An Annoyed Bookworm

In my experience as a reader, I have encountered many types of people. From the ones who love to read as much as I do, the ones who read just a little, to those who don't read anything at all. Do I have a problem with these? None whatsoever. My problem is with the people who come at me disrespectfully, trying to shame me for the things I read, and other book aspects. And that's a big no no from me. 

In this post, I will be writing about ten very annoying things (at least for me) that people have told me about books and my love for reading in general. I will explain each one of these annoying things as I mention them. Before I go on, my wish is not to offend anyone; I am just writing my opinions, so please don't take any of these personal. 

Without further due, let's get started! 

1- "Classics are the only good books."

Excuse you? Literature, not matter it's form, is always valid. I really dislike it when people who only read classics try to shame other books and my taste for me. I have nothing against classic books; I've actually read a few of them and I really liked them. They're just not my preferred way of literature, and that's okay. I believe classics are good to read, but they're not the only books out there. Why should I limit my reading experience to just them? Besides, classic books were once rejected by society in favor of the older books that were considered the classics back then, proving that just because there's something new it doesn't mean it's bad. 

The only classic I want to read right now. 

2- "Fantasy literature is a waste of time." 

I've been told these by fellow students when I was a undergraduate student at college, from teacher colleges and even from relatives. They've said these books are stupid, that I'm not learning anything from them, and even that I'm rotting my brain- I'm not joking. I mean, dude! Do you know how hard it is to create your own world and its rules? In fiction books that don't revolve around fantasy, the story relies on our own reality, so you're not creating a world at all; in fantasy, you must create everything from scratch, and that takes A LOT of work. Besides, fantasy books are enjoyable, you can learn many things from them, and they are also a valid form of art. So leave me alone; I'm going to read whatever the hell I want. 

One of my favorite fantasy works. 

3- "Comics are not books."

Lord, give me strength! Okay... as far as I know, a book is a collection of written pages that either tells a story or provides information about a certain topic (such as text books). Therefore, comics are books. They are a bunch of written pages that are giving you a story. They have a plot development, fleshed out characters, and also some very beautiful art. Just because the story is not written in paragraphs it doesn't make the book and its story less valid. 

Believe me: these are way better than their
Netflix adaptation. 

4- "If you don't like Harry Potter, you're not a fantasy fan."

Alright people, let me start this by saying something very simple that lots of people tend to forget: J. K. Rowling did not invent fantasy, and Harry Potter is not the only work of fantasy in the world! I am not a big fan of Harry Potter, get over it. I am not committing a crime for stating this, so don't come at me. I love fantasy, it is my favorite literary genre of all, and just because I don't like Harry Potter that doesn't make me less of a fantasy lover. I've read fantasy works that I consider better than Harry Potter, and this story is not the blueprint for every other fantasy one. Also, just because everyone loves Harry Potter that doesn't mean I have to love it too.  

When I think of something better than Harry Potter
I always think of "His Dark Materials". 

5- "You shouldn't spend so much money on buying books." 

My sweet darling, honey... it's my money, not yours. I work hard to earn that money, and I'm going to spend it however I want. I pay all my bills, I administer all my accounts as responsibly as I can. My car payment is on point, I have all my necessary groceries, and everything regarding my house is paid on time. To summarize: my money, my rules. I don't judge anyone for how they use their money, so leave me alone. 

The Shadowhunters books are currently 17, 
with other 7 still being written. I own the first
17. Will I buy the rest? HELL YES. 

6- "Reading is boring. I always fall asleep when doing so."

Does it look like I care? If it does, then I sincerely apologize; it was never my intention to show any emotion regarding your situation. I do wonder, why do people find the need to tell this sort of thing to book readers? Do you know how annoying this is? It would be as if I was talking with a baseball fan, only for me to say "I think baseball is the stupidest sport there is." Isn't this kind of disrespectful? I don't care if you don't like reading; mind your own business and show some respect next time. 

I always knew Sansa was meant for great things. 

7- "Fairy tale retellings are stupid. They're a waste of time, and I don't like when they change the original story." 

Honey you do realize that most of Disney's classic films are retellings of their original counterparts, right? Actually, many things in fiction that we enjoy are retellings. Narnia could easily be seen as a retelling of the Bible. Every single Marvel Universe film is a retelling of their comic counterpart; even the Thor comics are a retelling of the original Norse myths. If you don't like fairy tale retellings specifically, that's on you, but don't come at me insulting a literary genre. A retelling can give us the opportunity to imagine things differently, explore new ideas, improve some concepts, and create even more stories. Don't be a hater dear, be a lover. 

One of my favorite retellings ever! 
It's the story of the Queen of Hearts from
"Alice in Wonderland". 

8- "I don't use bookmarks: I dog-ear the pages instead."

What kind of monster are you? For me this is like the people who let things such as coffee, juice, soda or other liquids fall into books. Or the people who don't care if the book falls in a puddle of mud, or gets soaked in rain. If you don't like using bookmarks that's perfectly fine; I had this wonderful student once who loves to read, but never used a bookmark because she could always memorize the page where she stopped reading (that girl is so amazing, I can't even). But please, for the love of everything that is good in this world, don't dog-ear your book pages. 

I lose a little bit of my remaining sanity
every time I see something like this. 

9- "Light literature has no quality."

People please: just because it's light literature that doesn't mean it's bad. The quality doesn't decrease because of this. I prefer a million times a book written in a more simple but understandable way, than a book whose use of sophisticated language is so dense that almost nothing can be understood.  Of course, the use of the English language varies depending on the era, but I see so many modern authors trying to write in a such a complicated and sophisticated way that they end up looking preposterous. 

Don't be like John Green. 
This book's writing style was a nightmare. 

10- "You should buy a Kindle instead of buying the books' physical copies."

No. As I previously stated, I do what I want with my money, and a Kindle is not something I'm contemplating to buy. I do understand it's practical use, and I know it's a better option for many people. But that doesn't mean it's going to be a good option for me. I am a book collector, so I enjoy buying the physical copies a lot. I love feeling their weight in my hands, smell the pages (this is how bookworms get high), put them in shelves and admire their pretty covers, and gush over them every day. My house is full of books, and I can't picture it without them. They're my silent but always present friends. 

Me talking to the Kindle. 

In conclusion, I would like to finish with some quick thoughts. First of all, let people read whatever the hell they want. Just because you don't like books like "Twilight" or "Fifty Shades of Grey" it doesn't mean that other people can't like them. The same goes for books that you love. For example I adore the "Throne of Glass" series, but not everyone does. Does it bother me? Not at all. Just because you like it that doesn't mean everyone else must like it too. Which brings me to my second and last point: please stop feeling superior to others just because you have different tastes than theirs. You're not better than anybody for reading "Madame Bovary" or "Frankenstein instead of "The Lightning Thief". 

P.S It felt so good to let all of this out of my chest. 

"House of Earth and Blood" Spoiler Free Review

This week I finished "House of Earth and Blood" by my goddess Sarah J. Maas. And boy... it was an experience! We asked, and Queen Mother Sarah delivered, in all her godly glory. It was amazing, it was beautiful, it was sexy, it was heartbreaking, and altogether quite impossible to praise enough. 

This book is the first in the "Crescent City" series. It takes place in another world, a planet called Midgard, which is very similar to ours in terms of modern technology and clothes. In this world, fantasy creatures walk openly among humans, and magic is as natural as breathing. These creatures, called vanir in the book, are virtually immortal, and are divided among four houses, which they are governed and protected by. These houses are: Earth and Blood, whose members are the humans, shifters, witches, fauns, and ordinary animals; Sky and Breath, which is for the fae, angels, elementals, and sprites; Many Waters, reserved for the merpeople, river spirits, water beasts, nymphs, kelpies, and nøkks; and last but not least Flame and Shadow whose members are the vampyrs, necromancers, daemonaki, reapers, draki, dragons, and many other evil things. 

This world has several continents, and all cities are governed by one leader. Aside from this, in every city there is a king or queen for each of the houses previously mentioned; all of the houses respond to the city governor. Regardless, every monarch and governor in this world respond to the Asteri, the most powerful beings of all, whose power is that of stars. They are cold, evil, distant and ruthless. 

Now as for the story it centers around Bryce Quinlan, a 25-year-old half-fae, half-human. She works in a magic antiquities shop in the city of Lunathion (or Crescent City) for a sorceress called Jesiba Roga, who is very much alike Miranda Priestly. Two years before the real action begins, Bryce's best friend is brutally murdered in their apartment, leaving Bryce in a deep state of shock and depression. Two years after the murder, the archangel and governor Lunathion called Micah, sends her on a mission with angel Hunt Athalar to trap her friend's murderer and solve the mystery surrounding her death.  

Bryce and Hunt. 
Credits to Bxromance I think. 

That's pretty much what I can say without spoiling anything. And no, writing about the friend's murder is not a spoiler; it's written on the book's description. That said, I'd like to make a list of my pros and cons regarding this book. Let's start with the good things! 

Pros: 

1- The Characters: they are believable, they are badly broken on the inside but dealing with their healing process, and they feel human despite what their species are. Sarah J. Maas really managed to capture the complexity of the healing process in a very beautiful, respectable and heartbreaking way. The character I loved the most was Bryce, of course. She's very brave, compassionate, sassy, funny, but dealing with a horrible trauma. The way she learns to open up to people again, and how she struggles with her mental health really hit close to home. It's refreshing to see a character with mental health issues and reading her progress throughout the book was inspiring. There's also Hunt, the angel who becomes her lover, and Bryce's friends: wolf shifter Danika, faun Juniper, and Fury the assassin. 

From left to right: Juniper, Fury, Bryce and Danika. 
Credits to Inky Jar. 

2- Language: Queen Mother Sarah doesn't hold back in this book! There's a LOT of cursing which I personally enjoyed a lot; for me it made the dialogues more realistic. There's also some... intimate scenes very explicitly described, even for Sarah's standards. Not that I'm complaining, of course. The writing style flows very naturally, and every conversation seems 100% real. 

Bryce and Danika
Credits to Sncinder

3- Villains: they deserve their own category. I hated them with a passion from the get-go. Sarah really made these villains jump out of the page. They are monstrous, despicable, vindictive, cruel, and at times sadistic. The one who murdered Bryce's friend was especially evil. But then at the same time, most of the villains feel almost human. You can see the pain behind their actions, which was amazing. I hate villains who are evil just for the sake of being evil, like Sauron in the "Lord of the Rings". Tip: watch out for Sabine, Danika's mother; she's a real pain in the ass. 

This is Micah Domitus, the governor and an asshole.
Don't be like Micah. 
Credits to Morgana0anagrom

4- Romance: GOOD LORD, I CAN'T. The romance and passion between Bryce and Hunt was something else. They have both been through trauma and a lot of darkness in their lives. They don't even start liking each other; in fact, they cannot stand the sight of the other at first. So, this is a classic enemies-to-lovers story. By the end of this book, their love is strong enough to change the world and the course of history- literally. They bring each other to life again, in more ways than one. I'll forever ship them with all my soul. 

I LOVE THEM WITH MY LIFE

5- Setting: this world that Queen Mother Sarah has created is rich in complexity and history. You can feel as if it were real. You lose yourself in this world, and at times you even wish you were a part of it. It can be deadly, like any other fantasy world, but it's so beautiful and vast. Nothing I've ever read can compare to it. 

Part of Lunathion, also called Crescent City. 

6- Complexity: like I said, this world is rich in complexity. It has some very specific rules of magic, and there are even more to be discovered in the future books. Every species has its abilities, and some of them are even determined by the continent they are born into. The political system is well explained, and the social rules and customs too. It is very fleshed out society. 

Sorceress Jesiba Roga, Bryce's boss. 
She's a 400 years old. and is famous for turning
people who annoy her into animals. 
Credits to Morgana0anagrom

7- Diversity: Queen Mother Sarah has improved on this! In this book there are characters of color, from Asian to black, which was amazing. These characters are written beautifully and respectfully; they're not vilified or used to propel the protagonist's journey. In fact, Bryce is not precisely white, and neither is Hunt. Bryce is described as having gold-dusted skin (think of Danna Paola and there you have her), and Hunt's skin is described as light brown. There's also Hypaxia, who is black and the queen of the witches. Aside from the racial diversity, there's also LGBT+ characters, who again are not vilified or used disrespectfully. There are more of them in this book than in Sarah's previous works, which is a good sign. They don't fall into cliches, and are not used as the comic relief, for which I am very thankful.  

Hypaxia Enador, Queen of the Witches. 
Powerful healing abilities, she works as a doctor. 
Will probably kick your ass. 
Credits to Talia Nobel

Now let's go for the cons. 

Cons: 

1- World Building: it was good, it was brilliant, but it was delivered way too fast. In the first 50 pages or so, all the information about this world (or at least most of it) is thrown at you. I had to read more than three times certain paragraphs to assimilate all the information I was being given. I would have preferred this to be a little slower, and more spaced throughout the book. 

That's it. That's my only complaint. 

Queen Mother Sarah has stated that the books will be written as a trilogy, but that she's still unsure if it will be so. After all, her "Court of Thorns and Roses" series was also going to be a trilogy at first, and we are currently expecting the fifth book. I sincerely hope "Crescent City" doesn't end as a trilogy. I believe this world can be explored deeper, from their planet Midgard, to the world of the Asteri, and even Hel. 

I have to do some research on Norse mythology though. Some therms in this book I believe are taken from it, such as Midgard and vanir (I think). My best friend and I have agreed that we'd like to investigate more about Norse mythology, and now I found the perfect motivation to do so. 

I wish I could write more about this book, but to do so would be to spoil it a lot. I hope that if you're reading this, something sparked your curiosity enough to give this book a try. Many people have said that they hated it, others like me loved it; I recommend you try it for yourself and reach your own conclusions. I sincerely cannot wait to go back to Crescent City and have adventures with Bryce, Hunt and the rest of the gang too. 

From left to right: Ruhn, his sister Bryce, and Hunt. 
At the top is Lehabah, a fire sprite and Bryce's coworker and friend. 
Credits to Jemlin Creations

P.S This book touched my soul in multiple ways, and I love it deeply. If you read it and end up hating it, please don't come at me to criticize it. I don't want my experience to be tarnished by anything. 

Why I don't Support J. K. Rowling

This is going to be controversial, and a lot of people won't like it. But I don't really care. 

For this Sunday's post, I want to write about why I don't support J. K. Rowling anymore. For those of you who might don't know, Rowling is the author of the best-selling series "Harry Potter". She's actually the first person to become a billionaire by writing books, which to be fair is pretty impressive. But I don't like her as a person, and I definitely don't stand by her messages. 

Before I go on, I want to make something clear: I have nothing against "Harry Potter" as a book series. I believe it is a great series, and it actually got me into reading, and for that I will be eternally grateful. It has a beautiful and vast world, full of wonders and amazing characters, and a very passionate fandom. Is it my favorite series? No. Even though it's beautiful and great, I do admit I like other book series more than "Harry Potter", but that doesn't mean I have anything against it. 

Now, for Rowling... 

Let's begin with a very simple statement: 

To understand this part, we must look at some tweets made by Rowling: 

Girl, there are men who menstruate and women who don't. 
Get over yourself.

But... who ever told her that sex isn't real? 
Who ever told her that the trans community erases the concept of sex? 

She was supporting a woman who was fired
for making public transphobic comments. 

Alright... 

Now, I am not a transexual man, but I am part of the LGBT+ community, and girl... NO!

First of all: trans women are still women. You do not get to decide that for them. Even if they don't menstruate, that doesn't take away their womanhood. She states "People who menstruate. I'm sure there used to be a word for those people." Why does she feel her existence threatened by trans women? They are not denying the existence of cis women, they are just expressing their own existence and right to be. 

Second: why does she feel like transexuals erase or deny the concept of sex? The transition process doesn't erase sex. Just thinking about it sounds preposterous. 

Third: regarding the firing of that women for her transphobic comments, if you are working for a company you must be careful with what you express on the media. Period. If the company doesn't agree with what you're expressing, and/or your beliefs do not reflect the ideas and image they want to present, they will most likely fire you. If we do not accept racist comments because they are obviously morally wrong, why should we accept transphobic or even homophobic comments? More on this later. 

Furthermore, she is comparing gay conversion therapy, to the therapy transexual receive for their transitioning process. It isn't only stupid, but dangerous to say something like that. Trans people are aided in their transitioning so they can express who they really are in a healthy and safe way, both physically and psychologically (if I'm not mistaken). Gay conversion on the other hand is a torturous process on which a gay person is driven to think their very nature is wrong, even sinful. They teach them to reject themselves and live a life that isn't theirs; many end up committing suicide. 

So... how are these two even compared? I don't know. 

Many people have defended her by stating that her character Albus Dumbledore is gay. Yeah, so? First, he was only declared gay years after the publication of the series. Even though I'll go deeper into this later, I do want to say that the LGBT+ community is NOT AN AFTERTHOUGHT TO GET PUBLICITY. Second, regardless of the sexuality of a fiction character, that doesn't necessarily reflect her opinions on the LGBT+ community. That's like saying that a member of the KKK is not racist just because they happen to have a friend who's black. And third... why does she support a group who are in favor of gay conversion therapy? 

She previously liked posts of groups who are in favor of conversion therapy. Not only that, but her pseudonym for writing some of her books is Robert Galbraith. This Galbraith was a real person though: he was an infamous gay conversion therapist, whose practices were declared by the law as unethical and inhuman. Therefore, why of all the names in this world does she have to use the name of a man like this? A lot of people have said that she probably didn't know... yeah, right. You're telling me that living in a world like a ours, with constant access to the internet, you didn't give two seconds of your time to investigate the pen name you were choosing?  

This bastard was Robert Galbraith. 

Now, we can disagree on a lot of things: clothes, movies, food, music, you name it! But not on human rights. And the rights of every single member of the LGBT+ community are human rights, period. I cannot, and will not support a woman who has bashed time after time the trans community, and who doesn't take us seriously enough. 

As I said earlier, my community is not an afterthought. All of a sudden, her character Albus Dumbledore was gay. At the same time, she started writing a bunch of crap on twitter about "Harry Potter", things no one cared about or needed to know; some of them even broke her own book cannon. For example, she once wrote that wizards in her books never used toilets until the muggles invented them... girl, for real? Who needs to know this crap? 

For me, she is just a person who tasted fame and is desperate for more. She's desperate to stay relevant by stating a lot of stupid "facts" that no one cares about. Among all of these publications, she threw the Dumbledore sexuality. Why? Just why? If you were really intending for him to be gay, why not make him so since the beginning? This reeks to me as a tactic to get more publicity. And if she cares so much about diversity, why is that not reflected in her work? I could count with the fingers of one hand all the non-white or non-straight characters in "Harry Potter". 

If you really care about diversity, why not make your characters and books more diverse? And I'm sorry, but the visualization of diversity is now more important than ever. She could help more by normalizing diversity through her stories. But no... she decides to post stupid things on twitter and block people who don't agree with her. 

Munroe Bergdorf is an English transgender model and activist.

Honestly, I mostly feel sad. This woman used to be one of my idols, but now? Not anymore. I can (sometimes) separate a work of art from its creator if I don't agree with the creator's ideas. I try to separate "Harry Potter" as a work of literature from her, so I don't ruin my experience of the books any further, because they're very good. But her as a person I cannot support. 

A couple of friends have told me, "She has a right to an opinion." Yes, she does. But if her opinion threatens the existence and wellness of my community, then I don't have to respect and/or accept it. We condemn racism for being morally and humanly wrong, obviously; no one should ever be discriminated for the color of their skin. But then, why do I have to accept homophobic and transphobic comments and ideas as mere opinions? NO! Our existence is not subjected to public opinion: our existence is a FACT. 

I really hate making a comparison between the two issues, but I am personally sick and tired of having to listen discriminating comments with people defending them as opinions. Again: we can disagree on many things, but not on human rights. If you don't understand something about the LGBT+ community then educate yourself- it won't cost you anything. If you can use twitter to speak tons of crap, then you can use the internet for something that is actually useful- like educating your mind.  

In conclusion, I am disappointed in Rowling. I know of a lot of people of my community who found strength and the courage to stand proud thanks to her stories, and then for her to say things like these is heartbreaking to say the least. I sincerely hope she thinks better before tweeting again, for her words are already hurting too much people. 

Sincerely, 

    

    A pissed off Ema. 

P.S This is one of the million reasons why I believe education is the salvation of this world. 

  

"Midsommar" Spoiler Free Review

I know I'm kind of late to the party, but I don't really care. 

Forever traumatized :) 

Welcome back to another Sunday post! This time, I want to review a horror movie I saw today: "Midsommar", directed by writer-director Ari Aster. I know this movie came out last year and a lot of people has seen it. But I never had the chance to see it until today. Since I know some of my readers haven't seen it yet, I will keep this review as spoiler free as possible.  

"Midsommar" tells the story of a young woman in her twenties called Dani, who has anxiety and has recently gone through some serious trauma related to her family. Her boyfriend Christian is very emotionally detached, he treats her as if she's exaggerating her emotions, doesn't share anything with her, and is basically just biding his time until he gets out of the relationship. In Ema language, Christian is an asshole. Period.  

This girl deserved better. 

Christian is planning to go to Sweden (without telling Dani) with his three friends: thesis-obsessed Josh, the fool and jerk Mark, and the sweet (and Swedish) Pelle. They are going to see Pelle's family who will be having a cultural celebration, which Josh and later Christian think will help them with their thesis. Dani comes along on the journey despite her anxiety and how this group of men treat her. After arriving at Sweden and seeing Pelle's big family, Dani soon realizes that what seemed at first an innocent celebration of nature, is actually a dark and dangerous cult. And maybe, just maybe, her key to freedom.  

From left to right: Christian, Josh and Mark. 
Coward, heartless and brainless. 

That's pretty much what I can say about the plot without spoiling anything away. But believe me, it's good. It's one of the best horror movies I have ever seen, but as the director I see it more as a very dark fairy tale. In fact, the director compared this movie to "The Wizard of Oz", but for perverts (more on this idea later). 

One of the reasons why I believe it's so good it's the characters. The one that stood out the most for me was Dani, of course. We can see her path from someone who is emotionally neglected, who has gone through hard things, a girl who feels desperately alone and is ignored and mistreated, to someone who finally becomes free. I want to give a special recognition to actress Florence Pugh. For me she did an amazing job portraying a woman with anxiety and other problems; every scene was believable and emotionally wrenching, and that is not easy to perform.  

Florence was amazing in this movie.

The group of men that accompanied Dani really served their purpose well, which was either dragging her down or helping her as Pelle did. Dani's journey to self-discovery and freedom goes partly hand-in-hand with these three men, much like Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz". Dorothy and Dani both go through a traumatic event, find themselves in an idyllic landscape with funny but kind people, and embark on a journey of self-discovery, while finding out the dark realities of their new world. In the end, both girls find out they are more powerful than they actually believe, and find a voice and agency of their own. 

YAS GIRL
WORK IT HONEY

Christian, Dani's boyfriend, I compare to the Cowardly Lion. Christian's greatest sin in the story is apathy. He doesn't really care about Dani or anything in general. He lacks passion, ambition and vision,  oh my!

See what I did there? 
I'll see myself out now, thank you. 

Christian lacks the courage to actually do anything, and it's this passivity that dooms him. 

Christian is the coward of the story. 

Josh, Christian's friend, I relate to the Tin Man. Josh's only motivation are his studies and his research, with little regards for others' beliefs or feelings. In other words, he's heartless- like our tin friend from Oz. 

At least this guy could cry, you know? 

Then we have Mark who is a huge jerk. He is very disrespectful, says things without thinking, and apparently only thinks about sex and having a good time. He doesn't think before he acts or speaks, making him the perfect brainless Scarecrow. 

The Scarecrow could at least solve math problems. 
All Mark can do is smoke from his vape. 

Then we have Pelle who reminds me of the Wizard. Just like the Wizard, he is just a man and he doesn't solve the girl's problems. He does show kindness and compassion towards Dani, but he is sending her to a very dangerous situation where she could die, just like the Wizard did with Dorothy. In the end, both girls conquer the dangers around them, with Pelle and the Wizard being mere tools for the girl getting what she needs. 

Pelle be asking the real questions here. 

The family, or commune, were really sweet sometimes and extremely disturbing at others. This is a very violent society, whose believes are centered around their pagan ideas of nature, life and death. Their violence and way of living is perfectly normal for them, even though it's weird for us viewers and shocking for the characters. All of their darkness is covered in white clothing, seemingly peaceful ways, and flowers (there are thousands of flowers in this movie). 

I wasn't exaggerating with the flower thing. 

Another reason why I liked this movie so much was the visuals. This movie is GORGEOUS! The contrast between Dani's life in America (which always looked grey) and her life in Sweden (full of vibrant colors) was beautiful and stunning. The patterns on the walls, the clothing, the temples, the houses, the chairs and more: it was all connected, all perfect and amazing. The lightning was brilliant and happy during all the Sweden scenes, making you feel in full Summer even if you watch it on winter. Also, the way some very specific scenes were filmed was great. There was gore of course, but it wasn't exaggerated; there weren't buckets of blood, or excessive violent sequences. It all felt as natural as possible. 

Let's kill someone and sing Kumbaya, I guess. 

The third reason why I liked this movie was the music. It was creepy several times, but overall it was mostly cheerful. And that's what makes it so disturbing. You get to see some very shocking and graphic scenes, all played under happy music. It was unnerving to say the least. Also, a lot of people were dancing, singing, laughing and jumping during these violent scenes, making it even more disturbing. 

I won't complain about white people dancing
ever again. 

Here are most of the thoughts I had while watching "Midsommar": 

1- WHAT THE F****!

2- What's with this bloody music? 

3- A bunch of white people, all wearing white... I am afraid.

4- There's only one black man in the movie. Surrounded by a lot of white, violent people. This can't end well. 

5- The Manson family wearing flowers. 

6- Girl, you better dump his sorry existence to the curb ASAP! 

7- I'm never going to Sweden during the summer (no offense). 

8- Mark is a jerk who needs to go :) 

9- Can I get a flower crown too? 

10- I can't deal with this. 

11- So... they just jumped off the ****************

12- Yay... murder and nature and stuff. 

13- Burn them all! 

14- The anxiety attacks look very realistic. 

15- I've never seen a horror movie that mostly takes place during the day. 

16- All the drugs are giving me "Alice in Wonderland" vibes. 

17- All I see is drugs, murder, suicide, sex, a cult, some weird rituals, and white people.

18- I can see some elements of the third season of "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina". 

Girl, I'm no fool. 
I can see what you did there!

Overall, "Midsommar" is one hell of a horror movie or dark fairy tale, however you want to see it. I give you a fair warning though: if you by any chance have anxiety, I wouldn't watch this movie, or I'd watch it carefully and slowly. I know from a friend of mine that the anxiety scenes, specifically one with a full-blown panic attack, were very triggering for her. Be careful if you still wish to see this movie.  

Besides this, I believe it's a brilliant movie. It treats mental health respectfully, which I liked. It doesn't use any stupid jump scare, which modern day horror movies are plagued with. They managed to make a horrifying story in plain daylight, something that is not seen often in the horror genre. They captured the true horror of the situation, made a very disturbing ending, and left me with a great sense of dread.

In conclusion, I give "Midsommar": 

Five out of five stars. 

If you watched this movie, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. If you haven't, check it out and give it a try. See you next Sunday, and take care. 

P.S I ask for more horror movies like this one. With good quality and material, and no stupid jump scares.