Down the Rabbit Hole

Aria @ Book Nook Bits will be the new host for Let’s Talk Bookish! If you aren’t following her yet, good check out her blog and give her a follow!

June 24: Book to Film Adaptations (Aria)

Prompts: What are your favorite book to film adaptations? What are your least favorite ones? Do you think that books translate better to movies or shows? Would you rather see a standalone or a book series adapted? What do you think is important for a successful book to film adaptation?

Welcome back to LTB here at DTRH, everyone! Today’s topic is often discussed and I think in this community, probably often agreed upon too. But I’d still like to hear what you all think, just in case I’m mistaken. I assume most of us prefer books; after all, why are we all here?

I would say I really enjoyed The Lord of the Rings series. Okay, true I haven’t really read the books, but neither do I have a particular interest in doing so. However, I do like the movies. Some books just lend themselves to cinematics, and the beautiful scenery that normally takes endless pages of descriptions can be wrought all at once in one panoramic shot. Such is the power of film.

One drawback of films is the inability to convey thoughts, unless there is some (cheesy?) voiceover. Emotions may also be difficult to get across, as they can be subtle, and often at the ability of the actors themselves. As such, books that are more about the thought process and the internal growth of characters do not always translate well into film, or at least have a slightly more difficult time. Books and words have their own drawbacks too, like being unable to have things literally be in the background, unspoken, yet seen.

I assume a standalone would often translate into a movie, whereas a series could become something like a trilogy or perhaps a TV series. Of course, this is not always the case, depending on the amount of content in the books. I think I would rather see something adapted that is longer in nature. While movies can be good, there is only so much you can fit into two to three hours. A series allows more character development and growth, and possible exploration of sidelines if the director so chooses. In general, I want to be able to enjoy the growth of the characters thoroughly (as can be the case in books), and I would like to see that reflected in movies.

I think some books just don’t lend itself well to movie adaptations, because there are parts that may just be a character thinking to themselves, walking through the woods. Too many of such scenes does not lend itself well to cinematography, and I can understand why often times things need to be adjusted from the book to fit the camera. I think both are valid and legitimate ways of enjoying a story, and that there is definitely a time and place for both.

I know Game of Thrones has many fans (both the TV series and the books), though I have personally not really dove into either. Do any of you out there know the comparison? I feel like I have heard many opinions on both sides, and I just wonder what the general opinion is.

How do you all feel about books vs movies? Anything you look for in particular? Or do you find that movie/film adaptations of your favourite books are often a let down? For me, I feel like my favourite books have way too much to fit into a movie, and therefore I am often disappointed (and left wanting) by the film. Does anyone feel the same way?

4 star, YA

ARC Review: Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert

June 23, 2022June 22, 2022 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

THE SUBURBS, RIGHT NOW . . .

Seventeen-year-old Ivy’s summer break kicks off with an accident, a punishment, and a mystery: a stranger whose appearance in the middle of the road, in the middle of the night, heralds a string of increasingly unsettling events. As the days pass, Ivy grapples with eerie offerings, corroded memories, and a secret she’s always known—that there’s more to her mother than meets the eye.

THE CITY, BACK THEN . . .

Dana has always been perceptive. And the summer she turns sixteen, with the help of her best friend and an ambitious older girl, her gifts bloom into a heady fling with the supernatural, set in a city of magical possibilities and secret mystics. As the trio’s aspirations darken, they find themselves speeding toward a violent breaking point.

Years after it began, Ivy and Dana’s shared story will come down to a reckoning among a daughter, a mother, and the dark forces they never should’ve messed with.

**Our Crooked Hearts comes out June 28, 2022**

Thank you Flatiron Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Chilling, gripping and full of familial drama, Our Crooked Hearts blew through all my expectations and I couldn’t put it down.

At the heart of this story is the bond between Ivy and her mother. Which isn’t a very good one as Ivy knows Dana is keeping something big from her (and the rest of the family). Although the synopsis suggests it’s evenly split between Ivy and the flashbacks to Dana’s childhood, it doesn’t really start off that way.

We get a lot of chapters about Ivy’s current life in the suburbs. All is well…that is, until she encounters a strange woman in the middle of the road late at night who may have more than a passing curiosity about Ivy. The story dives into this really quick, which I thoroughly appreciate, and sets the tone for the following strange events to come.

Once Dana’s flashbacks start coming, it provides great context to us, the omniscient reader, about what she’s hiding from the family – and perhaps how this stranger in the present day is related to what once happened. I’m normally not the biggest fan of two alternative POVs in different timelines as one is normally stronger than the other and I would much prefer to stick with the one I like. However, I found myself not begrudgingly reading Dana’s POV but also coming to like those chapters too. They filled in gaps we’re still piecing together, but the anticipation for figuring out how everything related was oddly satisfying.

I had the privilege of hearing Melissa speak about the writing process for this book and I fully understand how the story needed to be told from both Ivy and Dana’s POVs. It might’ve started off as Ivy’s story, but humanizing Dana instead of making her the enemy in Ivy’s eyes shows the complexity of humans, not just the black and white we sometimes get depending on whose perspective you’re told.

This book is also full of magic. It’s not very specific to any witchcraft practiced in modern society but a little bit of everything. Melissa did her research and it showed. The end result was an eerie tale that highlighted the price one pays when they meddle with forces they do not understand.

The pacing was excellent and the time really flies by as you switch from Ivy to Dana and back again. The underlying mystery, the strange events occurring present day and the secrets unfolding were the perfect balance to drive momentum to the climax. The one thing I will add is that I had hoped for more resolution in Ivy and Dana’s relationship. While we get a lot of information about them separately in their individual POVs, there’s not a lot of interaction between them and I feel that could’ve been explored a little more.

If you’ve read any book by Melissa Albert before, you already should know she’s a masterful storyteller, but if you’re new, then you’re in for a treat. Our Crooked Hearts presents a perfect story in the dark with plenty of magic, mayhem and mystery. You should definitely grab this one when it comes out!

Overall Recommendation:

Our Crooked Hearts is a fast-paced tale with a supernatural mystery that may tie to a family’s past. Excellently told in two alternative timelines featuring mother and daughter, I found myself loving both POVs as they blend the perfect story together, each adding pivotal information as we race to solve the present day’s strange occurrences before something terrible happens. Melissa Albert’s latest novel is another showcase of her amazing storytelling. Trust me, it will grip you in its hold until the end.

top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Wishes

June 20, 2022June 22, 2022 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I’m going to have to keep this TTT short as I had a bit of a bike accident yesterday and a lot of me hurts including both of my shredded palms.

I can’t believe it’s another bookish wishes list. I’ve had an amazing haul this weekend at a wonderful secondhand store with at least one find I’ve been dying to get my hands on.

But as always, there’re more I’d love to add to my shelf. Without further ado, here they are.

You can find a fuller list here at my Amazon wishlist.