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The Chocolate Lady (94 KP) rated The Raven Girl in Books
Oct 7, 2020
Here's a 21st Century fairy tale that mixes the classical with modernity. A delightful story that's also intriguing. WARNING: do NOT buy this as an eBook. If you want to read it, get it in hardcover. You can read my full review here. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2013/08/05/a-new-fairy-tale-ballet/
William Friedkin recommended The Red Shoes (1948) in Movies (curated)
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated Leap! (Ballerina) (2017) in Movies
Jul 11, 2019
Leap is set in France during the late 1800s, around the time France was building the Statue of Liberty for the U.S. Two young orphans, Felicie (voiced by Elle Fanning), and Victor (voiced by Nat Wolff) escape their less than stellar confines in an orphanage in hopes of making their lifelong dreams come true. Felicie longs to be a professional ballerina and Victor wants to be the next great inventor. The two best friends become separated when they arrive to Paris. Fortunately, Felicie and Victor find themselves two steps closer to their dreams. Felicie takes up residence in a home where a former professional ballet dancer turned servant maid Odette (Carlie Rae Jepsen) becomes her mentor and teaches Felicie ballet. Felicie makes her way to a prestigious ballet school posing as another student vying for a role in the upcoming “Nutcracker” production. Victor ends up living and working for Pierre Eiffel, the designer of the Eiffel Tower. Victor’s hoping to be the first person to fly. The story mainly follows Felicie and her relationship with Odette. A strong bond brought together by Felicie’s enamoration and Odette’s own attachment to ballet.
There are some careful details to the animation and setting, however they are masked by a bland attempt at a very common storyline mixed in with the occasional action sequence. The lackluster character development suffered greatly among most of the characters with the exception of the relationship between Felicie and Odette. The theme of the movie with its simple tone, will find that its core target audience among young girls that are obsessed with theater, dancing, and performing. You definitely want to keep your expectations low and maybe stick to a matinee price tag. It’s still a sweet movie that just doesn’t deviate far from the ordinary.
There are some careful details to the animation and setting, however they are masked by a bland attempt at a very common storyline mixed in with the occasional action sequence. The lackluster character development suffered greatly among most of the characters with the exception of the relationship between Felicie and Odette. The theme of the movie with its simple tone, will find that its core target audience among young girls that are obsessed with theater, dancing, and performing. You definitely want to keep your expectations low and maybe stick to a matinee price tag. It’s still a sweet movie that just doesn’t deviate far from the ordinary.
David Hyde Pierce recommended Bonnie and Clyde (1967) in Movies (curated)
Merissa (11694 KP) rated Wish (Indigo Dreams #1) in Books
Dec 17, 2018 (Updated Jun 7, 2023)
This is the story of Indigo, a sixteen-year-old girl who dreams of being a ballet dancer. Having taken ballet lessons for years, she understands that it isn't something that will just happen without a lot of hard work. However, she is struggling at the present due to family circumstances. Wish tells her story, about the circumstances and decisions made that set her on the path to her future.
This was very well-written with characters that were believable and fully dimensional. The storyline was well-paced and continued to hold my interest throughout. The romance between Jesse and Indigo actually takes a back seat in the story behind the ballet which makes a nice change in a Young Adult book. You never know which way things will go until you get there. This is not just some "everything is peachy" fluffy book, it is a book that deals with a serious subject, alcoholism, in a very realistic way and shows how it impacts not only the drinker but friends and family too.
This is a very different book that is well worth the time it takes to read. I would like to read more about Indigo and her dreams. Definitely recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 12, 2015
This was very well-written with characters that were believable and fully dimensional. The storyline was well-paced and continued to hold my interest throughout. The romance between Jesse and Indigo actually takes a back seat in the story behind the ballet which makes a nice change in a Young Adult book. You never know which way things will go until you get there. This is not just some "everything is peachy" fluffy book, it is a book that deals with a serious subject, alcoholism, in a very realistic way and shows how it impacts not only the drinker but friends and family too.
This is a very different book that is well worth the time it takes to read. I would like to read more about Indigo and her dreams. Definitely recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 12, 2015
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Music Boxes in Books
Oct 24, 2019
Music Boxes by Tonja Drecker seemed like the perfect chilling read for right around Halloween. A creepy middle grade mystery? Sign me up! Music Boxes lived up to my expectations for sure!
Twelve year old Lindsey has just moved from Nebraska to New York City in order for her younger sister to attend Julliard. In Nebraska, she was part of a fantastic ballet school. In New York, she only gets to dance at the drab community center. When a world renowned ballerina offers to give her free ballet lessons in exchange for dancing in her secret midnight shows, Lindsey can't believe her luck. She's tired of living in her younger sister's talented shadow, so she quickly obliges. However, Lindsey soon realizes that dancers given private lessons are going missing. What's even more worrying is after they disappear, a music box appears with a little ballet figure that looks like the missing dancer. Is there something sinister about Lindsey's new ballet teacher, or can everything be put down to a coincidence?
The plot for Music Boxes reminded me of a Goosebumps book which is saying a lot because I loved the whole Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine. I was quickly absorbed in the story from the very first page. Believe me when I say my eyes devoured this novel. Although somewhat predictable for adults, its target audience of middle schoolers will enjoy the many plot twists peppered throughout the book. If the pacing was perfect for me, I believe it will also keep younger readers interested. One of my favorite things about the world of Music Boxes was the dance school and how magical it really was. Another good thing about Music Boxes is there aren't any cliff hanger endings. All loose ends are tied up by the end of the story.
Ballet dancers will really enjoy Music Boxes by Tonja Drecker as there are quite a few ballet terms in it. I had no idea what they meant, but it didn't distract from the story. It would have been nice to have a glossary of ballet terms or some kind of description for those of us who aren't dancers. Plus, the whole story mainly takes place in a ballet school. However, I think non dancers will really enjoy the story too as it has elements that anyone can relate to such as friendship, family, and doing the right thing.
For a middle grade novel, I felt that all the characters felt really alive. Although I would have liked some more back story for a few more of the dancers from Madame Destinee's school, I felt like the most important characters in the novel had enough back story. Lindsey feels like a character that most young girls will be able to connect with whether they are interested in ballet or not. With her conflicting feelings of listening to her parents and wanting to do what she loves, it's easy to see why Lindsey is a relatable character. Lindsey is also very brave and comes across as just a nice girl in general. Bridget, Lindsey's 8 year old sister, was my favorite character. She's a very talented violinist and the reason Lindsey and her family moved to New York City. Even though the family seemed more focused on Bridget, Bridget never came across as having an over-inflated ego or like she was better than Lindsay. I loved how sweet Bridget was and how she wanted what was best for Lindsey. Madame Destinee was an interesting character for sure. I never trusted her from the get go, but it was easy to see why a young child would especially when she's offering them their chance to shine at doing something they really love. I also loved Broussard because I love dogs!
Trigger warnings for Music Boxes include kidnapping, witches, minor violence, and death (although done in a non-scary way).
All in all, Music Boxes is a fantastic story full of intrigue and mystery that readers of all ages will enjoy. The plot is creepy in a good way, and the characters are written superbly! I would definitely recommend Music Boxes by Tonja Drecker to everyone aged 10+. Yes, the target audience is probably 10 - 13 year olds, but I really think everyone would enjoy it. It's written that well!
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(A special thank you to Silver Dagger Book Tours for providing me with an eBook of Music Boxes by Tonja Drecker in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
Twelve year old Lindsey has just moved from Nebraska to New York City in order for her younger sister to attend Julliard. In Nebraska, she was part of a fantastic ballet school. In New York, she only gets to dance at the drab community center. When a world renowned ballerina offers to give her free ballet lessons in exchange for dancing in her secret midnight shows, Lindsey can't believe her luck. She's tired of living in her younger sister's talented shadow, so she quickly obliges. However, Lindsey soon realizes that dancers given private lessons are going missing. What's even more worrying is after they disappear, a music box appears with a little ballet figure that looks like the missing dancer. Is there something sinister about Lindsey's new ballet teacher, or can everything be put down to a coincidence?
The plot for Music Boxes reminded me of a Goosebumps book which is saying a lot because I loved the whole Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine. I was quickly absorbed in the story from the very first page. Believe me when I say my eyes devoured this novel. Although somewhat predictable for adults, its target audience of middle schoolers will enjoy the many plot twists peppered throughout the book. If the pacing was perfect for me, I believe it will also keep younger readers interested. One of my favorite things about the world of Music Boxes was the dance school and how magical it really was. Another good thing about Music Boxes is there aren't any cliff hanger endings. All loose ends are tied up by the end of the story.
Ballet dancers will really enjoy Music Boxes by Tonja Drecker as there are quite a few ballet terms in it. I had no idea what they meant, but it didn't distract from the story. It would have been nice to have a glossary of ballet terms or some kind of description for those of us who aren't dancers. Plus, the whole story mainly takes place in a ballet school. However, I think non dancers will really enjoy the story too as it has elements that anyone can relate to such as friendship, family, and doing the right thing.
For a middle grade novel, I felt that all the characters felt really alive. Although I would have liked some more back story for a few more of the dancers from Madame Destinee's school, I felt like the most important characters in the novel had enough back story. Lindsey feels like a character that most young girls will be able to connect with whether they are interested in ballet or not. With her conflicting feelings of listening to her parents and wanting to do what she loves, it's easy to see why Lindsey is a relatable character. Lindsey is also very brave and comes across as just a nice girl in general. Bridget, Lindsey's 8 year old sister, was my favorite character. She's a very talented violinist and the reason Lindsey and her family moved to New York City. Even though the family seemed more focused on Bridget, Bridget never came across as having an over-inflated ego or like she was better than Lindsay. I loved how sweet Bridget was and how she wanted what was best for Lindsey. Madame Destinee was an interesting character for sure. I never trusted her from the get go, but it was easy to see why a young child would especially when she's offering them their chance to shine at doing something they really love. I also loved Broussard because I love dogs!
Trigger warnings for Music Boxes include kidnapping, witches, minor violence, and death (although done in a non-scary way).
All in all, Music Boxes is a fantastic story full of intrigue and mystery that readers of all ages will enjoy. The plot is creepy in a good way, and the characters are written superbly! I would definitely recommend Music Boxes by Tonja Drecker to everyone aged 10+. Yes, the target audience is probably 10 - 13 year olds, but I really think everyone would enjoy it. It's written that well!
-
(A special thank you to Silver Dagger Book Tours for providing me with an eBook of Music Boxes by Tonja Drecker in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
Marcel Dzama recommended The Red Shoes (1948) in Movies (curated)
Kim Newman recommended The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) in Movies (curated)
Peter G. (247 KP) rated Taken (2009) in Movies
Jun 24, 2019
Who wouldn't want a dad with a particular set of skills like Liam Neeson has.
This film moves at a great pace and is brilliant in its execution of what is simply a kidnap and rescue, its similar to John Wick for fight and weapon ballet but not as elegant.
Cant speak for the many unnecessary sequels but this one was a gem when it arrived on the scene, he will find you and he WILL kill you!
This film moves at a great pace and is brilliant in its execution of what is simply a kidnap and rescue, its similar to John Wick for fight and weapon ballet but not as elegant.
Cant speak for the many unnecessary sequels but this one was a gem when it arrived on the scene, he will find you and he WILL kill you!