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Beatriz (138 KP) rated Furistas Cat Cafe in Apps

Dec 5, 2018 (Updated Dec 5, 2018)  
Furistas Cat Cafe
Furistas Cat Cafe
Games
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
App Rating
Appealing Design (4 more)
Simple game
Doesn’t have too many missions at a time
You can decorate your space
Is relaxing for people with anxiety
Doesn’t have many options of decoration (0 more)
Furistas Cat Cafe
This is a very simple game that consists in taking care of a cafe that is cat friendly. It was inspired by a coffee shop in japan where customers go to cuddle cats while drinking tea or coffee.
In the game, you simply match a Cat with a customer, that will give you hearts (with the hearts you can level up your cats), you do Batista missions (clean a dirty floor, give customers food and drinks, or give a Cat attention) that will give you coins, you only have 3 missions per day. You also have events that will give you special baskets (where money, hearts and other things to help you level up come from) or special furniture for you to decorate your room. Every time you level up you’ll receive a new cat as well!
It’s a very simple relaxing game.
  
So, yeah, a lot less of the stuff that kids this age shouldn't really be getting up to. They're now 16 and the bluebloods met their match in Marnye this year. She took them down one by one, hitting them where it hurts the most and I was cheering her on almost every time. I was feeling the same things as her. Did this person need even more pain after the revenge she'd just meted out? It was so complicated at times. Like Marnye, I'm torn by all the guys now, too. They all seem into her but how does she choose? They've all hurt her in one way or another (apart from our Prince) and all feel bad about it.

I am getting hooked on this series and will now have to wait for book 3 and 4 to come out to see what ends up happening with this group of characters. All of their personal lives are complicated in some way so I hope the author gives them all a way to make everything right.
  
The Invisible Man (2020)
The Invisible Man (2020)
2020 | Horror, Sci-Fi
There are three things that are certain in life:

1. Death
2. Taxes
3. Leigh Whannell is the fucking *man*.

Just fantastic. Obviously very few films could ever hope to match the rampant badassery of Whannell's previous masterwork, 𝘜𝘱𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦 - but this is about as stellar as a follow-up as one could hope for. A constant guessing game with your eyes, something could be hiding in just about every corner - never stop looking, you could miss it right in plain sight. Melds horror, thriller, drama, and action in a way that is simply euphoric - especially after the decade-worst slump of movies we experienced in 2019. Does Jordan Peele better than Jordan Peele in every aspect except image-making, which only falls behind by a tad. Moss is - naturally - amazing, probably her best film performance in a career chock full of first-rate ones. And the themes are loud and clear without ever having to spoon feed or turn into a rote, mawkish Hallmark movie with the material. Starts small, methodically grows, then ends with a bang. A riot.
  
One in a Bear-llion (Polar Heat #3)
One in a Bear-llion (Polar Heat #3)
Terry Bolryder | 2020 | Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
142 of 200
Kindle
One in a bear-llion ( Polar heat book 3)
Terry Bolryder

The match-making papa bear is at it again!

Scott Weston is tired of his father’s attempts to set up his bear shifter sons. As the workaholic manager of a premiere resort, Scott would rather focus on business than showing a date around the island. But when he shows up to meet the latest match his father has tricked into flying out to the island, he’s surprised to meet Mara, a beautiful, curvaceous artist who he just can’t leave alone. Especially when he finds out she’s in danger and needs his help.

When Mara Frost accepted a free Caribbean vacation, all she wanted was a two-week break from her lonely life in New York and the stalker who is trying to make her life hell. She isn’t sure what to make of Scott Weston, the sexy businessman assigned as her guide. She just knows that with him, she feels safe for the first time in a long time. But she also knows that for Scott, work always comes first.

But as the relationship grows, Scott is realizing there is more to life than hiding in your work, and Mara is realizing that sometimes you have to take a risk and trust someone if you want them to help. But can the two work out their differences before Mara’s stalker catches up?

Working out their issues certainly takes care of the stalker! This maybe could have been a bit more involved than it was.


This was my favourite so far! I like that we have learnt more about these brothers has the books progress! Again you know you are ready a Bolryder book from page 1. Great writer for shifter fans!
  
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Beatriz (17 KP) rated Coraline (2009) in Movies

Feb 21, 2019  
Coraline (2009)
Coraline (2009)
2009 | Animation, Fantasy, Horror
Coraline
Contains spoilers, click to show
Coraline is a stop-motion film that took almost 4 years to be done. It was released in 2009 and produced by Henry Selick also knows by producing The Nightmare Before Christmas.


Coraline was considered a childrens horror and ,in my opinion, that is the ONLY wrong thing about the film. I watched it as a child and it caused me nightmares for years. Its no children film. Its a genious animated horror film for sure, but not for + 6 years olds (the age that the cinemas said it was okay for people to watch)

Long story short Coraline is the story about a girl that doesnt have a close relationship with her parents that moves into the Pink Palace. Where she finds a door to a world where she has another mother and another father that are absolutely everything she ever wished for......until they are not. Until the Other Mother starts doing everything to sew buttons into Coralines eyes in order to trap her in the Other World with her.

This is by far on my top 3 favourite films and a 10 is unfair.

I loved the film so much I ended up researching for every fact and theories I could find. Here are one of the most interesting ones I've found ...


1 - The Ranft Brothers moving truck shows up at the Pink Palace towards the beginning of the film. A hidden detail appears on their truck in the form of
 spray paint, which is a shout-out for stop-motion animation.

The two brothers are also a shout-out, though, specifically to Joe and Jerome Ranft, two brothers who were famous for their animation work, specifically
 through Pixar.

2 - Two big reasons Selick pushed for stop-motion animation over live-action was that he felt a talking cat was too much of a gimmick in that context and the
 film itself might end up being too scary.

3 - It is never specified in the film whether the real Bobinsky actually has a mouse circus. Selick believes he does not actually have one.

4 - Up to thirty animators worked on the film at any one time.

5 - The hat Coraline wears in several parts of the film is a Japanese school boy’s hat that she finds. While promoting a film in Japan, Selick had picked up one of
 these for his son as a souvenir, but the boy never wore it. He figured he could at least make Coraline wear it.

Theories

1 - Wibie says that the well is so deep that some people say they "can see a sky full of stars in it" and The Other World is always night so the well could be another portal as in the end we see the cat disappearing in another portal so there are more portals than the small door.

So ... in the end of the film, did Coraline accidentally just returned the key to Beldam ?

2 - The Taffees that the actresses give Coraline have 3 dates in them that match the years that new people moved in the Pink Palace, which would match the 3 ghost children.
  
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Sarah (7798 KP) rated If It Bleeds in Books

Jul 3, 2020  
If It Bleeds
If It Bleeds
Stephen King | 2020 | Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
8
8.4 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Masterful writing
I know I'm biased when it comes to Stephen King as he's my favourite writer, but I don't think anyone can deny how brilliant a writer he is. Not pretentious, just masterful writing, and this definitely comes across in this collection of stories.

The titular story and the one with the returning Holly Gibney, If It Bleeds, is definitely the best story in the book. After reading The Outsider I've definitely had a better appreciation of Holly as a character so it was nice to see her back again, especially as this story follows on in a way from the events in The Outsider. The other 3 stories in this book are good, but they don't quite match up to If It Bleeds, to the point where the first stories are barely memorable. They're also not quite as horror filled as you would come to expect from King, which was slightly disappointing. In all honesty if it hadn't been for If It Bleeds, this collection probably would've only gained itself a 6. Still I'll always enjoy reading a Stephen King book, even if this collection isn't one of my favourites.
  
Cosmic Run: Express
Cosmic Run: Express
2019 | Science Fiction, Space
Components are obviously an integral part of games. Some games are beasts when it comes to components – boasting large numbers of included components to bolster the gameplay. And then you have games that have mastered the art of gameplay utilizing a minimal number of components. Cosmic Run: Express is one of these games, consisting of only 25 cards. But does the gameplay hold up for such a physically small game? Read on to find out!

The latest game in Dr. Finn’s Cosmic Run universe, Cosmic Run: Express pits two players against each other, racing to be the first to reach 3 new planets. It is a game of area influence and simultaneous action selection played over a series of rounds in which players are playing cards to the 3 planets to advance their movement trackers the necessary 12 points to reach the planets. To setup the game, place the 3 planet cards in numerical order between the two players. Each player takes a set of 3 movement trackers in their chosen color and places one on their side of each planet card. All of the movement trackers are set to 0 for the start of the game. Players are dealt 6 ship cards, and the game is ready to play!

To begin a round, players look at their hand of 6 cards and choose 2 to pass to their opponent. Taking the new cards into your hand, you can decide to discard 1 card and draw a new card. This is not required, but can be performed by each player in each round. Next, players will simultaneously choose a card from their hand to be played face-up next to any planet, beneath their corresponding movement tracker. You can only play a maximum of 2 cards per planet.. If the color of the card you play at a planet matches the color at the top of your movement tracker, you may immediately move your tracker up by 1. Play continues, simultaneously playing cards, until all 6 cards in hand have been played and each movement tracker has 2 cards next to it.


Now we move to the scoring/movement phase. Starting with Planet 1, compare the 2-card hands and determine which player played the best hand. The hierarchy for determining best hand is described in the rules, and that player earns 2 movement points for that planet, and adjusts their tracker accordingly. After scoring best hand, players score arrows. Underneath the number on each card is an arrow pointing either left or right, with a corresponding color. Beginning with the player who did not win best hand, look at the arrows on their 2-card hand, and score movement points if the arrows match any cards in their adjacent planets. Repeat these scoring steps for Planets 2 and 3. If, by the end of scoring, a player has earned 12 movement points and reached all 3 planets, that player is the winner! If not all 3 planets have been reached, collect all the cards, shuffle them, deal 6 to each player, and begin a new round. Rounds continue until one player has reached all 3 planets.
As a fan of the Cosmic Run universe, I was excited when I saw Cosmic Run: Express on Kickstarter. It seemed light, simple, and in the same universe as other games I loved, so I decided to back it. How does it fare? I think it’s great! For starters, I really appreciate that it is a small, portable game that can be played virtually anywhere. Lots of games these days are real table-hogs, and I enjoy the minimalistic approach of this game. Getting into the gameplay – it requires way more strategy than you initially think. There are 3 different ways in which you can score movement points (color matching, best hand, and arrow scoring) and you need to utilize all 3 for success. You are constantly evaluating your hand of cards and trying to determine which placements will yield the most points for you. Maybe you don’t have a color match, but the arrow on that card could make up for that and earn you up to 2 movement points. Another neat strategic point is that you have to pay attention to your opponent as well. The best hand points are a direct head-to-head between players, so not only do you have to maximize your own strategic points with card placement, you have to watch your opponent’s card placements and see if you can get a better hand than they do for a given planet. You are constantly engaged in this game, and that’s what I love about it.


Another great thing about Cosmic Run: Express is that it plays so quickly and effortlessly. Yes, at first there’s a tiny bit of a learning curve to remember the hierarchy for best hand, but after a couple of rounds the game flow is streamlined. It only takes 10-15 minutes to play, so it is easy to play “just one more” when you’re done. It’s light and fast enough to be a great filler between games, but it is also strategic enough to hold its own in a full game night.
So overall, how do we feel about this game? For being a nice and small 2-player game, it packs quite a punch! I was very pleasantly surprised by the amount of engagement and strategy in this game, and it is definitely one that I want to play multiple times in a row. So mission accomplished, Dr. Finn – in this case, less IS more. It’s a great little card game, and I highly recommend giving it a shot if you’re looking for something small but mighty. Purple Phoenix games gives Cosmic Run: Express a stellar 9 / 12.
  
TT
The Trip to Jerusalem
7
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
175 of 250
Book
Trip to Jerusalem ( Nicolas Bracewell book 3)
By Edward Marston

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments

For Lord Westfield's Men, every high road leads to death. When the deathly horrors of the Black Plague decimate the audiences in London's theatres, the acclaimed troupe of players called Lord Westfield's Men take to the high road to seek out fresh audiences. But wherever they go, they are thwarted by misfortune, and are baffled by mysteries. Their scripts are stolen, their players abducted. A dead man walks, and a beautiful woman hears the voice of God. Only one man is clever enough to match swords with the troupe's burgeoning troubles. Upon Nicholas Bracewell, the company's bookholder and mainstay, falls the burden that may cost him his life - as they head for an ancient inn called the Trip to Jerusalem, where the last act of a bloody drama is about to begin.


Ok this is the 3rd book in the Nicolas Bracewell series and was not to bad. Another instalment of Nicolas saving the Westfield group while having a few stories in the background! I do like this series it’s fun read.
  
FG
Faded Glory
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
68 of 230
Book
Faded Glory
By David Essex
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Albert Kemp is a lonely widower whose only son was killed in the war. Now, in 1953, he is working in a pub with a famous boxing gym upstairs.

It is here that Albert brings Danny, a fatherless boy he rescues from gang life. But as Danny begins to grow into a champion, the predators start to circle, luring him back into a life of crime in the corrupt world of match fixing. Will Danny listen to his wise old mentor?

Not what I was expecting! This came to me in a blind subscription box and it’s not something I would usually pick up. I think I’d have liked to give 3.5 stars so I went with 4 as it deserved a little more than 3. This is a heartwarming story of a grieving father helping a young tear away stay out of trouble with help of boxing. It was an easy read and really enjoyable. Got a bit emotional towards the end I’m not a fan of David Essex but you forget who’s writing. Also I had it finished within 12 hours so that’s always a good sign.
  
Pretty Dead (Elise Sandburg #3)
Pretty Dead (Elise Sandburg #3)
Anne Frasier | 2015 | Crime, Thriller
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
118 of 250
Kindle
Pretty Dead ( Elise Sandburg book 3)
By Anne Frasier

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments

 
A serial killer stalks the streets of Savannah...

Homicide detective Elise Sandburg and her partner, profiler David Gould, are all too familiar with the terrible costs of chasing evil. Despite their wounded psyches, the detectives delve into the deranged killer’s twisted mind, determined to unravel the clues in the taunts he leaves behind.

A city gripped by fear...

When his daughter becomes the killer’s next victim, a grief-stricken mayor comes down hard on the police, demanding that they catch the psychopath—now. Feeling the pressure, department officials enlist the aid of both Elise’s estranged father and an FBI profiler who has unresolved business with David.

A cunning and elusive madman...

In a heart-pounding race to stop the next homicide, the detectives uncover their own role in the madman’s deadly game. Will they outsmart the killer before another horrific murder takes place in their beautiful city? Or have Elise and David finally met their match?


I thought it was fab! I love this duo and Anne’s writing style. I did have the murderer pegged from the beginning but even so it was such an entertaining read. Can’t believe there are only 4 books in this series so only 1 more to go.