Litspiration Challenge: Books and Songs #1

Hey! I got this idea from Raeleen from padfootandprongs07 on Youtube. Basically, I'll be showcasing books and songs that remind me of each other, whether in the lyrics, tone, or even just the rhythm of the song.

*I do not claim any of these songs, they are not mine!! Please give full credit to the respectable artists!*

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater: Be Here by Parachute
Whenever I listen to this song, those lyrics just scream "Puck Connelly" to me.  Well she wants to get in/and she wants to get out/but the city it calls her name. That line in particular really describes Puck's thoughts and situation. Her brother, Gabe, is leaving her for the mainland, and sometimes Puck feels as if she wants to escape as well. But ultimately, she chooses to stay because Thisby is her home and it as if the island calls to her, exactly as it says in the song. The scars that she hides/with those stars in her eyes/like the echoes they're all the same. This fits Puck because she still feels her parents death and the sting of Gabe leaving, but she hides them. The stars in her eyes represent her spunk to me, and her vision of being in the Scorpio Races. The final lines I included in my snippet are cause it's all been done before/yes it's all been done before. This fits as well because The Scorpio Races occur every year.






The Program by Suzanne Young: Mad World by Gary Jules
This song is insanely sad, both in the lyrics and the notes on the piano. It talks about someone being unhappy with our society, the way people seem to have no expression and the "daily races" go on and on, day after day. It digs into the deeper meaning of someone being depressed, which is a perfect reflection of the book The Program. In the book, depression and suicide is an epidemic, and if you show signs, you go to a facility to be 'cured', which is really just wiping your memories. The main character, Sloane, is depressed because her brother was depressed and committed suicide as a result. The lines in this song perfectly represent her feelings before the cure. Also, her brother committed suicide from drowning, and one of the lines says I want to drown my sorrow/no tomorrow/no tomorrow, which resembles the novel in a way that is almost eerie.

Vampire Academy/Frostbite by Richelle Mead: Kill of the Night by Gin Wigmore
The tone and rhythm of this song just screams Vampire Academy! The song, excluding lyrics, represent the main character, Rose's, strong, tough, and feisty attitude is clearly portrayed. Also, the lyrics relate back to the story as well, and have a dual meaning. The more literal meaning is the fact that the evil vampires, Strigoi, are in fact dangerous and do want to 'tas
te the way that you bleed', as it says in the song. The chorus of the song also represents how in the sequel, Frostbite, different Moroi (moral, good vampire) families are being hunted down. The more abstract meaning I got out of the lyrics was also about the character Rose. Being very confident, witty, and beautiful, she is kind of a heartbreaker at St. Vladimir's Academy. The final lyrics I included say "what do I do with you boy? I'll take your heart to kick around as a toy", which really describes her and Mason's relationship in the second book. She dated him for the wrong reasons, and she used him and led him on a bit. She learns from this through her development, but the song is a good way to describe her more figuratively before this development.


The Maze Runner by James Dashner: Radioactive by Imagine Dragons
The mood of this song immediately reminded me of The Maze Runner. It's super intense, with really harsh beats. In this book, the characters have to survive on their own in the maze, so it is a very hard and harsh life. This song brought out the anger and urgency of the characters thoughts, and intensity of their situation. The first line is also "I'm waking up to ash and dust," which reminds me of Thomas waking up at the very start of the novel as well, forgetting who he is, as if his mind is full of dust.




Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers: Dark Side by Kelly Clarkson
Sybella D'Albret is an extremely damaged character. Her father is evil, doing things only for his own selfish needs, and stopping at nothing until he gets what he wants. As a result, Sybella grew up with this surrounding her, and was a victim to her father and step-brothers torturous deeds. Sybella hides so many shadows, deep inside her, that she doesn't dare to show to anyone. That is, until the character Beast comes. This stanza really portrays this relationship. Or will you stay/even if it hurts/even if I try to push you out, will you return/and remind me who I really am/please remind me who I really am. Sybella does try to push people away so they are not tainted by her dark past, and often feels overshadowed by it, as if she is not anyone except her past. It is Beast who does remind her of who she is, and the lyrics in this song are as if written to their situation. Everybody's got a dark side/do you love me/can you love mine/nobody's a picture perfect/but we're worth/you know that we're worth it/will you love me/even with my dark side. When Beast and Sybella fall in love, she wonders if he could ever love her because of her history and the things she's done. She is not innocent either, and has killed many men in her lifetime, and wonders if he will be able to love her nonetheless. Finally, the rock instrumentals in the background seems to really bring out the battle, both literal and figurative, inside of Sybella.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer: Breath of Life by Florence + the Machine
Though the lyrics in this song are not a perfect representation of the story, the tone definitely reminds me of a certain character. Queen Levana, the villainous ruler of the Lunar colonies on the moon, returns to earth to try and force Prince Kai into marrying her to forge an alliance. She is purely evil, cold and unfeeling, doing everything for her own selfish wants. The song I chose has a creepy, eerie kind of tone to it, while also being intense as well, a very good representation of how Queen Levana comes across in the books. Florence Welch's strong vocals really add to the feel of the song, perfectly embodying the strength and power Queen Levana holds behind her delicate exterior. To get a dream of life again/a little vision of the start at the end. These lyrics remind me of her because she is returning to earth again, as if to witness the 'life' there. The "vision of the start at the end" seems to me as if she is returning to the place where everything began with her need to control earth (the start), yet the 'end' to me would represent her finally achieving what she wants, or destroying any shard of good left in her.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen: Miss Invisible by Marie Digby
This entire song tells an excellent story of Annabel's life after her best friend Sophie accuses her of doing something she didn't and rejects her. Once so noticed and popular at Sophie's side, she is now cast aside, ignored by everyone. This song really gripped me as relating to Just Listen because all the pieces seemed to fit. The book often describes Annabel eating her lunch alone each day, and there is one time where the author explicitly states how Annabel pretends to look busy so people won't see how much she wants to cry on the inside. I included a snippet too that talks about how the person in the song retreated to their current state from all the bullying and taunting, which again is very prevalent in Annabel's case. I also included the final lines of the song because it's so perfect to what happens with her and Owen. Gradually, they begin sitting closer and closer together on that one wall, until they start to talk and that's how their relationship begins.

Hope you enjoyed this challenge! Thank you for reading. (: