Mundie Moms

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

THE REMEDY by Suzanne Young; GIVEAWAY!

Happy April Fool's Day! I promise this is not an April Fool's Day joke. I really do have one copy of Suzanne Young's THE REMEDY to giveaway! This is the first book in her new series that is set within the world before The Program.  Though book will not be released until April 21st, one lucky winner will win before they can buy it. First, here's a little bit about THE REMEDY


ABOUT THE BOOK


Can one girl take on so many identities without losing her own? Find out in this riveting companion to The Program and the New York Times bestselling The Treatment.

In a world before The Program…

Quinlan McKee is a closer. Since the age of seven, Quinn has held the responsibility of providing closure to grieving families with a special skill—she can “become” anyone.

Recommended by grief counselors, Quinn is hired by families to take on the short-term role of a deceased loved one between the ages of fifteen and twenty. She’s not an exact copy, of course, but she wears their clothes and changes her hair, studies them through pictures and videos, and soon, Quinn can act like them, smell like them, and be them for all intents and purposes. But to do her job successfully, she can’t get attached.

Now seventeen, Quinn is deft at recreating herself, sometimes confusing her own past with those of the people she’s portrayed. When she’s given her longest assignment, playing the role of Catalina Barnes, Quinn begins to bond with the deceased girl’s boyfriend. But that’s only the beginning of the complications, especially when Quinn finds out the truth about Catalina’s death. And the epidemic it could start.

Want to read more? You can read an excerpt here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

(Photo Credit: Dawn Goei)

Suzanne Young is the New York Times bestselling author of The Program series. Originally from Utica, New York, Suzanne moved to Arizona to pursue her dream of not freezing to death. She is a novelist and an English teacher, but not always in that order. Suzanne is the author of The Program, The Treatment, The Remedyand A Need So Beautiful. 

LEARN MORE
Learn More at SuzanneYoungAuthor.com
Visit the author on her Personal Blog
Follow Suzanne Young on Twitter and Facebook
#ReleaseTheRemedy

ENTER TO WIN
THE WORLD BEFORE THE PROGRAM prize pack


Enter for your chance to win:
·         a copy of The Remedy
·         plus copies of Suzanne Young’s bestselling series The Program and The Treatment.

Prizing & samples courtesy of Simon & Schuster
Giveaway open to US addresses only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shadowhunters TV Series: Adaptations & Staying Faithful To The Story



Do T.V. and movie adaptations need to stay true to the original storyline? That is a debate that has been happening a lot lately, not just with the Shadowhunters TV Series, but also with movies based on YA books. When a movie or a T.V. series that was adapted from a book, is not done correctly, it gets a lot of flack from both fans of the book and movie goers/T.V. watchers alike. And even if fans go to see the firm/watch the pilot, they may never turn up for the sequels or next episodes. The most recent book to movie adaptation to receive flack from fans is the movie, Insurgent. I've not yet scene it. Receiving more than it's share of less than favorable reviews from trusted book review friends and fans of the book series, I am now torn over seeing it.

What makes a TV series / movie flop or fail? I feel part of that comes from not staying true to the book's original storyline or the characters. Which is what I have been told is the case in point with movie mentioned previously. To be fair, no adaptation will be able to recreate the books exactly. I get that. It is impossible to squeeze everything we love about a 400-800 page book into a hour to two hour time frame. It's just not possible no matter how talented those working their movie or T.V. show magic are. Thus, adaptations have to happen.

That leads me to my next question. Is change a bad thing when it comes to adaptations? No, I don't think it is. Change is inevitable when it comes to adaptations. The key to a successful adaptation is staying true to the over all storyline, while incorporating changes that not only fit within the story, but they are believable changes and ones the characters would make. Another positive thing about adaptations is how the changes can not only please the existing fan base, they can also attract and whole new group of fans.

What does it mean to adapt? The dictionary says:
a dapt : make (something) suitable for a new use or purpose, modify

When it comes to modifying a book's story, whether it's for the big screen or the T.V. screen, changes are made to not only appease the book's fan base, but to also draw or bring in a new fan base. The great thing about adaptations is the slight changes (at least we hope they are) that are made in bringing the book to life. Sometimes that means there are small changes to settings, characters, or the overall story. It's when the big things happen that take away from the original characters and their stories, that adaptations run into trouble. I won't mention the list of movies we've seen flop because of these big changes.

A few weeks ago I took to Twitter to ask readers what they thought were successful book to T.V. adaptations. Here are some of the responses I got for books to T.V. shows that readers thought were well done.
  • Outlander 
  • Game of Thrones
  • The 100 
  • The BBC version of Pride & Prejudice from 1995
  • The first couple of seasons of The Vampire Diaries
  • The first season of True Blood
  • Pretty Little Liars
Adaptation flops:
  • The Vampire Diaries
  • True Blood
Outlander had by far, the biggest response of fans who loved the adaptation, followed by Game of Thrones. There were a lot of mixed responses when it came to The Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars T.V. series. Fans either liked the adaptation or loathed it, because both series were much different than the books.  

This brings me to my question about the Shadowhunters T.V. series. Fans, myself included, have been mixed on the characters being aged. As a side note, this is a CONFIRMED rumor that the characters will indeed be aged up. I've talked about it on the blog before, and have read a lot of comments via the blog, social media and other fansites, from fans who are upset over this change. I agree with you. I am to. However, I also think the aging up can work, at least to some degree. There are some fans who feel this is a good thing. I've read responses stating that; that aging them up won't take away from the over all coming of age story, aging them up a bit to be in their late teens to early twenties will appeal to an older demographic, aging them up for T.V. will allow for a more mature storyline.

When I was first told about the characters being aged up, my first thought was that would be good. In my mind I was thinking aging up meant like one to two years, which would still keep the characters at 18 years and younger. It seems like Carly will be eighteen, and hopefully the other characters won't be much more aged up. When it comes to adapting a book's story, we've seen more often than not, that when it comes to aging characters, the story gets ruined (Percy Jackson anyone?), because the creators feel like the characters we know and love, just older. Can the Shadowhunters T.V. series characters get aged up a bit and stay remain faithful to their story? Sure, I think they can if they do the work. I just hope that in aging them up too much it won't take away from being faithful to their story. Which TMI is a coming of age story. I hope the adaptation still shows some of that.

Book to T.V. series adaptations can remain faithful to the story. I do not feel that in modifying the story a little, ruins it. It is when certain aspects of the story get modified that can have costly outcomes to the rest of the series that I worry about. If characters who play big roles in the book series, are taken out of the script for the T.V. series or movie, we, the fans, lose interest. Let's be truthful, we read and watch for the characters we love. If they aren't there, or they're changed beyond recognition, what's meant to keep us watching?

Clever script writing can make us feel like the characters are living on screen. Bad writing makes us feel like we're watching them be murdered. I strongly feel that the way to be successful and have a faithful adaptation, lies with writing that remains true to the characters and the themes of the story. If the writer(s) get those, they can transfer what we've falling in love with on paper, and bring it to life on the T.V. Which is something I really hope happens with the Shadowhunters T.V. series.

Illusionarium by Heather Dixon; Waiting on Wednesday #243



By: Heather Dixon
Published by: Greenwillow
To Be Released on: May 19th, 2015
Pre-Order from: Harper TeenAmazon | B&N
Add it to Goodreads

From the author of Entwined, a brilliantly conceived adventure through an alternate London. This sweeping, cinematic tale of an apprentice scientist desperate to save his family—and his world—is The Night Circusmeets Pixar.

Through richly developed parallel worlds, vivid action, a healthy dose of humor, and gorgeous writing, Heather Dixon spins a story that is breathtaking and wholly original.


This book had me at 'alternate London'. This sounds like it's going to be one of those unique YA books that is unlike anything I've read. I'm really looking forward to reading it. I'm also big fan of Heather's books. This is book has all the makings of a W.O.W. I can't wait to read. Don't miss my interview with Heather which will be featured here on the blog with my upcoming Illusionarium blog tour stop. What book are you waiting to get your hands on? 

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