Book Recommendations Based Off Netflix Shows.

By Emma Butler.

Hey guys, I thought as we’re still in lockdown for the foreseeable future, I thought I’d recommend some books based off hit Netflix shows. All of these books and these shows are some of my favourites, so I hope that you will find some new books to read or even some new Netflix recommendations if you haven’t seen them already!

OUAT:

The first book I will recommend is based on the hit show Once Upon a Time. I loved OUAT when it first came out, and when I realised that the whole series was on Netflix is was happy to re-binge, I haven’t fully got through it all yet but I’m getting there aha! Last summer, I read Meagan Spooner’s Sherwood, which is a retelling of the classic tale of ‘Robin Hood’. The book places Maid Marian as the mysterious Robin Hood after her fiancé Robin of Locksley is killed. It reminded me a lot of the funky, new retellings of the old fairy tales that OUAT is based on. The book is such a good read, and I loved the historical romance/adventure parts of it, and how Marian manages to evade the villainous Guy of Gisborne. A total girl power read.

Bridgerton:

Right, by now, I’m sure everyone has seen (or at least heard of) Bridgerton on Netflix. If you liked it as much as I did, I would fully recommend the ‘original’ Regency books, such as Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice or Persuasion.  If you’re feeling even more in the Bridgerton mood (aka, more swoon-worthy rakes and dukes because, erm, come on), I’d also recommend contemporary historical romance fiction, such as the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon or even the Bridgerton series itself, by Julia Quinn. It’s fully indulgent, romance heavy, dreamy-duke-filled content.

The Witcher:

It’s been over a year ago now since Henry Cavill (best known for playing the character Superman in the 2013 film ‘Man of Steel’) played Geralt of Rivia in the Netflix show ‘The Witcher’. Filming has commenced for a second season, and I’m really looking forward to it! It’s such a good fantasy show, with loveable characters, plenty of action and lots of medieval worldbuilding. It has plenty of Lord of the Rings vibes too, so if you’re into that, it’ll probably be something you like! If you’ve watched The Witcher, I totally recommend the book that the first season was based on, Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher: The Last Wish.  

BBC’s Dracula:

The last two books that I am going to recommend are linked with the BBC’s ‘Dracula’ adaptation, also available on Netflix. I of courses have to suggest Bram Stoker’s original text Dracula which the BBC adaptation is based on, the classic Gothic novel that really brought vampire fiction into the mainstream. Since being accepted into the ‘classic literature’ canon, there have been plenty of book adaptations of Stoker’s original tale. One that I read last year, and was so enthralled by, was a book called The Deathless Girls. The Deathless Girls, by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, has been labelled as a ‘YA Gothic feminist romance.’ It tells the story of one girl who later becomes a bride of Dracula, along with her sister. Lillai (known as Lil) is a Romani teenager, who along with her twin sister Kisaiya (Kizzy), are enslaved and forced to serve the local count’s household. There she meets Mira, a girl she falls in love with. The ‘untold story’ of two of Dracula’s wives is such an interesting read filled with young, forbidden love and it kept me hooked.

Anyway, I hope that you found my list of recommendations for books informative (and maybe even helped you find more new shows if you haven’t heard of them!) I enjoyed all of them, and I hope you do too!