Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (5000)

Content

SummerLGrant (185 KP) rated The Hate u Give in Books

Aug 20, 2017

The Hate u Give

Angie Thomas | 2017 | Children

8.4

(54 Ratings)

Book Rating

The writing (3 more)

The sincerity

The understanding

Everything

Powerful, truthful, emotional

I've just finished it and mulling it around my head. The fact that the reactions and the outcome of the story wasn't surprising and is a reflection of what goes on today is awful and heart-rending but Angie Thomas is using her weapon, her voice, to make sure it gets heard.

Starr is an absolutely beautiful character with a beautiful family and is put in an ugly situation when she witnesses her best friend shot and murdered by a police officer. He was unarmed, unaggressive and terrified of what the officer eventually does do.

An astoundingly well written debut novel that explores a lot of important topics offset by the support and love of family. It's relevant today and will be for a very long time.

Kudos

The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) rated Azul in Tabletop Games

Apr 15, 2018

Azul

2017 | Abstract Strategy

8.7

(21 Ratings)

Tabletop Game Rating

Beautiful tiles and boards (1 more)

Semi simple abstract premise

Amazing abstract game with beautiful tiles

I tried this two player with my friend Brian the other day. It played quickly in about a 1/2 hour. I played very poorly and yet still loved it. He described the rules very well and yet I still didn’t grasp it until after I’d played two rounds. Now I feel dumb for not getting it. It is not easy but is still elegant. It makes my brain work in a completely different was from other board game. Which is what I love about BoardGames. There is so much subtle strategy in this game. Not just which tiles to take but when and which row to put them in and not painting yourself into corners. I see why it’s likely to win game of the year this year.

Kudos

Book Divas (227 KP) rated Isla Emerged in Books

Jun 7, 2019

Isla Emerged

Deidre Sequeira | 2019 | Young Adult (YA)

9.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

Beautiful Story

OMG!! This is so much more than a simple retelling of the Little Mermaid as it goes beyond the scope of a mermaid who wants to be a part of the human world. This well-paced, beautiful story introduces us to Isla and we get to bear witness to her growth from a young girl with a lot of attitude to a woman who does what needs to be done to save her people.

The characters and storyline are impeccably done and the author's storytelling immediately captivated me. I did not want this story to end and I am beyond thrilled that I was able to read an advance readers copy. As soon as this is available in paperback, I will be purchasing it to add it to my bookshelf as I will be delving into this story again and again.

Kudos

Book Divas (227 KP) rated The Mermaid Trials in Books

Mar 5, 2018

The Mermaid Trials

Cameron Drake | 2018 | Young Adult (YA)

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Beautiful Aquatic Creation

Let me just say that I did not like this book at all... I LOVED IT!! Tri is definitely my type of mergal; she knows what she wants and doesn't let her circumstances get in the way. She's strong and loyal and simply an outstanding female lead in this beautiful aquatic creation. Cameron Drake's version of The Little Mermaid and Cinderella is beautifully written with stunning characters and world building that kept me completely under water until the end. I seriously did not want to come up for air. I wish this book could have gone on forever and the release of the next book in this series can't come soon enough.

{I requested a copy for review purposes and made no guarantee of a favorable review. The opinions expressed herein are unbiased and my own.}