Percy Jackson: movie review, YA movie news

I finished The Last Olympian on Saturday, and was really excited to see the movie a few days later...I ended up seeing the Percy Jackson movie on Monday; and honestly, I have to say I was rather disappointed. I hate when movies needlessly change plots and characters in beloved books. And in this case, the changes weren't necessary and didn't do anything to improve the story (or in this case, the movie). Like, for instance, they completely left Clarisse COMPLETELY. And any mention of Ares (one of my favorite gods in the book series). They also made Percy 16 in the first movie, instead of 12. Introduced a love interest in Annabeth almost immediately and threw out a lot of (usual) back story/mythology Riordan created about the gods (Poseidon in Bermuda shorts for instance)/their relationships with their children/the gods dropping in and "helping" Percy, Annabeth, and Grover along the way. AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON LUKE. I thought one of the greatest strengths of the The Lightning Thief was the surprising reveal, near the very end of the book, that Luke was evil. The tarantula scene still haunts me, particularly because this was a boy who Percy trusted and who he considered a friend. None of that relationship was built up in the movie, and Luke ended up coming off like a spoiled pouty child having a temper tantrum.

Okay. End rant.

Have you guys had a chance to check out the new YA books? What have you been particularly enjoying? I started Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater and have been really enjoying it. It's nice to see a wolf not in competition with a vampire. I've been anxiously waiting for The Dark Divine to come back in, as I'm really excited to read that.

Speaking of Shiver, the movie version now has a writer attached to pen the script. And in other movie news, Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series is being made into movies too. New broke last summer that the series would be made into movies, but in the months following no progress was made. Now however, Screen Gems has fast tracked the a film version of the series. Anyone fans of the Uglies series? I tried to read Pretties but just couldn't get into it. Should I give the series another try?

Hunger Games Fans?

For those of you out there who might be Hunger Games fans, I have big news. The third (and final) book in the trilogy, which will be released in August, now has a name: Mockingjay. (It has previously been referred to as Hunger Games Book 3.) It also has a cover, featuring, you guessed it a mockingjay. I like the symmetry between three book covers. On the cover of book 1 you have Katniss' gold mockingjay pin, on Catching Fire you have a more realistic looking mockingjay which looks as though it is attempting to fly free of the wheel [of fate?] it's attached to, and the third book shows a real mockingjay completely free. My friend, another Young Adult Librarian, took issue with the background color, saying the sky blue was too optimistic for the series, but I kind of like it. Fans of the series are already looking to the cover for clues as to who Katniss will ultimately end up with; fellow contestant and baker's son Peeta Mellark or childhood friend/hunting partner Gale Hawthorne. I'm not sure how much I'm able to read into the cover about this, at all, but that's just me.

So what about you guys? Are you Team Peeta? Team Gale? I find this blog entry entertaining, and the casting (for the upcoming Hunger Games movie) spot on. I'm going to start reading Catching Fire next week, but as of this moment, I must confess I am a big Team Peeta fan. Coincidentally, we recently got Catching Fire here at the Tucker Free Library, so stop by and check it out.

If you're looking for more information about the release of the third book and it's cover, check out publisher's weekly article here.

Review: All Unquiet Things

I started Anna Jarzab's All Unquiet Things at 6:30 on Friday night, and I finished it at approximately 11. That same night. It's absolutely fantastic. It is by far the best book I've read this year (yes yes, I know it's only February, but it's still a very true claim.) All Unquiet Things follows two high school students, withdrawn and sulky Neily and ostracized former "it girl" Audrey as they attempt to band together to uncover who killed Carly the year before. Narrated by both, in alternating sections, their motivations for uncovering who really killed Carly are complicated by their personal history to her. Carly is Neily's ex-girlfriend (who he has never quite gotten over) and Audrey's best friend/cousin. Oh, and Audrey's father is the one who is in jail for killing Carly.

All Unquiet Things is smart. It's immensely readable. Neily and Audrey, though flawed and devestated by Carly's death, are utterly relatable and we understand why this quest is so important to them, because we understand how important Carly was to them (despite her numerous faults). This book reminded me of Veronica Mars in the best way possible. They both had a Lilly Kane tragic figure, a murder mystery with a killer no one ever saw coming, a realistic film noir tone, flashbacks which helped give the victim a life and a history and made her someone who we, like the determined characters, cared about, and two people coming together to discover the truth.




I urge you to check out this book. It's different than a lot of the supernatural romances which are raging right now. It's set in the real world, but it's in a shady underbelly of corruption and dark secrets which is totally addicting, even if we'd never want to live there ourselves.

P.S. If you haven't seen Veronica Mars you need to Netflix it. It'll change your life. Everyone I've forced to start watching it has become addicted.

Percy Jackson!

So any Percy Jackson and the Olympian fans? I recently started reading the series (I'll admit it, after seeing a really cool looking preview for The Lighting Thief) and I have really been enjoying it (I'm currently halfway through the fourth book.) I find the dynamic between Percy and Annabeth really interesting, I love all the characters (even Clarisse, and Luke [[surprisingly]]) and I have really been enjoying how Rick Riordan weaves Greek mythology into an exciting adventure story. (A particular favorite of mine was Medusa popping up at a bizarre roadside antique store/fast food diner/stone sculpture place in The Lighting Thief). I'm really excited about  seeing how Riordan ties everything up in the fifth and final book, The Last Olympian, although I must confess much like reaching the final Harry Potter book (The Deathly Hallows, I don't want this series to end.

Incidentally, I am insanely excited for the movie (out February 12th) because I really feel this is a series which would lend itself nicely to film. (and the previews look awesome! Although I kind of wish that Annabeth had blonde hair, like she does in the books.)

Thoughts?