Discussion post: Book to movie adaptions.

Hey ya'll, it's Marie here. I've been thinking about doing discussion posts for a while now, and I've finally decided to start doing it.

So, because I just saw the VAMPIRE ACADEMY movie, I want to talk about book to movie adaptations. The good...and the bad.

To be completely honest, I really liked this movie. Zoey Deutch was the perfect Rose, and while wasn't crazy about Lucy Fry as Lissa at first, I really grew to like her. Zoey and Lucy's chemistry together really captured Rose and Lissa's. And the male supporting cast was not bad either.

And yet, only a whopping 10% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes actually liked it. I didn't know why so many people hated it, but when I got to thinking about it, it made sense. I feel like the way they marketed it was wrong. They made it sound like it was supposed to be a mash-up of Mean Girls and Twilight, but it is really something totally separate from both of those movies.  Sure, it has a Mean Girls vibe to it, but I think people went into it expecting something totally different than what they got.

Divergent, on the other hand, I really didn't like all that much. I loved the books (the first two, anyways), and I was impressed that they stayed close to the story, but I feel that this one failed with the actors and the set.

First, the actors for Peter, Will, and Al all looked way too similar. I kept getting confused on who was who. Second, I feel like they tried to make Shailene Woodley a Jennifer Lawrence, when she's not. Don't get me wrong, she's still a great actress, but the way they shot the camera angles and put so much focus on her face reminded me too much of what they did with Jennifer Lawrence in the Hunger Games. (But I still love them both.)

The other issue I had was the set. It was just so....plain. I understood Abnegation being plain, but I was disappointed with how boring the Dauntless compound was. It just looked like a basement in a warehouse. They could have done more to make it look really badass and less plain.

There are other adaptions though that, for me, hit everything spot on such as....

Aragorn *swoon*

 



These movies were almost perfect. Even though they left some characters out and changed things around a bit, the whole essence of these movies captured the books perfectly. THIS IS HOW ADAPTIONS SHOULD BE DONE. YOU GO PETER JACKSON!!

The Hunger Games did a great job of this too. I had doubts about Jennifer Lawrence at first, but her performance blew me away. The rest of the cast is great, AND it stayed true to the story. DOUBLE WIN!

Of course, there is also the amazing-ness that is Harry Potter. For EIGHT WHOLE MOVIES they stayed true to the story, and had a perfect cast, who all aged very well. *cough* Neville *cough*

Then you have those that didn't work out so well, like Percy Jackson, but we're not even going to get into those, or else this would turn into a rant.

What do you all think? What were some adaptions that you thought were good or bad? COMMENT AWAY!!



Alienated (Alienated #1) by Melissa Landers: Review

RATING: 5/5 stars!

 

Author: Melissa Landers

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Find it on Goodreads here!

 

SUMMARY (from Goodreads):

 

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

 

REVIEW:

 

Before I start my review, can we just take a moment to appreciate this cover? The font! The colors! The people!

 

Now that that is out of the way....ALIENATED was absolutely fantastic. I wasn't quite sure about it at first, but as I delved more into the story, I grew to love the story (and Aelyx) even more.

"Hips of that width are likely to pass live offspring without complications."

Aelyx was one of the best male leads I have read in a long time. He was so awkward at times, but that made him even more attractive than he already was. And he was hilarious. That quote about the hips, though. *dies of laughter*

Cara was really awesome too. Most of the time, I find the female leads in books to be annoying at times, but I never found Cara annoying. She was so refreshing. I loved that she never took crap from anyone, especially her annoying ex-boyfriend.

The world Melissa created was absolutely fantastic too. Most of the book still took place on earth, but I found the planet L'eihr fascinating. I hope we get to see more of it in the next book!

Overall, ALIENATED is a must read for sci-fi fans...and romance lovers...actually, everyone should read it. It will not disappoint!

CONTENT: Kissing, talk of going "all the way", but no sex ever happens; no swearing I can recall, and hardly any violence.                  



Top Ten Favorite Classics

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

 

This week I'm talking about my top ten favorite classics!

 

1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

"I am Heathcliff!"

 

2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

 

 

"You cannot pass!!"

 

3. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

 

All of the symbolism!!

 

4. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding

 

 

ALL HAIL THE MAGIC CONCH!

 

5. Hamlet by William Shakespeare

 

 

Sass level: Hamlet

 

6. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

 

 

Probably my favorite book of all time.

 

7. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

 

 

"Do you bite your thumb at us sir?"

 

8. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

 

 

"Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold."

 

9. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

 

 

Yes, I'm counting these as classic.

 

10. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

 

 

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

 

So there you have it. My top ten favorite classics. What's on your list?

The 5th Wave casting news!

I absolutely love The 5th Wave, and I really like these casting choices! They'll look great next to Chloe Grace Moretz.

What do ya'll think of the cast so far?

These Broken Stars (Starbound #1) by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner: Review

 

RATING: 5/5 stars!

 

Authors: Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner

Release date: December 10, 2013

Find it on Goodreads here!

 

SUMMARY(from goodreads):

 

It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

--

A timeless love story, THESE BROKEN STARS sets into motion a sweeping science fiction series of companion novels. The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.

 

REVIEW:

 

There are some books that I read and I love. But once I am finished, I am unable to form a coherent thought.

 

THESE BROKEN STARS was one of those books.

 

Even though I read it six months ago, I still cannot put into words what exactly I liked about it. It's mainly just feelings. And let me tell you, this book brought on the feelings.

 

All I can say is: this book blew my mind.

 

 

And you should read it, so your mind can be blown too.

 

CONTENT: Kissing, a couple sex scenes, but they're not really described. Some of the violence is a little descriptive, but it's not terribly gory.



The Gathering, The Calling, The Rising by Kelley Armstrong: Darkness Rising trilogy review

RATING: 5/5 stars!

 

Author: Kelley Armstrong

The Gathering release date: April 12, 2011

Find The Gathering on Goodreads here!

 

The Gathering summary:

 

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.

Until now.

Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel...different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.

In The Gathering, New York Times best-selling author Kelley Armstrong brings all the supernatural thrills from her wildly successful Darkest Powers series to Darkness Rising, her scorching hot new trilogy.

 

REVIEW:

 

I'd been meaning to read this trilogy for a long time, and when I saw the first book on bargain price at Books a Million, I bought it immediately. I am SO glad I did. I loved it. So much, that I had to go to the library right away and get the other two. Neither of these books disappointed either. Unlike the funk so many trilogies fall into, each book in this trilogy was better than the last.

 

The plot development from book to book was fantastic. It had action, intrigue, mythology, and romance, which I really enjoyed. I don't like books where the romance takes center stage, and Kelley Armstrong did a great job at finding a healthy balance of romance and action. It was also rich with unexpected twists. I'd think that the story was going one way, and then PLOT TWIST! I had no idea what was going to happen next.

 

Then there's Maya. I wish there were more main characters like her in YA books today. She was absolutely fantastic. I love how she would always speak her mind, and was never afraid to tell boys off. She never took crap from any of them, and I loved her for it!

 

The supporting cast of characters was great as well. Daniel and Corey were by far my favorite, and even by the end Haley started to grow on me. But I never really liked Rafe. I'm not quite sure what it was, but he definitely rubbed me the wrong way.

 

SPOILERS AHEAD. HIGHLIGHT TO READ THEM.

 

I'm so glad Maya ended up with Daniel. I totally shipped them from the beginning.

 

All in all, The Darkness Rising trilogy was absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend reading it if you haven't already!

 

CONTENT: The whole trilogy is pretty clean. No sex; the farthest it gets is just heavy kissing. I can't recall a whole lot of swearing, but there is some violence, but none of it is very bad. 

Ruin and Rising (Grisha #3) by Leigh Bardugo: Review (Spoiler free)

RATING: 5/5

 

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Release date: June 17, 2014

Find it on Goodreads here!

My review of Siege and Storm (Grisha #2).

 

SUMMARY (from Goodreads):

 

The capital has fallen. The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

 

REVIEW:

 

ALL THE STARS FOR LEIGH BARDUGO.

 

It is rare that I find a trilogy ending as good as this. Now I am in tears because it's over.

 

This is how you write a trilogy. THIS is how you write a trilogy ending. Unlike some trilogy endings (*cough* Allegiant *cough*), RUIN AND RISING did not disappoint in the slightest. But it brought on the feels, man. ALL THE FEELS.

 

But the ending more than made up for it.

If you have not read this trilogy, I don't know what you are doing with your life. Go out and read it. Right now. You will not regret it!

CONTENT: Two of the characters have sex, but it is not detailed. Hardly any swearing, but there is some pretty disturbing scenes and gory violence.