IntroductionKresley Cole, Stephanie Meyer, JR Ward, Cassandra Clare, Lisa Jane Smith, Spirit Bliss, Claudia Gray, LJ McDonald, Anne Bishop, Juliet Marillier. Just a few names of those authors who constitute a genre that is one of the biggest phenomena of this decade, especially among young women. Romantic fantasy became especially popular with the Twilight books, published in 2005. Since then, fantasy novels themed around vampires and other supernatural creatures have become extremely popular around the world. According to statistics published by Romance Writers of America, in 2009, the paranormal subgenre made up 17.16% of the popular romance genre, which in itself represents 54% of all books sold by the publishing industry. (Bailie) Vampires have come a long way from the 19th century to the present day. Not so long ago they were some sort of villainy, but nowadays they're more like teen fantasy heroes. How could such a big change happen? What effect do these books have on the minds of young people? Are they dangerous to teenagers' ideas about life? In this essay I try to solve the mystery and find answers to the vampire craze in teen literature. In the last two years I have read almost thirty romantic fantasy books. I bought the first book because I wondered why this genre was so popular. I was surprised and continued reading. Then I studied further. I was kind of a skeptical reader, but also addicted. I finally came to the conclusion that Bram Stoker, the author of the novel “Dracula,” is definitely turning in his grave. After getting used to the fact that in this century vampires in literature are vegetarians, they sparkle in the sunlight, they are all attractive creatures with a 17 year old body, but with a 104 year old soul... .middle of paper.. ....huge popularity since the Twilight movies hit theaters. The films popularized the whole vampire theme again, albeit in a slightly different and unusual, often highly controversial, version. Works Cited Bailie, HT Blood Ties: The Vampire Lover in the Popular Romance. The Journal of American Culture, 34: 141 (2011) Meyer, Stephanie. Twilight, Little, Brown and Company: New York (2005) Tori E. Gibbs, (2010) Vampires: The Ever-Changing Face of Fear http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/247/vampires-the-ever- changing -face-of-fear22.05.2014.Amanda M. Podonsky (2010) Bram Stoker's Dracula: a reflection and Rebuke of Victorian Society http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/184/bram-stokers-dracula-a -reflection-and-rebuke-of-victorian-society22.05.2014.Leonóra, Mörk (2011) A vámpír vonzásában- Miért szeretjük a sötét lényeket?