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Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated Throne of Glass in Books
May 15, 2018
Throne of Glass is the first book of Sarah J. Maas’s debut series, and that much is obvious when reading it. In a way, opening its pages has enlightened me to her growth as a writer. And while Throne of Glass is far more difficult to get into than Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses, I can definitely see where its fandom comes from – now if only my library had book two!
One of the things I was most excited to learn by reading this book is that Maas isn’t one of those authors that fall victim to making all their characters the same. In fact, I was thrilled to learn that Celaena is nothing like Feyre from A Court of Thorns and Roses (or should it be the other way around since this was published first?). Her love interests are vastly different, and so realistic that I couldn’t decide who I wanted to cheer for. Usually I’m pretty decided on what characters I like/don’t like, but even this early work from Maas shows she makes it difficult to simply pick and choose.
The plot of Throne of Glass is a bit Hunger Games-ish, what with a competition to find out who will be the King’s assassin meaning that it gets narrowed down to one. I will admit that I wish I’d read this book before I read Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller, as this one was published first and the plot is a bit too similar for my taste. Both books center around a competition to become the ruler’s assassin, so I couldn’t help but think of Miller’s book the entire time I was reading this one. That, and Sal and Celaena have similar attitudes. It makes me wonder if this book inspired Miller. I do like the idea of magic only just returning to the world of Throne of Glass, though – if you can call it that.
That said, I really, truly cannot wait for the opportunity to read the next book.
One of the things I was most excited to learn by reading this book is that Maas isn’t one of those authors that fall victim to making all their characters the same. In fact, I was thrilled to learn that Celaena is nothing like Feyre from A Court of Thorns and Roses (or should it be the other way around since this was published first?). Her love interests are vastly different, and so realistic that I couldn’t decide who I wanted to cheer for. Usually I’m pretty decided on what characters I like/don’t like, but even this early work from Maas shows she makes it difficult to simply pick and choose.
The plot of Throne of Glass is a bit Hunger Games-ish, what with a competition to find out who will be the King’s assassin meaning that it gets narrowed down to one. I will admit that I wish I’d read this book before I read Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller, as this one was published first and the plot is a bit too similar for my taste. Both books center around a competition to become the ruler’s assassin, so I couldn’t help but think of Miller’s book the entire time I was reading this one. That, and Sal and Celaena have similar attitudes. It makes me wonder if this book inspired Miller. I do like the idea of magic only just returning to the world of Throne of Glass, though – if you can call it that.
That said, I really, truly cannot wait for the opportunity to read the next book.
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 Mockingjay in Books
Feb 11, 2019
This novel deeply impacted me. I had to let the review sit for awhile before I could coalesce my thoughts on it because I kept replaying the many aspects of the series over and over in my head, wondering if the series could really have ended any differently. I suppose if some of the key characters had made different decisions, there would have been some difference, but keeping everything else the same, Katniss really could not have responded differently. I felt that this book was much more realistic regarding the behavior of a 17-year-old in her circumstances than many other books I have read of the Young Adult genre.
I felt that the second and third books revolved largely around what it would take to break Katniss. The reader can guess the answer quite easily, but Katniss is haunted by not being certain of this answer. She is only a young adult after all, not even experiencing all of the atrocities that the Capital visited on the other Hunger Games victors before her. She is naive in many ways, though her inner strength and determination to survive are great personal motivators.
There is maybe one part of the book that I really wish would have happened differently, and that is what happens to Finnick, especially given his reunion with Annie. I could not understand how it was so necessary to the continuance of the main plot, and I felt sad for Annie.
I don't want to give away the ending for Katniss's personal story, but in the grand scheme of things, even this was necessary for Katniss's personal survival, as well as the betterment of the remaining districts of Panem. While that statement is appropriately confusing, the way I described the ending to my husband, who still needs to read the second and third books, is the ending was bittersweet - heavy on the bitter and light on the sweet.
I felt that the second and third books revolved largely around what it would take to break Katniss. The reader can guess the answer quite easily, but Katniss is haunted by not being certain of this answer. She is only a young adult after all, not even experiencing all of the atrocities that the Capital visited on the other Hunger Games victors before her. She is naive in many ways, though her inner strength and determination to survive are great personal motivators.
There is maybe one part of the book that I really wish would have happened differently, and that is what happens to Finnick, especially given his reunion with Annie. I could not understand how it was so necessary to the continuance of the main plot, and I felt sad for Annie.
I don't want to give away the ending for Katniss's personal story, but in the grand scheme of things, even this was necessary for Katniss's personal survival, as well as the betterment of the remaining districts of Panem. While that statement is appropriately confusing, the way I described the ending to my husband, who still needs to read the second and third books, is the ending was bittersweet - heavy on the bitter and light on the sweet.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019) in Movies
May 21, 2019
Good but could've been so much better
I need to be honest, Pokemon has never been a big thing for me. I've never been able to get into the games and whilst I happily watched the show when it was on, I never went out of my way. I did however take my little brother to watch Pokemon: The Movie when it came out, so I cannot tell you how unbelievably happy I was to see Mew 2 in this.
The idea behind this film is genius. Humans and Pokemon living together in the same world, and not only that but these aren't silly awful looking CGI characters, these are truly impressively done creatures that look so realistic and really fit in with the setting of the film. And you can tell they've gone all out on Pikachu, he looks fantastic and so real and adorably cute. Also Ryan Reynolds voicing Pikachu is another smart move. I can't imagine anyone else being able to pull this off quite like he can. And his pairing with Justice Smith works really well. Those two are what keep this film going. And I can't lie, the scene with the Pokemon theme song had me in hysterics it was that funny.
But despite all this, this film felt like it had squandered some of its potential. I was hoping it'd be like Christopher Robin and full of heartwarming, funny and witty moments, but sadly it fell short in all of these areas. There were some moments of humour and some heartwarming scenes but not enough, and I dont think its helped by a patchy script and a mostly (but not completely) predictable plot.
Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this film. It's an adorably cute piece of nostalgia with some funny moments, it just didnt have quite the magic I was expecting. It has however made me want a cuddly Pikachu toy...
The idea behind this film is genius. Humans and Pokemon living together in the same world, and not only that but these aren't silly awful looking CGI characters, these are truly impressively done creatures that look so realistic and really fit in with the setting of the film. And you can tell they've gone all out on Pikachu, he looks fantastic and so real and adorably cute. Also Ryan Reynolds voicing Pikachu is another smart move. I can't imagine anyone else being able to pull this off quite like he can. And his pairing with Justice Smith works really well. Those two are what keep this film going. And I can't lie, the scene with the Pokemon theme song had me in hysterics it was that funny.
But despite all this, this film felt like it had squandered some of its potential. I was hoping it'd be like Christopher Robin and full of heartwarming, funny and witty moments, but sadly it fell short in all of these areas. There were some moments of humour and some heartwarming scenes but not enough, and I dont think its helped by a patchy script and a mostly (but not completely) predictable plot.
Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this film. It's an adorably cute piece of nostalgia with some funny moments, it just didnt have quite the magic I was expecting. It has however made me want a cuddly Pikachu toy...
Rhubarbio (27 KP) rated A Game of Thrones the Board Game (2nd Edition) in Tabletop Games
May 26, 2019
Like Risk, but without die rolls (2 more)
Deeply strategic game
Opportunity, like the books/TV show to make alliances with other house and then...honour them or betray them, often with game changing consequences.
Very long game! Circa 4-5 hours (5 more)
Games explanation takes a long time
Learning curve is high and will dissuade most players, given the time commitment and rules unfamiliarity, which can be exceptionally frustrating.
Need 6 players for game to be properly balanced
Will lead to a lot of analysis paralysis, requiring a bullish player to force players to make a decision
May lose you friends...
A Marmite Experience!
I love this game, but despite owning it for over 3 years, I have only played it 3 times. Each time, rules explanation took an hour and are not completely intuitive. Once explained, I almost guarantee that most players will not be able to remember the number of nuances involved in this game, leading to making a lot of random decisions at the beginning. However, as I explored the game more, I realised it addressed all the deficiencies I see in Risk - there is no chance from the roll of a die here, nor does being the most powerful player mean that things cannot turn, by virtue of the fact that players have a finite number of armies and units they can hold on the board...the more you expand, the thinner your forces and therefore easier for someone to start taking some of your territories. Additionally, the player interaction and forging alliances is interesting, but given the length and cutthroat nature of the game, people may genuinely get upset and not want to play. For GoT fans who are willing to put in the hard slog of learning and then playing the game, this is great. If you're on the fence, I suggest playing it first...it is not an easy game and is a test of one's endurance.
kelsey (8 KP) rated Honey Heist in Tabletop Games
May 29, 2019
A Roaring Good Time!
I ran a one-shot of Honey Heist with my TTRPG group and had an absolutely wonderful time with it. The rules are extremely simple (one page long!) and don't need a lot of effort/studying to get a game rolling. Honey Heist runs on a D6 system that's very GM-hands-off. The players completely run this game, and the only time you need to step in is when providing some description, for NPC role-play, or if your players need you to step in and help them out.
My players had a wonderful time with this game, and I did too. Of all the games I've run, it's probably the one where I had the most fun. We couldn't stop laughing, and I really felt engaged in helping my players move along through the story. As with all TTRPG sessions, things never go to plan and even with a really simple one-shot laid out, we had absolutely no chance of finishing a story in one night.
The one thing I will mention that I don't love is the point system in the game. Players have 6 points which they allocate to two dimensions: Criminal and Bear. Dependent on rolls, you move these points (for example, a player wants to knock someone out, they succeed on a roll and move one point to Criminal, thus they now have 4 in criminal and 2 in bear.) I found that pretty quickly balancing was precarious, especially because my players wanted to do a lot that was roll-worthy. We employed the mechanics that allow you to counterbalance a little bit, but it still felt tough to help my players stay leveled (or at least in territory where they were "safe".)
Overall though, this game is a wonderfully good time, and I highly recommend it if you're looking for a fun TTRPG to try out.
My players had a wonderful time with this game, and I did too. Of all the games I've run, it's probably the one where I had the most fun. We couldn't stop laughing, and I really felt engaged in helping my players move along through the story. As with all TTRPG sessions, things never go to plan and even with a really simple one-shot laid out, we had absolutely no chance of finishing a story in one night.
The one thing I will mention that I don't love is the point system in the game. Players have 6 points which they allocate to two dimensions: Criminal and Bear. Dependent on rolls, you move these points (for example, a player wants to knock someone out, they succeed on a roll and move one point to Criminal, thus they now have 4 in criminal and 2 in bear.) I found that pretty quickly balancing was precarious, especially because my players wanted to do a lot that was roll-worthy. We employed the mechanics that allow you to counterbalance a little bit, but it still felt tough to help my players stay leveled (or at least in territory where they were "safe".)
Overall though, this game is a wonderfully good time, and I highly recommend it if you're looking for a fun TTRPG to try out.
p3anut (62 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Dauntless in Video Games
Jun 1, 2019
Customization (2 more)
Hack and slash fun
Voice acting
Beta (1 more)
Tutorial
Dauntless+dash of monster Hunter+ rpg mmo=
I want to start out by saying if it wasn't for Xbox game share I never would have discovered dauntless. I saw my buddy had downloaded it so I decided to give it a go.
At first glance I was a little put off since it was made by epic, had fortnite looking character models and I didn't know anything about the game. And right now I'm a little burnt out on the fortnite craze.
After about 10mins of playtime, I found myself really enjoying the hunting aspect of the game. The monsters are huge and sometimes they have little ones around them that you have to kill before attacking the bigger ones. The battles range from 5min to 30min so far which is pretty nice depending on your time constraints.
The world hub that you visit in between hunts is fairly decent sized and full of human characters. They have this cool little icon feature where you can see if the player is on pc or Xbox. The hub is full of what you would expect from an RPG games as a service title. It has your typical weapon master, grenade master, potions master, and armor master. And of course looped into all of those are micro transactions for skins and dye packs etc.
Which if you're like me you don't really care about customizing the color of your hat etc. Enough to spend actual money on.
I've only played about 4 hrs of dauntless and so far I'm pretty into it. I do feel like eventually the grind will get repetitive but I will update once I have at least 10hrs put into it. As I mentioned in my tags it is in a beta stage so don't be surprised from some lag from time to time or quests not showing on the screen as completed because even tho it doesn't show, it does complete them
At first glance I was a little put off since it was made by epic, had fortnite looking character models and I didn't know anything about the game. And right now I'm a little burnt out on the fortnite craze.
After about 10mins of playtime, I found myself really enjoying the hunting aspect of the game. The monsters are huge and sometimes they have little ones around them that you have to kill before attacking the bigger ones. The battles range from 5min to 30min so far which is pretty nice depending on your time constraints.
The world hub that you visit in between hunts is fairly decent sized and full of human characters. They have this cool little icon feature where you can see if the player is on pc or Xbox. The hub is full of what you would expect from an RPG games as a service title. It has your typical weapon master, grenade master, potions master, and armor master. And of course looped into all of those are micro transactions for skins and dye packs etc.
Which if you're like me you don't really care about customizing the color of your hat etc. Enough to spend actual money on.
I've only played about 4 hrs of dauntless and so far I'm pretty into it. I do feel like eventually the grind will get repetitive but I will update once I have at least 10hrs put into it. As I mentioned in my tags it is in a beta stage so don't be surprised from some lag from time to time or quests not showing on the screen as completed because even tho it doesn't show, it does complete them
Christina Haynes (148 KP) rated Lost Boy in Books
Feb 10, 2018
LOST BOY by CHRISTINA HENRY
Contains spoilers, click to show
The second star to the right and straight on till morning. That's how Peter Pan always starts. But what if there was more too it. Than just going to Neverland to never grow up?
I never really knew how I felt about Peter Pan and Captain Hook. Of course, I never wanted to grow up (I still don't) but as I got older, I soon realized that Peter Pan wasn't always such a sweet boy and Christina Henry's version of Neverland confirmed my suspicions.
Even in the book Peter Pan is still a boy who lives in Neverland with his Lost Boys. One of the Lost Boys is called Jamie, who's soon to become the infamous Captain Hook.
Peter Pan collects things like a Magpie, he collects boys. He first collected a boy called Jamie and for a long time, it was just the two of them. Before they found the twins and brought them to Neverland, they used to play games and fight pirates. They were brothers till the end. That was until Peter brought Charlie to Neverland.
That was when Jamie soon started to see that Peter wasn't a hero, wasn't a friend - he was just a Lost Boy.
Peter Pan always made you feel special, important and apart from Neverland. A place where you could be young forever and never have to worry again.
The word 'grownups’ made Peter sick and this is why I always thought that Peter Pan hated pirates, and why he always hated Hook. In fact, he hated Hook for another reason and that reason is, Captain Hook was Peter’s first Lost Boy. His first best friend. But that was until Hook grew up.
Christina Henry turns a classic story into the truth. She delves into the dark past of Peter Pan, retelling the truth behind the fairytale, the truth behind the Hook. The truth behind Neverland and what it means to be a Lost Boy.
TICK TOCK GOES THE CROC
Love, Christina ?
I never really knew how I felt about Peter Pan and Captain Hook. Of course, I never wanted to grow up (I still don't) but as I got older, I soon realized that Peter Pan wasn't always such a sweet boy and Christina Henry's version of Neverland confirmed my suspicions.
Even in the book Peter Pan is still a boy who lives in Neverland with his Lost Boys. One of the Lost Boys is called Jamie, who's soon to become the infamous Captain Hook.
Peter Pan collects things like a Magpie, he collects boys. He first collected a boy called Jamie and for a long time, it was just the two of them. Before they found the twins and brought them to Neverland, they used to play games and fight pirates. They were brothers till the end. That was until Peter brought Charlie to Neverland.
That was when Jamie soon started to see that Peter wasn't a hero, wasn't a friend - he was just a Lost Boy.
Peter Pan always made you feel special, important and apart from Neverland. A place where you could be young forever and never have to worry again.
The word 'grownups’ made Peter sick and this is why I always thought that Peter Pan hated pirates, and why he always hated Hook. In fact, he hated Hook for another reason and that reason is, Captain Hook was Peter’s first Lost Boy. His first best friend. But that was until Hook grew up.
Christina Henry turns a classic story into the truth. She delves into the dark past of Peter Pan, retelling the truth behind the fairytale, the truth behind the Hook. The truth behind Neverland and what it means to be a Lost Boy.
TICK TOCK GOES THE CROC
Love, Christina ?
Ross (3282 KP) rated Black Mirror - Season 3 in TV
Feb 8, 2018
The third series of Black Mirror (the first made for Netflix) sees another 6 standalone episodes offering a frightening glimpse at the future use of technology.
Nosedive looks at people's obsession with likes and ratings and that each interaction becomes either tooth-achingly sweet to secure that rating, or a desperate attempt to get that good rating from someone higher than you. While I liked the premise, I thought this episode was a little too long.
Playtest sees Pokémon Go type AR go wild, as a young American backpacker desperate for money agrees to test a new brain implant that allows people to experience horror games as if they were real. A well executed thriller of an episode.
Shut Up & Dance looks at blackmailing/revenge porn and shows the lengths people will go to to avoid their secrets being revealed, as a young boy afraid that footage of his one-handed solo adventures being shown to his friends and family ends up on something of a treasure hunt with Jerome off of Robson & Jerome (who has lost that loving feeling and started seeing an escort). The story is very gripping and well shot.
San Junipero was a surprisingly uplifting, heartwarming episode. I won't spoil the reveal too much but it is the rare occasion where Black Mirror shows the good side of technology taken to extremes. Absolutely beautiful.
Men Against Fire was a clever episode looking at the uses of brain augmentations in the armed forces and how they can be used and abused in warfare. An apparent zombie apocalypse scenario is turned on its head and shows the Black Mirror take on such technology.
The final episode, Hated in the Nation is a look at online trolling and bullying and how this can be taken to extremes. it shows that even when people know there are real consequences for the victims, because it is largely anonymous they will carry on doing it. Quite a long episode but gripping and keeps the viewer guessing throughout.
Nosedive looks at people's obsession with likes and ratings and that each interaction becomes either tooth-achingly sweet to secure that rating, or a desperate attempt to get that good rating from someone higher than you. While I liked the premise, I thought this episode was a little too long.
Playtest sees Pokémon Go type AR go wild, as a young American backpacker desperate for money agrees to test a new brain implant that allows people to experience horror games as if they were real. A well executed thriller of an episode.
Shut Up & Dance looks at blackmailing/revenge porn and shows the lengths people will go to to avoid their secrets being revealed, as a young boy afraid that footage of his one-handed solo adventures being shown to his friends and family ends up on something of a treasure hunt with Jerome off of Robson & Jerome (who has lost that loving feeling and started seeing an escort). The story is very gripping and well shot.
San Junipero was a surprisingly uplifting, heartwarming episode. I won't spoil the reveal too much but it is the rare occasion where Black Mirror shows the good side of technology taken to extremes. Absolutely beautiful.
Men Against Fire was a clever episode looking at the uses of brain augmentations in the armed forces and how they can be used and abused in warfare. An apparent zombie apocalypse scenario is turned on its head and shows the Black Mirror take on such technology.
The final episode, Hated in the Nation is a look at online trolling and bullying and how this can be taken to extremes. it shows that even when people know there are real consequences for the victims, because it is largely anonymous they will carry on doing it. Quite a long episode but gripping and keeps the viewer guessing throughout.
Kyera (8 KP) rated The Summer I Became a Nerd (Nerd, #1) in Books
Feb 1, 2018
If you're looking for a light, fluffy, nerdy contemporary romance then this is the book for you. It's the perfect book if you have a book hangover or just to get your mind off of things.
After being embarrassed in the 6th grade, our main character decides to hide the fact that she likes comic books. Instead, she puts her effort into becoming popular and a cheerleader. Although she still reads comics, she buys them digitally and only reads them in the secrecy of her room so that no one will catch her. That all changes one day when the final issue of one of her favourite comics is printed... only in paper and her issue is back-ordered for weeks. Maddie must go to the local comic store to buy the issue in person and risk being seen by someone she knows.
This book follows Maddie on her journey of acceptance, being true to who she is, and learning how to treat others. I personally related to Logan, the boy who works in the comic book shop, a lot more than I did to Maddie. As a proud nerd, I don't have a problem telling people that I like video games, comic books, roleplays, cons, sci-fi, etc. If your friends don't accept you for who you truly are, then they aren't your true friends. At times, the way that Maddie treated the people in her life was pretty bad and she tended to be incredibly selfish so I couldn't connect to her as much, but I could completely see how others might if they've faced the same fear of being open about a certain aspect of themselves.
Overall, this cute, fluffy book was the perfect read between my two series binges. I consider contemporaries to be great palate cleansers that help you easily transition between a world-building heavy high-fantasy and your next read, get over a book hangover, or just refresh your reading if you're in a book slump.
After being embarrassed in the 6th grade, our main character decides to hide the fact that she likes comic books. Instead, she puts her effort into becoming popular and a cheerleader. Although she still reads comics, she buys them digitally and only reads them in the secrecy of her room so that no one will catch her. That all changes one day when the final issue of one of her favourite comics is printed... only in paper and her issue is back-ordered for weeks. Maddie must go to the local comic store to buy the issue in person and risk being seen by someone she knows.
This book follows Maddie on her journey of acceptance, being true to who she is, and learning how to treat others. I personally related to Logan, the boy who works in the comic book shop, a lot more than I did to Maddie. As a proud nerd, I don't have a problem telling people that I like video games, comic books, roleplays, cons, sci-fi, etc. If your friends don't accept you for who you truly are, then they aren't your true friends. At times, the way that Maddie treated the people in her life was pretty bad and she tended to be incredibly selfish so I couldn't connect to her as much, but I could completely see how others might if they've faced the same fear of being open about a certain aspect of themselves.
Overall, this cute, fluffy book was the perfect read between my two series binges. I consider contemporaries to be great palate cleansers that help you easily transition between a world-building heavy high-fantasy and your next read, get over a book hangover, or just refresh your reading if you're in a book slump.