunt, and Vlad and Meredith, which I need to go back to. But if the newest installment is any indication, we might be getting more detailed romance of Vlad's father's forbidden devotion to his wife. Otis and Nelly is, in my opinion, an adorable story with the subtle love that I think was produced because of a need for someone to protect them in their lives. But the point is that it's subtle and doesn't overwhelm the story. Now, back to Vlad and Meredith--THEY'RE TEENAGERS. They had a make out session in a school closet, yes, but what happened during that? Vlad's monstrous need made him almost drink her dry. It was cute and romantic, but it was replaced with the real plot and problem--Vlad's growing need for real blood, instead of the bags--instead of getting warped in the romance. Then there's Snow. Sigh... I have nothing to say about her except that even though she likes him, he loves Meredith. Snow is there for one reason: to give Vlad blood.
-Twilight's believability falls around Level One. With vampire's nature, I don't believe Edward would be able to control himself like that, if he were really the monster he said he was. 'Nuff said.
-Vladimir Tod's believability is closer to Level Two. Bram Stoker's "Dracula" paints a picture in our heads of the creature the vampire, and Vladimir Tod just instills that picture deeper, while getting us into the whole "Pravus" thing. Vlad is a character that is easy to connect to, as well. Flawed, stressed, lonely teenager and all.
Vampires are monsters. Not love-sick heartthrobs. They get mistaken for goths, they're allergic to garlic and sunlight, and their life stories don't involve the words "happily ever after."