Top 3 Movie Adaptations of 2013

Being a big reader of YA books, it was a good year at the cinema for me. Lots of my favourite books were adapted to movies, so today I bring to you my top 3 movie adaptations of 2013. They might not all be world wide hits and improvements could be made but I still loved them. 

I don't think I could write this list without mentioning Catching Fire. It was a brilliant movie and faithful adaptation. It was incredibly close to the books and it really captured emotions that I felt the first movie lacked. It was an incredible movie and I cannot wait for parts 1 and 2 of Mockingjay over the next two years. 

 
The Hunger Games  DVD
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire DVD Pre-Order 
The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay books 

 My second favourite adaptation is The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones movie. I know this bombed at the box office and the second will probably not be made but I hope it it. I loved the movie, and while somethings were a little silly and overlooked it was a good film. I was engrossed watching it and it inspired my to carry on the book series past the first book. I hope they can get the second one on track and maybe just a bit more faithful to the novel so I can watch Jamie Campbell Bower covered in tattoos once again.   


 

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones DVD
  City of Bones (Mortal Instruments) BOOK

 My third favourite and last on this list is The Host. The book is one, if not my most, favorite book of all time. I've read and reread it and I was so excited for the movie. I did love the movie but just not as much as the book. I know why I don't love it quite as much but that cannot be changed. It wasn't that the director or writer missed something vital it was just little bits that were captured in the book that made it special are almost impossible to capture on film in the short period of time they had. If the movie was something stupid like 5 hours it might have captured those moments, but no one is sitting down and watching a 5 hour movie. 



The Host DVD The Host Book  

The Host Review | A Little Bit of Literature

The Host by Stephenie Meyer. link

I love this book, and really hope it gets continued like rumors have suggested. I don't think it will though, but one can hope. But, as of this point in time, The Host by Stephenie Meyer is a stand alone novel.  

 I admire Meyer for keeping this as just once novel because the size and complexity of the story within the novel could have easily been split up into a trilogy like many books are now days.  

So, I will admit that I first picked this up because I was (still kinda am) a Twilight fan. From someone reading those books from a literary stand point they aren't that great. They could be better written, carry better morals and be edited better but from a normal stand point (or a 12 year old girls) it's a nice, fluffy read.   

When I first got this, I read the first chapter, and gave up. I didn't like the way it was written and I just didn't feel like I could get into it.  After the book sitting on my shelf for a long time, I thought I would power through and see if the whole thing was impossible for me to read.   

I am more than happy that I did power through because the books gets 100x better than the first chapter. The style of writing changes after chapter one, and becomes easier to read (at least for me). We start to hear from Wonderer in first person, and you become really invested in her character and the journey she takes. It's very easy to become invested in the characters in the novel, both the good and the bad. 

Because of the first person narrative, the emotions felt by Wanda and Melanie are easier to feel yourself. With Wanda and Melanie being just once character you get to experience the world from a human in danger and an soul just trying to get by.   

 You can read what it's like to find a lost family and to meet them for the first time. You can read about the journey of discovering humans, and their wicked complicated emotions. I would highly suggest reading this book if you are looking for something unique and easy to read (after chapter one of course). 

There are two things which I know puts off people from reading the novel. First, it's just Twilight with aliens. Two, there are aliens. Well, while this might be by the same author of Twilight, it's not filled with glittery vampires or not-really-werewolf-werewolves. Not everything is based around someone falling in love in three days, and it's not just a love story (although that does play a part in the story) it features great themes of family, loyalty and action.  Also, try to ignore that aliens are taking over the world. You are not going to encounter any little green men asking to be taken yo your leader, or anything like that. The "aliens" in this novel are quite unique, and like nothing else I've ever read about.