This is not a one to one translation from pages to movie.  The two are very different. Many of the things I talked about above was lost in translation to the screen. The book is full of hidden philosophy (and not so hidden), talks of sex and violence, racism and control. It’s far darker and spicier than the movie. I say this because, though I work similarly before I read the books, I was not prepared.

Kat’s life is a lie. She lives with her grandparents (but tells everyone she lives with her parents and brother because that’s what her mother requested when she was 5). Her family isn’t this big happy picture perfect entity, though her mother likes to portray it as such over social media and to everyone she’s around.

Malik has never had it easy. When he was seven years old, he witnessed his mother’s possible death when he walked into a situation he didn’t understand. Ten years later, after being shuffled around to multiple foster homes, he’s now emancipated and aims to remove his little brother, Taye. In the process, he finds himself approached by a stranger who claims to have knowledge of Malik,his unknown family and his past while being able to care for Taye’s medical needs.

In this Sleeping Beauty reimagining, Princess Lex learns that, when she was born, a fairy cursed her.

I have a….rocky…relationship with The Hunger Games series. When I read the first three books, I didn’t read many books like it. The dystopian craze hadn’t hit and something so dark and angry wasn’t exactly what I was drawn to. But someone I trusted told me I had to read it and, so, I did.