[Fawn]

i realized my earlier post was kind of a lazy response and want to elaborate on what i meant by that.

although i am highly entertained by the idea of their love triangles being a feline twilight knockoff, i don't really think that's the case. i believe that theory gives stephenie meyer too much credit because her version of the love triangle plot was merely a regurgitation of what authors have done before her, albeit with little/no variation to make it interesting. if it's at all influenced by her work, it's probably more likely because that's a staple of the YA (romance) genre and twilight was (is?) popular.

as for erin hunter's love triangles... whew. anyone can feel free to correct me if saying this is out of line (admittedly, i haven't read some of the newer books and it's been a while since i read the old), but their love triangles are always the same problem. it seems protagonist is desired by [character 1] and [character 2] and they give protagonist an obviously 'right' choice that they'll end up with regardless of what obstacle they try to give that couple*. it's the same generic formula in their love triangles, and they've reused it time and time again.
*a counterpoint: bluestar/oakheart. it's true they didn't actually 'end up' together while they were living, but erin hunter has clarified they are mates in starclan, so i'll still consider that the inevitable "happy ending."

consider this: hanna-barbera created a hit show in the late 1960's, that show being the classic scooby doo. it was a huge success for the company, so they spent the next 20 years making ridiculously bad copies of their own show to attempt to hold onto that fame. [look at all the knockoffs] this is what i think happened to erin hunter's love (triangle) plots-- it was received well when the series was insanely popular, so they keep recycling that plot and tossing it in the books to add drama. i want to say it's kind of insulting to assume they can throw any garbage at the fandom and they'll love it, but i suppose that's why they've lost the majority of their audience.

also i realize i relate the struggles of the erin hunter books to tv shows frequently (e.g. encountering seasonal rot/plot recycling) but i think it's the most appropriate parallel since they're putting out books in what's essentially an episodic format.