Harmony Moon

Scooby-Doo and Kyrpto, Too!

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When a piece of media has been around for 55 years and remains a household name, I’d say it’s iconic. Then match it with another iconic universe and you get a great piece of fun. This movie isn’t the first time we’ve seen the Mystery Gang team up with the heroes of DC, and I assume it won’t be the last. However, this movie was a different take than last time. Instead of teaming up with Batman to stop a villain causing mischief, the gang is brought in to try and figure out what happened to the Justice League with the help of Superman’s canine companion, Krypto. While we saw some iconic characters from the DC Universe like the Joker, Harley Quinn, Lex Luthor, and Lois Lane…we also got to see some lesser known characters as well. Like any Scooby-Doo movie it had all the classic jokes we’ve come to expect and love: Shaggy and Scooby’s endless appetite, Velma’s inability to not lose her glasses, and of course a good ole chase sequence. Then add in some of the DC lore like the Phantom Zone and you’ve got a really fun time. While the ending to this movie was pretty predictable, I still found myself enjoying it. Even though it was pretty average, it’s Scooby-Doo! And I will always watch any new media involving the Mystery Gang and have a good time doing so.

The Artful Dodger

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I am a simple woman…if Thomas Brodie-Sangster is in something, I will watch it. He has been a favorite of mine for many years, and I can always trust the projects he’s involved in to be great. This show was no exception. Not only does Thomas Sangster play an amazing Jack Dawkins, but add in Maia Mitchell as Lady Belle, and David Thewlis as Fagin, and you’ve got a cast that works seamlessly together to bring these characters and story to life. I’m not the biggest Charles Dickens fan, but being a reader, of course I know the story of Oliver Twist. Then we have this show, which follows a character I know many people loved from the original, Jack Dawkins, 15 years older and trying to leave his life of pickpocketing behind to become a surgeon who challenges the status quo in a colony in Australia. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this show with the perfect mix of period and medical drama that added in elements of romance and the world of crime. Each character was well written and showed loveable aspects of themselves while also not shying away from the fact that they have their flaws. Jack cares about helping people, but he also struggles with his past and the urge to return to crime. Fagin, while seemingly good-hearted, is also very selfish and doesn’t always think of how others might be impacted. Belle is ahead of her time, wanting to be in the world of medicine and make progress, but forgets how privileged her life is being the daughter of a governor. These three are truly the heart of the show, but that’s not to say the other characters also didn’t display the same well-roundedness. Everything was well paced and each storyline built up the characters and the world this show takes place in. Overall, this show was a masterpiece, and I can only hope that it gets the love it deserves so that we may see more of this story unfold.

Wonka

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At first this movie wasn’t one I was overly enthusiastic to see. I knew I’d watch it eventually, but I wasn’t running to the theater for it. After seeing it, I would say it was rather enjoyable. The character of Willy Wonka is an iconic one that most everyone would have background knowledge of whether it be from Roald Dahl’s original book, Gene Wilder’s portrayal in the 1971 film, or Johnny Depp’s portrayal in the 2005 film. This Wonka from Timothee Chalamet is now bringing the character to life for a new generation. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how Chalamet created Wonka for himself, pulling in pieces from both the previous renditions while adding his own charm to the mix. I’ve always been a fan of ‘origin stories’, so the concept of learning how Wonka became who we all know him to be was intriguing. We get to see him taking the leap of faith and expose people to his chocolates for the first time, while also seeing a bit of childhood and the inspiration for becoming a chocolatier. However, I wish there had been a bit more flashbacks of Willy on his travels that he brought up throughout the film. This movie was fun and full of great songs, loveable characters, and many heartwarming moments. At times it did feel a bit rushed and things were seemingly solved in an instant..but then you remember that it’s fantasy, and in fantasy a lot of things won’t always make sense or get explained. Overall, this movie was very good. All the characters were quirky and fit perfectly into the world created by Roald Dahl. The story made you want to escape reality for a little bit and give into a place of ‘pure imagination’.

Crescent City: House of Sky and Breath

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I was honestly scared going into this book because I knew where it ended…just not how it got to that point. It took me a while to get through, partially because of my own fear, but also because of simultaneously how much and how little was happening. Starting off you hope that Bryce, Hunt and Ruhn can have some sense of normal after all that happened in the first book..but this is Maas fantasy and things never stay normal for long. It made me happy to see Bryce trying to learn more about her abilities after fully accepting them, and especially how even after all that happened before she hasn’t lost the fire that made me love her so much. Seeing her relationships grow was also welcoming, especially in the make-up with Ruhn where they can finally have the sibling relationship they missed out on for so long. There are so many different aspects to this story that the switches in POV were nice to be able to have a more complete picture. Especially adding in Tharion and Ithan. As it always seems to happen, the last 200 pages were non-stop bomb drops and plot altering realizations. The world SJM has made, not just in Midgard, but her other works are coming together and I’m both terrified and impatient to see what happens next. Overall, this book was a masterpiece and left me needing more.

Wish

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Being the 100th anniversary for the Disney Studios, there were a lot of expectations on this movie. Advertised and the celebration of the studio and all 61 past animated features, when it came out I felt a little disheartened hearing all the negative reviews. Since I began giving my own reviews, I’ve tried not to care too much about what others say on things. Wanting my own opinion instead..and honestly? I enjoyed this movie a lot! The art style was unique and beautiful, as well as the characters and songs. Going in, you don’t get a full understanding of the plot because we weren’t told much in the trailers. However, it turned out to follow a pretty standard Disney tale. We open with learning about our setting and meeting all the important characters. Then lead into the conflict and drama of trying to defeat the big bad. While I admit, I do wish that there could’ve been more development on some characters and more history on Rosas, you have to remember it’s a children’s film. It’s meant to last only 90 minutes at most, and there’s only so much that can be done. People nowadays seem too quick to judge things without seeing the larger picture. Could there have been more in the storyline? Yes. But for what it was, it was still a good movie! Overall, I thought this was very good, and it gave a nice tribute to the past 100 years of the Disney Company.

Cruel Seduction

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It’s always exciting when a new book in the Dark Olympus series comes out. I love the world Katee Robert has built and the different characters and motivations that mix together and drive them. This 5th installment was the first one where I’d say full polygamy was at play. Not every one of the main narrators had attraction for the others. But they still all worked together in a very cohesive unit. While Aphrodite (Eris) and Hephaestus (Theseus) were the main two, I found myself more intrigued by the Pandora and Adonis POVs. Altogether it worked to show how much of an uproar the events from ‘Radiant Sin’ are now affecting Olympus, and even more how dangerous these political games are. I would’ve loved to see more into the minds and backgrounds of the 4 characters. We saw a little, but some things felt unanswered when the story came to a close. I’m intrigued to see where these characters end up next in the story, especially now that they’ve all given up any major hand in the politics of Olympus. Overall, I’d say this book was very good. The plot development was nice and the spice was even nicer.

Iron Flame

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This book had me impatiently waiting for months and it both satisfied the hunger for more and also increased it. All six-hundred pages of this book were filled with non-stop action heartache and bombshells. I did not know what to fully expect in this sequel, especially after the world we knew in ‘Fourth Wing’ came crashing down with so many truths being revealed. Meeting Brennan and the rest of the revolution was something I wasn’t expecting, but it was so welcome. Getting to see the world from the lens of truth and knowing what is actually beyond the wards had me reeling. Another thing that had me going crazy was the on-and-off between Xaden and Violet. These two had me yelling in frustration and delight at the pages as they kept trying (and mostly failing) to work on their communication. I’ll admit, I did not expect the rest of Basgiath to learn the truth of the venin so soon. It terrifies me to think that there are still 3 books left in the series and so much has already occurred…I don’t know what could possibly happen next. However, I liked seeing Violet get to be herself once more as she was fully honest with the rest of the squad. Once again, Rebecca Yarros throws us entirely in a tailspin within the last 100 pages with so much occurring and so much being revealed. I’ll admit I was a bit saddened when General Sorrengail passed, but understood it had to happen at some point. Overall, this book was a masterpiece. It had my emotions on another rollercoaster and I wouldn’t have asked for it any other way.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods

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Knowing there was a Percy Jackson TV show coming was one thing..but finding out that ‘Uncle Rick’ had decided to release a new book too? That’s a fan’s dream come true. It was so great getting to return to Percy’s whole POV and getting to go on an adventure with the Celestial Trio once more. Although, the circumstances make you feel bad for him..I mean c’mon! The boy helped save the world twice within only a few years of each other, he deserves entrance into a college for demigods. I won’t lie though and say it doesn’t make me immensely happy seeing him back on adventures. I know he’s been through a lot, but I think as readers we have this weird desire to see our faves suffer a bit because it means more content. This book had the same energy as the original series, and Percy has not lost his sarcasm or selflessness even with all he’s been through. Getting to see Percy, Annabeth, and Grover on a quest together was amazing. The three of them just work so well together, and they always have since the beginning. Some of the best parts of this book were getting to see them not having to worry about anything life-threatening and just enjoy being in each other’s presence. Overall, I thought this book was great and hit back at the heart of what made these characters and original series so beloved. I just wish it had been longer…but I can’t complain too much now knowing that there will be another adventure coming within the next year.

Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood

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Back into the Maasverse I went, finally diving into the Crescent City world. I won’t lie, this book was hard to get into at first. The world felt so similar but also so different to what I know of fae worlds SJM has written. Not to mention how quickly things started out and all the info-dumping that seemed to happen. I was glad when things began to finally slow down after the time-skip from Danika’s death. That’s when I really started to get into this book. The world and story of Crescent City is both beautiful and interesting. The modern technology mixed in with mythology, fantasy and a mystery, makes Pangera a world I want to know more about Not to mention, the characters all feel very flushed out…even if they still have growth. I love Bryce, Hunt and Ruhn and seeing inside their minds and how things changed for them throughout the book was both emotional and enjoyable. All three of them have their own complexities and goals, and now that some of those have been achieved, I wonder what comes next. Now that Hunt is free, what is he going to do? Now that the world knows about Bryce and Ruhn  being siblings what is going to change? I can only imagine what sort of BS the Asteri might throw at these three in the next book. Overall, I thought the first Crescent City book was very good. While it was rough at first, I genuinely enjoyed reading it and the emotional turbulence it caused along the way.

Fourth Wing

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I solely picked up this book due to the influence of BookTok…and I don’t regret it at all. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this story since I finished it. While, yes, it does fall into some basic tropes like ‘Weak FMC’ and ‘Enemies to Lovers’, the author handles both in ways I haven’t seen before. The enemies to lovers in this book feel so realistic between Violet and Xaden because you can see them both fighting the attraction they feel for one another. Then it makes it all the more satisfying when we see things start to shift. For the ‘Weak FMC’ trope it’s also more believable because Violet doesn’t start weak and suddenly become strong. No, she still struggles in a lot of areas and she recognizes it as well as everyone else. Bonding with two dragons didn’t change anything. She still had, and continues, to work hard and fails. While she does make progress in some areas, it’s very small. Overall, I thought this book was a masterpiece. I love this world Rebecca Yarros has created and the characters within it…even if they were gone too soon. Especially with that plot twist and reveal at the end, I can’t wait to see the next installments and learn how things might change.