Wonder Woman by Leigh Bardugo : review

Wonder Woman by Leigh Bardugo

"Daughter of immortals. Daughter of death.
[I]f they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war."

     >this is the first book in the DC icons series, in which 4 YA authors wrote 4 stand-a-lone books on superheroes.

Goodreads' link to the book!


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Stars: ✦✦✦.75✧

So as usual, I'll tell 3.75 things I liked about the book and 1.25 things I didn't like.

What did I think?

+1 | The idea and premise is intriguing: It's a new re-imagining of Wonder Woman.

+1  | Simply put: the writing.

+0.75/-0.25  | World and it's building throughout the book was engaging, and I liked how they brought in our world, but things needed more explaining.

+/-0.5 | Entertainment value was great but the pace wasn't consistent.

+/-0.5 | The characters were great and I loved the friendships, but the romance wasn't necessary with the main character.

Read on lovelies,

S

Genres

& feels

I mentioned in a post that I don't really read non-fiction, but when searching those I saw that there are some genres that I read even less, if at all.
I have an excel for my books read/to/etc. and so I have some charts and is one on genres (I have a weird way of sectioning them though so keep that in mind!)
So this has the list of all the books I've read in their categories.

So here they are in order (prosentages are close-ish to actuality):

Fantasy 16%

Magic 13% (and yes magic is part of fantasy, but here the section above is only non-magic fantasy...)
Graphic Novel 12% (from classics to magic)
Classic-y 12%
Realistic Fiction 11%
Romance (only) 8%
Agents 6% (um, yep these are weirdly sorted)
Retelling 4%
Dystopia 4%
Sci-fi 3%
Non-fiction 3%
Crime 2%
Short-story 2%
Childrens 1%
Novella 1%
Plays 1%
Poems 1%
Survival <1%
Horror <1%
Historical <1%

Read on lovelies,
Sally

Oz : Book vs. Movie

Book vs. Movie (Pt. 6)

As a child when I first saw this movie I was slightly scared to be honest! I found the straw man creepy! That's pretty much everything I remember from wathcing it when I was small...

I decided to read the first book in this series as my classic for some month.
The movie did change a lot of things, but I didn\t mind that much. Both were entertaing and all but as usual the book was better, and this time way better. I was a bit sad about that since the book was so fun to read. It was short and jolly and I was missing that from the movie.

As for the newer movie version Oz the Great and Powerful I really enjoyed that. It was definetly not the same story, not even trying to e, but it was in th esame world with the same(ish) characters. I also really liked how they incorporated scenes from the book that the first movie did not (correct me if I\m wrong). Even so the book was again better.

Which movie did I like better? I\d say the latter. But then again it was not jolly like what I wanted from the first one so am I right to comapre them if they are that different, with different approaches to viewers? I don\t know but on an enjoyment level i\d have to stick to my answer.
Any opinions?

Hugs,

Sally

The Host: Book vs. Movie

Book vs. Movie (Pt. 5)

I'm sure most of you have heard of this Stephenie Meyer book. I read it on a long train ride to and from. I still hadn't come to read it in the years it has been out. I guess it was for my dislike for aliens in books. I don't know why I do dislike them but after a friend suggested me reading this book next I decided to take a try. Why not really. So I read it. And I liked it.
I'll keep this part, of the books pros and cons, short:
+ The pace of things kept me reading
- The confusion about one person being two and having someone to love for both...

After I finished this book I went ahead and watched the movie. I must say I might have liked it even a bit more. Though I did like it more because of the fact that it was less confusing. Then again if I had seen it before reading it I would have thought the other way.

The movie changed a lot of the things the book had. Some parts I really liked and they cut them out, but other scenes the movie had which I liked and the book didn't have.

One thing I also must ask, how is she going to continue on with he series? It came out a long time ago and I think it ended in a good way. Can't some books just be left as a only one. I sometimes find that many series could be cut and ended earlier. Like the  Mortal Instruments could have stayed as a trilogy and i would have liked that. So with this I am a bit skeptical. Maybe I am being too harsh but many trilogies could be stand-alones. There are ofcourse those that have been good series and I am happy that they continued but I really like stand-alones too.

Hugs,

Sally

The Fault in Our Stars : Book vs Movie

Book and Movie thoughts (Pt. 4)

As you can probably read from the title: I went to the movies!
So to start off I really like this book. And I was scared to go see it because I don't know if they changed it and I wouldn't like it as much I guess. I hate it when that happens to a book I really like.
Well even so I went to see it, how could I not, and I enjoyed it. I didn't love it. But I wasn't disappointed either. I guess it was better than I expected and all.

I read it quite a while ago and have yet to read any other book by John Green (I really need to). I read this one because well I watch the Vlog Brothers on youtube... And I LoVe it!

To the Book Review itself:
So thoughts on the book first (other than liking it):
 The writing style John uses is lovely to read. It brings the characters to life and makes it feel like you are part of that story. It did this without being too descriptive which I often find annoying. I want to have space, while reading, for your imagination.
    The characters were some of the best I have read about in a while. They made by with what they had and I really appreciated that. Also the fact that it involved cancer was inspiring in itself and then you read it and you just feel all the feels!
   One negative thing I have to say, I'm sorry but yes. There was two moments in which I wanted the author to expand more than he did. Now I know usually it's a very good thing to not tell too much and let the reader ponder. But I couldn't help but think it was missing some filling. And don't get me wrong, they were both good scenes nevertheless and important too. I don't want to spoil the scenes so you can mail me if you want to know which parts. I just really don't feel like spoiling anything to anyone, even though most of you have read the book.

I will be recommending this to anyone who likes contemporary books with emotion and to those who want to expand the genres they read.

So Keep On Reading

Hugs,

Sally

The Princess Bride : Book vs Movie

Book vs. Movie (Pt. 3)

After I posted the book review on The Princess Bride multiple of you asked for me to do another book vs. movie post, and so here it is. :) I am glad to have you guys mailing me even if it is simple hi or question. After some more questions I will probably do a Q&A too since you've been asking for something like that so do send more question :)
So I watched the movie and I must say they did a good job in trying to get it all together. I was happy to see they kept a lot of the same scenes without changing Too much, as we sometimes see.


You have probably seen the green cover of this book around but I have the 25th anniversary edition (in the picture) and I think it is gorgeous.

So if you haven't read my review on this book you might want to first :)
Then you'll know what it's about and all that jazz.

So as I briefly said I thought the makers did a good job with this movie, but as usual, other than the book being better, I have my more or less negative comments about the movie:
I didn't like how they made the plots order change a bit, but I definitely did like the changes they made to make things easier for the watcher. While reading the book it was slightly hard to understand what was going about but in the movie it was simpler. I guess it was seeing the characters and where they were going, but I find it nice in books to use imagination and reading their thoughts when they go about.

Also in my book review I wrote about not understanding the end, well the movie completely skipped the whole thing! So no solving my thoughts there either!

Hugs,

Sally

Ruby Red : book vs movie

Ruby Red vs. Rubinrot 
Book vs. movie (Pt. 2)

This is a book I LoVe! And i was a bit scared to see the movie and seeing changes they might have made. But even so I still finally watched it. Because of these opinions, a bit later.
So the  movie is in German but I watched one with subtitles so that was fine.



So my first thoughts after finishing the movie was pleasantly surprised. I really liked the movie too, although as usual the book was better. They did make quite a lot of changes, more than I thought, but it might have been hard to fit it all in and for the person watching to still understand things.
The ending had drastic changes, which I really liked, when then again the smaller changes I didn't like that much.
I loved the actors and actresses, sceneries and adaptions of the scenes from the book.
I loved the book and I loved the movie, a bit less, but I don't think of them as one story. Does that make sense?
I don't think they will make a movie for the next books but  I would have have loved to see them :) Yet I still haven't read Emerald Green, third and last book, since I'm afraid of ending the series... I love the first two books and the story line So much I can't imagine it ending for me.
Yeah I hope any of this is making any sense for you guys...
So overall I like both but think of them as not one.

Love & Hugs,

Sally

The Crucible vs The Witch of Blackbird Pond

The Crucible vs. The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Now, I know these are both VeRy different but I still wanted to discuss them in a same review since they reminded me of each other. Both take place somewhere in the 17th century and have a theme on witch trials.

Arthur Miller- The Crucible (published 1953) takes place in the17th century
The Crucible- This play is a drama set in Salem, where people are starting to be accused of witchcraft. A trial is brought and a lot of violence come about. The people in this town are part of a theocracy and all the religious matters hold a hand with this book.

Elizabeth George Speare-  The Witch of Blackbird Pond (published 1978) takes place in the late 17th century
The Witch of Blackbird Pond- The main character Kit travels to some relatives after being orphaned. She meets new people amongst who there is an older woman who is seen as a witch and a sailor. When the people find out about Kit being friends with the lady by the meadow theyr suspisions grow and accusations start flying.

The historical events are closish to true but largly fiction. These stories follow small towns and how rumors and fights, accusations and beliefs on neighbours and anyone really start to grow. Both the societies are so fragile that the poeple pretty much believe anything told, even things against people thought to be friends of theirs. They have all grown together buildings whats around them but they have no trust whatsoever. If they have a bad crop they could techniquelly blame their neighbours and spread rumours how they are witches and destroying others crop.

The trials held were similar in a way that it was the word against the person wringed and the believed witch. The 'witch' was then most-likely killed even when innocent. The reputation of these people also mattered. They needed all the trust they could build and if you found out someone is lying you assume straigh that they have been lying all the time and therefor most likely to be a witch or posessed.
Obviously right? That is DeFiNeTlY the way to go. Note the sarcasm.

Which one did I like more, you aks. In my opinion I liked The Witch of Blackbird Pond more since I enjoyed it far more. I did like the plot in the Crucible though but it was a bit slower and did not contain as much character development. This was because we didn't have a main character since it was a the play (it was like you were there and you could only hear what they were saying and doing, not thinking or reasoning).

Dear,

Sally

Frozen vs The Snow Queen

Movie vs. Short Story (Pt.1)
Movie adaptation vs. J.C. Anderson's Short Story

You have probably seen (at least heard of) Frozen the know Disney movie. If you haven't go watch it! It is amazingly fantabilous! So, to my point, you might have not known that it was based on Anderson's short story Snow Queen. I read it before I saw the movie so I could compare the twist Disney put on it. I know it is only influenced by this story, but they still had some similarities.

Frozen: This film is about a fearless girl who goes on journey to find her sister, who has trapped the kingdom in everlasting winter with her icy powers. She is accompanied by a mountain man, his pet reindeer and a hapless and helpless snowman who is quite a character.

Snow Queen: (1845) This story is about a girl who is seeking her lost friend. Turns out someone has made an evil mirror showing everything in a bad way. It shattered and pieces flew everywhere on earth and this little girls friend got a piece in his eye and heart turning them bad. Her quest is made harder when she realises he is with the Snow Queen in a foreign place. On the way she encounters crows, a prince, princess and some robbers.

Overall I really liked both of these stories. They both had a girl on a quest in the cold for a loved one. Disney made more of a humoreus job, both then again had the serious note. Frozen has multiple parts which are actually like in Anderson's story, but the twists are what made me fall for Frozen. I adore fairytale retellings as other books and also movie versions on them. The best ones, amongst Frozen, are ones that have only slightly reminders of the original. For example some Cinderella movies can be often too similar to each other, which  frustrates me, just abit, at times. I find it that the creators need to be extra creative with them to make them standout. Which Frozen definetly did, I'm glad to say.

To say which was better, in my opinion, I can't say. They are not that similar to compare in "betterness". Also by the other one being a movie and the other a written story it makes it even harder. To say which I enjoyed more, that'd need to be Frozen. I LoVeD it so much! I laughed (and still do when reminded), and the snowman simply made my day!

Love,

Sally