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David McK (3721 KP) rated Total Eclipse (Weather Warden, #9) in Books

Jan 30, 2019

Back in the late-to-mid 80s, the band R.E.M. sang

'That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes ... It's the end of the world as we know it'

They might as well have been talking about this, the final book in Rachel Caine's <I>Weather Warden</I> series.

Again, picking up directly from the end of the last book, this has Joanne and David still on board the liner sailing home from their showdown with 'bad Bob', and with the 2 lead characters stripped of their powers. Not long before making landfall, however, the Earth starts to wake up and is not best pleased, instigating what basically amounts to Armageddon. The majority of the book deals with the Wardens attempts to placate the Earth and cancel this from happening, with Joanne and David regaining their powers in the process.

I was, I must admit, quite surprised at one point when one of the key characters of the series was called off (just over the 1/2 way mark): I hadn't really seen that coming. However, when they do (finally) make contact with Mother Earth, I found that portion of the plot to be resolved almost too easily, after what had went before.

The series, as a whole, had both it's peaks and troughs: while this entry may not (IMO) live up to some of the previous entries, nor was it the worst of them all.

Kudos

Advanced Automotive Fault Diagnosis

Tom Denton

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Diagnostics, or fault finding, is a fundamental part of an automotive technician's work, and as...

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2498 KP) rated Mrs. Claus and the Halloween Homicide in Books

Sep 29, 2021 (Updated Sep 29, 2021)

Introducing Halloween Has Consequences

April Claus is beginning her second year as the North Pole’s new Mrs. Claus, and she’s decided it would be fun to introduce Halloween to the residents of Santaland. Unfortunately, not everyone is on board, as evidenced by the threatening messages someone is leaving and the attack on the pumpkins one of the elves is growing. However, when things escalate to murder, April takes matters into her own hands to try to figure out what is going on. Can she keep the holiday from being ruined for everyone?

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, so I was anxious to return to the world that author Liz Ireland is creating. This book was fabulous as well. The murder takes place a little later in the story, but there is plenty going on to keep us entertained, and it only gets stronger as it goes along. The climax is wonderful. I did think there was a timeline issue at one point, but I think the fault is just a scene that is written unclearly. The little details of the world are guaranteed to make you smile; I just love them! While not all the characters are human, they are all completely real and we come to care for them quickly, which is key to getting us to believe in this world. If you are looking for a cozy mystery with a dash of fantasy, you’ll love this book.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2498 KP) rated Murder at an English Séance in Books

Jun 26, 2024 (Updated Jun 26, 2024)

I Foresee a Fun Book in Your Future

The biggest news in the village of Walmsley Parva (well, aside from Beryl’s latest stunt) is the arrival of the Dinsdales. Miss Dinsdale is a psychic, or so she claims. Beryl has had previous experiences with so called psychics, and she has her doubts right from the start. So she is fully on board when the two friends are hired to prove Miss Dinsdale is a fake.

Naturally, that means attending a séance or two to see Miss Dinsdale in action. What no one expects is for them to find a dead body at one of the sittings. Edwina and Beryl quickly change the focus of their investigation. Will they solve their latest case?

Since the last book took place mainly outside the village, I was thrilled to be back for this book. I enjoyed seeing the residents again, and see how Edwina and Beryl’s relationships with them continue to grow. The new characters are good, although there was one that seemed a little young for the age he had to be. I also enjoyed seeing how Edwina and Beryl continue to grow. The story was good with a couple of subplots that kept me engaged as I was reading. The time period came alive as I was reading as well. If you haven’t started this series, you are in for a treat. And if you are already a fan, you’ll be happy with the latest entry.

Kudos

The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) rated Russian Railroads in Tabletop Games

Oct 18, 2018

Russian Railroads

2013 | Business / Industrial, Transportation

7.8

(4 Ratings)

Tabletop Game Rating

Tough game (3 more)

Deep strategic options

Good Brain "Burn"

everything on the board is icons, there is no literacy needed, except for the rule book. (there are you tube videos)

frustrating not doing much at first. (3 more)

scoring is in the 3-400's feels like way too much.

currently out of print in USA

not for beginners, the game gets better the more you play and understand what's going on.

Really good game, tight choices, can't possibly do all that you want before the game ends.

Despite the slight drawbacks this is a great worker placement game. 4 players is definitely better than 2 players. There were many times I wanted a spot and someone took it before me, which is part of what makes a great worker placement game. The theme works, but isn't really important. There are many paths to victory, you just need to optimize the one you choose.