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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Dark Roads in Books
Aug 12, 2021
A dark and unsettling mystery
For years, the nearly five hundred mile stretch of Cold Creek Highway has been infamous as a place where young women go missing. Drivers, hitch hikers, and more. But their abductor has never been found. Hailey McBride lives in Cold Creek. Her father recently died in a car accident, leaving her to live with her aunt and her controlling police officer husband, Vaughn. Vaughn watches Hailey's every move, bullying and terrorizing her, keeping her from seeing her best friend, Jonny and her new love interest, Amber. Using what her dad taught her about the local land, Hailey plans her escape to the mountains. With Jonny's help, the idea is that everyone will think she was another victim of the highway killer. A year after Hailey disappears, Beth Chevalier arrives in town, desperate for closure after her sister Amber's murder. Beth's life is in shambles after Amber's death, and she starts to look into what happened. But Beth's search puts her in danger--and starts to reveal the truth about what happened to Hailey.
"I had to get out of this house, and this town."
This is a dark and often stressful book. It's told from two perspectives, Hailey and Beth. I was quite attached to Hailey, who is suffering at the hands of Vaughn, the stereotypical power-hungry small-town cop. He embodies the part of the sinister bad guy. Because he seems to control the entire town (no one will even give Hailey a job, since Vaughn doesn't want her to have one), her only choice is to go live in a shack in the mountains and basically let everyone think she's dead. The book shifts from menacing to survival-in-the-woods story and then we flip to Beth's perspective, where she's a struggling wannabe law student who arrives in Cold Creek to figure out who killed her sister (who was Hailey's love interest).
If it seems like a lot and a bit confusing, it is. I liked this book, but it did seem like it had multiple personalities. I found it tense at times (add to the fact that Hailey had a dog in the wilderness--I cannot handle books where something might happen to an animal) and other times a bit slow. Vaughn is our clear bad guy--Hailey even discovers some of his many terrible traits and crimes. But if that's true, then why are we reading? Just to catch him? At times, the book catches us off kilter, guessing and wondering. At other times, it falls a bit flat when the whole premise doesn't really seem to work. Who is our protagonist and what is the end goal?
Overall, this is an often dark and quite atmospheric book. It's creepy and twisty and sometimes heartbreaking. Is it worth reading? Yes. But I'm not sure if it ever lives up to its true potential.
I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
"I had to get out of this house, and this town."
This is a dark and often stressful book. It's told from two perspectives, Hailey and Beth. I was quite attached to Hailey, who is suffering at the hands of Vaughn, the stereotypical power-hungry small-town cop. He embodies the part of the sinister bad guy. Because he seems to control the entire town (no one will even give Hailey a job, since Vaughn doesn't want her to have one), her only choice is to go live in a shack in the mountains and basically let everyone think she's dead. The book shifts from menacing to survival-in-the-woods story and then we flip to Beth's perspective, where she's a struggling wannabe law student who arrives in Cold Creek to figure out who killed her sister (who was Hailey's love interest).
If it seems like a lot and a bit confusing, it is. I liked this book, but it did seem like it had multiple personalities. I found it tense at times (add to the fact that Hailey had a dog in the wilderness--I cannot handle books where something might happen to an animal) and other times a bit slow. Vaughn is our clear bad guy--Hailey even discovers some of his many terrible traits and crimes. But if that's true, then why are we reading? Just to catch him? At times, the book catches us off kilter, guessing and wondering. At other times, it falls a bit flat when the whole premise doesn't really seem to work. Who is our protagonist and what is the end goal?
Overall, this is an often dark and quite atmospheric book. It's creepy and twisty and sometimes heartbreaking. Is it worth reading? Yes. But I'm not sure if it ever lives up to its true potential.
I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated The Stars That Guide You Home in Books
Oct 25, 2021
Wow.
Just…wow.
Now I make no secret of the fact that I am a crier. Christmas TV ads, airport arrivals halls, old men crying, anything has the ability to set me off blubbing! So I am never entirely surprised when I start crying at a book, even my husband doesn’t mock me anymore. But this book? THIS BOOK had me crying the entire way through and just when you thought life for the characters couldn’t get any worse…Jemma Robinson says hold my coat!
Sophia and Tom live in a quaint little farmhouse in the town of Lowshore. Their life is a simple one but their happy marriage practically radiates from the page. However, Sophia never told her husband about her past and that past is about to catch up with her!
Whilst Tom is at work, Sophia is kidnapped from her happy home and forced to live the life that she tried so desperately to escape. Beaten, abused and powerless, Sophia manages to find two people worthy of her trust but will she ever escape? Can she ever regain the life that she used to have with Tom?
The beauty of this book is that it revolves around its characters. There is very little world building here but, honestly, it isn’t needed. Nothing matters to Tom and Sophia except one-another and that is reflected in Jemma Robinson’s writing style.
The characters themselves stay with you long after the final page: Sophia wears her heart on her sleeve, Tom is steadfast and passionately protective, James and Annalise are, in contrast, calm and collected individuals but Edmund is nothing short of a psychopath!
Edmund is no fairytale villain, despite the Lord Farquaad vibes I was getting from him. Robinson’s antagonist wouldn’t be out of place in Game of Thrones: he is truly revolting, controlling and revels in his absolute power over everything and everyone in his kingdom.
The Stars That Guide You Home is marketed as historical romance, not a fairytale, and with its medicine, photographs and labour camps then it does seem too modern to be considered a fairytale. However, I would argue that castles, arranged marriages, medieval torture and absence of any morally grey characters could push this into the category of dark fairytale.
There are a number of trigger warnings within this novel that I want to highlight. This is by no means a YA book – it is definitely Adult Fiction or New Adult at a push. These trigger warnings include rape, physical and mental abuse, animal cruelty, torture (in detail), kidnap, burns, suicide, miscarriage and general violence.
Dark fairytale still doesn’t seem enough… Sinister fairytale might just do it!
The Stars That Guide You Home is simultaneously beautiful, horrifying and inspiring. This book will break your heart over and over again and keep you coming back for more. Thank you to The Book Network for the opportunity to review this amazing novel, and thank you to Jemma, even though you did make me cry for 486 pages!
Just…wow.
Now I make no secret of the fact that I am a crier. Christmas TV ads, airport arrivals halls, old men crying, anything has the ability to set me off blubbing! So I am never entirely surprised when I start crying at a book, even my husband doesn’t mock me anymore. But this book? THIS BOOK had me crying the entire way through and just when you thought life for the characters couldn’t get any worse…Jemma Robinson says hold my coat!
Sophia and Tom live in a quaint little farmhouse in the town of Lowshore. Their life is a simple one but their happy marriage practically radiates from the page. However, Sophia never told her husband about her past and that past is about to catch up with her!
Whilst Tom is at work, Sophia is kidnapped from her happy home and forced to live the life that she tried so desperately to escape. Beaten, abused and powerless, Sophia manages to find two people worthy of her trust but will she ever escape? Can she ever regain the life that she used to have with Tom?
The beauty of this book is that it revolves around its characters. There is very little world building here but, honestly, it isn’t needed. Nothing matters to Tom and Sophia except one-another and that is reflected in Jemma Robinson’s writing style.
The characters themselves stay with you long after the final page: Sophia wears her heart on her sleeve, Tom is steadfast and passionately protective, James and Annalise are, in contrast, calm and collected individuals but Edmund is nothing short of a psychopath!
Edmund is no fairytale villain, despite the Lord Farquaad vibes I was getting from him. Robinson’s antagonist wouldn’t be out of place in Game of Thrones: he is truly revolting, controlling and revels in his absolute power over everything and everyone in his kingdom.
The Stars That Guide You Home is marketed as historical romance, not a fairytale, and with its medicine, photographs and labour camps then it does seem too modern to be considered a fairytale. However, I would argue that castles, arranged marriages, medieval torture and absence of any morally grey characters could push this into the category of dark fairytale.
There are a number of trigger warnings within this novel that I want to highlight. This is by no means a YA book – it is definitely Adult Fiction or New Adult at a push. These trigger warnings include rape, physical and mental abuse, animal cruelty, torture (in detail), kidnap, burns, suicide, miscarriage and general violence.
Dark fairytale still doesn’t seem enough… Sinister fairytale might just do it!
The Stars That Guide You Home is simultaneously beautiful, horrifying and inspiring. This book will break your heart over and over again and keep you coming back for more. Thank you to The Book Network for the opportunity to review this amazing novel, and thank you to Jemma, even though you did make me cry for 486 pages!
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Father Stu (2022) in Movies
Sep 25, 2022
One Note Performance In The Lead Sinks Film
When one creates a film that is based on the real life exploits of a person, the Writer/Director of the film will be sorely tempted to include that character in every scene. Which is fine if that character is written in an interesting enough way to keep our attention. When it is NOT written well, then the film is poorer because of it.
Such is the case with Writer/Director Rosalind Ross’ (BARBARIAN) FATHER STU starring Mark Wahlberg in the titular role. Ms. Ross focuses on really one-trait of this character, never really diving deeper into the soul of the scoundrel who would turn his life around to serve others and, unfortunately, that is how Wahlberg plays this character as well - with the one note of “con-man and schemer” trying to have his charm and charisma carry the day. While this one note is not deep or particularly interesting, Wahlberg commits to this choice and plays Stu in that manner throughout the first part of the film.
And…that would be fine if the Stuart Long character has some sort of change of heart in the middle of the film when he decides to head to the Seminary, but Wahlberg plays this character (and Ross’ Directs this film) with the same one note. Consequently, those around him - and the audience - question his sincerity. I just plain didn’t buy or believe the character in the 2nd half of the movie and that sinks the ending of this film.
Fortunately, this film is populated with some wonderful, nuanced, performances from the Supporting Characters. Jacki Weaver (ANIMAL KINGDOM) is, once again, playing an abandoned wife constantly scrambling and scraping to get by. She has played this sort of roles many, many times before and she is always VERY good. This film is no exception. Malcolm McDowell does more than should be expected with the small part of the Head of the Seminary that Stuart attends. It would be very easy for McDowell to “mail it in”, but he doesn’t. He invests in his character - and his scenes with Wahlberg are much more interesting because of that. Teresa Ruiz (NARCOS) is sincere and believable as Stu’s one-time girlfriend while Cody Fern (AMERICAN HORROR STORY) brings plenty of layers as the character that could be/should be the one-note villain of this piece but is something a bit more.
And then there is Mel Gibson as Stu’s estranged father. He brings his star power - and considerable acting chops - to this pivotal role in the film and it is HIS change that I believed and drove the end of the film. I, actually, wanted to see more of his character.
Ultimately, this movie falls short because of the lack of depth of the performance by Wahlberg - and that’s too bad for the rest of the film is quite good.
Letter Grade: B-
6 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Such is the case with Writer/Director Rosalind Ross’ (BARBARIAN) FATHER STU starring Mark Wahlberg in the titular role. Ms. Ross focuses on really one-trait of this character, never really diving deeper into the soul of the scoundrel who would turn his life around to serve others and, unfortunately, that is how Wahlberg plays this character as well - with the one note of “con-man and schemer” trying to have his charm and charisma carry the day. While this one note is not deep or particularly interesting, Wahlberg commits to this choice and plays Stu in that manner throughout the first part of the film.
And…that would be fine if the Stuart Long character has some sort of change of heart in the middle of the film when he decides to head to the Seminary, but Wahlberg plays this character (and Ross’ Directs this film) with the same one note. Consequently, those around him - and the audience - question his sincerity. I just plain didn’t buy or believe the character in the 2nd half of the movie and that sinks the ending of this film.
Fortunately, this film is populated with some wonderful, nuanced, performances from the Supporting Characters. Jacki Weaver (ANIMAL KINGDOM) is, once again, playing an abandoned wife constantly scrambling and scraping to get by. She has played this sort of roles many, many times before and she is always VERY good. This film is no exception. Malcolm McDowell does more than should be expected with the small part of the Head of the Seminary that Stuart attends. It would be very easy for McDowell to “mail it in”, but he doesn’t. He invests in his character - and his scenes with Wahlberg are much more interesting because of that. Teresa Ruiz (NARCOS) is sincere and believable as Stu’s one-time girlfriend while Cody Fern (AMERICAN HORROR STORY) brings plenty of layers as the character that could be/should be the one-note villain of this piece but is something a bit more.
And then there is Mel Gibson as Stu’s estranged father. He brings his star power - and considerable acting chops - to this pivotal role in the film and it is HIS change that I believed and drove the end of the film. I, actually, wanted to see more of his character.
Ultimately, this movie falls short because of the lack of depth of the performance by Wahlberg - and that’s too bad for the rest of the film is quite good.
Letter Grade: B-
6 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Debbiereadsbook (1437 KP) rated Taylin's Temptation (Divergent Omegaverse #2) in Books
Oct 27, 2024
Steamy and emotional, a perfect combo for me!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 2 in the Divergent Omegaverse series, but you don't need to have read book 1, Alpha's Divergent Omega to follow this one. That is more of a short introduction into this group of men, and how things work in their world. You should though, cos it's short and steamy and packs a punch!
Taylin has worked with Hollis for 5 years. He wants Hollis but Hollis has made no indication that Taylin's want is reciprocated. When a meeting away coincides with Hollis' heat, that all changes. Taylin is considered divergent, and Hollis is not, since he can shift into his animal form, and Taylin cannot. Would Hollis really want Taylin?
What I loved about this, was that once Hollis set his sights onto Taylin, like PROPERLY, Taylin really didn't see it coming, and he was just a little bit blindsided by Hollis and this meeting away. Had he been paying more attention, he would have known it was Hollis' heat but he was too busy oogling Hollis!
These guys have wanted each other for so long, and once they get with the programme, they are all in and I loved that! Steamy and emotional, for me, a perfect combination!
I loved that all the boys of Lane and Derick have been instilled with the beliefs and views of their parents, both those born into the family and those who were bought into it for whatever reason. When they discover the omegas being mistreated in the factory, they ALL jump in, to set them free.
I loved that Taylin's brothers were ribbing him about being mated, but their fathers were like "just you wait!" and the brothers were like "nope, not happening!" and then, boom, book 3 is all laid out for you! Next one to fall is Booker.
Now, I have to admit, I had to google what a slow loris was, cos Taylin thought Hollis was cute in his shifted form, and I couldn't picture what they looked like, but oh my days! Cute is about the best word I could use to describe a slow loris! Especially when Hollis is curled up, in shifted form, on Taylin's chest. So bloody cute, that image.
I've followed Sayle from the very beginning. I mean, I almost slated her first book! But she has a way that pulls you in, and sets my book brain off with questions! It knows it has questions about Lord knows what about this book, but in true Sayle fashion, my brain can't voice them . . yet . . . maybe even at all!
So I'll leave this review with, I bloody loved it and I can't wait to watch the other brothers fall for their mates, in whichever way they do.
5 full and shiny stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is book 2 in the Divergent Omegaverse series, but you don't need to have read book 1, Alpha's Divergent Omega to follow this one. That is more of a short introduction into this group of men, and how things work in their world. You should though, cos it's short and steamy and packs a punch!
Taylin has worked with Hollis for 5 years. He wants Hollis but Hollis has made no indication that Taylin's want is reciprocated. When a meeting away coincides with Hollis' heat, that all changes. Taylin is considered divergent, and Hollis is not, since he can shift into his animal form, and Taylin cannot. Would Hollis really want Taylin?
What I loved about this, was that once Hollis set his sights onto Taylin, like PROPERLY, Taylin really didn't see it coming, and he was just a little bit blindsided by Hollis and this meeting away. Had he been paying more attention, he would have known it was Hollis' heat but he was too busy oogling Hollis!
These guys have wanted each other for so long, and once they get with the programme, they are all in and I loved that! Steamy and emotional, for me, a perfect combination!
I loved that all the boys of Lane and Derick have been instilled with the beliefs and views of their parents, both those born into the family and those who were bought into it for whatever reason. When they discover the omegas being mistreated in the factory, they ALL jump in, to set them free.
I loved that Taylin's brothers were ribbing him about being mated, but their fathers were like "just you wait!" and the brothers were like "nope, not happening!" and then, boom, book 3 is all laid out for you! Next one to fall is Booker.
Now, I have to admit, I had to google what a slow loris was, cos Taylin thought Hollis was cute in his shifted form, and I couldn't picture what they looked like, but oh my days! Cute is about the best word I could use to describe a slow loris! Especially when Hollis is curled up, in shifted form, on Taylin's chest. So bloody cute, that image.
I've followed Sayle from the very beginning. I mean, I almost slated her first book! But she has a way that pulls you in, and sets my book brain off with questions! It knows it has questions about Lord knows what about this book, but in true Sayle fashion, my brain can't voice them . . yet . . . maybe even at all!
So I'll leave this review with, I bloody loved it and I can't wait to watch the other brothers fall for their mates, in whichever way they do.
5 full and shiny stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Answers Are In The Forest (The Answers Series Book One) in Books
May 6, 2019
An Interesting Mystery Horror
I'm a big fan of ghost stories and haunted houses, so when I heard about The Answers Are In The Forest by Katie Kaleski, I knew it was a book I had to read. Luckily, it was a good read.
I went into The Answers Are In The Forest thinking this would be more of a haunted house/ghost story, and while there are ghosts, it's not a spooky ghost story. This is more of a horror mystery than a ghost story. Local children ranging in age from 8 through 15 have been murdered. They use dead rabbits as vessels for their spirits to talk to Gabby, the main character. Gabby feels compelled to solve the mystery of who the killer is. However, this puts Gabby in grave danger. I will say that the plot has been done before in other books, but The Answers Are In The Forest still makes for an interesting read. I didn't predict who the actual killer was at all. Even those I thought were guilty turned out to be innocent. Sometimes the plot felt a bit confusing, but I was able to figure it out easily enough after reading a bit more. There is a bit of a cliff hangar at the end of the book, but this is to be expected as it's part of a new series. For those that aren't big into series, I think this book could do alright as a standalone.
All the characters felt like real life people. There were times when Gabby felt a bit spoiled, but she is a teen, and we've all had moments like that. I did admire her tenacity to find out what happened to the murdered children no matter the danger to herself. I found Gabby's mom to be annoying. This wasn't because she was written poorly, but I just didn't like how uninterested she was in what was going on with Gabby especially when Gabby ended up in the hospital. Gabby's mom started out being somewhat caring, but she seemed to just become uninterested as the book progressed. My favorite character was Rusck. I just loved how caring and loyal Rusck seemed to be. I also admired his determination.
The pacing for The Answers Are In The Forest was done well for the most part. There were a few times that it did go too quickly, and I found myself wondering what had just happened. However, it would slow down to a good pace quickly enough, and I was able to enjoy reading it again.
Trigger warnings include profanity, violence (sometimes fairly graphic), and murder (both children, adult, and animal).
Overall, The Answers Are In The Forest is an interesting read although the plot has been done before. The characters are interesting enough and the plot flows well for the most part. I would recommend The Answers Are In The Forest by Katie Kaleski to those aged 15+. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series!
--
(A special thank you to YA Bound Book Tours for providing me with an eBook of The Answers Are In The Forest by Katie Kaleski in exchance for an honest and unbiased review.)
I went into The Answers Are In The Forest thinking this would be more of a haunted house/ghost story, and while there are ghosts, it's not a spooky ghost story. This is more of a horror mystery than a ghost story. Local children ranging in age from 8 through 15 have been murdered. They use dead rabbits as vessels for their spirits to talk to Gabby, the main character. Gabby feels compelled to solve the mystery of who the killer is. However, this puts Gabby in grave danger. I will say that the plot has been done before in other books, but The Answers Are In The Forest still makes for an interesting read. I didn't predict who the actual killer was at all. Even those I thought were guilty turned out to be innocent. Sometimes the plot felt a bit confusing, but I was able to figure it out easily enough after reading a bit more. There is a bit of a cliff hangar at the end of the book, but this is to be expected as it's part of a new series. For those that aren't big into series, I think this book could do alright as a standalone.
All the characters felt like real life people. There were times when Gabby felt a bit spoiled, but she is a teen, and we've all had moments like that. I did admire her tenacity to find out what happened to the murdered children no matter the danger to herself. I found Gabby's mom to be annoying. This wasn't because she was written poorly, but I just didn't like how uninterested she was in what was going on with Gabby especially when Gabby ended up in the hospital. Gabby's mom started out being somewhat caring, but she seemed to just become uninterested as the book progressed. My favorite character was Rusck. I just loved how caring and loyal Rusck seemed to be. I also admired his determination.
The pacing for The Answers Are In The Forest was done well for the most part. There were a few times that it did go too quickly, and I found myself wondering what had just happened. However, it would slow down to a good pace quickly enough, and I was able to enjoy reading it again.
Trigger warnings include profanity, violence (sometimes fairly graphic), and murder (both children, adult, and animal).
Overall, The Answers Are In The Forest is an interesting read although the plot has been done before. The characters are interesting enough and the plot flows well for the most part. I would recommend The Answers Are In The Forest by Katie Kaleski to those aged 15+. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series!
--
(A special thank you to YA Bound Book Tours for providing me with an eBook of The Answers Are In The Forest by Katie Kaleski in exchance for an honest and unbiased review.)
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated My Little Scythe in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
OMG look at the cute cover! Ok, the title is a little strange to those who are oblivious to its origin, but I knew the game to be a scaled down version of Scythe. This version started as a fan-made revision by a dad and his young daughter to make Scythe more playable for them. It’s basically about curating friendship through apple picking, delivering gems, baking pies, and trying to just be heckin good bois. My Little Scythe. Just don’t play it on My Little Game Table. It’s definitely a table hog, but it’s a glorious table hog.
Accost me later, but I have never played Scythe. I have played lots of area control and pick-up-and-deliver games. I have just now oversimplified an already mechanics-simple game. Without explaining the entire rulebook here, you are these cute little animal “seekers” who are buzzing around the board collecting apples and gems to deliver to the castle, upgrading your movement or “make” abilities, completing quests on the board, improving friendship, baking pies, or even winning pie fights against your opponents! Each of these accomplishments can equal trophies for your team and the first to four trophies triggers the end game.
Ok the good stuff. Everything. I absolutely love this one. The board is BIG, beautiful, colorful, and it makes me happy just looking at it. The theme is so easy to love, and the goals are clear. The game play couldn’t be simpler in what you do on your turn, and the components are absolutely top notch. It certainly doesn’t overstay its welcome on the table, and I want to keep playing it over and over. Those are signs of a GREAT game to me.
So, the bad. Well, I don’t really have anything negative to say about this at all. At least not that is the game’s fault. I have different strategies I still want to try in the game, but that keeps me playing more and that is actually a positive trait. Ok ok fine, I will give it a couple negatives, but they are just MY opinion based on what I enjoy. Can we borrow the idea of the berry component from Everdell to make the apples here cuter and squishy? Can we linen finish the cards? Can we make the Quest tokens bakelite or acrylic or something other than cardboard? Can the trophies be pre-painted minis of trophies? Can the seeker minis be pre-painted? Yeah sure. All that could easily be added to this game. But be prepared for another $50 added to the price (maybe, idk, I’m not a component manufacturer. Jamey, what’s the cost to bling this out?).
I digress, but the game is super solid. If you see it in the wild and you do not yet own it, pick it up. You will certainly thank me later. Let’s just propel this one into my Top 10 Games of All Time. Looks like I am not alone as Purple Phoenix Games gives this lovely adventure a 22 / 24.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/my-little-scythe-review/
Accost me later, but I have never played Scythe. I have played lots of area control and pick-up-and-deliver games. I have just now oversimplified an already mechanics-simple game. Without explaining the entire rulebook here, you are these cute little animal “seekers” who are buzzing around the board collecting apples and gems to deliver to the castle, upgrading your movement or “make” abilities, completing quests on the board, improving friendship, baking pies, or even winning pie fights against your opponents! Each of these accomplishments can equal trophies for your team and the first to four trophies triggers the end game.
Ok the good stuff. Everything. I absolutely love this one. The board is BIG, beautiful, colorful, and it makes me happy just looking at it. The theme is so easy to love, and the goals are clear. The game play couldn’t be simpler in what you do on your turn, and the components are absolutely top notch. It certainly doesn’t overstay its welcome on the table, and I want to keep playing it over and over. Those are signs of a GREAT game to me.
So, the bad. Well, I don’t really have anything negative to say about this at all. At least not that is the game’s fault. I have different strategies I still want to try in the game, but that keeps me playing more and that is actually a positive trait. Ok ok fine, I will give it a couple negatives, but they are just MY opinion based on what I enjoy. Can we borrow the idea of the berry component from Everdell to make the apples here cuter and squishy? Can we linen finish the cards? Can we make the Quest tokens bakelite or acrylic or something other than cardboard? Can the trophies be pre-painted minis of trophies? Can the seeker minis be pre-painted? Yeah sure. All that could easily be added to this game. But be prepared for another $50 added to the price (maybe, idk, I’m not a component manufacturer. Jamey, what’s the cost to bling this out?).
I digress, but the game is super solid. If you see it in the wild and you do not yet own it, pick it up. You will certainly thank me later. Let’s just propel this one into my Top 10 Games of All Time. Looks like I am not alone as Purple Phoenix Games gives this lovely adventure a 22 / 24.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2019/02/08/my-little-scythe-review/