Kait Mae

We’ve all seen the fan casts since the announcement back in late 2023, and I’ll get to fan-casting that eventually. But my main gripe is this: we already got the movies, and they were great for the most part – why are we not focusing our attention on different vampire book series that can be adapted instead? So, here’s my list of all the shows I’d rather see get adapted than another shot at Twilight.

‘House of Night’ by P.C. and Kristin Cast

The authors want to do this. They’re ready to make it a show. The fan base is already there and making fan films on social media. With the amount of books in the original series plus the spin-off books, this could be huge.

So why haven’t studios made it happen yet? The series is guaranteed to be the next Vampire Diaries if given the chance.

‘Crave’ by Tracy Wolff

I might be putting this on the list because I don’t want to read through these because of the mixed reviews. That said, I’d sit through every season if this were made into a television show.

If a studio gave it the care Twilight or Vampire Diaries got, BookTok would be raving about it every season.

Read More: How I Would Adapt The ‘Shadowhunters’ Universe

‘Blood of Eden’ by Julie Kagawa

Sadly, this is still on my TBR because I haven’t been able to get my hands on any copy of this – print or ebook. But I trust Julie Kagawa’s writing after devouring her Iron Fey books. So I’m sure this would be a fantastic show.

Come on, studies, enough with the reboots and remakes of successful shows and movies – give us new adaptations and shows.

‘Evernight’ by Claudia Gray

Now, I haven’t heard many people compare the two series, but if you’re someone who loves Crave, you might love Evernight. It’s chock full of deceit and betrayal, as well as supernatural creatures to capture your hearts.

Evernight follows half-vampire Bianca as she is put into a vampire academy (no relation to Vampire Academy). She doesn’t fit in, but neither does her new friend Lucas. But Lucas has secrets – some that could spell death if Bianca isn’t careful.

‘The Beautiful’ by Renée Ahdieh

I find it hard to read historical fantasies, but I eat them up onscreen. So, I would be so hyped if Renée Ahdieh’s The Beautiful series were onscreen.

Vampires meet Victorian era meets New Orleans? I’m one hundred percent down if it’s ever made into a show or movie series – especially if it has the same aesthetic and vibes as AMC’s Interview with a Vampire.

‘Slayer’ by Kiersten White

I know I said studios need to move on from successful shows and movies – and that point still stands – but Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an exception. We have a reboot on the way, but what if that wasn’t the only project in that universe to come out in the next few years?

Kiersten White penned the Slayer duology set after season 8 following an all-new cast of characters. It follows a new Slayer – the last Slayer ever – dealing with her new powers.

And although this is only two books – which in my mind means two seasons – why would it have to end after that? Couldn’t there be more as the last Slayer learns to control her new Slayer powers and comes across more supernatural beings?

‘Night World’ by L.J. Smith

The Vampire Diaries was a hit, and The Secret Circle had potential – why has Night World gone under the radar almost entirely? (Not to mention her other series, too.)

While this series isn’t just about vampires, several books are vampire-centric. The world building is unlike any others I’ve seen so far. And if done well, it could spawn spin-offs like The Vampire Diaries had.

I’ll do a whole “How I Would Adapt” post on this soon because I’m passionate about this series.

‘Vampire Academy’ by Richelle Mead

Again, I know I said move on from movies and shows already done – but Vampire Academy’s adaptations weren’t faithful and what fans were looking for. So, why not give it a third try at a good, faithful adaptation that fans would eat up?

If it was done right and with care by the studio, cast, and crew, this show could be as big as Twilight or Vampire Diaries. And it has a built-in spin-off with Bloodlines, so why aren’t we getting it yet?

Keep an eye out for the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines “How I Would Adapt” posts later this year.

Read More: How I Would Adapt ‘Vampire Academy’

‘The Morganville Vampires’ by Rachel Caine

Someone I knew read these when we were in junior high, and I will admit I was interested. But after getting into House of Night, I couldn’t bring myself to read another long vampire series at the time.

Now, as an adult, I don’t own the books – and neither does my local library. Seeing it turned into a show would be amazing – and no, that TV miniseries wasn’t enough. Give me Bitten levels of drama with this adaptation!

‘Blue Bloods’ by Melissa de la Cruz

Witches of East End – a fantastic show – was actually based on the spin-off series from Blue Bloods. So, why wasn’t the original given a chance?

According to Wikipedia (I know, not super reputable), Disney has the rights, but nothing has been done about it. I don’t even know if they still have the rights. But I don’t trust them to do this series justice if they do. Give it to the people who handled True Blood!

On another note, the show might need to change the title because of the crime show starring Tom Selleck, but that can be handled later.

‘Night Huntress’ by Jeaniene Frost

I haven’t read these but heard many good things about this series. After just a glance at the summaries, this could be in the same vein as the television adaptation of Kelley Armstrong’s Bitten.

Night Huntress follows Catherine, a half-vampire hunting vampires for revenge against her father. But just because she’s hunting vampires doesn’t mean she isn’t half, according to the vampire hunter who caught her. They’ll have to team up and Catherine will have to choose between both halves of herself in this series.

‘Thirst’ by Christopher Pike

I love Christopher Pike’s vampire novels, as do so many others, so I’m flabbergasted they haven’t been adapted yet. The Last Vampire series was compiled into five books and rebranded into the Thirst series.

If the adaptation followed the original novel formatting, it would last at least six seasons—if it kept getting renewed.

However, under the new branding as Thirst, there’d be seven seasons if each book were a season (as I’d do it). The original six books would be two seasons (maybe three if there’s too much information to fit two), with the new books taking a season each.

Right now, there are five books under the new formatting, but Pike said in 2020, there will be seven in total.

Which vampire novels did I miss in this post? Let me know in the comments so I can make my endless TBR even longer.