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Warren the 13th and The All-Seeing Eye
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review*

This is a book that I have had on my TBR for quite sometime *sorry Netgalley* and I even made it one of the books to read for #beatthebacklist which I have now achieved *fist pumps the air*

This Middle-grade book is excellent for this time of year the illustrations and story are quite dark- there is an eerie tone set to this book and definitely a Halloween book – it’s not scary but it has witches and other spooky beings.

This book is action packed with loads of fun stuff to read about – Warren has to go on quests and solve mysteries to help him save his beloved hotel that Aunt Annaconda is trying to take over. Supposedly there is an All-seeing eye in this hotel but nobody knows what it is and where exactly to find it – but this all-seeing eye contains a treasure – a treasure so powerful that he can’t let his awful aunt get her hands on it.

This book has a lot going on in it and a varied amount of characters that it doesn’t leave the reader bored for a moment and there is a mystery that you are trying to unravel whilst reading. There are some meaner characters such as Aunt Annaconda and her sisters but then we have other ones that are there for the young heir and help him.

I loved the fact that this book had illustrations and that it complemented the story very well, they were very dark, gothic style and used a darker palette – I just wish at some point I can read the physical copy.

Overall this is a great middle-grade novel,it’s fast paced and intriguing with an eclectic range of characters and will be appreciated by children and adults of any age.

I rated this 4 out of 5 stars
  
Escape: The Curse of the Temple
Escape: The Curse of the Temple
2012 | Adventure, Dice Game, Electronic, Exploration, Real-time
Being a treasure hunter definitely sounds like a ton of fun – you get to travel to and explore exotic locations, decipher some hidden clues, and ultimately uncover some cool (and probably expensive!) artifacts and treasures! No reward is without risk, however, and you must be willing to put your life on the line, literally, to hack it in the treasure-hunting world!

Your latest quest has brought you and your comrades to an ancient temple. While exploring, you come across a treasure cache – score!! Your team decides to take it…for research purposes of course…but unbeknownst to you, this temple and its treasure are cursed, and you have just literally brought that curse down upon yourselves. The temple begins to collapse, and you and your team must make it to the exit alive! But wait, which way did you come from? Seriously? Did nobody leave any breadcrumbs? Which path is the right way? Too late to ask questions, just go! Traverse your way through this maze of a temple and get out! Will you make it out? Will your comrades make it too? I guess you’ll just have to wait and see…

DISCLAIMER: There are several expansions to this game, but we are not reviewing them at this time. Should we review them in the future we will either update this review or post a link to the new material here. -T

Escape: The Curse of the Temple is a real-time cooperative game in which players must roll dice, uncover new tiles, and find their way to the exit before the temple collapses, trapping the explorers inside. Played in exactly 10 minutes, all actions are taken simultaneously – you are trying to escape after all! By rolling dice, players can uncover new rooms and find magic gems. Once the exit tile has been discovered, all players must make their way to it and out of the temple! Strategy is key – do you move as a group in the same direction (there is safety in numbers…) or do you split up in an attempt to find the exit more quickly? That’s up to you and your team to decide – but decide quickly, because time is running out!

One super neat thing about this game is the countdown timer/soundtrack. When I say the game takes 10 minutes to play, I mean that literally – there is a timer! The corresponding soundtrack really brings the theme to life and creates a unique atmosphere. The pressure of a time limit means that players are frantically rolling dice and moving throughout the temple, just as they would be frantically searching for the exit in the real world. For a pretty simple game of dice-rolling, I think the timer adds to the overall excitement of the game – without it, there is no element of urgency and the theme would not feel as authentic.

That being said, timers kind of stress me out in games. One thing that can alleviate some of the pressure created by the timer is being able to work as a group. Cooperation is important to success because everyone wins or loses together. I don’t have to race against the clock on my own, I just need to do my part to help the group succeed. Whether it’s uncovering new room tiles or pooling dice with another player to find magic gems, winning Escape is, overall, a group effort.

If you’ve never played a real-time game or one with a timer before, I would recommend Escape: The Curse of the Temple. It’s simple enough to be a good introduction to the mechanics, yet engaging and exciting enough to keep you coming back. Purple Phoenix Games gives it a heart-pounding 17 / 24.
  
Tomb Raider (2018)
Tomb Raider (2018)
2018 | Action, Adventure
Alicia Vikander Lights up the Screen
Following up his powerful Norwegian disaster movie THE WAVE with this big budgeted English language debut reboot of the video game to big screen series TOMB RAIDER, director Roar Uthaug delivers a fun, fast-paced new take on the series.

Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander picks up the baton left by our previous Lara Croft, Angelina Jolie and has a blast in what is essentially a female spin on INDIANA JONES and NATIONAL TREASURE.

While the film gets pretty ridiculous as it continues, the eye-catching effects and sharp visual visual style, as well as terrific turns by Dominic West and Walton Goggins as her father and the film's villain respectively keep you invested, even if you'll forget it almost as quickly as you've seen it.