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"A fun, addictive, and challenging fighting simulation RPG" 9/10 - AppAdvice "Must be experienced...
Dr. Panda's Ice Cream Truck
Education and Games
App
Make your own ice cream! Chocolate? Vanilla? Strawberry? All three!? You decide! In Dr. Panda’s...
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated Season of Hope in Books
Feb 24, 2021
<a href="https://travelingwife4life.wordpress.com/2020/08/15/season-of-hope-celebrate-lit">my link text</a>
Are you ready for a heart-searching, feel good, happily-ever-after type story? Well, then this is a book you definitely need to read! This is my first time reading a book by Carol James and I enjoyed the way she developed her story.
From the start, there is great tension and emotions between the characters without them being over the top or dramatic. They feel natural given the situation presented. Both Hope and her son were cute characters and I liked the conflicts between Hope and Josh. I felt they were very likely to happen to real people. The only thing I did not like was the way Hope’s son Mattie phrased things at times, it seemed like Carol James was trying to hard to get him to sound like a kid. Otherwise, I thought the characters were very well done.
The setting of this book takes place in a little Texas town near Fort Worth! I love all things Texas, and this was a fun addition to the storyline since I knew a couple of the places mentioned. The time period is set in the 1970’s right after the Vietnam War. I thought it was a unique timeline that I have not read very many books about. I truly enjoyed it.
I give the book 4 out of 5 stars for the creative characters, the interesting setting, and for the very prevalent aspects of finding faith and forgiveness.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
Are you ready for a heart-searching, feel good, happily-ever-after type story? Well, then this is a book you definitely need to read! This is my first time reading a book by Carol James and I enjoyed the way she developed her story.
From the start, there is great tension and emotions between the characters without them being over the top or dramatic. They feel natural given the situation presented. Both Hope and her son were cute characters and I liked the conflicts between Hope and Josh. I felt they were very likely to happen to real people. The only thing I did not like was the way Hope’s son Mattie phrased things at times, it seemed like Carol James was trying to hard to get him to sound like a kid. Otherwise, I thought the characters were very well done.
The setting of this book takes place in a little Texas town near Fort Worth! I love all things Texas, and this was a fun addition to the storyline since I knew a couple of the places mentioned. The time period is set in the 1970’s right after the Vietnam War. I thought it was a unique timeline that I have not read very many books about. I truly enjoyed it.
I give the book 4 out of 5 stars for the creative characters, the interesting setting, and for the very prevalent aspects of finding faith and forgiveness.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
Trucks and Things That Go Puzzle Game
Games and Education
App
Young children are fascinated by Things That Go and these colorful puzzles of the fastest, biggest...
Merissa (12969 KP) rated Splintered (Reflections, #3) in Books
Apr 4, 2023 (Updated Apr 10, 2023)
Okay, so Broken was written from Adri's point of view and Torn was from Alec's perspective. Splintered is from both of them and revolves less around their relationship than the pack relationship as a whole. This series is so hard to put down! I love that in these books there actually is a pack hierarchy. It isn't just all friends together. There is a reason for each member and a dominant needs to have submissives around. Splintered leads you deeper into the world of the pack and just what is involved in leading one and also just being a member of one.
The characters continue to grow and change. Old characters strengthen - Adri is really starting to find out who she is. It isn't all plain sailing though, far from it. And there is an argument in the book between her and her mum that is long overdue in my opinion. I can't wait to see where it goes from here.
As Adri finds her strength, Alec finds his vulnerabilities. He has decisions to make and things to do that affect the whole pack and the humans associated with them. Is this easy? No. But he does it anyway because it is the lesser of two evils. I won't say more than that and ruin it for anyone else. I will say though that Adri and Alec are fast becoming my favourite, most well-balanced couple!
We have new characters pop up in this book too but, like with any of these books, things aren't always as they seem. I need to know more about Oblivion but once again, I won't won't say more than that. *wicked LOL*
There is a twist at the end of the book that some reviewers have been disappointed in. I wasn't, in any way, shape or form. This is part of a series, not stand-alone books, and as such I expect the story to carry on unfolding in the books that follow this one. I love that Dean Murray has done it this way and it is yet another way in which this book differs from the majority.
Once again, definitely recommended for all fans of paranormal, urban, fantasy, YA.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
August 28, 2016
The characters continue to grow and change. Old characters strengthen - Adri is really starting to find out who she is. It isn't all plain sailing though, far from it. And there is an argument in the book between her and her mum that is long overdue in my opinion. I can't wait to see where it goes from here.
As Adri finds her strength, Alec finds his vulnerabilities. He has decisions to make and things to do that affect the whole pack and the humans associated with them. Is this easy? No. But he does it anyway because it is the lesser of two evils. I won't say more than that and ruin it for anyone else. I will say though that Adri and Alec are fast becoming my favourite, most well-balanced couple!
We have new characters pop up in this book too but, like with any of these books, things aren't always as they seem. I need to know more about Oblivion but once again, I won't won't say more than that. *wicked LOL*
There is a twist at the end of the book that some reviewers have been disappointed in. I wasn't, in any way, shape or form. This is part of a series, not stand-alone books, and as such I expect the story to carry on unfolding in the books that follow this one. I love that Dean Murray has done it this way and it is yet another way in which this book differs from the majority.
Once again, definitely recommended for all fans of paranormal, urban, fantasy, YA.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
August 28, 2016
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Matryoshka in Tabletop Games
Apr 8, 2022
I don’t know about you, but I have always been fascinated by Russian nesting dolls, known as Matryoshka dolls. Something about opening the outer-most doll and finding an exact replica, but smaller, just brings me so much joy and satisfaction. I could play with them all day. So whilst perusing Miniature Market, I came across this little card game. Does Matryoshka give me the same sense of satisfaction as playing with physical nesting dolls? Or does it leave me feeling empty, like a Matryoshka that is missing its inner dolls? (This analogy is a stretch, but I’m sticking with it)
Matryoshka is a card game of hand management and set collection in which players are antique collectors attempting to gather complete sets of valuable Matryoshka dolls. Over the course of 4 rounds, players will be trading (in a sort of auction/bidding way) cards in their attempts to collect different sets of numerically ascending Matryoshka dolls. To setup for a game, you will first create the game deck. Depending on the player count, you will use a specific number of Matryoshka sets for the game – each set ranging from values 1-7. Shuffle the deck and deal 6 cards to each player, placing the remaining cards in the middle of the play area in a face-down draw deck. Players will then select 2 cards from their hand to place in their Display (tableau), organized as described in the rules. Cards in your display are visible to all players, and provide information as to what cards you have, and what cards you may be looking for. So deciding which cards to Display is part of your strategy. Select a starting player, and the game is ready to begin! Pictured below is the setup for a four-player game.
Each round is consists of 3 phases: Draw, Exchange, and Display. To begin the round, all players will draw 2 new cards from the deck. The Exchange phase is played in turns, beginning with the starting player as the active player. The active player will select one card from their hand to be placed face-up in the middle of the table. This is the card that is up for trade. All other players must then choose one card from their hands to be offered in exchange. Players keep their offer cards hidden, and the active player will secretly look at all offer cards. The active player then chooses one of the offer cards to take into their hand, and the player whose card was chosen takes the active player’s face-up card. All other players take their offer cards back into their own hand. Play then moves clock-wise, beginning another Exchange with a new active player.
When all players have had the opportunity to be the active player, the game moves to the Display phase. Players take all cards from their Display into their hand, and will then create a new Display. As the game rounds progress, the number of cards in each Display increases. To start the game, all players Display 2 cards. After the first round, the Display will have 4 cards, then 6, 8, and finally 13 to end the game. Again, cards in your Display are visible to all players, and that information could be used strategically when Exchanging cards in the second game phase. After the fourth and final round, players will have a total of 13 cards in their Display. Each Display is now scored, earning points for consecutive cards per row as well as sets of the same size of doll. The player with the highest total score is the winner of the game!
I should probably start by saying that I’m a sucker for set collection. So when I stumbled across Matryoshka, the theme drew me in and the set collection mechanic prompted me to hit ‘Add to Cart.’ And I have to say that I am loving this game. One major element that I like about Matryoshka is the simplicity of the gameplay. Draw 2 cards each round, offer cards from your hand in Exchange for others, create Displays of your sets. Easy as pie.
What really takes this game above and beyond for me are the strategic elements. Deciding which cards to Display at the end of each round is a major strategy point of the game. You have to be careful with which cards you choose to Display, because they are visible to all players. So maybe you’ve got a set of 5 consecutive cards, but do you really want your opponents to know that? Is it better to only Display a couple and use other sets to finish your Display? Or maybe you do want people to know you’re gunning for that set, as it may prompt them to offer any of those cards from their hand, for which you would pay a pretty price. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours, right? Along with that comes the negotiation tactic. During every Exchange, players are allowed to try to influence the active player for certain trades. Take my card now and I’ll owe you a favor later sort of thing. It’s neat to see what strategies players will try with each passing round.
ALSO it pays to pay careful attention to all opponents each round. When creating your Display at the end of every round, you do not have to use the same cards as in your last Display. So you can strategize to bait opponents to giving you cards you want, or to try and keep your chosen sets secret. That being said, paying attention to opposing Displays can be a good tactic. Maybe your neighbor just had a consecutive run of 3 cards in their Display, but now are choosing to only Display 1 of those cards – just because you can’t see the others, doesn’t mean they’re not necessarily there. So changing up Displays can be a way to maybe trick your opponents into thinking you do or do not have specific cards. If you keep a careful eye out, you may be able to deduce what everyone is hiding…
A quick note on components – this game is a stack of cards in a small magnetically-closing box. The artwork is thematic and unique, the rules and scoring aids are understandable, and the box itself is nice and sturdy. The cards are not the most high-quality I’ve seen in games, but as long as my players are gentle, that shouldn’t be a problem in the long run.
So all in all, I think you can tell that I love Matryoshka. The gameplay is simple and fast, yet the strategic options really get you thinking and perhaps second-guessing every Exchange that is made. I really like the element of changing Displays at the end of every round, as it allows players to adapt their strategy for the coming round. I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I picked up this game, but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s one that I’m definitely happy to have, and can see myself pulling it out often for a quick, yet strategic game between some of the bigger games out there. To bring back my analogy from my intro (yep, I’m committed to this joke), I would say that Matryoshka is nearly as satisfying as playing with a physical set of nesting dolls. If you’re looking for something light yet engaging, I would definitely recommend picking this one up. Purple Phoenix Games gives Matryoshka a nestled 5 / 6.
Matryoshka is a card game of hand management and set collection in which players are antique collectors attempting to gather complete sets of valuable Matryoshka dolls. Over the course of 4 rounds, players will be trading (in a sort of auction/bidding way) cards in their attempts to collect different sets of numerically ascending Matryoshka dolls. To setup for a game, you will first create the game deck. Depending on the player count, you will use a specific number of Matryoshka sets for the game – each set ranging from values 1-7. Shuffle the deck and deal 6 cards to each player, placing the remaining cards in the middle of the play area in a face-down draw deck. Players will then select 2 cards from their hand to place in their Display (tableau), organized as described in the rules. Cards in your display are visible to all players, and provide information as to what cards you have, and what cards you may be looking for. So deciding which cards to Display is part of your strategy. Select a starting player, and the game is ready to begin! Pictured below is the setup for a four-player game.
Each round is consists of 3 phases: Draw, Exchange, and Display. To begin the round, all players will draw 2 new cards from the deck. The Exchange phase is played in turns, beginning with the starting player as the active player. The active player will select one card from their hand to be placed face-up in the middle of the table. This is the card that is up for trade. All other players must then choose one card from their hands to be offered in exchange. Players keep their offer cards hidden, and the active player will secretly look at all offer cards. The active player then chooses one of the offer cards to take into their hand, and the player whose card was chosen takes the active player’s face-up card. All other players take their offer cards back into their own hand. Play then moves clock-wise, beginning another Exchange with a new active player.
When all players have had the opportunity to be the active player, the game moves to the Display phase. Players take all cards from their Display into their hand, and will then create a new Display. As the game rounds progress, the number of cards in each Display increases. To start the game, all players Display 2 cards. After the first round, the Display will have 4 cards, then 6, 8, and finally 13 to end the game. Again, cards in your Display are visible to all players, and that information could be used strategically when Exchanging cards in the second game phase. After the fourth and final round, players will have a total of 13 cards in their Display. Each Display is now scored, earning points for consecutive cards per row as well as sets of the same size of doll. The player with the highest total score is the winner of the game!
I should probably start by saying that I’m a sucker for set collection. So when I stumbled across Matryoshka, the theme drew me in and the set collection mechanic prompted me to hit ‘Add to Cart.’ And I have to say that I am loving this game. One major element that I like about Matryoshka is the simplicity of the gameplay. Draw 2 cards each round, offer cards from your hand in Exchange for others, create Displays of your sets. Easy as pie.
What really takes this game above and beyond for me are the strategic elements. Deciding which cards to Display at the end of each round is a major strategy point of the game. You have to be careful with which cards you choose to Display, because they are visible to all players. So maybe you’ve got a set of 5 consecutive cards, but do you really want your opponents to know that? Is it better to only Display a couple and use other sets to finish your Display? Or maybe you do want people to know you’re gunning for that set, as it may prompt them to offer any of those cards from their hand, for which you would pay a pretty price. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours, right? Along with that comes the negotiation tactic. During every Exchange, players are allowed to try to influence the active player for certain trades. Take my card now and I’ll owe you a favor later sort of thing. It’s neat to see what strategies players will try with each passing round.
ALSO it pays to pay careful attention to all opponents each round. When creating your Display at the end of every round, you do not have to use the same cards as in your last Display. So you can strategize to bait opponents to giving you cards you want, or to try and keep your chosen sets secret. That being said, paying attention to opposing Displays can be a good tactic. Maybe your neighbor just had a consecutive run of 3 cards in their Display, but now are choosing to only Display 1 of those cards – just because you can’t see the others, doesn’t mean they’re not necessarily there. So changing up Displays can be a way to maybe trick your opponents into thinking you do or do not have specific cards. If you keep a careful eye out, you may be able to deduce what everyone is hiding…
A quick note on components – this game is a stack of cards in a small magnetically-closing box. The artwork is thematic and unique, the rules and scoring aids are understandable, and the box itself is nice and sturdy. The cards are not the most high-quality I’ve seen in games, but as long as my players are gentle, that shouldn’t be a problem in the long run.
So all in all, I think you can tell that I love Matryoshka. The gameplay is simple and fast, yet the strategic options really get you thinking and perhaps second-guessing every Exchange that is made. I really like the element of changing Displays at the end of every round, as it allows players to adapt their strategy for the coming round. I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I picked up this game, but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s one that I’m definitely happy to have, and can see myself pulling it out often for a quick, yet strategic game between some of the bigger games out there. To bring back my analogy from my intro (yep, I’m committed to this joke), I would say that Matryoshka is nearly as satisfying as playing with a physical set of nesting dolls. If you’re looking for something light yet engaging, I would definitely recommend picking this one up. Purple Phoenix Games gives Matryoshka a nestled 5 / 6.
ClareR (5906 KP) rated The Girl with the Green Eyes in Books
Dec 14, 2021
The Girl with the Green Eyes is a science-fiction novel set in an alternative present day - and a book that I very much enjoyed reading. You’re left thinking that the premis of this book could very well be possible, and it’s just that we don’t know about it (I should point out here that I’m no scientist. Not even a little bit of one, unless you count a love of sci-fi. Which no-one does…). But I do like the kind of science fiction where you’re left with the big question of: could this really be happening now?
So, this book is basically all about eugenics. The search for the perfect baby, the perfect human. Someone with perfection in every part of their genetic make-up. And the fact that there are people out there who are more than willing to pay for this service. The novel also shows that however much humans try to control every aspect of this process, there is an element of the uncontrollable. These babies, children and adults still throw up surprises, and show that they are, in fact, individuals, and that genetic manipulation can’t control everything. Not yet (at the time that this story is set, anyway!).
I won’t rewrite the synopsis, but I will add that this was an exciting game of cat and mouse. The reader is never quite sure who the ‘bad guys’ and the ‘good guys’ really are, because the whole morality of this is so hazy! What both sides are doing in this is most definitely morally dubious (and as the mother of a disabled son, this is often spoken about in this house - with the opinions of said son being very surprising!).
I will most definitely be looking out for the next two novels in this series. I’m a sucker for a strong, female character, and Bella D’accourt has some skills that I can really appreciate!
This is what The Pigeonhole does so well - I would have missed this book entirely if left to my own devices. So thanks, Pigeonhole, and huge thanks to J. M. Briscoe for reading along with us!
So, this book is basically all about eugenics. The search for the perfect baby, the perfect human. Someone with perfection in every part of their genetic make-up. And the fact that there are people out there who are more than willing to pay for this service. The novel also shows that however much humans try to control every aspect of this process, there is an element of the uncontrollable. These babies, children and adults still throw up surprises, and show that they are, in fact, individuals, and that genetic manipulation can’t control everything. Not yet (at the time that this story is set, anyway!).
I won’t rewrite the synopsis, but I will add that this was an exciting game of cat and mouse. The reader is never quite sure who the ‘bad guys’ and the ‘good guys’ really are, because the whole morality of this is so hazy! What both sides are doing in this is most definitely morally dubious (and as the mother of a disabled son, this is often spoken about in this house - with the opinions of said son being very surprising!).
I will most definitely be looking out for the next two novels in this series. I’m a sucker for a strong, female character, and Bella D’accourt has some skills that I can really appreciate!
This is what The Pigeonhole does so well - I would have missed this book entirely if left to my own devices. So thanks, Pigeonhole, and huge thanks to J. M. Briscoe for reading along with us!
Bad writing (1 more)
Mostly romance
Drowning is one of the top fears in the world, and it's also one of the top ways to cover up a murder. In Lie to Me, Ward's fourth YA novel, she uses drowning as the basis of the story. Yet, this book fell very short in the thriller/mystery genre: Ward gives away too many hints at the beginning of the book, that most readers will have the murderer figured out by chapter 7; she also focuses too much on romance, something that should have caused this story to be filed under a different category other than mystery/thriller. But luckily she didn't bring in a wide circle of characters to cause confusion, using only one view point from the main character of Lie to Me: Amelia- - - a teen girl who believes she was pushed down a ravine to be left for dead in the raging water below.
Besides her 'accident,' Amelia leads a normal life with her mother, father and brother, Hunter - - - she also has a small group of friends. After her 'fall,' a body of a teen girl from the same town is found in a nearby river, but the town gossips, and makes it seem that this girl committed suicide, leaving Amelia worried that her family would think the same thing about her. Depression is something that Amelia's family has had to deal with before, but the talk of depression is candid and not very enlightening; her brother, Hunter, who is in therapy for such doesn't even talk about it, instead he's usually seen playing soccer or Fortnite, this seems to be a broad attempt to bring mental health into the story,but without going into that subject, it failed as a story line. Yet, one of the main causes of depression today is social media, which we find Amelia stalking one of her best friends/love interest on- - -if Ward was trying to reach the YA community about depression, she went the wrong way about it.
Another mistake that Ward made was when Amelia receives an anonymous text message from someone telling her to 'Just let it go,Amelia,' this occurs after she has started investigating whether her 'accident' was an accident. Amelia tells us that she is always suspicious of everyone, but when this text message comes around, it's as if she could care less. She even tries to take the anonymous message as advice: " 'Or it's advice.' I feel backed into a corner. It's one thing to believe someone hurt me and another thing to have proof of it. I don't want this to be proof. 'I mean, Sky's always telling me I should let my life get back to normal, and she doesn't even know I'm thinking any of this. Maybe someone else feels that way,too.' " In reality, if you believed that someone attempted to murder you, and suddenly you are receiving a cryptic message about letting it go, wouldn't the logic thing to do is go to the police?? Amelia doesn't!
Ward has written three other YA novels, 'Lie to Me' being her fourth. The writing in this story is bad in some places, for example, a scene with Amelia and her best friend, Sky, meeting up at the 'screen' (technically a giant drive-in movie theater screen); Amelia thinks about how this town is a haven for her, that everyone feels safe, but the very next paragraph, she's stating she doesn't feel safe anymore. This makes sense if you haven't read it, but the way it's written could have been in a much better and concise way. This and most scenes makes the story read like a sloppy diary entry. That, and the killer being predictable so early on in the story made me very disappointed with this book. 'Lie to Me' had great potential from the synopsis, but it lacked story, mystery, suspense and diverse characters.
I can't recommend this book to people who love horror stories, like I do. I think the only ones who would enjoy this story are the die-hard YA fans. It has everything that YA is known for: romance and teen drama, but it's lacking in everything else. Other than that, I don't think I'll read another book by Ward, but as far as Point horror books go, I will still give them a shot.
Besides her 'accident,' Amelia leads a normal life with her mother, father and brother, Hunter - - - she also has a small group of friends. After her 'fall,' a body of a teen girl from the same town is found in a nearby river, but the town gossips, and makes it seem that this girl committed suicide, leaving Amelia worried that her family would think the same thing about her. Depression is something that Amelia's family has had to deal with before, but the talk of depression is candid and not very enlightening; her brother, Hunter, who is in therapy for such doesn't even talk about it, instead he's usually seen playing soccer or Fortnite, this seems to be a broad attempt to bring mental health into the story,but without going into that subject, it failed as a story line. Yet, one of the main causes of depression today is social media, which we find Amelia stalking one of her best friends/love interest on- - -if Ward was trying to reach the YA community about depression, she went the wrong way about it.
Another mistake that Ward made was when Amelia receives an anonymous text message from someone telling her to 'Just let it go,Amelia,' this occurs after she has started investigating whether her 'accident' was an accident. Amelia tells us that she is always suspicious of everyone, but when this text message comes around, it's as if she could care less. She even tries to take the anonymous message as advice: " 'Or it's advice.' I feel backed into a corner. It's one thing to believe someone hurt me and another thing to have proof of it. I don't want this to be proof. 'I mean, Sky's always telling me I should let my life get back to normal, and she doesn't even know I'm thinking any of this. Maybe someone else feels that way,too.' " In reality, if you believed that someone attempted to murder you, and suddenly you are receiving a cryptic message about letting it go, wouldn't the logic thing to do is go to the police?? Amelia doesn't!
Ward has written three other YA novels, 'Lie to Me' being her fourth. The writing in this story is bad in some places, for example, a scene with Amelia and her best friend, Sky, meeting up at the 'screen' (technically a giant drive-in movie theater screen); Amelia thinks about how this town is a haven for her, that everyone feels safe, but the very next paragraph, she's stating she doesn't feel safe anymore. This makes sense if you haven't read it, but the way it's written could have been in a much better and concise way. This and most scenes makes the story read like a sloppy diary entry. That, and the killer being predictable so early on in the story made me very disappointed with this book. 'Lie to Me' had great potential from the synopsis, but it lacked story, mystery, suspense and diverse characters.
I can't recommend this book to people who love horror stories, like I do. I think the only ones who would enjoy this story are the die-hard YA fans. It has everything that YA is known for: romance and teen drama, but it's lacking in everything else. Other than that, I don't think I'll read another book by Ward, but as far as Point horror books go, I will still give them a shot.
Sudoku Master Edition
Games
App
***APPLE-FEATURED GAME OF THE DAY 09/25*** THE WORLD’S BEST SUDOKU GAME WITH FULL APPLE PENCIL...
Hunter Island: Monsters & Dragons
Games
App
A 60 hour monster training RPG…no waiting! From the makers of Dragon Island Blue, "iOS' answer...