ELLA’S TOP THREE TUESDAY: BOOKS THAT SHOULD BE TURNED INTO A MOVIE/TV SERIES
I often can’t avoid the fear I have for the life of a book or a book series whenever some rich film corporation decides they can make good money off some pretty fantastic stories. I always do love when my favorite books get exposure, and sometimes, them being turned into movies or a TV series is part of that extra exposure. But sometimes, I can’t help but be a little clingy towards my favorites--afraid that whoever decides to put it on screen will screw it up. (*huge cough* Percy Jackson *huge cough*).
Though it’s not to say that I am completely opposed to the very thought of it. It’s always so exciting whenever I hear a book to movie/show adaptation, even for books I haven’t even read yet. And for today’s Top Three Tuesday, I have selected three series’s that I think would make an excellent on-screen story, perhaps even just as good or better than the book (although, let’s be real--almost nothing is better than the book). Let’s begin!
𝓣𝓸𝓹 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
First of all, I understand how this series might already have a movie deal--but it’s been long overdue now. I want the movie for this like, well, right now. Just reading this book has me playing the scenarios like a movie. Every single scene--whether action or something as plain as simple as a dialogue--is remarkably vivid and so amazingly written. It’s hard not to imagine it being anything but an amazing movie franchise.
There’s so much depth to the story for something that’s labeled as Middle Grade, and I can honestly say that this book is definitely along the lines of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. It is that good that I’m surprised only few know of it. If you haven’t already, go read it, and come back here to tell me that I’m right--it should be turned into a movie. Because it’s all it deserves and so much more.
𝓣𝓸𝓹 𝓣𝔀𝓸
Grisha Verse by Leigh Bardugo
You know what could top MCU, DC, heck, even Harry Potter? Personally, the Grisha Verse of Leigh Bardugo containing the first three books of the Grisha Verse, the Six of Crows duology, and then King of Scars (coming out next year) would do the trick just fine. Let me just say that Leigh has a talent for adding life to all of her characters. I do mean all--despite my reluctance still with Mal’s character--up from the main characters of her stories and down to even the most minor character. You can’t help but love almost all of her characters, admire the world that she created, and enjoy the way she produces this story with her exemplary writing style.
I mean, come on. Imagine Alina being such a badass Sun Summoner on the big screen. Imagine our favorite dregs jumping from one heist to another in a television series. Imagine Nikolai having his own iconic story for all to see in the theaters. There’s so many possibilities in this world that Leigh has created, so many opportunities for spinoffs, and everything else in between. I’m surprised she hasn’t been offered a movie/tv series deal. If you haven’t already dived into the Grisha Verse, then you’re missing out on some epic characters and an amazing world to boot. Stop what you’re doing right now and just pick this verse up. I vouch for you that you will not regret reading it.
𝓣𝓸𝓹 𝓞𝓷𝓮
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
Many would assume that I would put the Grisha Verse on top one. But many fail to remember that if they haven’t followed me before, they wouldn’t know how much I raved about The Lunar Chronicles. I think this series was probably in a lot of my top somethings or book recommendations because I have no other way to better expose the series than to keep recommending it to friends and sharing my love for it. Let me just say that the last book of this series is one of the most cinematic books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading next to The Last Ever After by Soman Chainani. You’ve got fairytale retellings + sci-fi + a revolution! What more could you possibly ask for?
Marissa has a way of writing the most remarkable characters, show us the most intricate details of a world, and give us the depth most readers crave for in a book. Not to mention all the ships in this! I mean, if you haven’t already read my Winter review, you should! Or rather, read the actual series. I can happily say that it’s the kind of book for just about anyone. I recommended the series to my Team Leader at work, and I’m happy to say that she is loving Cinder so far. I’m actually afraid of being a little annoying because I ask her weekly about her progress reading it, but she’s always glad to let me know how it’s doing if she wasn’t always so tired from work, haha! It’s honestly the most powerful combination of action, romance, sci-fi, all wrapped up in one series. The perfect cinematic series should it ever go on the big screen.
There are just some books that take you by surprise--whether it’s something you’d never find yourself reading, or something you thought was a little too below your age range; we often find ourselves loving these books at the end of the day and can’t stop raving about it.
I have so many unexpected good reads, most of them books that I’ve only read this year--and regrets that I never bothered to read them until now. Here’s just a few that’s rattled me to my very core.
𝓣𝓸𝓹 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮
Stalking Jack The Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
I dislike science. I get war flashbacks every time the thought of Chemistry or Physics or Biology comes to mind because I am most certain science was one of my weakest subjects as a student. You would think that for someone who doesn’t like science, I wouldn’t have even bothered to pick up Stalking Jack The Ripper. And I almost never did, until that very synopsis tells me it’s more than just science--it’s pretty much a crime/mystery book.
And I do love crime and mystery stories. The moment I read the first chapter of this book, I was mostly intrigued despite not knowing half the terms that the author presented during that dissection. But the more I got into it, the more I learned much about the body’s anatomy better than I ever learned it in a classroom. I have Kerri Maniscalco to thank for that.
Like I said, it isn’t all science. The main character, Audrey Rose, is an impressive scientist on her own and uses that skill to trace the identity of who Jack The Ripper is here. The series is a retelling of some of the most prominent legends, and some more. This was definitely an unexpected good read, and to top that, one of my favorite YA series up on the top 5.
𝓣𝓸𝓹 𝓣𝔀𝓸
Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo
This duology was highly recommended by a friend of mine in college that was raving about it. Every single YA blogger has probably already read it. It was hyped in so many ways, and I tend to stay away from hyped books because I’ve been down the road where a hyped book highly disappointed me. But I gave it my best shot this year, because, well, why not?
And I don’t regret giving this book a fraction of my time. It started off very slow, though mostly it’s because I haven’t read the Grisha trilogy which, though not as fully connected, is in the same universe as this duology. But as I read more into it, I found myself hooked and never looking back.
The characterizations here were spectacular. Not many people can pull off a mulit-POV book because at times, some characters tend to shine brighter than all the others. But Leigh did an equal balance of developing every single main character in her duology. Each character had their own story, had their own personalities, had their own shining moments. And although most people claim Kaz to be the very shining character in this book--I personally believe all six of our favorite dregs shines every single time. It’s definitely a series that has made 2018 one of my best reading years of all time (next to the year I read Harry Potter, of course).
𝓣𝓸𝓹 𝓞𝓷𝓮
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
I’m gonna be honest. I hated this book three years ago. I hated how slow it was, how Maas dragged her words around in the mud, how I had the worst book slump in the world because of any Maas book that I’ve ever attempted to read (including Throne of Glass). In short, I wasn’t a big fan of the Maas franchise for many years. But things have changed this year.
I like to think 2018 was the year I gave myself more risks than I could possibly imagine when it comes to reading books. Counting Stalking Jack The Ripper and Six of Crows into that because these top three are books I’ve only just read this year. It’s one hell of a good reading year, especially when I finally had a reason to give myself a chance to try to read A Court of Thorns and Roses.
And you know what? It’s bloody brilliant. I told myself I could never find myself reading high fantasy books like Maas ones. All that world-building and the crazy maps that are hard to follow tends to make me stray far from such books. But when I managed to receive ACOTAR from Twitter’s #BookishWish from Ate Bianca (@UltmtFangirl), I couldn’t put it down upon reading. The books in this series were so beautifully written. The characters and the way they shape the entire series makes it so engaging. I always do love a good book about power couples, like Feyre and Rhysand were here. And some minor characters that are dear to my heart, like Elain and Lucien.
I am glad I picked up the ACOTAR series this year, because I have never been more extremely invested in a fandom other than Harry Potter until this one. Heck, I even bought magnetic bookmarks of Elain and Lucien from designsbytheia. If I buy merch for a specific fandom, you know my love for that fandom is absolutely real. Hence why ACOTAR is my Top One unexpected good reads--and is well-deserving of it!
Personally, it would not be a good book if it didn’t have an evil to the rotten core villain. I love reading about villains and how they shape their ambitious stride in every story I read. Sometimes, they can be more interesting than the main characters, and that’s saying a lot. Today’s top three contains perhaps one of the evilest, most vile villains I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.
I wrote a top three villains post long before my relaunch, so you can check out a recap of that here. This time, though, I’ll be going from the third up to the first for extra emphasis on being listed. So without further ado, here are the villains I just simply love to hate!
𝓣𝓸𝓹 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮
Amarantha from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series
Fanart by dianulala
“Shatter him, Rhysand.” She flicked a hand at the High Lord of the Summer Court. “You may do what you want with the body afterward.”
Listen, this girl is loooong dead and appeared in, like, ONE book (as far as I know since I’m only at ACOMAF, no spoilers pls ahhh!). I’m pretty sure she’s extra dead but we’ll see. Her evilness level, though, is beyond anything I could have every imagined.
Try imagining this Fae woman bringing all seven ruling High Fae Lords from different courts of Prythian to their knees. They were under her control, and wouldn’t hesitate to kill or torture one or one of their citizens just to prove how powerful she is. Not to mention that she put a crazy 50 years curse on the High Lord of the Spring Court and made the most powerful High Lord in Prythian, the High Lord of the Night Court, her personal whore. Also heartless enough to put our main girl, Feyre, go through the most traumatic and grueling task no human should ever have the misfortune of going through. She’s definitely one of the worst, but I admire how a powerful woman like her--and considering how the courts never have a High Fae Lady--was able to bring people to their knees and manipulate them to her will.
Scary as hell, and I love her for it.
Evilness Level: Solid 9/10 (would kill to have her ambitious stride tho)
How Evil: Petty enough to kill the human man that killed her sister and take his eye and a piece of his finger bone as her personal accessories. She’s wild.
𝓣𝓸𝓹 𝓣𝔀𝓸
Keris Veturia (The Commandant) from the Ember Quartet
Fanart by Aitolkyn98
“I don’t look at the wound. I don’t need to. I watched the Commandant as she carved it into me, a thick-lined, precise K stretching from my collarbone to the skin over my heart. She branded me. Marked me as her property. It’s a scar I’ll carry to the grave.” --Laia’s perspective on what Keris did to her
I’m trying to refrain from profanity when it comes to writing blog posts. But forgive my french when I say THIS BITCH. Amarantha is one thing, but I personally believe Keris Veturia aka the Commandant is another level of evil. Marcus Farrar, another evil character in the series, makes him look like a softie compared to what Keris did for the majority of this series.
If there’s such a thing as Worst Mother of the Year, it’s gotta be given to Keris. After Elias escaped from Blackcliff, she was hellbent on having her own son get killed. Heck, she didn’t even hesitate to poison him when they came face to face right after. Though it’s not to say she was particularly heartless at first. She had a rough past. But like what Jake Peralta said on B99: “Cool motive, still murder.” And she has straight up murdered people. She had killed so many with her time as a Martial, and likely even more as The Commandant of Blackcliff. Honestly, this woman has no chill.
And the way she’s come around to being friendos with the Nightbringer (which is, like Marcus, almost nothing compared to what evil Keris can do) says just as much about her thirst for power and so much more.
10 out of 10 would not wanna be friends with her.
Evilness Level: 10/10 (yah girl’s got a dark past)
How Evil: Mass genocide just to prove a point tf
𝓣𝓸𝓹 𝓞𝓷𝓮
The Darkling from the Grisha Verse
Fanart by niru723
The Darkling slumped back in his chair. “Fine,” he said with a weary shrug. “Make me your villain.”
There are villains that commit mass genocide for petty reasons, some who do it just because they want to, and there are some... that does it for the greater good. The latter part is probably the worst kind of villain and easy to hate. But Leigh Bardugo’s The Darkling is almost kind of impossible to hate. In fact, he’s my favorite villain of all. Not because I’m excusing his terrible ways of handling things for the greater good, but because he has some grey lines that makes me just want to hug him and keep him away from the cruelty of the world (even if he is the cruelty).
He’s so thoroughly convinced that his way is the best way which really does suck. But the way Leigh Bardugo wrote him made people almost sympathize bits of his life. I’m pretty sure majority of the fandom even ships The Darkling with Alina, the main character, just because they have so much better chemistry than Alina and Mal would ever have. He’s just such a complex character all bundled up into this dark Grisha who wants to have things for “the better”. He’s the actual worst, but I still love him anyway.
Evilness Level: 1000000/10 (I mean need I say more?)
How Evil: Mass genocide for the “greater good”
And that is a wrap for today’s Top 3 Tuesday! I know I promised to make it the moment I relaunched the blog. But if you’ve read my August Wrap-Up, you would know that it’s been a wild month and it’s only taken me until now to get these things out. I hope you enjoyed, nonetheless. See you next Tuesday!
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