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Young Adult Fantasy Novels That Were Made Into Movies

By Tynne De Leon

Two weeks ago, 8List.ph got the chance to talk with Lauren Kate, author of the bestseller Fallen series, who went to the country for the premiere of its film adaptation. Fallen was part of my high school booklist, so imagine how thrilled I was that I finally got to see it on the big screen after seven years. Kate was joined by Harrison Gilbertson and Addison Timlin, the stars of the movie.

As a teenager, I practically grew up reading young adult novels, and it’s always a delight seeing them come to life. Watching Fallen seven years after reminded me of the recent fantasy novels I’ve read that were also adapted to the big screen, with some even exceeding my expectations.

Here are some of the most recent ones, including their plot:

8. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Written by Cassandra Clare, The Mortal Instruments tells the story of fifteen-year-old Clary Fray who discovers that she is a demon-hunter named Shadowhunter, and is tasked to get rid of demons in the earth and control the werewolves and the vampires. Raised as a normal human, Clary met the attractive, blonde-haired Shadowhunter Jace Wayland and eventually joined him in their world to discover her true identity.

The first book, City of Bones, was adapted into the big screen in 2013 starring real-life couple Lilly Collins as Clary and Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace. The movie was relatable for those who haven’t read the book, but as some big screen adaptations go, the film did not sit well with critics and die-hard fans of Clare’s work. Thus, the sequel never saw the light of day.

But there was enough clamor that The Mortal Instruments was rebooted as a television series called Shadowhunters which premiered at Freeform network last January.

7. Twilight

Having one of the biggest fan bases among the YA set, Twilight has captured  audiences with its vampire-themed romance fantasy novelw. Written by Stephenie Meyer, the series was about the love story of human Bella Swan and 104-year-old vampire Edward Cullen.

There are plenty of plot lines from the book that weren’t included in the movie . Although it became largely the butt of most jokes since it came out, there are some critics who actually liked the film more than the book.

6. The Hunger Games

This compelling story of a televised death match in the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, known as The Hunger Games, was widely received by both fans and critics. The story follows 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who volunteered to be the District 12 tribute for the 74^th annual Hunger Games as a replacement for her sister. She is joined by Peeta Mellark, and their participation in the deadly competition has awakened a revolt.

Topbilled by Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta and Liam Hemsworth as Katniss’ best friend Gale Hawthorne, the film adaptation of the first book, The Hunger Games, was a box-office success.

5. Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures is the first book from the highly praised The Caster Chronicles series of Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. It’s about the supernatural love story of Lena Duchannes, a Caster and Ethan Lawson Wate, a human. Ethan is drawn into the complicated and magical world of the Caster, not just because of his blossoming relationship with Lena, but there’s some connection between them that links to both of their pasts.

The film, topbilled by Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert as Ethan and Lena respectively, was sadly a box office disappointment. The movie certainly bore an uncanny resemblance to Twilight.

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