Touched by a Vampire: Discovering the Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga

Examine Twilight through a biblical lens - that's exactly what Touched by a Vampire: Discovering the Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga promises to do. It's no secret that I'm a Christian. It may be a secret that I am a closet Twilight Mom. I began the series before I rededicated my life to the Lord, and I was instantly hooked. As many fans will claim, the lure is not about the fantasy of vampires and werewolves, but instead the thought of a love so deep that you would sacrifice your life for it. While some Christian readers have praised the themes behind the Twilight series, such as sexual abstinence and a desire to be good despite inherited evil tendencies - there is debate whether these books are teaching young girls proper lessons to live by. Written with guided discussion ideas for groups, Touched by a Vampire explores the series from a biblical perspective. Author Beth Felker Jones presents a way for Twilight fans, parents, teachers and youth workers to understand the series (the book also provides a synopsis for those who have not yet read the series) and explores whether it teaches God's plan for love. You can purchase Touched by a Vampire directly from WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House. I am a member of the Blogging for Books program. Warning: If you are currently reading the Twilight series, you may want to wait before reading this book as it discusses the eventual outcome of the novels.

Without betraying my age, my first introduction to the world of vampires was the Anne Rice book, The Vampire Lestat. At the time, I thought this was nothing if not entertaining. Then I got into the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television shows - when I still watched television. Again, merely entertaining; though slayers are a bit more fascinating. So, when the whole vampire craze re-emerged with the Stephenie Meyer Twilight Series, I was done with the whole vampire scene. Though knowing a bit about the world of vampires, I can see why this series is a huge hit with the younger folks, especially young women. There is something deliciously alluring about vampires; they are forbidden fruit. Personally, I prefer someone who has a mirror image and a bit of a tan, but that's just me! It was a concern about young women being drawn into the story of Bella and Edward. After all, young women are desperately looking for mentors and role models. Then I read Touched by a Vampire: Discovering Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga by Beth Felker Jones. It pulls apart the Twilight Saga and looks at the issues from a Biblical perspective. It was an entrancing read, I couldn't put the book down. Touched by a Vampire is the first book to investigate the themes of the Twilight Saga from a Biblical perspective. Some Christian readers have praised moral principles illustrated in the story, such as premarital sexual abstinence, which align with Meyer's own Mormon beliefs. But ultimately, Felker Jones examines whether the story's redemptive qualities outshine its darkness. Written for Twilight fans, parents, teachers, and pop culture enthusiasts. Touched by a Vampire includes an overview of the Twilight series for those unfamiliar with the storyline and a discussion guide for small groups. An exceptional read. This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. Delicious reading! Coach Carolyn

It's not secret that the phenomenon of The Twilight Saga, a young adult vampire and werewolf novels, by Stephanie Meyer that has taken over much of modern pop culture. Twilight was a major box office hit and an instant cult classic and the sequel New Moon releases November 20th! I have to admit, both my wife and I have read all four books in the series and truly enjoyed the stories. We were captivated by the friendship between Bella and Jacob and the romance of Edward and Bella and even started a bit of a competition between us... I wanted Jacob to end up with Bella... Anyway, it's obvious that the characters and novels have truly made their mark. As I read through the books, there was more than one instance in which I thought... wait a minute... my middle schooler has read this? Particularly Breaking Dawn the fourth book in the series has some very "adult" content. While Bella and Edward wait for marriage before having sex, the entire "honeymoon" section of the book left me feeling a bit awkward and even more awkward knowing I have 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls and guys who have read these same accounts. As a pastor I started to have questions about whether or not my students should be reading these stories. Particularly my young girls. In the book Edward is painted as the perfect guy, strong yet sensitive, caring, and obsessed with Bella to a fault. To make this more of a connection with my young girls is the character of Bella. Bella is a normal, ordinary, and flawed girl. She's the girl that most of my girls will identify most with. Which makes meeting someone like Edward (an impossibility) all the more enticing and real. I was looking for a collective "something" to help me answer all the questions I was putting together in my mind. Touched By A Vampire: Discovering The Hidden Messages In The Twilight Saga by Beth Felker Jones does exactly that. Beth does a excellent job of examining the major themes of: love, family, humanity, sex, marriage, and violence The Twilight Saga presents. She examines the saga's stance on each of these things with footnoted quotes from each book. She then cross examines each of the books stances with the truth of Scripture giving good real life examples and Scriptural text to support. Each chapter ends with some questions to ask in a small group setting over what was read in the chapter. These sections make this book a great study to do with a group of girls. There's a discussion guide as an appendix to the book as well. Touched By A Vampire: Discovering The Hidden Messages In The Twilight Saga has been a great resource and helped me clear up some questions I had concerning the series. It's a great read and a quick read. Pick it up of you're a parent or a pastor or someone who has read the books and is looking for answers to questions like the ones I had. Check this book out. It's well worth it. Speak of the book: If you would like to win a free copy of Touched By A Vampire: Discovering The Hidden Message

The author gives a thorough and thoughtfilled commentary on the Twilight series. I highly recommend it for parents and those in mentoring positions involving teenagers. Even though I personally thought the Twilight series was captivating, this author gave me some important concepts to consider and discuss with teenagers.

Didn't want to wait -- wanted to say immediately that this book is worth buying, worth reading, worth passing along. While written in a conversational tone, the concepts discussed are weighty and thought-provoking. More detailed review later. . . For now, if you have a friend who loves Twilight -- this is the book to read and discuss!