This book lover can’t wait for Nov. 20 of this year to finally roll around. Not just because it’s my mama’s birthday, it’s also when live action adaptations of two very popular book series will be released. One in theaters, and the other on a major streaming platform. Of course, for my mama, I’ll wait until Nov. 21 to indulge.
If you don’t know, I’m talking about The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping and Percy Jackson: The Titan’s Curse. The latter book series is what reignited my reading obsession, and I recently finished the Hunger Games trilogy after only reading the first book years ago.
I’ve yet to actually read Sunrise on the Reaping, mostly because I know my heart is going to break for Haymitch. I thought I wasn’t ready for all of that, but after seeing the trailer…I know I need to see it in theaters. With buttery popcorn and an ice cold slushy.
And don’t get me started on Percy Jackson. After seeing the season 3 trailer, I forced my little sister to watch it and, just like with season 2, I’m going to make her sit down with me and enjoy my commentary.
All this hype around book adaptations had me reminiscing back to the last time a book I was extraordinarily fond of was adapted. The year was 2021 and Netflix released a live-action adaptation, Shadow and Bone.
Despite never reading the Shadow and Bones books, I did read and absolutely adore the duology Six of Crows, which was within the same fantasy world the author Leigh Bardugo created. Merged into the Shadow and Bone storyline was the b plot: The Crows.
The actors were all straight from the pages of the books, in looks and vibes alike. Perfect matches, I was completely immersed and watched the show solely for them. While I did enjoy the Shadow and Bone chucks, it just wasn’t the main draw for me.
Like many fans, I was anticipating the upcoming spin off that would follow my favorite duology. Unfortunately, that would never happen. Netflix cancelled the show after wrapping up the Shadow and Bone trilogy. I was beyond devastated. We had a golden casting and the author worked creatively on the show as an executive producer!
I know I’m not the first person Netflix has personally attacked by canceling a perfectly good show. But that fact doesn’t make me feel any better about it, and to this day I’m still mad. Any time I see an edit on Instagram, or take a moment to appreciate my gorgeous bookshelf, I am reminded of what I could have had.
Unlike Netflix, author Leigh Bardugo didn’t forget about the series, and over the summer, June 2026, released Six of Crows: A Darker Shore. Once I read it, there’ll be nothing else to consume. But for this period of time, I have the best distraction. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, and each episode drop of Percy Jackson: The Titan’s Curse.