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Merissa (12066 KP) rated Operation Pinpoint (Space Force Rejects, #1) in Books
Nov 2, 2022
It can be hot in space!
OPERATION PINPOINT is the first book in the Space Force Rejects series and we are introduced to a world where people live on Motherships and Space Force helps other species. Of course, help isn't always wanted and Dravos is one who definitely didn't want the humans' help. He has been imprisoned and tortured for the past five years, and now has a kill chip inserted in his brain stem. Ravenna has the code to set it off, but she is more interested in saving her lover, Yve, than blowing up an alien who hasn't harmed her. Plus, she feels a connection with him she's not prepared to admit to, just yet.
This was a great story, with wonderful world-building that helps you to see the ships, the commandos, the scientists, and the other species. Ravenna, for all she is a good commando, is also incredibly naïve, thinking Space Force only does good, not harming anyone or anything. Both Dravos and Ravenna have a lot of learning to do as their story intertwines.
The story moves along at a good pace, the relationship between Ravenna and Dravos deepening as it does. I did feel their declarations were a bit out of the blue, but that's probably just me. I did love how they were together, the protectiveness they felt towards each other shone through.
It ends with a HFN semi-cliffhanger that will definitely leave you wanting to return to this world. I have questions I need answers to, that involve Ravenna, Dravos, and Centra. I need more! A great start to a series that I definitely recommend and can't wait to read more.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This was a great story, with wonderful world-building that helps you to see the ships, the commandos, the scientists, and the other species. Ravenna, for all she is a good commando, is also incredibly naïve, thinking Space Force only does good, not harming anyone or anything. Both Dravos and Ravenna have a lot of learning to do as their story intertwines.
The story moves along at a good pace, the relationship between Ravenna and Dravos deepening as it does. I did feel their declarations were a bit out of the blue, but that's probably just me. I did love how they were together, the protectiveness they felt towards each other shone through.
It ends with a HFN semi-cliffhanger that will definitely leave you wanting to return to this world. I have questions I need answers to, that involve Ravenna, Dravos, and Centra. I need more! A great start to a series that I definitely recommend and can't wait to read more.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Debbiereadsbook (1202 KP) rated A Star to Sail By in Books
Sep 9, 2023
loved being kept on my toes!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Crispin wanted to be in the Navy, and now he finds himself on a pirate ship, helping them. But these pirates aren't like anything he heard about and Billy, especially, calls to him for reasons he can't figure out. Billy knows though, and it takes a storm to bring them finally to admit to each other what they could be.
What I especially liked about this, was being kept on my toes!
We are aware that something happened to Crispin to mean he is surviving on a merchant ship, and is no longer in the Royal Navy, but not WHY. We know Billy hates Naval officers, but not WHY. And we get the answers to both almost at the same time. Very different reasons, but equally devastating to them. I'm not going to go into it, for spoilers, but difficult reading, Billy's especially. Be mindful of the trigger warnings on this book.
It's not especially explicit, but I didn't mind that here. It's more about the feeling these two men have for each other, and knowing that they can be together, in this time, and be safe.
It is, however, quite violent. These pirates are ...reasonable...in their behaviours, but things happen and then Crispin and Billy are dealt a nasty blow. The level of violence is not graphic, though it does carry some detailed descriptions of punishments and the aftermath. Also, the reason Billy hates Naval officers is described in some detail.
It's not a complicated read, and I found I read it faster than I normally would for a book of this length, some 370 pages.
First I've read of this author, I like the way she spins her tales. I'll certainly read more by this author.
A very enjoyable, 4 star read
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Crispin wanted to be in the Navy, and now he finds himself on a pirate ship, helping them. But these pirates aren't like anything he heard about and Billy, especially, calls to him for reasons he can't figure out. Billy knows though, and it takes a storm to bring them finally to admit to each other what they could be.
What I especially liked about this, was being kept on my toes!
We are aware that something happened to Crispin to mean he is surviving on a merchant ship, and is no longer in the Royal Navy, but not WHY. We know Billy hates Naval officers, but not WHY. And we get the answers to both almost at the same time. Very different reasons, but equally devastating to them. I'm not going to go into it, for spoilers, but difficult reading, Billy's especially. Be mindful of the trigger warnings on this book.
It's not especially explicit, but I didn't mind that here. It's more about the feeling these two men have for each other, and knowing that they can be together, in this time, and be safe.
It is, however, quite violent. These pirates are ...reasonable...in their behaviours, but things happen and then Crispin and Billy are dealt a nasty blow. The level of violence is not graphic, though it does carry some detailed descriptions of punishments and the aftermath. Also, the reason Billy hates Naval officers is described in some detail.
It's not a complicated read, and I found I read it faster than I normally would for a book of this length, some 370 pages.
First I've read of this author, I like the way she spins her tales. I'll certainly read more by this author.
A very enjoyable, 4 star read
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Averlon (Trident Cove #1)
8.0
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Slave to a feared pirate captain, Faolan Davenport dreams of escape. Fate answers his plea in the...
High Fantasy Romance MM Omegaverse
Merissa (12066 KP) rated If I Were A Weapon (All These Gifts #1) in Books
Dec 29, 2021
IF I WERE A WEAPON is the first book in the All These Gifts series, and we find ourselves in an Earth of the not-too-distant future where alien ships crash-landed to Earth, killing or displacing the inhabitants. For those that survived, for the lucky majority, life continued as normal but, for some, their lives were irrevocably changed.
Deneve and Jolie are some that changed. Deneve has the ability to predict the future in certain circumstances, with the nanites ramping up until she acts to change whatever it was she saw. Jolie has the ability to play with fire. Both are hiding from people who might use them and neither wants anything long-term. When Deneve has a vision about Jolie being in danger though, she has to stay to make sure Jolie is safe, even though they don't know each other.
This was really well-written, with plenty of backstory and build-up to move the story along. Deneve and Jolie don't know each other, and their relationship reflects that, although it will change as the series progresses. For now, they share a kiss and that's it. For the most part, it is stilted formality between them, which somehow works and lets you see more into their personalities than if they had been best buds from the outset.
Set in Austin, Texas, you get a story rich in detail, where the differences between those that are 'normal' and those that are not are highlighted in simple and subtle ways. This is a series so don't expect to have all the answers given to you in book one, because you will surely be disappointed.
As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to continuing with the series to see where it takes me next. Absolutely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Deneve and Jolie are some that changed. Deneve has the ability to predict the future in certain circumstances, with the nanites ramping up until she acts to change whatever it was she saw. Jolie has the ability to play with fire. Both are hiding from people who might use them and neither wants anything long-term. When Deneve has a vision about Jolie being in danger though, she has to stay to make sure Jolie is safe, even though they don't know each other.
This was really well-written, with plenty of backstory and build-up to move the story along. Deneve and Jolie don't know each other, and their relationship reflects that, although it will change as the series progresses. For now, they share a kiss and that's it. For the most part, it is stilted formality between them, which somehow works and lets you see more into their personalities than if they had been best buds from the outset.
Set in Austin, Texas, you get a story rich in detail, where the differences between those that are 'normal' and those that are not are highlighted in simple and subtle ways. This is a series so don't expect to have all the answers given to you in book one, because you will surely be disappointed.
As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to continuing with the series to see where it takes me next. Absolutely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Easter Basket Murder
Barbara Ross, Leslie Meier and Lee Hollis
8.0
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Put on your springtime best and grab a basket, because Easter egg hunting is to dye for in this...
Once Upon a Wardrobe
5.0
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Now available in trade paper with an eye-catching new cover from the bestselling author of Becoming...
Rise to Rebellion (Faith Clarke #3)
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Summer 1776. Different missions call Faith Clarke and Jeremy Butler to Philadelphia, where delegates...
Historical Fiction Mystery Faith Clarke Series
Nadya R (9 KP) rated The Butterfly Garden in Books
Jul 2, 2018
Usually I don’t choice book by its cover. But in this case, when I saw the book’s cover I was almost sure that I wanna read this book. The cover with its dark tones and eye catching red details is so stunning.* Then there was a brainstorming review that made me 100% sure I am gonna read this book.
The story is told my Maya. 18 years old girl managed to escape from a sex-addicted serial killer. He ‘catches’ the girls and make them live in the Garden. From first sight this Garden is a piece of Heaven- all this green plants, cliffs with waterfalls and brooks, but actually its a Devil’s place and the Devil is The Gardener. Rich man, craving for attention sociopath, he keeps his Garden full with beautiful young girls with breathtaking tattoos on their back. The tattoos represent butterfly wings and that’s why these girls are called ‘Butterflies’. They are going to share the butterfly beauty but their short life as well.
The story goes in two directions- the one, where two FBI detectives are trying to solve the mystery of The Garden and meanwhile leading Maya’s interrogation and the second one brings us back the house throughout Maya’s memories.
Maya was the girl who helps the new ‘catch’ the get use with the new situation they came with. Also she tries to keep all girls united. Except from the Gardener, there is his eldest son who also is aware of what’s going on in his dad’s secret garden. There is Lorraine as well. She is an ex-Butterfly who takes care for the girls and plays the role of their doctor. She is free of going in and out of the house, whenever she wants to, but also she is the perfect example of Stockholm syndrome so she didn’t even think about exposing her beloved one.
The Gardener is pretty conflicting character, though. Although he keeps girls in captive, for the outside world he is intelligent man, and big appreciator of art. He takes care for the girls, acts gently, with respect, but he expect from them, they always to be ready to greet him in their beds and to satisfy his sexual desires. From other side is his biggest son. He, in difference with his father, is evil and rude. He is one sadistic son of a bitch, trying to take all the benefits from the girls, as he can. The thing that makes him horny and turns him up is to break girls limbs, to hurt and even to kill them while he is f*cking them.
The wind of change came with Des - the Gardener lil son. He is good and loving, just like his father, except the fact that he doesn’t ripe girls and doesn’t like what his father and brother are doing at all. But after all he is son of his father and prefers to keep their family name nice and clean, instead of helping the girls.
From the very first page, the book held my attention and this didn’t change throughout the hole book till the last page. A horrifying story narrated extremely well. The adrenaline of the action kept me awake in the night, made me turn over the pages till I reached the last one. Maya is the perfect narrator- a rebel with butting tongue, she brings so much life to the book and her story at all. The biggest fault of the book is its ending. Seriously who can finish an amazing book like this in this stupid, discouraged way? It’s like the author just ran out of ideas (or deadlines were knocking on the door) and rushed the end. In the last pages there is a person, showed up with all the answers I need, but I didn’t found their answers because the book came to its end. I was so frustrated that I wanted to throw the book away and never ever look at it once again.
Despite the miserable ending, I recommend the books as something that everyone, who likes psycho triller, has to read.
* I’m taking about Bulgarian edition of the book ?
The story is told my Maya. 18 years old girl managed to escape from a sex-addicted serial killer. He ‘catches’ the girls and make them live in the Garden. From first sight this Garden is a piece of Heaven- all this green plants, cliffs with waterfalls and brooks, but actually its a Devil’s place and the Devil is The Gardener. Rich man, craving for attention sociopath, he keeps his Garden full with beautiful young girls with breathtaking tattoos on their back. The tattoos represent butterfly wings and that’s why these girls are called ‘Butterflies’. They are going to share the butterfly beauty but their short life as well.
The story goes in two directions- the one, where two FBI detectives are trying to solve the mystery of The Garden and meanwhile leading Maya’s interrogation and the second one brings us back the house throughout Maya’s memories.
Maya was the girl who helps the new ‘catch’ the get use with the new situation they came with. Also she tries to keep all girls united. Except from the Gardener, there is his eldest son who also is aware of what’s going on in his dad’s secret garden. There is Lorraine as well. She is an ex-Butterfly who takes care for the girls and plays the role of their doctor. She is free of going in and out of the house, whenever she wants to, but also she is the perfect example of Stockholm syndrome so she didn’t even think about exposing her beloved one.
The Gardener is pretty conflicting character, though. Although he keeps girls in captive, for the outside world he is intelligent man, and big appreciator of art. He takes care for the girls, acts gently, with respect, but he expect from them, they always to be ready to greet him in their beds and to satisfy his sexual desires. From other side is his biggest son. He, in difference with his father, is evil and rude. He is one sadistic son of a bitch, trying to take all the benefits from the girls, as he can. The thing that makes him horny and turns him up is to break girls limbs, to hurt and even to kill them while he is f*cking them.
The wind of change came with Des - the Gardener lil son. He is good and loving, just like his father, except the fact that he doesn’t ripe girls and doesn’t like what his father and brother are doing at all. But after all he is son of his father and prefers to keep their family name nice and clean, instead of helping the girls.
From the very first page, the book held my attention and this didn’t change throughout the hole book till the last page. A horrifying story narrated extremely well. The adrenaline of the action kept me awake in the night, made me turn over the pages till I reached the last one. Maya is the perfect narrator- a rebel with butting tongue, she brings so much life to the book and her story at all. The biggest fault of the book is its ending. Seriously who can finish an amazing book like this in this stupid, discouraged way? It’s like the author just ran out of ideas (or deadlines were knocking on the door) and rushed the end. In the last pages there is a person, showed up with all the answers I need, but I didn’t found their answers because the book came to its end. I was so frustrated that I wanted to throw the book away and never ever look at it once again.
Despite the miserable ending, I recommend the books as something that everyone, who likes psycho triller, has to read.
* I’m taking about Bulgarian edition of the book ?
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Echoes in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
<h2><strong><cite>Echoes</cite></strong><strong> by Alice Reeds is so confusing yet interesting at the exact same time.</strong></h2>
Alice Reed's latest novel is <i>super</i> vague in its synopsis with two teens (Fiona and Miles) applying for an internship and somehow waking up on a deserted island with no recollection of how they got there in the first place.
<strong>I can't tell if my feelings are a good thing or a bad thing. </strong>I have so many thoughts and feelings about <i>Echoes</i>, so I'm going to run around in the middle. 🤔
<h3><strong><i>Echoes</i></strong><strong> is confusing AF</strong></h3>
Reeds lays out this book in two time periods - Berlin and the island. Berlin is supposedly right before they got to the island, but I am left with so many questions of <i>how</i> they even got there.
Heck, I'm left with so many questions after finishing the novel. If that was Reeds's intention, she did a phenomenal job with it, because I'm confused AF with a vague idea of what even happened.
<h3><strong>There is instalove</strong></h3>
You don't even need to try to know that this is instalove and enemies to lovers on the spot. Fiona and Miles are high school enemies - they've hated each other from the moment they met and <i>somehow</i> ended up on an island together. Alone. What else is going to happen in the world of book tropes? 🤷
<h3><strong>To be honest, this book makes you think</strong></h3>
I don't think I've walked away even one step ahead from each chapter without having to retrace my steps and think about what really happened. This might be why I'm still super confused - I'm constantly asking, "How did this happen?" and "Why did this happen?"
<strong>I had to step away </strong><strong><i>a lot</i></strong><strong> because I was confused.</strong> My brain was just pure:
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2767" src="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/317/2017/08/what-the-fuck.gif"; alt="" width="320" height="159" />
I'm still lost and I have not returned from this lostness. (Maybe I was tired.)
<h3><strong>It still kept you interested despite the confusion</strong></h3>
I <i>nearly</i> DNFed this book, but I wanted to know <i>what</i> happened and what <i>will</i> happen at the end. Fortunately for fictional books, I don't get killed for being curious.
<h3><strong>The characters felt pretty flat and writing was meh</strong></h3>
I didn't care too much about Fiona and Miles - sure I want them alive, but do I care? Not really... I cared more about how they got there in the first and how they got from Berlin to a deserted island. All I got from the characters is:
<ol>
<li>Fiona is a champion kickboxer</li>
<li>Miles is a wealthy and popular kid at school</li>
<li>Their fathers didn't really give a shit about them</li>
</ol>
Plus the writing! First of all, let's set aside that confusion and focus on the writing by itself, which was okay, but definitely not the best. <strong>There was a lot of telling and descriptions that made me want to roll over and fall asleep</strong> than "I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT." And for me, meh writing + confusion = does not have the desire to continue the book.
<h2><strong>Honestly, </strong><i><strong>Echoes</strong></i><strong> is just plain confusion, which is great if you want to be confused. I just felt like I had no answers by the end of the book when all I wanted </strong><strong><i>were</i></strong><strong> answers.</strong></h2>
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/echoes-by-alice-reeds/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
<h2><strong><cite>Echoes</cite></strong><strong> by Alice Reeds is so confusing yet interesting at the exact same time.</strong></h2>
Alice Reed's latest novel is <i>super</i> vague in its synopsis with two teens (Fiona and Miles) applying for an internship and somehow waking up on a deserted island with no recollection of how they got there in the first place.
<strong>I can't tell if my feelings are a good thing or a bad thing. </strong>I have so many thoughts and feelings about <i>Echoes</i>, so I'm going to run around in the middle. 🤔
<h3><strong><i>Echoes</i></strong><strong> is confusing AF</strong></h3>
Reeds lays out this book in two time periods - Berlin and the island. Berlin is supposedly right before they got to the island, but I am left with so many questions of <i>how</i> they even got there.
Heck, I'm left with so many questions after finishing the novel. If that was Reeds's intention, she did a phenomenal job with it, because I'm confused AF with a vague idea of what even happened.
<h3><strong>There is instalove</strong></h3>
You don't even need to try to know that this is instalove and enemies to lovers on the spot. Fiona and Miles are high school enemies - they've hated each other from the moment they met and <i>somehow</i> ended up on an island together. Alone. What else is going to happen in the world of book tropes? 🤷
<h3><strong>To be honest, this book makes you think</strong></h3>
I don't think I've walked away even one step ahead from each chapter without having to retrace my steps and think about what really happened. This might be why I'm still super confused - I'm constantly asking, "How did this happen?" and "Why did this happen?"
<strong>I had to step away </strong><strong><i>a lot</i></strong><strong> because I was confused.</strong> My brain was just pure:
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2767" src="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/317/2017/08/what-the-fuck.gif"; alt="" width="320" height="159" />
I'm still lost and I have not returned from this lostness. (Maybe I was tired.)
<h3><strong>It still kept you interested despite the confusion</strong></h3>
I <i>nearly</i> DNFed this book, but I wanted to know <i>what</i> happened and what <i>will</i> happen at the end. Fortunately for fictional books, I don't get killed for being curious.
<h3><strong>The characters felt pretty flat and writing was meh</strong></h3>
I didn't care too much about Fiona and Miles - sure I want them alive, but do I care? Not really... I cared more about how they got there in the first and how they got from Berlin to a deserted island. All I got from the characters is:
<ol>
<li>Fiona is a champion kickboxer</li>
<li>Miles is a wealthy and popular kid at school</li>
<li>Their fathers didn't really give a shit about them</li>
</ol>
Plus the writing! First of all, let's set aside that confusion and focus on the writing by itself, which was okay, but definitely not the best. <strong>There was a lot of telling and descriptions that made me want to roll over and fall asleep</strong> than "I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT." And for me, meh writing + confusion = does not have the desire to continue the book.
<h2><strong>Honestly, </strong><i><strong>Echoes</strong></i><strong> is just plain confusion, which is great if you want to be confused. I just felt like I had no answers by the end of the book when all I wanted </strong><strong><i>were</i></strong><strong> answers.</strong></h2>
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/echoes-by-alice-reeds/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Deckscape: Crew vs Crew - The Pirate's Island in Tabletop Games
May 20, 2021
Who out there has ever gone to an escape room and not enjoyed themselves? I know nobody (though if that’s you, it’s okay). I have only been to one in my life (eek!) and I absolutely loved it! I have watched videos of celebrities tackling escape rooms and have been riveted. I like the shows you can now find streaming of similar type activities and am always glued to the screen. Heck, I have played the EXIT and Unlock systems of board games and enjoyed them as well. So having the experience I have and having played two other Deckscape games, how did this one fare for me? Much better. Read on.
These one-shot escape room style games are difficult to explain without major spoilers, so I will try to explain what I can as best I can. Please don’t flame me for being vague. I am protecting you.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more info, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
To setup, open the box and take out the cards. Done. Read Card 1.
This one is quite a bit different from previous Deckscape games I have played in several ways. First, this is a head-to-head game where two players (or teams of players) will be taking sides of two pirate captains and attempting to figure out the answers to puzzles offered on cards in the game. Each side will have equal time and opportunity to solve the puzzles, but the first side to claim that they have solved it will be able to flip over the puzzle card to check for accurate answers. If they have succeeded, they earn the booty. If they fail, the other team has a chance to complete the puzzle successfully.
Play continues through the deck of cards with each side engaging in battles of wits until the end of the game draws near. The side with the most booty earned will be the winner and the game can then be passed along to another group of players to enjoy.
Components. This is a box of cards. The cards are all bigger than normal playing cards and feature pretty great art and vivid colors. I totally dig the pirate theme, so I was already destined to enjoy to aesthetic, but I do believe this is the better-looking game of the ones I have tried in its family.
Gameplay is also so different from the other two games in the Deckscape system and that’s a great thing. Having this head-to-head style really suited my situation when I played it: my 10-year-old niece was bored while her twin brother was at baseball practice, so I invited her to play this with me. Long story short, she ended up beating me by one point in the end, so that made her incredibly happy. I also highly enjoyed my playthrough of it, even in defeat.
I wish I could speak more on the specifics why I liked this, but again, as River Song would say, “Spoilers.” Do know that of the three Deckscape games I have played, I believe this is the best of the group. The puzzles are all fantastic, and I feel like I had a good handle on the solutions, but my niece obviously beat me to them more often than I would have liked to have admitted. That said, I can recommend this one to anyone interested in the Deckscape system with one caveat: this is head-to-head instead of the typical cooperative experience in the series. So you have been warned. It’s very good, though, so do check it out. Purple Phoenix Games (with guest score from my niece Keira) gives this one a puzzly 10 / 12, If you are wanting a little different flavor in your bottle of rum, grab a copy of this and enjoy. Just play it with someone your own age, or prepare to BE owned.
These one-shot escape room style games are difficult to explain without major spoilers, so I will try to explain what I can as best I can. Please don’t flame me for being vague. I am protecting you.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more info, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T
To setup, open the box and take out the cards. Done. Read Card 1.
This one is quite a bit different from previous Deckscape games I have played in several ways. First, this is a head-to-head game where two players (or teams of players) will be taking sides of two pirate captains and attempting to figure out the answers to puzzles offered on cards in the game. Each side will have equal time and opportunity to solve the puzzles, but the first side to claim that they have solved it will be able to flip over the puzzle card to check for accurate answers. If they have succeeded, they earn the booty. If they fail, the other team has a chance to complete the puzzle successfully.
Play continues through the deck of cards with each side engaging in battles of wits until the end of the game draws near. The side with the most booty earned will be the winner and the game can then be passed along to another group of players to enjoy.
Components. This is a box of cards. The cards are all bigger than normal playing cards and feature pretty great art and vivid colors. I totally dig the pirate theme, so I was already destined to enjoy to aesthetic, but I do believe this is the better-looking game of the ones I have tried in its family.
Gameplay is also so different from the other two games in the Deckscape system and that’s a great thing. Having this head-to-head style really suited my situation when I played it: my 10-year-old niece was bored while her twin brother was at baseball practice, so I invited her to play this with me. Long story short, she ended up beating me by one point in the end, so that made her incredibly happy. I also highly enjoyed my playthrough of it, even in defeat.
I wish I could speak more on the specifics why I liked this, but again, as River Song would say, “Spoilers.” Do know that of the three Deckscape games I have played, I believe this is the best of the group. The puzzles are all fantastic, and I feel like I had a good handle on the solutions, but my niece obviously beat me to them more often than I would have liked to have admitted. That said, I can recommend this one to anyone interested in the Deckscape system with one caveat: this is head-to-head instead of the typical cooperative experience in the series. So you have been warned. It’s very good, though, so do check it out. Purple Phoenix Games (with guest score from my niece Keira) gives this one a puzzly 10 / 12, If you are wanting a little different flavor in your bottle of rum, grab a copy of this and enjoy. Just play it with someone your own age, or prepare to BE owned.
