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Fred (860 KP) rated The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31 in Tabletop Games
Mar 7, 2018
Good game. Could be great with some house rule tweaking.
The Thing: Infected at Outpost 31 is a good game. It really gets the feel of John Carpenter's movie a far as the characters, the props & the look and layout of the outpost. That being said, the game has none of the suspense the movie has. But it can, with some house rules.
The first game I played, we had 6 players. We played the game wrong & had 3 infected. Even though we had too many infected, I was still able to pick all 3 infected. One I torched, 2 I got with the blood tests. Because the humans are able to talk about what cards are given to the captain with each mission, it's too easy to figure out the infected, unless the infected plays the game as a human & totally straight. Because of that, the game is boring as it was too easy for the humans to beat the missions & that it was a guarantee the game would get to the escape portion with no problem. During the game, the danger level didn't get past the third spot, so the danger never affected the missions. Far too easy for the humans. One friend, who was infected, played 2 sabotage cards & we easily figured out he was infected. The other 2 I guessed because of the way they acted. Not the way they acted in the game, just the way they acted. After the game, I suggested that we not be allowed to say what cards you give to the captain. I suggested we say either we can help with the mission or we cannot help. One friend disagreed & said it would be too easy for the infected to win the game by destroying 4 rooms or making 8 missions fail. I disagree.
Due to the arguments of my one friend, we decided it was up to the captain as to whether the cards were told during their missions. This doesn't work because only an infected would want to not have the cards said. As I mentioned, in the first game the danger level only moved up to the third spot. In the second game, we played with 8 players. The danger level only moved up once. Once! There is no suspense when the captain looks at his cards & says "No sabotage." because it's known the infected are playing the game as human, because they'll give themselves up otherwise. And once you're found out, you're left out for much of the game. I was infected in the second game. The first infected in fact. Every time I was chosen for a mission, it was with 3 or 4 player teams & would have been too easy to figure out I was the infected if I sabotaged the mission. So, I played the game straight to the end. It was only when my friend accused me of being infected & I gave up my "tell" that he was adamant I was infected. So again, it had nothing to do with the game, but rather reading my face.
So, basically, if you wanted, you could hand out the blood sample cards, accuse people of being infected, read their faces & guess who's infected without having to bother with the nonsense of the missions. Give the guesser 2 blood tests, because you're guaranteed to still be in danger level 1 & have 2 blood tests anyway. If the missions were exciting, I'd be all for it, but most of them aren't. It's just seeing who has the right cards, which with so many players, you're guaranteed to beat it.
And so, my suggestion of not being allowed to tell what cards you're given is one of the ways to fix this game. Yes, it may be easier for the infected to cause trouble, but without this change, there is no trouble, no sense of danger, no chance for the infected to win, unless they get lucky & get in on the escape. Without that chance of causing trouble, the game is monotonous & is just a big guess at the end. Another way I thought of fixing the game is throwing in a random card during a mission. Just draw an extra card, without looking at it, mix it in with other cards & then see what happens. That may seem unfair because then the mission may be too easily won (even more easily than they already are) & so I suggested another way. If a mission parameter is to have a choice of number of players, for example 4-5 players, then the captain can only choose a 4 player team & the 5th player would be a random card. This way, not every mission will have a random card drawn for it.
Anyway, I do like the game, but feel it could be made into a great game with some kind of tweak to fix this major problem.
The first game I played, we had 6 players. We played the game wrong & had 3 infected. Even though we had too many infected, I was still able to pick all 3 infected. One I torched, 2 I got with the blood tests. Because the humans are able to talk about what cards are given to the captain with each mission, it's too easy to figure out the infected, unless the infected plays the game as a human & totally straight. Because of that, the game is boring as it was too easy for the humans to beat the missions & that it was a guarantee the game would get to the escape portion with no problem. During the game, the danger level didn't get past the third spot, so the danger never affected the missions. Far too easy for the humans. One friend, who was infected, played 2 sabotage cards & we easily figured out he was infected. The other 2 I guessed because of the way they acted. Not the way they acted in the game, just the way they acted. After the game, I suggested that we not be allowed to say what cards you give to the captain. I suggested we say either we can help with the mission or we cannot help. One friend disagreed & said it would be too easy for the infected to win the game by destroying 4 rooms or making 8 missions fail. I disagree.
Due to the arguments of my one friend, we decided it was up to the captain as to whether the cards were told during their missions. This doesn't work because only an infected would want to not have the cards said. As I mentioned, in the first game the danger level only moved up to the third spot. In the second game, we played with 8 players. The danger level only moved up once. Once! There is no suspense when the captain looks at his cards & says "No sabotage." because it's known the infected are playing the game as human, because they'll give themselves up otherwise. And once you're found out, you're left out for much of the game. I was infected in the second game. The first infected in fact. Every time I was chosen for a mission, it was with 3 or 4 player teams & would have been too easy to figure out I was the infected if I sabotaged the mission. So, I played the game straight to the end. It was only when my friend accused me of being infected & I gave up my "tell" that he was adamant I was infected. So again, it had nothing to do with the game, but rather reading my face.
So, basically, if you wanted, you could hand out the blood sample cards, accuse people of being infected, read their faces & guess who's infected without having to bother with the nonsense of the missions. Give the guesser 2 blood tests, because you're guaranteed to still be in danger level 1 & have 2 blood tests anyway. If the missions were exciting, I'd be all for it, but most of them aren't. It's just seeing who has the right cards, which with so many players, you're guaranteed to beat it.
And so, my suggestion of not being allowed to tell what cards you're given is one of the ways to fix this game. Yes, it may be easier for the infected to cause trouble, but without this change, there is no trouble, no sense of danger, no chance for the infected to win, unless they get lucky & get in on the escape. Without that chance of causing trouble, the game is monotonous & is just a big guess at the end. Another way I thought of fixing the game is throwing in a random card during a mission. Just draw an extra card, without looking at it, mix it in with other cards & then see what happens. That may seem unfair because then the mission may be too easily won (even more easily than they already are) & so I suggested another way. If a mission parameter is to have a choice of number of players, for example 4-5 players, then the captain can only choose a 4 player team & the 5th player would be a random card. This way, not every mission will have a random card drawn for it.
Anyway, I do like the game, but feel it could be made into a great game with some kind of tweak to fix this major problem.
Mothergamer (1536 KP) rated the PC version of Fallout 4 in Video Games
Apr 3, 2019
I just finished my first play through of Fallout 4 on the PS4 and my overall impression is that it was amazing. I truly had fun playing it especially when I got to run around in power armor. We'll get to all that in a minute. First you start with the usual creation of your character. You can play as male or female. I chose female and let's just say the hairstyle choices were interesting. Again I ask, why were there several types of bald? At least there were some long hair choices, but I went for a fancy updo. There are a lot of choices for the face also and you can add scarring if you want or different facial features.
Once that was done, I started the story and the world seems like it's a nice place, you even get a cheerful talking robot by the name of Codsworth out of it. Then the Vault-Tec rep shows up at your door informing you that you and your family are approved for entry into Vault 111. A few minutes later a news report warns of a nuclear attack forcing you and your family to rush to the vault and as you're waiting to go in a nuclear bomb detonates in the distance causing even more panic. The platform you're on then lowers everyone into the vault and everyone is put into cryosleep. Years later, events cause you to be awakened and then your adventure in Fallout 4 begins.
Entering Vault 111
Things are not as your sole survivor remembers in their little town. Signs of war, desolation, and destruction are everywhere. You do run into your old pal Codsworth and he becomes your first companion. This also gives you a tutorial on the game controls and the crafting aspect of it i.e. rebuilding settlements. The controls are fairly easy to manage and you can go back and forth easily. Of course the big thing is to loot everything everywhere you go because salvaging things like metal and copper are important to building many things such as water pumps that give you purified water or radio beacons for recruiting settlers.
The old homestead isn't what it used to be.
After the tutorial is out of the way, you're instructed to head to Diamond City as part of the main story quest. Of course, you can explore other areas as you go which leads you to new characters and companions one of the first after Codsworth being your canine companion Dogmeat. There are 12 companions in all to find in Fallout 4 as you progress in your adventure. There are also 4 different factions that you can join and do a ton of quests for, but bear in mind that as part of the main story you are going to have to pick one and this affects your relationship with the remaining factions.
Just a sole survivor and their dog.
There's a lot to do in Fallout 4 with the various faction quests and radiant quests. There are also side quests from various cities and settlements which can keep you busy while doing the main story quest. Factor in the quests that you can do for your companions and there's at least 100 hours of game play or more. There are a ton of dangers while exploring the world of Fallout 4 like Queen Deathclaws, Super Mutants, and Raiders just to name a few. The SPECIAL (Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck) system is here too and it's quite streamlined in the way your abilities are managed and each skill requires a higher rank to unlock as you progress via the perks chart.
Taking out some raiders.
The power armor was a great plus for me because it's like running around in a tank and kicking lots of ass and it was awesome! And while I liked the first power armor set I found, the best one to me was the X-01 power armor I found while doing a quest and it was a complete set too. This thing could stand up to all kinds of things even suicider Super Mutants. Walking away from explosions virtually untouched in the X-01 power armor was all kinds of amazing.
One of the first power armors I found.
Behold! The X-01 power armor in all its glory!
There are glitches of course, but not a lot. I only experienced a couple. One was with being stuck in the elevator in one building and the only fix was to reload my last save and start over. There was another one where I was floating above the ground and the game froze completely. Again, reloading my last save seemed to do the trick. Another thing that bothered me was all the radiant quests mainly from The Minutemen leader Preston Garvey because after a while they become tedious especially with the kidnapping ones when it seemed like the same NPC settler got kidnapped three times. I started to think that perhaps they were getting kidnapped on purpose just to screw with me. I also wish there had been a way for the factions to work together against the scary villain instead of forcing you to pick one and depending on your actions, the other factions would become your enemies. I wish there had been a varied path with some options instead of you had to be on this set path and there's no other way around it.
That being said, I enjoyed Fallout 4 a great deal. There's lots to see and do, tons of things to build, and plenty of adventure to be had. It's worth checking out and definitely worth having in your gaming collection.
Once that was done, I started the story and the world seems like it's a nice place, you even get a cheerful talking robot by the name of Codsworth out of it. Then the Vault-Tec rep shows up at your door informing you that you and your family are approved for entry into Vault 111. A few minutes later a news report warns of a nuclear attack forcing you and your family to rush to the vault and as you're waiting to go in a nuclear bomb detonates in the distance causing even more panic. The platform you're on then lowers everyone into the vault and everyone is put into cryosleep. Years later, events cause you to be awakened and then your adventure in Fallout 4 begins.
Entering Vault 111
Things are not as your sole survivor remembers in their little town. Signs of war, desolation, and destruction are everywhere. You do run into your old pal Codsworth and he becomes your first companion. This also gives you a tutorial on the game controls and the crafting aspect of it i.e. rebuilding settlements. The controls are fairly easy to manage and you can go back and forth easily. Of course the big thing is to loot everything everywhere you go because salvaging things like metal and copper are important to building many things such as water pumps that give you purified water or radio beacons for recruiting settlers.
The old homestead isn't what it used to be.
After the tutorial is out of the way, you're instructed to head to Diamond City as part of the main story quest. Of course, you can explore other areas as you go which leads you to new characters and companions one of the first after Codsworth being your canine companion Dogmeat. There are 12 companions in all to find in Fallout 4 as you progress in your adventure. There are also 4 different factions that you can join and do a ton of quests for, but bear in mind that as part of the main story you are going to have to pick one and this affects your relationship with the remaining factions.
Just a sole survivor and their dog.
There's a lot to do in Fallout 4 with the various faction quests and radiant quests. There are also side quests from various cities and settlements which can keep you busy while doing the main story quest. Factor in the quests that you can do for your companions and there's at least 100 hours of game play or more. There are a ton of dangers while exploring the world of Fallout 4 like Queen Deathclaws, Super Mutants, and Raiders just to name a few. The SPECIAL (Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck) system is here too and it's quite streamlined in the way your abilities are managed and each skill requires a higher rank to unlock as you progress via the perks chart.
Taking out some raiders.
The power armor was a great plus for me because it's like running around in a tank and kicking lots of ass and it was awesome! And while I liked the first power armor set I found, the best one to me was the X-01 power armor I found while doing a quest and it was a complete set too. This thing could stand up to all kinds of things even suicider Super Mutants. Walking away from explosions virtually untouched in the X-01 power armor was all kinds of amazing.
One of the first power armors I found.
Behold! The X-01 power armor in all its glory!
There are glitches of course, but not a lot. I only experienced a couple. One was with being stuck in the elevator in one building and the only fix was to reload my last save and start over. There was another one where I was floating above the ground and the game froze completely. Again, reloading my last save seemed to do the trick. Another thing that bothered me was all the radiant quests mainly from The Minutemen leader Preston Garvey because after a while they become tedious especially with the kidnapping ones when it seemed like the same NPC settler got kidnapped three times. I started to think that perhaps they were getting kidnapped on purpose just to screw with me. I also wish there had been a way for the factions to work together against the scary villain instead of forcing you to pick one and depending on your actions, the other factions would become your enemies. I wish there had been a varied path with some options instead of you had to be on this set path and there's no other way around it.
That being said, I enjoyed Fallout 4 a great deal. There's lots to see and do, tons of things to build, and plenty of adventure to be had. It's worth checking out and definitely worth having in your gaming collection.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated The Front Runner (2018) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
Candidate for a downfall.
We can all probably rattle off some of the classics movies with US politics as their backdrop. For me, “All the President’s Men”; “Primary Colors”; and “Frost/Nixon” might make that list. In the next tier down there are many great drama/thrillers – “Miss Sloane“; “The Post“; “The Ides of March”; “The American President”; “JFK” – and even some pretty funny comedies – “Dave” and “My Fellow Americans” for example. It’s actually quite difficult to think of many films on the subject that are outright dire, proving it remains a fertile ground for film-makers.
“The Front Runner” fortunately avoids this last category, but it’s certainly not good enough to make it into the ‘classics’ list either.
A true story.
The film is based on the true-story of US presidential hopeful Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman) and if you are NOT aware of the historical background then you might want to skip the rest of this review – and indeed all others – so you can see the film first and let the history come as a surprise to you.
Hart was younger than most candidates: good-looking, floppy-haired and refreshingly matter of fact in his dealings with the public and the press. Any interviews had to be about his politics: not about his family life with wife Lee (Vera Farmiga) and teenage daughter Andrea (Kaitlyn Dever).
Unfortunately, Hart has a weakness for a pretty face (or ten) and his marriage is rocky as a result: “Just don’t embarrass me” is Lee’s one requirement. His “nothing to hide” line to an intelligent Washington Post reporter – AJ Parker (a well cast Mamoudou Athie) – leads to a half-arsed stake-out by Miami Herald reporters and incriminating pictures linking Hart to a Miami pharmaceutical saleswoman Donna Rice (Sara Paxton). As the growing press tsunami rises, and his campaign manager (J.K. Simmons) gets more and more frustrated with him, can his candidacy survive and will his (now very much embarrassed) wife stick by him?
The turns.
Hugh Jackman is perfectly cast here; very believable as the self-centred, self-righteous and stubborn politician. But this central performance is surrounded by a strong team of supporting players. Vera Farmiga is superb as the wounded wife. Sara Paxton is heartbreaking as the intelligent college girl unfairly portrayed as a “slapper” by the media. The scenes between her and Hart-staffer Irene (Molly Ephraim), trying desperately to support her as best she can, are very nicely done. J.K Simmons as campaign manager Bill Dixon is as reliable as ever. And Alfred Molina turns up as the latest film incarnation of The Post’s Ben Bradlee – surely one of the most oft portrayed real-life journalists in film history.
“What did they just say”?
The biggest cause of dissatisfaction I have with the film is with the sound mixing. Was this a deliberate act by director Jason Reitman, to reflect the chaotic nature of political campaigning? Whether it was deliberate or not, much of the film’s dialogue – particularly in the first 30 minutes of the film – is drowned out by background noise. Sometimes I just longed for subtitles!
Just a little bit dull.
The screenplay, by Matt Bai (from his source book), Jay Carson (a Clinton staffer) and director Jason Reitman might align with the history, but the big problem is that the story’s just a little bit dull, particularly by today’s levels of scandal. This suffers the same fate as “House of Cards” (even before the Kevin Spacey allegations) in that the shocking realities of the Trump-era have progressively neutered the shock-factor of the fiction: to the point where it starts to become boring. Here, only once or twice does the screenplay hit a winning beat: for me, it was the scenes between Donna Rice and Irene Kelly and the dramatic press conference towards the end of the film. The rest of the time, the screenplay was perfectly serviceable but nothing spectacular.
When is a politician’s personal life private?
A core tenet of the film is Hart’s view that politics should be about the policies and not about the personality. Looking at the subject nowadays, it’s clearly a ridiculously idealistic viewpoint. Of course it matters. Politicians need to be trusted by their constituents (yeah, like that’s the case in the UK and the US at the moment!) and whether or not they slap their wives around or sleep with farm animals is clearly a material factor in that relationship. But this was clearly not as much the case in the 70’s as it is today, and the suggestion is that the Hart case was a turning point and a wake-up call to politicians around the world. (An interesting article by the Washington Post itself points out that this is also a simplistic view: that Hart should have been well aware of the dangerous game he was playing.)
Fidelity in politics.
Do you think that powerful politicos are driven to infidelity because they are powerful? Or that it is a characteristic of men who have the charisma to become political leaders in the first place? Such was the discussion my wife and I had in the car home after this film. Nature or political nurture? I’m still not sure.
It’s worth pointing out that to this day both Hart and Rice (interestingly, an alleged ex-girlfriend of Eagles front-man Don Henley) stick to their story that they never had sex.
Final thoughts.
The film’s perfectly watchable, has great acting, but is a little bit of a non-event. The end titles came and I thought “OK, that’s that then”…. nothing more. If you’re a fan of this style of historical political film then you probably won’t be disappointed by it; if not, probably best to wait and catch this on the TV.
“The Front Runner” fortunately avoids this last category, but it’s certainly not good enough to make it into the ‘classics’ list either.
A true story.
The film is based on the true-story of US presidential hopeful Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman) and if you are NOT aware of the historical background then you might want to skip the rest of this review – and indeed all others – so you can see the film first and let the history come as a surprise to you.
Hart was younger than most candidates: good-looking, floppy-haired and refreshingly matter of fact in his dealings with the public and the press. Any interviews had to be about his politics: not about his family life with wife Lee (Vera Farmiga) and teenage daughter Andrea (Kaitlyn Dever).
Unfortunately, Hart has a weakness for a pretty face (or ten) and his marriage is rocky as a result: “Just don’t embarrass me” is Lee’s one requirement. His “nothing to hide” line to an intelligent Washington Post reporter – AJ Parker (a well cast Mamoudou Athie) – leads to a half-arsed stake-out by Miami Herald reporters and incriminating pictures linking Hart to a Miami pharmaceutical saleswoman Donna Rice (Sara Paxton). As the growing press tsunami rises, and his campaign manager (J.K. Simmons) gets more and more frustrated with him, can his candidacy survive and will his (now very much embarrassed) wife stick by him?
The turns.
Hugh Jackman is perfectly cast here; very believable as the self-centred, self-righteous and stubborn politician. But this central performance is surrounded by a strong team of supporting players. Vera Farmiga is superb as the wounded wife. Sara Paxton is heartbreaking as the intelligent college girl unfairly portrayed as a “slapper” by the media. The scenes between her and Hart-staffer Irene (Molly Ephraim), trying desperately to support her as best she can, are very nicely done. J.K Simmons as campaign manager Bill Dixon is as reliable as ever. And Alfred Molina turns up as the latest film incarnation of The Post’s Ben Bradlee – surely one of the most oft portrayed real-life journalists in film history.
“What did they just say”?
The biggest cause of dissatisfaction I have with the film is with the sound mixing. Was this a deliberate act by director Jason Reitman, to reflect the chaotic nature of political campaigning? Whether it was deliberate or not, much of the film’s dialogue – particularly in the first 30 minutes of the film – is drowned out by background noise. Sometimes I just longed for subtitles!
Just a little bit dull.
The screenplay, by Matt Bai (from his source book), Jay Carson (a Clinton staffer) and director Jason Reitman might align with the history, but the big problem is that the story’s just a little bit dull, particularly by today’s levels of scandal. This suffers the same fate as “House of Cards” (even before the Kevin Spacey allegations) in that the shocking realities of the Trump-era have progressively neutered the shock-factor of the fiction: to the point where it starts to become boring. Here, only once or twice does the screenplay hit a winning beat: for me, it was the scenes between Donna Rice and Irene Kelly and the dramatic press conference towards the end of the film. The rest of the time, the screenplay was perfectly serviceable but nothing spectacular.
When is a politician’s personal life private?
A core tenet of the film is Hart’s view that politics should be about the policies and not about the personality. Looking at the subject nowadays, it’s clearly a ridiculously idealistic viewpoint. Of course it matters. Politicians need to be trusted by their constituents (yeah, like that’s the case in the UK and the US at the moment!) and whether or not they slap their wives around or sleep with farm animals is clearly a material factor in that relationship. But this was clearly not as much the case in the 70’s as it is today, and the suggestion is that the Hart case was a turning point and a wake-up call to politicians around the world. (An interesting article by the Washington Post itself points out that this is also a simplistic view: that Hart should have been well aware of the dangerous game he was playing.)
Fidelity in politics.
Do you think that powerful politicos are driven to infidelity because they are powerful? Or that it is a characteristic of men who have the charisma to become political leaders in the first place? Such was the discussion my wife and I had in the car home after this film. Nature or political nurture? I’m still not sure.
It’s worth pointing out that to this day both Hart and Rice (interestingly, an alleged ex-girlfriend of Eagles front-man Don Henley) stick to their story that they never had sex.
Final thoughts.
The film’s perfectly watchable, has great acting, but is a little bit of a non-event. The end titles came and I thought “OK, that’s that then”…. nothing more. If you’re a fan of this style of historical political film then you probably won’t be disappointed by it; if not, probably best to wait and catch this on the TV.
Amanda (96 KP) rated The Night Olivia Fell in Books
Mar 11, 2019
Each chapter of this story is told from two views, Olivia and Abi (Olivia’s mother). The story starts off intense and grabbing when Abi gets news that her daughter has fallen from a bridge and is now considered brain dead – but she is being kept alive because she is also pregnant. That plot thickens…
Olivia is a typical teenager. She gets good grades and is active in school sports and volunteers – most of the time she does so, so that her mother ‘stays happy and stays off her back’. It’s disheartening to hear, but as you read the story, you understand Abi’s need to ‘keep Olivia’ safe and know a need to know where she is, who she is with, and what she is doing. Although, there is such thing as a little too protective, but I won’t go into that, that’s not the point.
Olivia has a boyfriend, whom I swear has male PMS and wants sex (and Olivia is giving it to him, though she’s feeling the pressure) and a best friend who at one point was mad at her and got the whole class to stop speaking to her. So, these two characters are not exactly on a list of people to like or even tolerate.
Abi tries to find the truth behind how Olivia fell and how she became pregnant. A lot of secrets are revealed.
The more I read the story, the more I felt like this was turning into a morbid ‘Parent Trap’ story. I say this, because, during a college trip, Olivia meets a girl named Kendall, who could very well BE her twin.
So, I’m like, great, a twin separation story – Nope, I was wrong, which is not a bad thing.
I think I would have enjoyed this story a bit better if not for realizing who was responsible for Olivia ‘falling’. To me, it felt predictable. I also had some issues with some dialogue coming from teenagers.
“You made me look like a fool!” – Do ANY teenagers today say ‘fool’? That’s me being a bit nit picky, but I had to add it, just cause.
All in all, it was a decent story and I stayed interested, even through some of the ‘predictable’ scenes and the outcome of the story. I will say, I did make a few guesses, and I was only right once or twice. I’m not sure if that’s a upper, but I thought it was a good story, nonetheless.
Olivia is a typical teenager. She gets good grades and is active in school sports and volunteers – most of the time she does so, so that her mother ‘stays happy and stays off her back’. It’s disheartening to hear, but as you read the story, you understand Abi’s need to ‘keep Olivia’ safe and know a need to know where she is, who she is with, and what she is doing. Although, there is such thing as a little too protective, but I won’t go into that, that’s not the point.
Olivia has a boyfriend, whom I swear has male PMS and wants sex (and Olivia is giving it to him, though she’s feeling the pressure) and a best friend who at one point was mad at her and got the whole class to stop speaking to her. So, these two characters are not exactly on a list of people to like or even tolerate.
Abi tries to find the truth behind how Olivia fell and how she became pregnant. A lot of secrets are revealed.
The more I read the story, the more I felt like this was turning into a morbid ‘Parent Trap’ story. I say this, because, during a college trip, Olivia meets a girl named Kendall, who could very well BE her twin.
So, I’m like, great, a twin separation story – Nope, I was wrong, which is not a bad thing.
I think I would have enjoyed this story a bit better if not for realizing who was responsible for Olivia ‘falling’. To me, it felt predictable. I also had some issues with some dialogue coming from teenagers.
“You made me look like a fool!” – Do ANY teenagers today say ‘fool’? That’s me being a bit nit picky, but I had to add it, just cause.
All in all, it was a decent story and I stayed interested, even through some of the ‘predictable’ scenes and the outcome of the story. I will say, I did make a few guesses, and I was only right once or twice. I’m not sure if that’s a upper, but I thought it was a good story, nonetheless.
Kyera (8 KP) rated The Mortal Instruments 1: City of Bones in Books
Jan 31, 2018
City of Bones is the book that started the phenomenon that is the Shadowhunters world and fandom. The book introduces us to a beloved cast of characters and the fascinating Shadow World that will be developed over the course of the future novels. We discover the world through the eyes of Clary Fray, a girl who always thought she was normal but discovers that she is actually part of a race of people who are part-angel and spend their days fighting back the demon hordes.
Clary and her best friend Simon are thrust into a world full of werewolves, vampires, warlocks, fairies and demons. They meet three Shadowhunters around their age: Jace, Izzy and Alec who live in the New York Institute. The first book has a number of different action scenes, but I think it shines most in the world-building department. Cassandra Clare develops an intricate world that you can easily imagine and yet is infinitely more complex than our own familiar one.
While there is some character development, the book only takes place over a period of two weeks. We are just getting to know the characters and that development or growth will come in later books. For now, we are learning about these characters and their secrets. Having read the series before, I am already in love with certain characters so it's strange seeing their early personas. They grow so much over the course of the six books that there are some that I don't particularly connect to, yet absolutely adore them later on.
Although I relate most to Clary, Jace is by far my favourite character in the series. He is witty, sarcastic and has the best lines in any scene. Some of the other characters have hilarious, memorable lines as well because Cassie writes fantastic dialogue - but Jace is the star. He can cause you to laugh out loud, which might garner you strange looks if you're in public reading.
This book is fantastic, but you can definitely see the difference in writing quality between this book and Cassie's most recent series. I think the writing is well done, the world building is immersive and the characters are relatable. I adore this book because it is what introduced me to the Shadow World and my beloved Shadowhunters, but I can admit that her writing has come so far in the last ten years. Regardless, I cannot recommend this series more to young adult/teen fans of fantasy, books with unique and immersive world building and if you're willing to continue with it fantastic character building throughout the series.
Clary and her best friend Simon are thrust into a world full of werewolves, vampires, warlocks, fairies and demons. They meet three Shadowhunters around their age: Jace, Izzy and Alec who live in the New York Institute. The first book has a number of different action scenes, but I think it shines most in the world-building department. Cassandra Clare develops an intricate world that you can easily imagine and yet is infinitely more complex than our own familiar one.
While there is some character development, the book only takes place over a period of two weeks. We are just getting to know the characters and that development or growth will come in later books. For now, we are learning about these characters and their secrets. Having read the series before, I am already in love with certain characters so it's strange seeing their early personas. They grow so much over the course of the six books that there are some that I don't particularly connect to, yet absolutely adore them later on.
Although I relate most to Clary, Jace is by far my favourite character in the series. He is witty, sarcastic and has the best lines in any scene. Some of the other characters have hilarious, memorable lines as well because Cassie writes fantastic dialogue - but Jace is the star. He can cause you to laugh out loud, which might garner you strange looks if you're in public reading.
This book is fantastic, but you can definitely see the difference in writing quality between this book and Cassie's most recent series. I think the writing is well done, the world building is immersive and the characters are relatable. I adore this book because it is what introduced me to the Shadow World and my beloved Shadowhunters, but I can admit that her writing has come so far in the last ten years. Regardless, I cannot recommend this series more to young adult/teen fans of fantasy, books with unique and immersive world building and if you're willing to continue with it fantastic character building throughout the series.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I can't quite decide how to classify this book, although I kept telling people I was reading a crime thriller. But it's a little more than that, as Darren works to prevent crime by thwarting gang efforts in a place called The Orchard. He manages to do this by using a suit specifically designed to enhance his own abilities multiple times over, making him faster, stronger, and ultimately bullet-proof. The resulting encounters with criminals are sometimes hilarious when they see that they're basically fighting Iron Man.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were aspects that got a little technical and went a little over my head, when Darren and Adam were explaining how they created the suit, what all software/technology went into it, etc., but it was still understandable enough to keep me in the story. Aside from that part, I was deeply engrossed in how Darren could pull of these feats, why he did it (when it got that part), and the little mini-stories from the perspective of the would-be victims, had he not stepped in to help. And I found myself reading the introduction over and over again (I even got my husband to read it), because I was just so fascinated at what can be done with technology now!! It really grabbed my attention, the first chapter sucked me in, and the rest of the book made sure to never let me go.
Finally, while not a major part, there's an exchange between Darren and Corrine about the difference between a justice system and a legal system, as well as one between Darren and a judge that involves such things as the psychology of the courtroom and law. I found both these discussions very interesting, as I majored in Forensic Psychology, and the term "justice system" was used quite often, often interchangeably with "legal system." To hear the two explained in stark contrast to one another and how they differ was something that really added to the story and bolstered Darren's cause, in my opinion. And to hear the judge talk about the theatrics of the courtroom and how it's all ritualistic and intimidating really got me thinking, as well. Kudos to the author for throwing those two bits of dialogue in the story.
5 stars, and I'd recommend this to anyone who likes a good off-the-beaten-path superhero story =)
I can't quite decide how to classify this book, although I kept telling people I was reading a crime thriller. But it's a little more than that, as Darren works to prevent crime by thwarting gang efforts in a place called The Orchard. He manages to do this by using a suit specifically designed to enhance his own abilities multiple times over, making him faster, stronger, and ultimately bullet-proof. The resulting encounters with criminals are sometimes hilarious when they see that they're basically fighting Iron Man.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were aspects that got a little technical and went a little over my head, when Darren and Adam were explaining how they created the suit, what all software/technology went into it, etc., but it was still understandable enough to keep me in the story. Aside from that part, I was deeply engrossed in how Darren could pull of these feats, why he did it (when it got that part), and the little mini-stories from the perspective of the would-be victims, had he not stepped in to help. And I found myself reading the introduction over and over again (I even got my husband to read it), because I was just so fascinated at what can be done with technology now!! It really grabbed my attention, the first chapter sucked me in, and the rest of the book made sure to never let me go.
Finally, while not a major part, there's an exchange between Darren and Corrine about the difference between a justice system and a legal system, as well as one between Darren and a judge that involves such things as the psychology of the courtroom and law. I found both these discussions very interesting, as I majored in Forensic Psychology, and the term "justice system" was used quite often, often interchangeably with "legal system." To hear the two explained in stark contrast to one another and how they differ was something that really added to the story and bolstered Darren's cause, in my opinion. And to hear the judge talk about the theatrics of the courtroom and how it's all ritualistic and intimidating really got me thinking, as well. Kudos to the author for throwing those two bits of dialogue in the story.
5 stars, and I'd recommend this to anyone who likes a good off-the-beaten-path superhero story =)
BookblogbyCari (345 KP) rated What Did I Do? in Books
Nov 4, 2018
Book review by Cari Mayhew. Rating 6/10.
This is an odd book, but despite its haphazard beginnings, by the three-quarter mark I was hooked and could not put it down!
The first chapter runs from the viewpoint of the somewhat mentally disturbed Kristin, who has recently immigrated to Sweden following the death of her husband, Brandon, which she suspects that she caused (cause of death being an allergic reaction to nuts).
The following chapter runs from the viewpoint of Frank, who has just returned from a holiday with his wife, Birgitta, to learn that his son, Anders, has been murdered. The couple suspect that Anders was murdered by his sister, their daughter Sofia.
Frank hires a private to track down Sofia, who, it transpires, is Kristin by another name. Frank and Birgitta also immigrate to Sweden. Despite Frank’s anger at Sofia, he wants to confront her personally rather than hand her over to the police.
Interspersed between chapters on Kristen and Frank, are chapters taken from the viewpoint of a young woman who finds herself the victim of an organisation of pimps, and feels trapped in an unwanted lifestyle. For a long time in the book, it was hard to see how this had any relevance to Kristen’s or Frank’s story, but it all came together at the three quarter point, and the action heated up as characters found each other.
While reading the earlier chapters, I had a strong feeling that there had been a lot going on behind the scenes and that characters were often unaware of the whole story.
There were some characters and elements to the story that, although they were critical to the plot, often felt unnecessary, such as Kristen’s therapy sessions, and chapters from the viewpoint of a neighbour.
What was good about this book was the believability of the story telling, which I imagine would be hard to pull off, given that the subject matter includes murders and sex trafficking.
I had chosen this book hoping it would be like Memory Box by Eva Lesko Natiello where the protagonist uncovers clue after mysterious clue, but in this book the clues were few and far between.
I don’t normally make educated guesses as to who is the culprit in a mystery, but on this occasion I did and I was partly right (no spoilers).
The story’s ending and epilogue left me feeling satisfied that justice had been served.
Overall I did enjoy the book, but I’m not inclined to read more from the author. Although the writing kept me interested, it felt like reading 3 different stories that barely linked together.
This is an odd book, but despite its haphazard beginnings, by the three-quarter mark I was hooked and could not put it down!
The first chapter runs from the viewpoint of the somewhat mentally disturbed Kristin, who has recently immigrated to Sweden following the death of her husband, Brandon, which she suspects that she caused (cause of death being an allergic reaction to nuts).
The following chapter runs from the viewpoint of Frank, who has just returned from a holiday with his wife, Birgitta, to learn that his son, Anders, has been murdered. The couple suspect that Anders was murdered by his sister, their daughter Sofia.
Frank hires a private to track down Sofia, who, it transpires, is Kristin by another name. Frank and Birgitta also immigrate to Sweden. Despite Frank’s anger at Sofia, he wants to confront her personally rather than hand her over to the police.
Interspersed between chapters on Kristen and Frank, are chapters taken from the viewpoint of a young woman who finds herself the victim of an organisation of pimps, and feels trapped in an unwanted lifestyle. For a long time in the book, it was hard to see how this had any relevance to Kristen’s or Frank’s story, but it all came together at the three quarter point, and the action heated up as characters found each other.
While reading the earlier chapters, I had a strong feeling that there had been a lot going on behind the scenes and that characters were often unaware of the whole story.
There were some characters and elements to the story that, although they were critical to the plot, often felt unnecessary, such as Kristen’s therapy sessions, and chapters from the viewpoint of a neighbour.
What was good about this book was the believability of the story telling, which I imagine would be hard to pull off, given that the subject matter includes murders and sex trafficking.
I had chosen this book hoping it would be like Memory Box by Eva Lesko Natiello where the protagonist uncovers clue after mysterious clue, but in this book the clues were few and far between.
I don’t normally make educated guesses as to who is the culprit in a mystery, but on this occasion I did and I was partly right (no spoilers).
The story’s ending and epilogue left me feeling satisfied that justice had been served.
Overall I did enjoy the book, but I’m not inclined to read more from the author. Although the writing kept me interested, it felt like reading 3 different stories that barely linked together.
Applied Pathophysiology: A Conceptual Approach to the Mechanisms of Disease
Carie A. Braun and Cindy M. Anderson
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Emphasizing application of knowledge, active learning strategies, critical thinking, and...
The Queen of the Damned (The Vampire Chronicles, #3)
9.0
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In 1976, a uniquely seductive world of vampires was unveiled in the now-classic Interview with the...
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated The Edge of Belonging in Books
Feb 24, 2021
<a href="https://travelingwife4life.wordpress.com/2020/09/10/the-edge-of-belonging-lone-star-lit/">Travelers Wife 4 Life</a>
The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox was like a breath of fresh air amid uncertain times that cause you to reflect inward to who you really are. It is listed as a dual timeline, but I think it reads just like a complete story of getting to know a person from beginning to end, with some very thought-provoking moments.
<b>“What if this whole thing is really about finding your missing pieces?”</b>
This book and the characters in it made me go on a roller-coaster of thoughts, emotions, and feelings. I was hooked from the very beginning and read the book in one sitting because it was so good. I loved how Amanda Cox used the dialogue to make me feel as if I were in the story observing everything unfolding. She also used everyday life situations to convey hope for every situation tastefully touching on topics like depression, abandonment, abuse, PTSD, and death. It was masterfully done and quite hard to believe that this was her debut novel! (I cannot imagine what she will write after getting “practice” under her belt). The Edge of Belonging has some of the most poignant moments in it that I have ever read before in a book. Ivy Rose, Harvey James, Reese, and Pearl brought to light one of life’s most resounding questions… Who are you?
<b>“You are Braver than you know. And more Loved than you realize.”</b>
The plot is a dual timeline, I do not always like them because they can be kind of wonky, but wow, this one was done to perfection. It was really like looking through a window and watching the characters interact on the other side, definitely one of the best (if not the best) dual timelines I have ever had the pleasure of reading before. Interwoven with great landscape descriptions and interesting background on all the characters plus, the 20 years kept secrets… well this book is one I will be recommending for a long time to come.
While diving deep into the different characters' lives Amanda Cox managed to give many happy endings and bring you on a journey of discovery that I think everyone can relate to and enjoy. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 stars. Great job on your first book Amanda Cox, I cannot wait to see what you write next!
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox was like a breath of fresh air amid uncertain times that cause you to reflect inward to who you really are. It is listed as a dual timeline, but I think it reads just like a complete story of getting to know a person from beginning to end, with some very thought-provoking moments.
<b>“What if this whole thing is really about finding your missing pieces?”</b>
This book and the characters in it made me go on a roller-coaster of thoughts, emotions, and feelings. I was hooked from the very beginning and read the book in one sitting because it was so good. I loved how Amanda Cox used the dialogue to make me feel as if I were in the story observing everything unfolding. She also used everyday life situations to convey hope for every situation tastefully touching on topics like depression, abandonment, abuse, PTSD, and death. It was masterfully done and quite hard to believe that this was her debut novel! (I cannot imagine what she will write after getting “practice” under her belt). The Edge of Belonging has some of the most poignant moments in it that I have ever read before in a book. Ivy Rose, Harvey James, Reese, and Pearl brought to light one of life’s most resounding questions… Who are you?
<b>“You are Braver than you know. And more Loved than you realize.”</b>
The plot is a dual timeline, I do not always like them because they can be kind of wonky, but wow, this one was done to perfection. It was really like looking through a window and watching the characters interact on the other side, definitely one of the best (if not the best) dual timelines I have ever had the pleasure of reading before. Interwoven with great landscape descriptions and interesting background on all the characters plus, the 20 years kept secrets… well this book is one I will be recommending for a long time to come.
While diving deep into the different characters' lives Amanda Cox managed to give many happy endings and bring you on a journey of discovery that I think everyone can relate to and enjoy. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 stars. Great job on your first book Amanda Cox, I cannot wait to see what you write next!
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.