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RPGMP3 (211 KP) rated Bears vs Babies in Tabletop Games
Apr 20, 2018
Cool Idea (1 more)
Monsters Eating Babies
Can Get Frustrating (1 more)
Winner Is Usually Obvious Very Early
You Get To Build Monsters (And Eat Babies)
I Kickstartered this game when it was released despite not really loving Exploding Kittens beyond the art and the concept. The large draw was that I did not have any other game in my collection that I could pet and stroke when I was stressed and who doesn't like building monsters?
To be honest, this is a decent game with some strategy elements. The main issue is that the winner generally becomes evident early on in the game when they take a large number of points and wipe out everyone else's monsters and it become difficult for everyone else to catch up if the leader plays to obstruct.
The art is cute and sometimes rather disturbing, especially in the NSFW expansion (which should certainly not be used with kids at the table unless you want some deep and terrible conversations about schlongs). The monsters you make are funny and you can get a little attached to them. Sadly, that is a bad strategy as they can be wiped out in the Baby War at any point when someone provokes one of the baby armies and they kill everyone.
One of the biggest frustrations with this game is that sometimes you get to a point where you have nothing but legs and nothing else. All you want is a head or a cool body to attach all your legs to. You don't want to waste a turn diving in the discard for a head so you keep drawing more legs until you can hardly hold all your cards. At the end of the game you realize the Dave has all the heads and you hate him. Screw you, Dave!
Overall, its OK, You won't play it all the time, but it can be fun with a beer in the right crowd.
To be honest, this is a decent game with some strategy elements. The main issue is that the winner generally becomes evident early on in the game when they take a large number of points and wipe out everyone else's monsters and it become difficult for everyone else to catch up if the leader plays to obstruct.
The art is cute and sometimes rather disturbing, especially in the NSFW expansion (which should certainly not be used with kids at the table unless you want some deep and terrible conversations about schlongs). The monsters you make are funny and you can get a little attached to them. Sadly, that is a bad strategy as they can be wiped out in the Baby War at any point when someone provokes one of the baby armies and they kill everyone.
One of the biggest frustrations with this game is that sometimes you get to a point where you have nothing but legs and nothing else. All you want is a head or a cool body to attach all your legs to. You don't want to waste a turn diving in the discard for a head so you keep drawing more legs until you can hardly hold all your cards. At the end of the game you realize the Dave has all the heads and you hate him. Screw you, Dave!
Overall, its OK, You won't play it all the time, but it can be fun with a beer in the right crowd.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Divergent in Books
Feb 11, 2019
So this book is a bit of a recycled plot - whether or not Roth was aware that it resembled Hunger Games. Honestly, though, I really don't care. The book was entertaining, the world-building was still unique, and I can't wait to read the next one.
I found the idea of dividing society into factions based on a specific personality trait interesting in that I wanted much greater detail about each faction, much more so than the main character, Tris, was willing to provide. Tris is a teenager being forced into making the greatest decision of her life, and there just is not time for dwelling on the details. I found the simulation that is designed to help decide the faction of each individual too simplistic. Human beings are complex creatures, and an individual's personal prerogatives can change very easily from year to year. Abnegation, Amity, Erudite, Candor, Dauntless, or the rebellious Divergent - I could easily fit into any of these at different times in my life. The characters in the book are no different.
Much of the book centers around Tris undergoing the trials of becoming Dauntless, with details of the other factions trickling in, as well as the state of the political current. While this world of factions was originally created with the best of intentions, corruption has set in at all levels, and Tris's world will be toppled by the end of the book. While her trials are a journey of self-discovery, she is also forced to grow up quickly to protect the people she loves.
The only thing I would have liked to end differently is what happens to Tris's mother - with everything that we discover about her, she could have been a fountain of fascinating plot elements. Unfortunately, in most YA books, parental figures rarely stick around. Hopefully, I will get my hands on Insurgent soon!
I found the idea of dividing society into factions based on a specific personality trait interesting in that I wanted much greater detail about each faction, much more so than the main character, Tris, was willing to provide. Tris is a teenager being forced into making the greatest decision of her life, and there just is not time for dwelling on the details. I found the simulation that is designed to help decide the faction of each individual too simplistic. Human beings are complex creatures, and an individual's personal prerogatives can change very easily from year to year. Abnegation, Amity, Erudite, Candor, Dauntless, or the rebellious Divergent - I could easily fit into any of these at different times in my life. The characters in the book are no different.
Much of the book centers around Tris undergoing the trials of becoming Dauntless, with details of the other factions trickling in, as well as the state of the political current. While this world of factions was originally created with the best of intentions, corruption has set in at all levels, and Tris's world will be toppled by the end of the book. While her trials are a journey of self-discovery, she is also forced to grow up quickly to protect the people she loves.
The only thing I would have liked to end differently is what happens to Tris's mother - with everything that we discover about her, she could have been a fountain of fascinating plot elements. Unfortunately, in most YA books, parental figures rarely stick around. Hopefully, I will get my hands on Insurgent soon!
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires, #1) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I found this book to be a nice change from the typical high school setting that so many Young Adult books take place in - with good reason, of course. So what if she's still only 16, she's in college! Unfortunately, she still has not outgrown the evil female clique syndrome that plague so many stories. Some elements of the story remind me of my own days in university, but the book takes them all to the extreme. On a side note, it's a good thing she's so dang smart, because from my experience, skipping classes like she does throughout the text should, in reality, result in failing grades. I guess that's the beauty of fantasy literature - you can skip all the drudgery and go straight for the exciting bits of life.
The part I did not really understand - and I am still waiting for an explanation after finishing the book - is how the psychotic Monica seems to get away with more than the resident vampires do. I mean, if the vamps both built and run the town of Morganville, it makes more sense that they would want to appear more nefarious than the lowly humans.
I also found it strangely refreshing that the vampires were wholely and completely the bad guys - no human-vampire romantic happenings, and no, Miranda the vision-plagued goth and her undead boyfriend Charles do not count. But I did find the head vampire Amelie very intriguing, since she seems less interested in bloody deaths and widespread property damage and more interested in maintaining power and protecting her assets, a trait that no other vampire in the novel seemed to exhibit.
I can not wait to get my hands on the next novel in the series, The Dead Girls' Dance, since Michael's state of ghost / not-ghost / Glass House incarnate has not been resolved enough for me at all!
The part I did not really understand - and I am still waiting for an explanation after finishing the book - is how the psychotic Monica seems to get away with more than the resident vampires do. I mean, if the vamps both built and run the town of Morganville, it makes more sense that they would want to appear more nefarious than the lowly humans.
I also found it strangely refreshing that the vampires were wholely and completely the bad guys - no human-vampire romantic happenings, and no, Miranda the vision-plagued goth and her undead boyfriend Charles do not count. But I did find the head vampire Amelie very intriguing, since she seems less interested in bloody deaths and widespread property damage and more interested in maintaining power and protecting her assets, a trait that no other vampire in the novel seemed to exhibit.
I can not wait to get my hands on the next novel in the series, The Dead Girls' Dance, since Michael's state of ghost / not-ghost / Glass House incarnate has not been resolved enough for me at all!
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Feast of Fools (The Morganville Vampires, #4) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
This book picks up right where the previous one left off, right in the middle of the action. I love when books do that. I flew through this book as quickly as the previous three, barely taking time to eat or sleep. I would compare the infamous Mr. Bishop to Dracula - minus the romantic leanings. Nothing about him is remotely appealing, and he has no interest in making himself appealing, unlike the other two power players in town, Oliver and Amelie. Lots of subplots are developed, but this one felt like more time could have been devoted to these other elements and lengthened the novel a bit without sacrificing the quality of the text, such as exploring how Claire could wield the power of Glass House, the effect that Michael had on others when he performed, Claire's problem with her professor, or even Claire's parents reaction to the truth about Morganville. It feels as if there are too many characters in the script and not enough pages to give them all adequate time in the spotlight. I find the character of Myrnin even more fascinating in this book - he seems sort of like the dark town jester. I was also disappointed in Claire's lack of interest in her classes, given that she was so happy about her schedule change in the last book. The funeral of Eve's father seemed forced, like it was inserted in the plot as an afterthought, especially since we did not see her mother at the ball at the end of the book, even though it seems logical that Mrs. Rosser would try to use the occasion to make a specticle of herself, not unlike Monica Morrell. Wow, so I had alot of nit-picky things to say about this book, but I still really enjoyed it and I really like this series, especially the character of Claire, who has more courage and daring than anyone in the book. I look forward to the next one, Lord of Misrule.
John Roope (4 KP) rated Velvet Buzzsaw (2019) in Movies
Feb 12, 2019
A mixed bag of a film, both engaging and tiresome
Dan Gilroys teams up again with jake Gyllenhaal but this time with far less success than 2014's nightcrawler. Velvet Buzzsaw follows a small group of the LA art world as the mysterious paintings of dease are released into the world. As seen in the trailer the paintings are able to move and even come out and grab you and here is where my issues with the film start.
In my opinion in horror it's best to have some kind of rules so you know what to be scared of. Even the slightest hint of ghosts or the supernatural will do at separating horror from something more psychological. Here it's unclear as to why these paintings have these properties as everything feels like the real world and for the first act the film it balances on this in between of something psychological and actual physically alive paintings. And for the most part these horror sections are terribly predictable as soon as we see a main character alone with one of the paintings it's pretty clear as to what's gonna happen.
Where the movie excels is in between these horror parts when we get more of Morf(played by gyllenhaal in scintillating form) trying to figure out what's going on while experiencing haunting visual and auditory hallucinations. This descent into paranoia and almost madness is far more engaging than the cheap thrills the film seems more eager to give us. More of these characters being entranced yet horrified by these pictures and subtle things going wrong would have made for a far creepier experience.
Overall what could have been a really interesting psychological thriller ended up being a slightly above par horror movie with good performances all round and a interesting premise and while the horror elements were my least favourite part they were very creative and any horror fan would be sure to get a kick out of it
In my opinion in horror it's best to have some kind of rules so you know what to be scared of. Even the slightest hint of ghosts or the supernatural will do at separating horror from something more psychological. Here it's unclear as to why these paintings have these properties as everything feels like the real world and for the first act the film it balances on this in between of something psychological and actual physically alive paintings. And for the most part these horror sections are terribly predictable as soon as we see a main character alone with one of the paintings it's pretty clear as to what's gonna happen.
Where the movie excels is in between these horror parts when we get more of Morf(played by gyllenhaal in scintillating form) trying to figure out what's going on while experiencing haunting visual and auditory hallucinations. This descent into paranoia and almost madness is far more engaging than the cheap thrills the film seems more eager to give us. More of these characters being entranced yet horrified by these pictures and subtle things going wrong would have made for a far creepier experience.
Overall what could have been a really interesting psychological thriller ended up being a slightly above par horror movie with good performances all round and a interesting premise and while the horror elements were my least favourite part they were very creative and any horror fan would be sure to get a kick out of it
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Betrayed (House of Night, #2) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
Maybe once upon a time I wouldn't be as picky about this book, but this was a disappointment compared to the first. The little things that bothered me in the first book magnified and expanded in this one. The 'Aww, shucks. Little ol' me?' routine and attitude of Zoey is wearing, to say the least. C'mon, give her some flaws or something, nobody is perfect and the false modesty is cloying.
Now the bane of the book (and series thus far)... the 'Twins.' Ugh, need I go on? The authors repeatedly bash the reader over the head with how alike they are but how different they look and how they grew up. Almost every sentence they utter contains the word twin. Such as, 'Twin, I get what you're saying.' 'Twin' this, 'twin' that! WTF? No one speaks like that. Which brings up a whole different issue with the unrealistic dialogue, but I won't get into that. I think the 'Twins' are supposed to add comedic value, but they don't, they're just annoying and I wish they'd die in the vampire transition (horrible of me I know). They're one-dimensional, don't have any depth, and are pointless to the story except for being part of the elements, which they can be replaced I'm sure. We get that they're twins, but not, we get it! We don't have to be hit over the head time and again!!
Now for the basic plot. Not as interesting as the last, but okay. Hated what happened nearer the end and I don't really get why it was done. I could have offered two other alternatives. ;P The three love interests? Overkill to the nth degree. Are we supposed to like Zoey, or hate her? I think it'll be a while until I pick up the next book, if I even do that, but I do wonder what'll happen to you-know-who. (Don't want to give anything away for those who want to read it.)
Now the bane of the book (and series thus far)... the 'Twins.' Ugh, need I go on? The authors repeatedly bash the reader over the head with how alike they are but how different they look and how they grew up. Almost every sentence they utter contains the word twin. Such as, 'Twin, I get what you're saying.' 'Twin' this, 'twin' that! WTF? No one speaks like that. Which brings up a whole different issue with the unrealistic dialogue, but I won't get into that. I think the 'Twins' are supposed to add comedic value, but they don't, they're just annoying and I wish they'd die in the vampire transition (horrible of me I know). They're one-dimensional, don't have any depth, and are pointless to the story except for being part of the elements, which they can be replaced I'm sure. We get that they're twins, but not, we get it! We don't have to be hit over the head time and again!!
Now for the basic plot. Not as interesting as the last, but okay. Hated what happened nearer the end and I don't really get why it was done. I could have offered two other alternatives. ;P The three love interests? Overkill to the nth degree. Are we supposed to like Zoey, or hate her? I think it'll be a while until I pick up the next book, if I even do that, but I do wonder what'll happen to you-know-who. (Don't want to give anything away for those who want to read it.)
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated Redemption (Redemption, #1) in Books
Feb 27, 2019
I reviewed this book several years ago, so this is a reread review. I can tell you that my thoughts then were high on this book and not much has changed through the years. Mrs. Kingsbury's books were introduced to me by my mother many years ago, and I was hooked. Redemption was one of the first Kingsbury books that I read, and it is one of my favorites. I was instantly hooked on it the first time I read it, and the reread was no different. Whenever I find myself in a book funk, or I suffer a tragedy in my life, I pick up Redemption and am reminded that with God's redeeming grace, I can pull through anything.
As someone who went through a bad first marriage, this book truly hits home for me. There are many elements of the book that I went through but I didn't lean on God through it all like Kari did. I loved watching her character again. It truly felt like reuniting with a long lost friend. The pain and suffering she felt, once again became my own. The sadness and the struggling, were mine. I found myself wanting to wrap her in a big old hug and fall to my knees to pray for her.
This is definitely still a 5 star book in my opinion. Mrs. Kingsbury can create a novel that will suck you in, wrap you up in God's warmth and grace, and set you down in a brand new place. Her words will stay with you long after you've shut the pages, long after you've placed the book back on the shelf. She will leave you breathless and ready for the next book. I highly recommend this book to all!
*I purchased this book for my personal collection. Cafinated Reads was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
As someone who went through a bad first marriage, this book truly hits home for me. There are many elements of the book that I went through but I didn't lean on God through it all like Kari did. I loved watching her character again. It truly felt like reuniting with a long lost friend. The pain and suffering she felt, once again became my own. The sadness and the struggling, were mine. I found myself wanting to wrap her in a big old hug and fall to my knees to pray for her.
This is definitely still a 5 star book in my opinion. Mrs. Kingsbury can create a novel that will suck you in, wrap you up in God's warmth and grace, and set you down in a brand new place. Her words will stay with you long after you've shut the pages, long after you've placed the book back on the shelf. She will leave you breathless and ready for the next book. I highly recommend this book to all!
*I purchased this book for my personal collection. Cafinated Reads was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated The White City in Books
Mar 1, 2019
The Characters (3 more)
The Plot Line
True Crime Elements
Writing Style
Fantastic Debut!
I am a lover of true crime, historical fiction, suspense and romance. I mean a huge lover of all of them. So, when I saw that this was the best of all of those worlds, I was ecstatic. This is a debut novel from Grace Hitchcock and let me tell you what. The detail she includes in this story, made me feel like I was right there in the center of the World’s Fair, following these awesome characters, and reaching an ending that left me wanting another story just like it.
Winnie and Jude’s characters are wonderful! I loved them so good. The detail with which Hitchcock created the scenes that Winnie saw, and went through, and how Jude fell for her, was awesome. I felt like I became Winnie and fell for Jude instantly. Jude was a sweet soul and Winnie was absolutely full of spunk and sass!
The real life serial killer aspect woven into the story was incredible. I had no idea about that time period having someone like that, and it really made the story that much more captivating. The twists and turns of the roller coaster story, seeing Winnie going “undercover” to prove to her Police Chief father that she was right, was fantastic and had me reading this book and finishing it in a 24 hour period.
If you love historical novels, love the thrills of a great suspense story, and enjoy reading a God-filled romance book, then look no further than this 4 star debut. Ms. Hitchcock has extreme talent and is sure to be on the best sellers list before long! I sing the praises of this story loudly and can’t wait for the next book from this talented author, as well as another incredible installment in this new series from Barbour!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Winnie and Jude’s characters are wonderful! I loved them so good. The detail with which Hitchcock created the scenes that Winnie saw, and went through, and how Jude fell for her, was awesome. I felt like I became Winnie and fell for Jude instantly. Jude was a sweet soul and Winnie was absolutely full of spunk and sass!
The real life serial killer aspect woven into the story was incredible. I had no idea about that time period having someone like that, and it really made the story that much more captivating. The twists and turns of the roller coaster story, seeing Winnie going “undercover” to prove to her Police Chief father that she was right, was fantastic and had me reading this book and finishing it in a 24 hour period.
If you love historical novels, love the thrills of a great suspense story, and enjoy reading a God-filled romance book, then look no further than this 4 star debut. Ms. Hitchcock has extreme talent and is sure to be on the best sellers list before long! I sing the praises of this story loudly and can’t wait for the next book from this talented author, as well as another incredible installment in this new series from Barbour!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2389 KP) rated Lion Down (FunJungle #5) in Books
Mar 10, 2019
Framing a Lion
While FunJungle is located in a mostly uninhabited area of Texas, there are some larger estates and ranches that border the park’s property. Living in one of those is Lincoln Stone, a radio and TV news personality that is known for saying very controversial things. He has a dog he loves, and, unfortunately, that dog has been killed. Lincoln is quick to blame it on the mountain lion that roams in the area, but the agent of the Department of Fish and Wildlife put in charge of the case doesn’t think that’s true. Thanks to Teddy’s reputation for solving puzzles at FunJungle, the agent turns to Teddy for help. Teddy agrees that the evidence left behind doesn’t add up. Can he figure out what happened? Meanwhile, Teddy and Summer, his girlfriend, are asked to figure out why the giraffes in FunJungle get sick every Monday. Will this case distract them from saving the mountain lion?
It’s nice to see Teddy get involved in one mystery that takes place outside the parks in this one. The mysteries are strong and are balanced perfectly, with clues that ultimately lead Teddy to the solution. The climax pulls in all the elements of the book in an unexpected way that leads into a page turning race to save the day. While this series has balanced the environmental message and the mystery well, this one got close to lecturing us a couple of times instead of working it in more organically. I thought the characters created for this book were a little thin and more caricature than character. Both of these complaints are things that adults will notice more than the kids who are the target age range for the books, however. The series regulars are still strong, and I especially love Teddy, Summer, and their families. The usual suspects also bring us several very funny scenes.
It’s nice to see Teddy get involved in one mystery that takes place outside the parks in this one. The mysteries are strong and are balanced perfectly, with clues that ultimately lead Teddy to the solution. The climax pulls in all the elements of the book in an unexpected way that leads into a page turning race to save the day. While this series has balanced the environmental message and the mystery well, this one got close to lecturing us a couple of times instead of working it in more organically. I thought the characters created for this book were a little thin and more caricature than character. Both of these complaints are things that adults will notice more than the kids who are the target age range for the books, however. The series regulars are still strong, and I especially love Teddy, Summer, and their families. The usual suspects also bring us several very funny scenes.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2389 KP) rated Sifting Through the Clues in Books
Apr 24, 2019
Jenna Must Sift Through the Suspects to Find a Killer
Spring has sprung in Crystal Cove, and the town is celebrating all things book club. Clubs from neighboring towns have come to advertise their clubs and Jenna Hart is letting the Cookbook Nook be used to host some of the book discussions happening during the week. But she’s most excited about the progressive dinner that her own book club, the Mystery Mavens, is planning for Saturday night. However, the night ends in tragedy when they arrive at their last stop and find their final hostess, Ivy Beale, dead on her kitchen floor. Ivy had a reputation of knowing everyone’s secrets, and Jenna had seen her clashing with several people in town recently. Was that what got her killed?
One thing I love about the series is the different themes that author Daryl Wood Gerber works in via the town’s events, and book clubs is one that will appeal to all readers. The mystery is strong, with some unusual elements that Jenna must figure out in order to solve the case. I felt the suspects are good and kept me guessing as I went along. The climax was a lot of fun and perfectly wrapped things up. There is a large cast of characters, and I love spending time with them. However, at times it can be hard to remember all the connections, so I was thankful for the list of characters at the beginning of the book. My biggest issue is the relationship between Jenna and Cinnamon Pritchett, the chief of police. They are supposed to be good friends, but I don’t see it based on their interactions here. I get why Cinnamon behaves the way she does, but we need to see more of the friendship between them. We got over a dozen recipes at the end, some sweet and some savory, and many of them give us regular and gluten free versions. Fans of Daryl’s other series will enjoy the Easter eggs she slipped into this book; I know I did.
One thing I love about the series is the different themes that author Daryl Wood Gerber works in via the town’s events, and book clubs is one that will appeal to all readers. The mystery is strong, with some unusual elements that Jenna must figure out in order to solve the case. I felt the suspects are good and kept me guessing as I went along. The climax was a lot of fun and perfectly wrapped things up. There is a large cast of characters, and I love spending time with them. However, at times it can be hard to remember all the connections, so I was thankful for the list of characters at the beginning of the book. My biggest issue is the relationship between Jenna and Cinnamon Pritchett, the chief of police. They are supposed to be good friends, but I don’t see it based on their interactions here. I get why Cinnamon behaves the way she does, but we need to see more of the friendship between them. We got over a dozen recipes at the end, some sweet and some savory, and many of them give us regular and gluten free versions. Fans of Daryl’s other series will enjoy the Easter eggs she slipped into this book; I know I did.