The CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE Adaptation Has Started Filming—and More SFF Links

The Most Important Science News Ever, IMHO

You know I love lists. This time around, I have to start with the answer to what is the most important scientific news: Why do cats have “toe beans”? My answer is, “BECAUSE AWWWW SO CUTE.” Or so that people can make these pictures. But in fact, cats have those round pads on their widdle feets for the same reason lots of things have happened: evolution.

“Losos said paw pads probably evolved about 50 million years ago, when Carnivora first emerged. ‘It’s a long-held trait, and I suspect, for the most part, that all of them have it for the same purpose,’ he said.

Paw pads serve a few important functions in cats and their Carnivora cousins. The first is to help with running, jumping, and landing softly. Most importantly, Losos said, they act as a sort of shock absorber; highly specialized toe beans are one reason cats can fall from great heights without sustaining severe injuries.”

Also, like all Very Serious Science Subjects, cat toe beans have a whole Reddit forum dedicated to them.

The Children Of Blood and Bone Adaptation Has Finally Started Filming

When Tomi Adeyemi’s debut YA fantasy Children Of Blood and Bone was released in 2018, the filming rights had already been sold. But due to a company sale, those rights were moved to another production company, who then let them lapse. This is actually not an uncommon occurrence—many books have their filming rights bought but are never adapted. However, Paramount then picked up the rights to Adeyemi’s debut in 2022, and now filming is finally underway with a projected 2027 release date. The all-star cast is set to include Amandla Stenberg, Viola Davis, Cynthia Erivo, Idris Elba, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. And Adeyemi has started updating her Instagram with images from the set of the movie.

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Dungeons & Dragons and Netflix, Oh My!

Get ready to party like it’s 1987! Netflix is getting behind a live-action Dungeons & Dragons series being made by one of the producers of Stranger Things. The show, The Forgotten Realms, is backed by Shawn Levy (Stranger Things, Deadpool & Wolverine), writer-showrunner Drew Crevello (WeCrashed), and Hasbro Entertainment.

“As the title suggests, the proposed series will take place in the iconic campaign setting and centerpiece of the Dungeons & Dragons universe, a fantasy world released in 1987 that has become home to some of the brand’s most famous characters and launchpad for some of D&D’s most popular adventures. The source material for the 2023 movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves comes from within the Realms setting.”

It was originally supposed to be produced by Paramount Pictures, the studio behind the D&D movie Honor Among Thieves, but things didn’t go as planned. Kinda like in the movie.

“The project ultimately didn’t move forward amid a strategy shift at Paramount+ and ownership change at eOne, which was acquired by Lionsgate. With Hasbro’s in-house division Hasbro Entertainment now in charge, the Dungeons & Dragons adaptation underwent redevelopment with Crevello at the helm and a brand new concept not related to the past D&D development with Thurber and Paramount or the Honor Among Thieves movie.”

Check Out the Gorgeous Cover of And the River Drags Her Down by Jihyun Yun

Reactor shared the news about an exciting horror-fantasy YA debut. And the River Drags Her Down by Jihyun Yun is the story of Soojin Han, who disregards the rules of life and death to bring her sister back after she dies. (We all know how well that always goes…) And just look at that cover! From the publisher description:

“At first, the sisters are overjoyed, reveling in late-night escapades and the miracle of being together again, but Mirae grows tired of hiding from the world. She becomes restless and hungry…”

And the River Drags Her Down is out September 2, 2025, from Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Read an Excerpt from Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz

And Reactor also has an excerpt from the cozy fantasy romance debut Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz, which sounds absolutely charming! It’s about a plant witch who must join forces with a grumpy alchemist to battle a magical plague. From the publisher description:

“Guy Shadowfade is dead, and after a lifetime as the dark sorcerer’s right-hand, Violet Thistlewaite is determined to start over—not as the fearsome Thornwitch, but as someone kind. Someone better. Someone good.

The quaint town of Dragon’s Rest, Violet decides, will be her second chance—she’ll set down roots, open a flower shop, keep her sentient (mildly homicidal) houseplant in check, and prune dark magic from the twisted boughs of her life.”

Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore is out on November 18, 2025, from Ace.

And, Hey, Why Not More Murderbot?

To end, I want to share the update on the Murderbot television adaptation, since I manage to talk about the Murderbot Diaries series in almost every post. (It’s the best! You should read it!) Apple TV+ released the first images of Alexander Skarsgård as the grumpy, sentient security bot. Does Skarsgård look how I pictured Murderbot when I read the books? No. Will I still watch it? For sure. The first two episodes of the show are set to drop on May 16, 2025. A bit more on the show:

“Murderbot is described in an Apple TV+ press release as a ‘comedic thriller,’ which matches up with the books; Skarsgård plays the title character, ‘a self-hacking security construct who is horrified by human emotion yet drawn to its vulnerable clients’ …Murderbot must hide its free will and complete a dangerous assignment when all it really wants is to be left alone to watch futuristic soap operas and figure out its place in the universe.”