CW Develops YA Novel ‘Embrace’

CW’s already eyeing show concepts for next season, and a recently published YA novel has been given the “ok” for development, meaning a script will be written and major players have been attached to the project. According to Deadline, Mark Pedowitz, President of The CW, and DreamWorksTV/Amblin TV co-presidents Justin Flavey and Darryl Frank all sought after the TV rights to “Embrace” before deciding to team up and tackle the project together. After seeing a variety of writers, Bill Laurin and Glenn Davis were chosen for the job.

Source: Goodreads.com

Jessica Shirvington’s “Embrace,” the recent YA novel, is centered on a seventeen-year-old girl and angel mythology. Goodreads describes the novel: “A centuries-old battle between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity has chosen its new warrior. It’s a fight Violet doesn’t want, but she lives her life by two rules: don’t run and don’t quit. When angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden…”

I own “Embrace,” but my sister has hogged it for the past week. She claims it’s another angel book, but considering “The Vampire Diaries” started from a YA series by L.J. Smith and spun into something more than epic (and much better than the books), using a YA book as a backbone is a good move.

Also, Laurin and Davis pitched their concept a little differently. Deadline says “Embrace” is described as “being in the vein of Buffy and The Vampire Diaries. It centers on twenty-something Violet Eden, who discovers that she is half-angel and the key to a centuries-old war between fallen angels and their earthly protectors.” In the novel, Violet is actually only seventeen, so they bumped up her age. I like the change, especially since one of the guys in the book is twenty-six.

Have you read Shrivington’s “Embrace?” Would you be willing to watch a television show about angels? I’d love one. “Sweet Evil” and “Unearthly” are two other YA angel books that would be incredibly compelling to watch.