Wishing Stars- Nenia Campbell

 So I read Wishing Stars for three reasons. One, because I got it for free, two, because I LOVE fairy tale retelling and three, because Nenia is a friend and I like supporting Indie Authors.

This was a novella, a short story collection full of tiny space operas. It was a fast and easy read full of interesting characters, creative beings, places and good writing.

I am not a big short story person….This collection reminds me why, while I enjoyed the stories, most ended too abruptly for me and I wanted more from each of them.

The Spoilers Ahead are only telling what fairy tale I believe is being retold. Oh and I could have done without the poems, though they were well written.

Deep Blue Nightmare

A Blue Beard retelling and quite ingenious, while I found the ending to be a bit rushed, this one finalized in a way that satisfied me.

Clockwork Roses

A really fantastic reverse gender roles Sleeping Beauty retelling. Marred only by the ending that didn’t feel…finished.

Quantum Diamond

Rumpelstiltskin retelling, I think. Again, non traditional gender roles, which I like and what the guy asks to be made is quite non traditional. However this time the ending felt a bit too easy and all sewn together without enough oomp.

Iceheart

My least favorite story in this collection, though still good. I really like the author’s writing, the descriptions and aliens are really unique! I have NO idea what fairy tale this is…The ending was a bit confusing.

Blood of My Blood

Snow White retelling, and SO GOOD, probably my favorite story of the book, gruesome and almost disgusting in a good way…though the rape scene I could have done without.…However, again…the ending felt rushed and unfinished and I would have liked more.

Waiting on Wednesday- The Year of Shadows

Is a weekly meme hosted by Break the Spine where we show case a novel we are looking forward to that hasn't come out yet.

This week I have chose The  Year of Shadows by Claire Legrand which comes out August 27th. I don't usually enjoy middle grade fiction but this looks AWESOME.



Olivia Stellatella is having a rough year.

Her mother left, her neglectful father -- the maestro of a failing orchestra -- has moved her and her grandmother into his dark, broken-down concert hall to save money, and her only friend is Igor, an ornery stray cat.

Just when she thinks life couldn’t get any weirder, she meets four ghosts who haunt the hall. They need Olivia’s help -- if the hall is torn down, they’ll be stuck as ghosts forever, never able to move on.

Olivia has to do the impossible for her shadowy new friends: Save the concert hall. But helping the dead has powerful consequences for the living . . . and soon it’s not just the concert hall that needs saving

Top Ten Tuesdays!- Best and Worst Movie Adaptations

Top Ten Tuesday is an AWESOME meme hosted by Broke and Bookish

1) The Princess Bride- The book wasn't NEARLY as good as the movie,which is SO rare to say, but I read the book and was disappointed. 

2)The Lost World- Umm... Ok so I LOVE all the Jurassic Park movies because I am a dork like that. However, this movie was NOTHING like the book and there were so many plot holes and twists that had to be taken from the director's butt, cause they didn't come out of the pages.

3) Little Women- You know the one with Winona Rider? They leave a lot out but this is a super awesome adaptation of the novel, one I can watch over and over again.

4) Beautiful Creatures- Can we say yuck? I read the books an actually kind of liked them, so I played the girlfriend card and BEGGED my boy to take me to this angsty teen movie...I regretted it within ten minutes, the movie was HORRIBLE, the girl who played Lena made me want to punch her and they screwed up the plot, none of the aspects I enjoyed in the novels were even present, aside from Link and Ethan.

5) Hamlet - The Kenneth Branaugh version, squee and sigh.

6) Jane Eyre- with Orson Wells.... This one is kind of a half and half,I love it, one of my favorites...However they DO cut out a couple of pretty big chunks from the novel.

7) Queen of the Damned- Can we say barf? And in a big way, after Interview With A Vampire and the extreme love I feel for Tom Cruise playing Lestat this made me want to throw things at the screen.

8) Bram Stoker's Dracula-hatehatehatehate NOTHING like the novel, including an AWFUL scene where Lucy is being fucked by a werewolf. Plus as much as I adore Keanu Reeves, him trying for a British accent playing Jonathan Harker makes my head hurt.

9)Interview with a Vampire- I can't help it, even with the discrepancies this movie takes me to a happy place. 

10) Wizard of Oz- Ok, so there is a special place in my heart for this movie, I know all the songs by heart and so enjoy watching this. However if you are looking for a movie that didn't do a great job of adapting from the novel this one fills that category.