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Natalia (73 KP) rated Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) in Books

Jan 26, 2019

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1)

Leigh Bardugo | 2012 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)

8.1

(26 Ratings)

Book Rating

So I've taken the past week to read the whole trilogy, which I now see as a mistake since the books seem to blend together for me now. I can happily say, however, that Leigh Bardugo's writing lives up to the praise people give her - and this series is certainly going to stay with me for a long time, not including when it'll be refreshed as I re-read it.
As cliched as it sounds, I couldn't put the book down, and the moment I finished one I had to move on to the next. Bardugo has a way with her writing that keeps you hooked, and I would be lying if I didn't admit that I had to put the book down on multiple occasions to sit in what I just read. The action is well-written, characters are relatable and engaging, and tension is built well with the occasional piece of humour to lift us from our stump.
I like to keep my reviews spoiler-free, so I'm struggling to find a way to explain how much I appreciate this book and entire trilogy without going in depth on the plot and character development. If you're reading this to see if you want to read the series, I would say you should jump on it. I went in almost entirely blind, simply hearing good things about Bardugo, and it was an amazing experience from start to finish.

Kudos

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) in Movies

Dec 22, 2019

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

1993 | Animation, Family, Sci-Fi

8.2

(75 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

A timeless classic

I can safely say that there is truly nothing I dislike about The Nightmare Before Christmas.
It's straight to the point, fantastically animated, full of unique characters, and still holds up all these years later.
Director Henry Selick obviously has a keen eye for stop-animation (he would go on to direct James & The Giant Peach, and Coraline, both great animated films in their own right), and his work with the combined animation, visual effects, and art departments create a visually striking adventure that quickly and understandably became iconic.

Tim Burton's story is easy to grasp (great for children as well as adults), and the characters he has created for this story are equal parts creepy and fun.
Jack Skellington and Sally are both tragic and sympathetic characters that are easy to care about. Oogie Boogie is suitably evil (scared the sh*t out of me when I was little), and the rest of the town of Halloween are filled but bizarre and quirky characters that create a weird but warm back drop to the leads.

Danny Elfman is at his very best here. All of the songs contained within are memorable, and pretty epic at points. The lyrics are quick and clever, and do a lot to advance our understanding of the characters.

I can't praise The Nightmare Before Christmas enough. It's simply wonderful and a film I will happily watch time and time again.