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Sam Hill (23 KP) rated Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle in Video Games
Jun 20, 2019
I purchased the game having viewed only the trailers and being a huge fan of the X-Com series which it looks, and feels, very much like.
I found the graphics and overall visual tone of the game to be fantastic. The merging of Rabbids and Mario themes has been done cleverly in a manner which does not feel forced.
The humour largely works, in a cartoonish and slightly childish way and the story is enough to carry you through the single player despite not being massively deep, and being very linear.
The mechanics also work quite well, with one slight caveat. The levels themselves play more like a puzzle game than a strategy, there very much is a right way to do each level and a wrong way. If you make a wrong step then you may need to restart the level instead of finding a way to fix it as you go.
All in all the game is of a high quality and entertaining, and is well worth its price tag
I found the graphics and overall visual tone of the game to be fantastic. The merging of Rabbids and Mario themes has been done cleverly in a manner which does not feel forced.
The humour largely works, in a cartoonish and slightly childish way and the story is enough to carry you through the single player despite not being massively deep, and being very linear.
The mechanics also work quite well, with one slight caveat. The levels themselves play more like a puzzle game than a strategy, there very much is a right way to do each level and a wrong way. If you make a wrong step then you may need to restart the level instead of finding a way to fix it as you go.
All in all the game is of a high quality and entertaining, and is well worth its price tag
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated Red Queen in Books
Jan 2, 2019
Not gonna lie...I was a bit sceptical when I picked up this book. But I was quickly pulled into the world of Reds and Silvers and the Red Guard. I found myself listening to this book every spare minute I had. Intrigue, secrets, unknown powers, fears, lies, family, betrayal, and HOPE bleed onto the pages of this book in a neverending flow.
I still don't know who to trust, although I DO know who is evil...I think...You know, come to think of it...I have no idea...afterall...
“Anyone can betray anyone.”
― Victoria Aveyard, Red Queen
It is ridiculously hard to review a book like this...Only because I don't want to give away spoilers. So I will leave you with this...If you love YA books...and have a fascination with dystopian/sci-fi type books...You should definitely give Red Queen a try. I think you will really enjoy it! Now excuse me while I finish the series....
I borrowed Red Queen on audio from my local library. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
I still don't know who to trust, although I DO know who is evil...I think...You know, come to think of it...I have no idea...afterall...
“Anyone can betray anyone.”
― Victoria Aveyard, Red Queen
It is ridiculously hard to review a book like this...Only because I don't want to give away spoilers. So I will leave you with this...If you love YA books...and have a fascination with dystopian/sci-fi type books...You should definitely give Red Queen a try. I think you will really enjoy it! Now excuse me while I finish the series....
I borrowed Red Queen on audio from my local library. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Lindsay (1779 KP) rated A Perfect Square in Books
Jan 4, 2019
A perfect Square is about a group of friends. That group of friends seems to bring Mysteries to an English friend that become an owner of Daisy Quilt Shop. When a dead girl is found and an Amish young man is the center of it.
Callie and her friend Deborah need to find out who killed her or what happened to her. Who is Ruben Fisher covering for? Why will he not clear his name? There seem to be more going on than anything when and Old elderly man shows up at Daisy Quilt Shop, claiming to find his long-lost daughter? Will, it seems that this long lost daughter is really a clue to the dead young girl they find in a pond?
Vannetta Chapman does a wonderful job of giving the readers something to hang on to. Will God grace help and mend. There seems to be a family that thinks that their daughter is running and living in the English world? What happens when the parents find out the truth about their daughter? What about the young man that on the run? What happens on Palm Sunday in 1965 with the Tornadoes?
Callie and her friend Deborah need to find out who killed her or what happened to her. Who is Ruben Fisher covering for? Why will he not clear his name? There seem to be more going on than anything when and Old elderly man shows up at Daisy Quilt Shop, claiming to find his long-lost daughter? Will, it seems that this long lost daughter is really a clue to the dead young girl they find in a pond?
Vannetta Chapman does a wonderful job of giving the readers something to hang on to. Will God grace help and mend. There seems to be a family that thinks that their daughter is running and living in the English world? What happens when the parents find out the truth about their daughter? What about the young man that on the run? What happens on Palm Sunday in 1965 with the Tornadoes?
Awix (3310 KP) rated Waves (2019) in Movies
Jan 22, 2020
Powerful, visually dazzling contemporary drama. The lives of an African-American family in Florida begin to unravel when their son, perhaps pushed too hard by a driven father, develops a painkiller addiction and discovers his girlfriend is pregnant. Very much in the same kind of vein as Moonlight, but I found this to be much more powerful in addition to being incredibly creative visually - the screen is filled with a bravura mixture of colour and movement.
For the first hour and half or so, this is like watching a car crash in slow motion: it's almost unbearable to watch the main character go off the rails, but you can't look away either. It concludes with the kind of incident you hear about as a brief item on the news, but here the film puts flesh on those bones and the scale of the tragedy is made clear. The third act is a definite change of pace: no less artfully made or moving, but less focused, and the outcome of the film remains in doubt until the very end. I'm hugely surprised this hasn't featured on the Academy Awards shortlist: a tremendous film in so many ways.
For the first hour and half or so, this is like watching a car crash in slow motion: it's almost unbearable to watch the main character go off the rails, but you can't look away either. It concludes with the kind of incident you hear about as a brief item on the news, but here the film puts flesh on those bones and the scale of the tragedy is made clear. The third act is a definite change of pace: no less artfully made or moving, but less focused, and the outcome of the film remains in doubt until the very end. I'm hugely surprised this hasn't featured on the Academy Awards shortlist: a tremendous film in so many ways.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated A Gate at the Stairs in Books
Feb 9, 2020
Not bad but ultimately forgettable
I read this as part of a local reading group I’ve joined recently, and I was sceptical as some of the Goodreads reviews are scathing to say the least. However fortunately this isn’t as bad as others seem to think.
The problem is that this book is mostly forgettable. The writing is rather good, although does have a tendency to ramble off at rather bizarre tangents. I’m not sure if this is meant to be a nod to the disjointed and random thoughts of the narrator, but for me this didn’t quite work. When it got a little rambling I found my mind began to wander and I ended up skim reading more than I should. I also struggled with the anti-racism group, while they didn’t feature too often when they did their inane ramblings and chat I just couldn’t stand. Despite this the rest of the book isn’t too bad. Tassie is a rather shambolic protagonist and for the most part not very sympathetic or endearing. But the development of her and her friends and family is engaging enough to keep you reading, even if sadly this book is ultimately forgettable.
The problem is that this book is mostly forgettable. The writing is rather good, although does have a tendency to ramble off at rather bizarre tangents. I’m not sure if this is meant to be a nod to the disjointed and random thoughts of the narrator, but for me this didn’t quite work. When it got a little rambling I found my mind began to wander and I ended up skim reading more than I should. I also struggled with the anti-racism group, while they didn’t feature too often when they did their inane ramblings and chat I just couldn’t stand. Despite this the rest of the book isn’t too bad. Tassie is a rather shambolic protagonist and for the most part not very sympathetic or endearing. But the development of her and her friends and family is engaging enough to keep you reading, even if sadly this book is ultimately forgettable.
the_mad_meeple (55 KP) rated Forbidden Island in Tabletop Games
Mar 10, 2020 (Updated Mar 10, 2020)
Sink or swim?
Considering my Y childhood holidays spent by the water, I've never been more anxious at the sight of rising water levels. A fully cooperative experience, all players, new and experienced, took part in an adventure fit for all. Fighting to get to the chopper we found ourselves facing an ever changing table top with tiles sinking faster than we were able to get to them. As you move around the board collecting treasures, you face difficult challenges of whether to move yourself or to use your special abilities to better position your comrades. A gem of a game, the variety of characters provide a strong amount of replay ability, ideal for a game that provides an air of impending doom telling you that all you can do now is it to start planning for the next attempt.
Whether you play it for the theme of an intrepid explorer searching an unknown island, or you are looking for an excellent family friendly cooperative experience (allowed by the ability to simply and effectively vary difficulty levels) this is a game for boardgamers of all shapes and sizes.
Whether you play it for the theme of an intrepid explorer searching an unknown island, or you are looking for an excellent family friendly cooperative experience (allowed by the ability to simply and effectively vary difficulty levels) this is a game for boardgamers of all shapes and sizes.
Merissa (13382 KP) rated Taking Root (The Eros Tales #1) in Books
Jul 30, 2019
Taking Root (Eros Tales #1) by Katherine McIntyre
TAKING ROOT is the first book in the Eros Tales, and this promises to be a fantastic new series.
Danny's life was turned upside down when she was seventeen. Since then, she has travelled the States, never setting down roots, and never knowing when she will be moving on. She is sent to a town so very close to where she grew up, knowing the risks she will have to take if she meets anyone she once knew. She wasn't counting on the steadfast stubbornness of one Adrian Dukas though.
This was brilliantly written, showing Danny's loneliness and the trials and tribulations she has lived through, without it detracting from the current set up. Also, you get enough details about her father to make it horrific, without it going into information overload. There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading, and I found the pacing to be very smooth. With no plot holes I fell through, this was a gripping story from start to finish.
I loved the Dukas family, and I sincerely hope we will be seeing more of them. Absolutely recommended by me.
Danny's life was turned upside down when she was seventeen. Since then, she has travelled the States, never setting down roots, and never knowing when she will be moving on. She is sent to a town so very close to where she grew up, knowing the risks she will have to take if she meets anyone she once knew. She wasn't counting on the steadfast stubbornness of one Adrian Dukas though.
This was brilliantly written, showing Danny's loneliness and the trials and tribulations she has lived through, without it detracting from the current set up. Also, you get enough details about her father to make it horrific, without it going into information overload. There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading, and I found the pacing to be very smooth. With no plot holes I fell through, this was a gripping story from start to finish.
I loved the Dukas family, and I sincerely hope we will be seeing more of them. Absolutely recommended by me.
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