Harmony Moon

The Queen of Nothing

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All of Jude’s hard work in the shadows and in the light comes to a conclusion in the finale of her’s and Cardan’s epic story. From the beginning the plot was non-stop…from fighting Grima Mog, to sneaking back into Elfhame as Taryn, and finally the culmination of Madoc’s treason against the crown. I combed through this book so quickly because it felt like new information was revealed or things changed so quickly with every turn of the page. My already favorite characters got even better, and characters I didn’t necessarily like before had growth that made them more bearable. Though, I’ll admit…I don’t care that Taryn killed Locke and is pregnant, she is still very selfish and didn’t fully redeem herself in my eyes. One of my favorite parts was having Jude and Cardan finally address their feelings for each other in full honesty. These two are so hopeless when it comes to love, but it makes them as a couple so endearing. The cruel boy who didn’t know what love looked like, and the mortal girl who was forced to grow in a harsher world…it makes sense they have difficulty showing their true feelings. The way everything came to a conclusion was not something I could have predicted. I figured that Madoc would try and bring war to Elfhame for the crown, but I was not expecting that Cardan’s breaking of the crown would turn him into a giant snake. Nor the way things would work out in the end for everyone. Madoc has got to be one of the best written antagonists I’ve seen. His actions are questionable, but his motives are endearing and understandable. Though I do also see selfishness in him too from his decisions, much like Taryn. Overall, this conclusion was a masterpiece. I have truly grown to love this series and will miss this story and characters, but I am glad to now know it fully.

The Wicked King

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I picked up this book immediately after finishing the first one. Now that Cardan is High King with Jude pulling the strings in the background, it might have seemed like not much else could happen. However, it seems in the world of Elfhame there is always new conflict arising among the different courts of faerie. I’ll admit, this book had a bit of a slower start compared to the first one, but the plot picked up nicely once new threats revealed themselves. Holly Black continues to intrigue me with the way she has built this world and all the court  dynamics, which the reader gets an even closer look at now that Jude is a crucial part of them. I really came to love more of the characters in this sequel, especially Cardan. Even though there is still so much that we do not know about him, those mysteries almost make him more intriguing. Especially when he is interacting with Jude and making the choices he does when it comes to her. Their wedding was a surprise at first, and I wish Jude could finally get a real answer on how he feels about her, as well as her feelings for him. Madoc also grew on me a bit during this story as well. I still don’t fully trust him, but I also don’t fully hate him. He is such a well written antagonist that his reasonings for his actions are understandable. However, you also want to root for Jude and all the hard work she has put in behind the scenes with no credit being rewarded. One character this book made me dislike even more though, was Taryn. In the first book she was already annoying to me. Her choices seem very selfish and just cruel at times. However, her betrayal of Jude at the end was what has solidified my hate for her. Overall, this second book was great! There didn’t feel like as much going on as in the first, but it still kept me reading for more. I cannot wait to see what happens with our Queen of Elfhame, Jude, now that she is in exile.

The Cruel Prince

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I have had this series on my TBR for a while now because of all the talk I had heard surrounding it on BookTok. The story follows Jude Duarte, a mortal girl who at a young age was stolen away with her sisters to the world of Faerie. There she grew up among the other children of the fae but was never treated as an equal. Always being picked on by a particular circle that included the youngest prince of the faeries, Cardan. Jude was a very intriguing character to me, especially as the story went on and things in her life began to change. Once she becomes a part of The Court of Shadows, a secret organization of spies for the crown prince Dain, she starts to gain more confidence in herself and the abilities she has. All the other characters are also very well written and developed. Cardan is another character I’m looking forward to learning more about. At first he seems like just a bully, but throughout the story, we start to crack away at that wall he seems to have set up and see a bit more of the person he is inside. Holly Black created such a beautiful and lush world in Elfhame full of different kinds of faerie and court politics. I couldn’t put this book down because I wasn’t sure what kind of twist or reveal might come next. Some people come into this book expecting a lot of romance because the romance is talked about a lot online surrounding this series. However, the romantic aspects are subplots. The main plot of this series is all about the court politics and how a mortal girl makes her way in a world of immortal, magical beings. Overall, this book was a masterpiece. It was an amazing introduction to the world of Elfhame and I cannot wait to start the next book and see what happens next.

Disrespectfully Yours

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Finishing a fantasy series means picking up the next book in Jennifer CHipman’s ‘Best Friends Book Club’ series. I was excited to start this one as it contains some of my favorite tropes to read about: enemies to lovers, friends with benefits, and workplace romance. Now that I’ve finished, it did not disappoint at all. Our two main characters, Angelina and Benjamin, are both quite complex and relatable characters. Benjamin is a big nerd on the inside, but he feels he has to hide that side of him so others don’t make fun of him. Angelina has a big fear of love and relationships stemming from deep insecurities of not being enough for the person she cares for. Altogether, these two make such an endearing and fun couple to read about. Everything about their relationship from start to finish kept me engaged. From their banter and arguments that turned flirtier as time went on, to the way they just seem to get each other completely. Chipman really has a way of delving deep into these characters and making them seem like people that can actually exist in real life…because they do. I also enjoyed getting to see more into the dynamic of the four friends this series revolves around. Now reading Angelina’s book I have the understanding from before of Noelle plus some, as well as seeing a bit more into Gabi and Charlotte. I can’t wait to delve further into their books in the future and see a fully realized picture of how these four girls make such a great group of friends. Overall, I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. It was truly a masterpiece in my eyes and Angelina and Benjamin are so far, my favorite couple in this series.

The Grimm Variations

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Lately, I’ve enjoyed the trend of anthology mini-series. When I saw this one advertised on Netflix it intrigued me as Grimm’s Fairy Tales have always been a point of interest for me. This anthology anime takes 6 Grimm Brothers stories and twists them to create a psychological thriller. Each episode opened with seeing Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm interacting with their little sister Charlotte as she asks them about their latest story. That story then ends up being the source material for the episode. One of the cool things I found out about this show is that each episode had a different animating team behind it. I felt like this added to making each episode its own unique standalone. It was nice to see a mix of popular stories like ‘Cinderella’, ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ and ‘Hansel and Gretel’, mixed with lesser known stories like ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker’, ‘The Town Musicians of Bremen’ and ‘Pied Piper of Hamelin’. For me, this show started out very strong with their ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ episodes. These two episodes are definitely my favorites overall. Each taking a very interesting turn on the stories that one might not expect. They started to lose me a bit with ‘Hansel and Gretel’, though I enjoyed the concept they took with it. ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker’ was my least favorite episode overall. It was the slowest paced of them all, and the modern day setting felt like it took too much away from the fantastical elements of these stories. I was the least familiar with the ‘Town Musicians of Bremen’ story, but upon some quick research before watching the episode I was able to make much more sense of the tale they were telling. Finally, ‘Pied Piper of Hamelin’ was the prettiest animation of them all, having animators who have worked for Ghibli films on the team. Overall, I’d say this show was great, and it would be a good rewatch during the spooky season.

A Curse for True Love

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Never have I ever picked up a book so fast, then when I finished the 2nd book in this series and needed to start this one. Our heroine, Evangeline, is left with no memories after Apollo has stolen them, and now Jacks is seen as a fugitive on the run. I immediately loved getting to see the other characters’ POV in this book, Especially Jacks, as he is such a complicated character that has become one of my favorite literary males. He loves Evangeline so much, but he knows that he is not able to love her without hurting her. So instead of hurting Evangeline, he’d rather live without the ability to love at all. At least then she’d be completely safe from him in his eyes. His story is just so heart wrenching and makes all his choices from the past books make so much more sense. We don’t normally get to see the villain’s POV, so I also thought it was interesting looking inside Apollo’s head. His chapters didn’t make me like him any better, but it was cool to see what was leading his choices. Another set of characters that were interesting and I felt had a lot of potential were the Valors. After being awoken in the last book with the opening of the Valory Arch, I expected to see them have more influence in this book. However, we mostly saw Aurora Valor, and not too much else from the family. Her influence was important though, as it revealed a lot of new information and answered a lot of questions that I’ve had throughout this series. When it comes down to it though, this story was about Evangeline and Jacks, and as such they were our main focus. This book was honestly a masterpiece, and I couldn’t put it down. I hoped for a happy ending and was very satisfied to finally see that for our star-crossed lovers.

The Bear Season 1&2

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I originally checked this show out because of everyone talking about Jeremy Allen White…and I’ll say I’m impressed. Being from Illinois, it made me happy to see the setting being in Chicago. The whole premise was also intriguing as I have always loved the world of food and restaurants. A fine-dining young chef is suddenly left in charge of his family’s sandwich shop after the untimely death of his older brother. Carmy has to deal with his own mental health while surrounded by the strong personalities of his coworkers, all while trying to keep the shop afloat. Every one of these characters were fantastic, and the actors did remarkable jobs bringing them to life. I watched season 1 and 2 back to back because I just couldn’t stop. Each episode was like an adrenaline rush over and over. Getting to see the complicated relationships and dynamics of everyone develop from running The Beef in season 1, to transforming it into The Bear in season 2 was amazing. I look forward to the next season and seeing what happens next for everyone. This show doesn’t hesitate to show that the characters can be shitty people, but I think it makes you like them more. It transforms the characters from just people on a screen to people you can actually imagine in the real world. For example, I couldn’t stand Richie in the beginning. He was honestly an asshole and felt so full of himself. But as the show continued on and we got to see more about him and the reason he acts how he does, he slowly became one of my favorite characters. It’s easy to understand how this show has been on a lot of people’s minds. From the writing, to the cinematography, and the themes…it’s truly a masterpiece.

The Ballad of Never After

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It had been a while since reading a book that simultaneously made me smile uncontrollably while also clenching my heart in pain. This 2nd book in the ‘Once Upon a Broken Heart’ trilogy did just that. We picked up where the first book left off. Apollo is still dead and Evangeline has learned the truth that it was Jacks’ doing in order to manipulate her into opening the Valory Arch. However, as we learn in this book, there is so much more to this story. After she swore not to work with or trust Jacks again, Evangeline is forced to in order to save herself and Apollo. I loved how Garber entwined more lore to the world of the Magnificent North, as well as backstory to our morally gray male lead, Jacks. Evangeline has been through a lot in a short amount of time, but she still believes in having a happy ending…even if she comes to realize that her happy ending is meant to be with the person she thought she despised. The enemies to lovers are so delicious in this book between Evangeline and Jacks. She is so adamant at fighting her feelings, but he just keeps making it too hard to resist. At the end I was grateful the 3rd book was already out so I could start right away. It was a wild journey from start to finish…but especially that ending. It moved so quickly from the reveal of the Valors all being alive, to Jacks going back in time to save Evangeline, and finally Apollo coming in and stealing Evangeline’s memories away from her. Overall, I thought this book was a masterpiece. So many beautiful and amazing plot points and twists that kept me beyond engaged.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Movie

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I’ve listened to Taylor Swift since her first album came out in 2006. I might not have always followed every move of hers, but with each new album I listened and loved it. When she announced her ‘Eras Tour’, I immediately thought of how cool of a concept it was. For an artist like her with so many years of experience and musical evolutions, getting to perform it all together was amazing to see. Everything about this concert was beautiful. From the setlist to the outfits, the dancers and choreo, to the set design…It was all so well planned and executed. This was an almost 3 hour concert that Taylor has performed for months amidst working on her album re-releases and new projects. There is no questioning her dedication and hardwork. I’ve absolutely loved getting to see all the tour videos and stories from Swifties who got to go. There is something that I will always find special about fandoms, especially music fandoms. It doesn’t matter the language of the music or the genre…it will always bring people together. I’m so glad that we got a movie of this concert to allow those who couldn’t attend in person the chance to be a part of that atmosphere from the theaters and their homes. Overall, I thought this was a masterpiece, and I love getting to sing along and have fun with my friends from the comfort of our own homes.

Once Upon a Broken Heart

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I have fan artists to thank for finding this beautiful book. I kept seeing art for this series on my Insta feed and had to read it. This series felt like my favorite aesthetic…pastel fairytale with edges of darkness. Our main character, Evangeline Fox, makes a deal with the Prince of Hearts, Jacks, after a terrible heartbreak. From then on her life is turned upside down as she goes on a journey she could never have expected. She gets her prince charming but also learns of how fate has been leading her life to be in the Magnificent North. Turns out Evangeline is part of a prophecy to open a magical door called the Valory Arch and there are two sides fighting to get their hands on her. Those that want the Arch opened and those that don’t. This story was engaging from the first page with new twists and reveals coming every few chapters. Evangeline might be one of my new favorite female characters. She’s a dreamer and an optimist first and foremost, and just wants to have her own happy ending. Each of the characters in this book have their own story and motivations that unfold and intertwine together as the plot moves on. I think for the first book in this series it was a wonderful introduction to the world and story that’s to come. It didn’t give us everything all at once, but pieces to motivate us to continue and see what might happen next. From the bickering between Evangeline and Jacks, to the magic and lore of this world…I just kept wanting more! Overall, this book was great, and I can’t wait to continue this series.