Book vs. Movie: Enola Holmes – The Case of the Missing Marquess

Hello, my beloved readers!
Enola Holmes was arguable one of Netflix’s biggest releases of 2020. However, before Millie Bobby Brown swooped into my life to take me on a Victorian journey I had never heard of Sherlock’s little sister. What better occasion to check out the novels?

The Plot (according to Goodreads):

When Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of detective Sherlock Holmes, discovers her mother has disappeared—on her 14th birthday nonetheless—she knows she alone can find her. Disguising herself as a grieving widow, Enola sets out to the heart of London to uncover her mother’s whereabouts—but not even the last name Holmes can prepare her for what awaits. Suddenly involved in the kidnapping of the young Marquess of Basilwether, Enola must escape murderous villains, free the spoiled Marquess, and perhaps hardest of all, elude her shrewd older brother—all while collecting clues to her mother’s disappearance!

Enola Holmes on Rotten Tomatoes

Book vs. Movie:

So, I watched the film immediately when it came out. Then I picked up the novel. Upon finishing that I went to watch the movie a second time just to have some better ground for comparison. So, I’ll start with some thoughts on the film!

When I saw Mills in the trailer I knew this was going to be glorious. Also, Helena Bonham Carter is in this movie, so by rule, this can’t be bad.
Millie Bobby Brown has so much charisma, she’s definitely carrying this entire thing on her shoulders. I loved the dynamic between her and Helena Bonham Carter. Their relationship in the film was amazing!

Quote of the Day #73

He looked at me with a hundred stories lit behind his eyes.

Adrienne Young – Fable

Thursday Movie Picks: Police Detective

Hey, guys!
Welcome to another entry for Thursday Movie Picks.
It’s a series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves, so if you want to join the party, head over to her blog! It’s pretty easy: check out each week’s topic and come up with 3 to 5 movies that fit the theme.
This week, we’ll talk about some cool police detective flicks!

#1 From Hell

Let’s talk about one of the most famous serial killers of all time: Jack the Ripper. He was never caught but with From Hell we get an elaborate guess on what might have happened. Granted, it’s not the best movie out there, but I am fascinated by the topic and the graphic novel the film is based on is cool!

#2 Zodiac

Talking of killers that were never found. The Zodiac Killer is among America’s most famous murderers. The movie take on the investigation is also pretty interesting. Plus, it has Jake Gyllenhaal.

Comics vs. TV Show: I am not Okay with This

Hello, my darling readers!
If you read the review I wrote on the first season of I am not Okay with This, you’ll know that I absolutely adored it. However, Netflix canceled the promised second season, so I figured I’ll check out the comics the show is based on instead. Let’s see how that turned out!

The Plot (as found on Goodreads):

Sydney seems like a normal 15-year-old freshman. She hangs out underneath the bleachers, listens to music in her friend’s car, and gets into arguments with her annoying little brother — but she also has a few secrets she’s only shared in her diary. Like how she’s in love with her best friend Dina, the bizarreness of her father’s death, and those painful telekinetic powers that keep popping up at the most inopportune times.

I am not Okay With This on Goodreads

Comics vs. TV Show:

I love love loved the show and was sold within the first couple of seconds. I was beyond excited that we’d be getting a second season, so you can imagine my disappointment when it got canceled.

My hopes for high for the comics to provide me with some answers – the first season had ended with a pretty big cliffhanger, so I had questions!
Well, the comics did none of that.

First of all, I didn’t like comic Syd. At all. Her most annoying traits were constantly in the foreground. While in the show, the character had enough depth to be relatable even in her annoying or questionable moments, in the comics we get none of that.

There was nothing really likable about her and no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t relate to her. On top of that, the story may have its moments but it feels rushed and lacks depth. It’s as shallow as a puddle on the street while the show was setting us up to gaze into an ocean.

Also, there wasn’t much explanation, only an abrupt and surprising ending, that was rather jarring. I was even more disappointed by that than I was by the cancellation of season 2.

If you were hoping for the comics to tide you over the cliffhanger after the first season, I must disappoint you. The comics did not work for me at all. They had nothing to offer that in any way made them preferable to the show. We don’t even get any interesting additions. Maybe except for the ending, but even that came way to abrupt.

Did you prefer the book or the movie? Let me know in the comments!

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Top 5 Tuesday: Books you will definitely read this Year

Hey, guys!
It’s Tuesday, which means it’s time for a bookish favorites post. Top 5 Tuesday is hosted by Meeghan over on Meeghan Reads and is quite simple: check out the topic and write a post with your picks.
For today I’ll bring you some (hopefully) amazing books I want to read this year. The last one is a recommendation from a dear friend, the other four are from book subscription boxes. In my bookish resolution post I already mentioned that I want to catch up both on friend recs and the novels from book boxes that keep piling up because I constantly get sidetracked by other stuff. 🙈
I’ll leave you with the Goodreads description for each of the books I chose!

#1 Girl Serpent Thorn

There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it’s not just a story.

As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison.

Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming…human or demon. Princess or monster.

Girl, Serpent Thorn on Goodreads

#2 Kingdom of the Wicked

Two sisters.

One brutal murder.

A quest for vengeance that will unleash Hell itself…

And an intoxicating romance.

Emilia and her twin sister Vittoria are streghe – witches who live secretly among humans, avoiding notice and persecution. One night, Vittoria misses dinner service at the family’s renowned Sicilian restaurant. Emilia soon finds the body of her beloved twin…desecrated beyond belief. Devastated, Emilia sets out to find her sister’s killer and to seek vengeance at any cost-even if it means using dark magic that’s been long forbidden.

Then Emilia meets Wrath, one of the Wicked-princes of Hell she has been warned against in tales since she was a child. Wrath claims to be on Emilia’s side, tasked by his master with solving the series of women’s murders on the island. But when it comes to the Wicked, nothing is as it seems… 

Kingdom of the Wicked on Goodreads

Book vs. Movie: The Hate U Give

Hello, my darling readers!
It’s time for a book and movie comparison. This particular story has been on my radar for a while now. I finally had time to sit down and give it a go. So let’s see what The Hate U Give is all about!

The Plot (according to Goodreads):

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

The Hate U Give on Goodreads

Book vs. Movie:

Let’s see, where do we begin?
I started with the book, so you’ll get my thoughts on that first.

Only two chapters in, I was already crying. This book may not be perfect but it certainly is touching. From the very get-go, you are sucked in and feel deeply for the characters. That’s because we kick things off not with a fizzle but with a bang that hits you right in the feels. When Khalil is murdered I got not only sad but also so extremely angry at the whole world.