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Friedrichstrasse 19
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Sometimes I get fanciful and think the buildings speak. That all their history is locked into the...
Historical fiction Literary fiction Germany Berlin
Merissa (12066 KP) rated Hot Conduit (Hot Under the Collar #2) in Books
Feb 6, 2024
HOT CONDUIT is the second book in the Hot Under the Collar series, and we meet Theo and Lex in more detail.
The sparks fly immediately between these two but an early misunderstanding leads to a very prickly relationship - in other words, neither of them likes the other. Unfortunately for them, they're in the same friend group so see each other frequently. Luckily, they've got someone through the CoffeeDates app they can speak to. Unluckily, it's still them! This led to some laugh-out-loud moments when they were complaining to each other about each other!
It took some time for Lex and Theo to change their relationship. In fact, it was only really at the end, BUT it worked. They both needed the time to figure out that the other was nothing like people in their past. I loved the meeting with Lex's ex and how Theo finally had someone stand up for him. Family can be like that sometimes - not meaning to hurt but not thinking about what they're doing or saying.
I loved this book. I loved returning to the characters and seeing how Rhys, Cole, and Sammy are getting on. I loved the reactions in various scenes - goat yoga, anyone? But most of all I loved Theo and Lex for walking a rocky path and finding each other!
Absolutely brilliant and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* 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!
Feb 6, 2024
The sparks fly immediately between these two but an early misunderstanding leads to a very prickly relationship - in other words, neither of them likes the other. Unfortunately for them, they're in the same friend group so see each other frequently. Luckily, they've got someone through the CoffeeDates app they can speak to. Unluckily, it's still them! This led to some laugh-out-loud moments when they were complaining to each other about each other!
It took some time for Lex and Theo to change their relationship. In fact, it was only really at the end, BUT it worked. They both needed the time to figure out that the other was nothing like people in their past. I loved the meeting with Lex's ex and how Theo finally had someone stand up for him. Family can be like that sometimes - not meaning to hurt but not thinking about what they're doing or saying.
I loved this book. I loved returning to the characters and seeing how Rhys, Cole, and Sammy are getting on. I loved the reactions in various scenes - goat yoga, anyone? But most of all I loved Theo and Lex for walking a rocky path and finding each other!
Absolutely brilliant and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* 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!
Feb 6, 2024
Mothergamer (1546 KP) rated Dragon Quest Builders Day One Edition in Video Games
Apr 3, 2019
I know. How could I have never played Dragon Quest Builders before? There are so many games out there to play that I miss quite a few so I play them when I can. I was intrigued by Dragon Quest Builders because it was clearly not a traditional Dragon Quest game. The plot takes from the original Dragon Quest as a parallel world where the hero accepts the Dragonlord's suggestion of each one ruling half the world which turned out to be a trap. The hero is defeated and the world goes dark and is overrun by monsters. This is where the legendary builder comes in. You can play as a male or female builder. The first chapter introduces you to the game mechanics. Basically this is Dragon Quest meets Minecraft. Your job as the builder is to gather materials and rebuild the land of Alefguard from the ground up and revive it and bring the light back to the world.
The builder starts her journey.
The tutorial is fairly straightforward showing you how to gather materials. Once you have the materials needed, you need to build and craft items. There are various NPC's that give you quests which are things they want you to build ranging from a crafting forge to a kitchen. This is also how you find crafting recipes for things. When you have the right materials you can build all these things and as you do this, your base levels up.
Use recipes to build things and rebuild the world.
When you go out to the world, the game doesn't really show you where to go. This can be good and bad. It's good because it encourages a lot of exploration and finding things on your own, but it is bad because sometimes it can be a bit frustrating trying to find the location of a quest and it can feel like a lot of time is wasted trying to figure out where you are going. You can switch the map to an eagle eye's view with a white flag that shows where your base is and a Q for the quest marker. You have to do your best to follow your compass, but it's not perfect. You just have to try to be patient and do your best to navigate until you get where you need to be.
You can use this view to see where your base is.
There are moments in the game where the monsters will show up and wreck your base. You have to fight the monsters in order to defend your base. Sometimes the fights are intense with four to five waves of monsters with a boss monster at the last wave. Once the battle is won, you can rebuild everything that got destroyed. The game isn't too punishing when this happens making rebuilding pretty easy.
Fighting monsters is rough, but you can rebuild easily.
While I did have fun playing Dragon Quest Builders, there are things I found to be mildly irritating. Sometimes the difficulty spikes in battles could be incredibly frustrating. The solution to this of course is to constantly build and upgrade your base. The other thing is having to constantly watch the hunger meter. This is represented as loaves of bread next to your health meter. If it gets to zero, your health starts dropping. You have to constantly forage for food or fish and use the kitchen to cook meals. Honestly, this broke the game immersion for me. Having to constantly worry about not starving and having to stop building just to go hunting for food was not fun for me at all. It was an annoyance and I wished I didn't have to constantly do that when I wanted to focus on gathering materials and building spiffy things.
Hunger meter is low, time to go fishing!
There are four chapters in Dragon Quest Builders each in a different region. I did find it odd that when you went to each new world you lose everything and have to start over again from scratch with your weapons, tools, and materials. Getting food and healing items first is a priority so you can explore and build without too much hassle. You can re-learn the recipes in each new region and you also get new materials to build with. If you need a break from the main story, there is a free build mode which allows you to build to your heart's content with no monsters anywhere. You have at your disposal all the recipes you learned in the chapters, you can build whatever you like, and you can share it with your friends. Free build is a nice break from the main game and the only limits are your imagination.
Dragon Quest Builders is a fun game, but there are points of frustration in it with the unbalanced level spikes which is why I took breaks from it often. However, the story is interesting and there are some great nods to the Dragon Quest lore itself as well as some reveals about the builder and various characters that add more depth to the story. To me, free build is where the game shines because it was so much fun just running around and creating whatever I wanted. It is a fun game that encourages creativity while enjoying a good story. See you at the next adventure!
The builder starts her journey.
The tutorial is fairly straightforward showing you how to gather materials. Once you have the materials needed, you need to build and craft items. There are various NPC's that give you quests which are things they want you to build ranging from a crafting forge to a kitchen. This is also how you find crafting recipes for things. When you have the right materials you can build all these things and as you do this, your base levels up.
Use recipes to build things and rebuild the world.
When you go out to the world, the game doesn't really show you where to go. This can be good and bad. It's good because it encourages a lot of exploration and finding things on your own, but it is bad because sometimes it can be a bit frustrating trying to find the location of a quest and it can feel like a lot of time is wasted trying to figure out where you are going. You can switch the map to an eagle eye's view with a white flag that shows where your base is and a Q for the quest marker. You have to do your best to follow your compass, but it's not perfect. You just have to try to be patient and do your best to navigate until you get where you need to be.
You can use this view to see where your base is.
There are moments in the game where the monsters will show up and wreck your base. You have to fight the monsters in order to defend your base. Sometimes the fights are intense with four to five waves of monsters with a boss monster at the last wave. Once the battle is won, you can rebuild everything that got destroyed. The game isn't too punishing when this happens making rebuilding pretty easy.
Fighting monsters is rough, but you can rebuild easily.
While I did have fun playing Dragon Quest Builders, there are things I found to be mildly irritating. Sometimes the difficulty spikes in battles could be incredibly frustrating. The solution to this of course is to constantly build and upgrade your base. The other thing is having to constantly watch the hunger meter. This is represented as loaves of bread next to your health meter. If it gets to zero, your health starts dropping. You have to constantly forage for food or fish and use the kitchen to cook meals. Honestly, this broke the game immersion for me. Having to constantly worry about not starving and having to stop building just to go hunting for food was not fun for me at all. It was an annoyance and I wished I didn't have to constantly do that when I wanted to focus on gathering materials and building spiffy things.
Hunger meter is low, time to go fishing!
There are four chapters in Dragon Quest Builders each in a different region. I did find it odd that when you went to each new world you lose everything and have to start over again from scratch with your weapons, tools, and materials. Getting food and healing items first is a priority so you can explore and build without too much hassle. You can re-learn the recipes in each new region and you also get new materials to build with. If you need a break from the main story, there is a free build mode which allows you to build to your heart's content with no monsters anywhere. You have at your disposal all the recipes you learned in the chapters, you can build whatever you like, and you can share it with your friends. Free build is a nice break from the main game and the only limits are your imagination.
Dragon Quest Builders is a fun game, but there are points of frustration in it with the unbalanced level spikes which is why I took breaks from it often. However, the story is interesting and there are some great nods to the Dragon Quest lore itself as well as some reveals about the builder and various characters that add more depth to the story. To me, free build is where the game shines because it was so much fun just running around and creating whatever I wanted. It is a fun game that encourages creativity while enjoying a good story. See you at the next adventure!
Steven Sklansky (231 KP) rated The Snowman (2017) in Movies
Oct 19, 2017
Not enough suspense (2 more)
poor twist
Plot that just didn't fit or make sense
The Movie that Melted Away
The Snowman was not put together very well. Just like the snowmen that were built in the movie They were missing a lot. No carrot for the noise, no coal for the eyes and not enough suspense to keep me gripped to my seat. I walked in to this movie thinking this would be a thriller, with twists and turns. Right out of the box at the little boys house with the mom was so down played. They could have add a little bit more of a score to show how dramatic the situation was. This was kind of the theme the whole movie.
The acting was actually strong, but the story was not written very well, there were no twists and turns. The flipping from present to past and back was done very poorly and hard to follow sometimes. The characters were not built up to understand their whole story.
The deaths in the movie were not presented very well, I thought there was going to be more bodies stuck in snowmen, but it seemed that the snowmen were more to show that bad things are going to happen. The way the women were murder was so boring. I get what the killer was going for and his MO was very standard, but the presentation could have been so much better.
The one thing that I actually liked was the location that they shot the movie in. It looked very classic with the snow. The landscape and the way they used it in the story was very good.
I had such high hopes for this movie, but by the end of the movie my hope melted away like a snowman at the end of winter.
The acting was actually strong, but the story was not written very well, there were no twists and turns. The flipping from present to past and back was done very poorly and hard to follow sometimes. The characters were not built up to understand their whole story.
The deaths in the movie were not presented very well, I thought there was going to be more bodies stuck in snowmen, but it seemed that the snowmen were more to show that bad things are going to happen. The way the women were murder was so boring. I get what the killer was going for and his MO was very standard, but the presentation could have been so much better.
The one thing that I actually liked was the location that they shot the movie in. It looked very classic with the snow. The landscape and the way they used it in the story was very good.
I had such high hopes for this movie, but by the end of the movie my hope melted away like a snowman at the end of winter.
Hag 12 Down (6 KP) rated The Library at Mount Char in Books
Dec 30, 2017
Grab the popcorn and settle in.
A missing God.
A library with the secrets to the universe.
A woman too busy to notice her heart slipping away.
Carolyn's not so different from the other people around her. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. Clothes are a bit tricky, but everyone says nice things about her outfit with the Christmas sweater over the gold bicycle shorts.
After all, she was a normal American herself once.
That was a long time ago, of course. Before her parents died. Before she and the others were taken in by the man they called Father.
In the years since then, Carolyn hasn't had a chance to get out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient customs. They've studied the books in his Library and learned some of the secrets of his power. And sometimes, they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God.
Now, Father is missing—perhaps even dead—and the Library that holds his secrets stands unguarded. And with it, control over all of creation.
As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her, all of them with powers that far exceed her own.
But Carolyn has accounted for this.
And Carolyn has a plan.
The only trouble is that in the war to make a new God, she's forgotten to protect the things that make her human.
Basically if you have a brain and like to use it, you will love this book. This is an enjoyable, well-paced sci fi thriller.
A library with the secrets to the universe.
A woman too busy to notice her heart slipping away.
Carolyn's not so different from the other people around her. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. Clothes are a bit tricky, but everyone says nice things about her outfit with the Christmas sweater over the gold bicycle shorts.
After all, she was a normal American herself once.
That was a long time ago, of course. Before her parents died. Before she and the others were taken in by the man they called Father.
In the years since then, Carolyn hasn't had a chance to get out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient customs. They've studied the books in his Library and learned some of the secrets of his power. And sometimes, they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God.
Now, Father is missing—perhaps even dead—and the Library that holds his secrets stands unguarded. And with it, control over all of creation.
As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her, all of them with powers that far exceed her own.
But Carolyn has accounted for this.
And Carolyn has a plan.
The only trouble is that in the war to make a new God, she's forgotten to protect the things that make her human.
Basically if you have a brain and like to use it, you will love this book. This is an enjoyable, well-paced sci fi thriller.
KatieLouCreate (162 KP) rated Nerve (2016) in Movies
Jan 3, 2018
Great Film
I watched this with my friend as a one off. We wasn't sure what to expect from it but we had already sat down to eat and thought why on earth not. At first, I thought it was going to be a cheesy stereotypical film about teenagers online. Especially with all the internet searching screens at the beginning. I restrained from rolling my eyes. But as the film developed I became hooked. It was a light thriller almost. The type where it has you on the edge of your seat because of the suspense and horrors of what is happening. It had just the right amount of love interest for me. It did not entirely dominate the film, nor did it take away from the story line, but it did happen fairly quickly. Another oddity I found was one of the characters, Tommy. I liked this character. He was interesting and funny. But I did not understand his passiveness in the film. It was clear he is interested in Vee (the protagonist) but does nothing to show his interest and stop her falling for Ian. As well as that, he just randomly knows these computer hacker internet websters? There is nothing to indicate why he knows them yet they become crucial towards the end of the film. It would be nice to have a little background on them.
Other than that, I enjoyed watching the film. I believe it raised awareness about the dangers of anonymity on the internet. It also shows that sometimes risks should be taken. We should do things that scare us and push us out of our comfort zones every-now-and-then. But do not go too far. It could be a very dangerous game.
Other than that, I enjoyed watching the film. I believe it raised awareness about the dangers of anonymity on the internet. It also shows that sometimes risks should be taken. We should do things that scare us and push us out of our comfort zones every-now-and-then. But do not go too far. It could be a very dangerous game.
Rachel (48 KP) rated Demon Lights (Blackwater Lights Trilogy #3) in Books
May 27, 2017
Interesting but flawed
This is the last book of a trilogy, I haven't read the over two so cannot comment on consistency etc!
All of the formatting and spelling etc was fine, which is always nice.
The first page really drew me into the story, I thought that is was going to be a historical 'witch' novel so I got a bit of a shock when it went to the real story.
I did enjoy this book but there were a few things that niggled me.
I'll start with the positives;
It is very well written. I like the way the author is descriptive without going over the top. The writing really does draw you in.
The characters were nicely rounded and I wanted to know more about them and cared about what happened.
The actual premise of the story, and two previous books, is a very interesting one. I will now how to track down the first two!
The negative's;
Sometimes the timing of things is off. Ie There seemed to be a huge difference between how long it took for one character to travel somewhere and what happens to other characters during the same period.
Although the events and in the book, and the storyline as a whole, are fantastical and definitely not the norm I still expect people to act the way that people would. A few times in the novel this just doesn't happen and that almost jarred me from immersion in the story.
As a whole I did enjoy this novel although it would have been better had I read the first two. It is well written, just occasionally parts seem rushed or ignored in favour of other things.
All of the formatting and spelling etc was fine, which is always nice.
The first page really drew me into the story, I thought that is was going to be a historical 'witch' novel so I got a bit of a shock when it went to the real story.
I did enjoy this book but there were a few things that niggled me.
I'll start with the positives;
It is very well written. I like the way the author is descriptive without going over the top. The writing really does draw you in.
The characters were nicely rounded and I wanted to know more about them and cared about what happened.
The actual premise of the story, and two previous books, is a very interesting one. I will now how to track down the first two!
The negative's;
Sometimes the timing of things is off. Ie There seemed to be a huge difference between how long it took for one character to travel somewhere and what happens to other characters during the same period.
Although the events and in the book, and the storyline as a whole, are fantastical and definitely not the norm I still expect people to act the way that people would. A few times in the novel this just doesn't happen and that almost jarred me from immersion in the story.
As a whole I did enjoy this novel although it would have been better had I read the first two. It is well written, just occasionally parts seem rushed or ignored in favour of other things.
Merissa (12066 KP) rated Duty, Honor, Sacrifice (Toronto's Elite #2) in Books
Aug 28, 2017
Duty, Honor, Sacrifice (Toronto's Elite #2) by Angela S. Stone
Duty, Honor, Sacrifice is the second book in the Toronto's Elite series, and whilst we focus on a different pair, the characters from book one also play a big part in it. It is for this reason that I would recommend that you read this as a series, rather than standalones.
Chris and Logan have had an on-again/off-again relationship for approximately three years, and both of them want more, but neither of them are prepared to say anything. Mixed up with this is the job that they do, with Logan currently searching for someone involved with child porn/kidnapping. They get pulled onto another case though, with Jaden appearing to be targeted by a media leak within the department. This means that they work more closely with Jaden and Cam than they have previously, learning more about those two and themselves at the same time.
Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it to be a brilliant carry on from book one, there were parts where I was a bit confused. This was simply because the story is told from both the main males' perspectives, and sometimes it wasn't clear just who was talking. It was "he said, he moved, he thought," whereas a name might have been a bit more helpful at times. I must point out that I received an ARC of this, so I'm sure that this will be picked up and sorted before the book is released.
On the whole, this is an exciting, action-packed book that I can highly recommend. Looking forward to book three now.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Chris and Logan have had an on-again/off-again relationship for approximately three years, and both of them want more, but neither of them are prepared to say anything. Mixed up with this is the job that they do, with Logan currently searching for someone involved with child porn/kidnapping. They get pulled onto another case though, with Jaden appearing to be targeted by a media leak within the department. This means that they work more closely with Jaden and Cam than they have previously, learning more about those two and themselves at the same time.
Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it to be a brilliant carry on from book one, there were parts where I was a bit confused. This was simply because the story is told from both the main males' perspectives, and sometimes it wasn't clear just who was talking. It was "he said, he moved, he thought," whereas a name might have been a bit more helpful at times. I must point out that I received an ARC of this, so I'm sure that this will be picked up and sorted before the book is released.
On the whole, this is an exciting, action-packed book that I can highly recommend. Looking forward to book three now.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Debbiereadsbook (1202 KP) rated Machine, Metal, Magic (Mind % Machine #1) in Books
May 14, 2018
really REALLY good
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Jaime runs, after the facility he and his kind were housed in, was attacked and everyone else killed. He can talk to the computers that run everything. He thinks this is not a gift, but a curse. He finds himself taken prisoner by a starship crew, carrying a cargo that needs delivering. Rylan is his jailer. But Rylan is keeping secrets from his crew, just as much as they keep secrets from him.
Sci-fi is growing on me, it really is!
Sometimes, sci-fi can be a little overwhelming, with all the technology and what-not, but not so here. I loved how it was explained how Jaime talks to the computers, to the ship, and to Rylan's artificial arm. Love how they play with that one ?
Loved how we don't get what Rylan is up to,not all in one go, and loved how I did not see what was in the cargo coming at me, never in a million years! I had an idea, but that was way off base!
I wrote four stars at the top of the page, but honestly?? Can't find a single thing to fault it!
First in the series Mind + Machine, and I hope I get to read more. Also first I've read of Ms dare, so hope that it's not the last. I loved how she spins her tale, how you don't get it all in one go, just in dribs and drabs, a little at a time. Meant I can keep up!
so, because I can't fault it....
5 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Jaime runs, after the facility he and his kind were housed in, was attacked and everyone else killed. He can talk to the computers that run everything. He thinks this is not a gift, but a curse. He finds himself taken prisoner by a starship crew, carrying a cargo that needs delivering. Rylan is his jailer. But Rylan is keeping secrets from his crew, just as much as they keep secrets from him.
Sci-fi is growing on me, it really is!
Sometimes, sci-fi can be a little overwhelming, with all the technology and what-not, but not so here. I loved how it was explained how Jaime talks to the computers, to the ship, and to Rylan's artificial arm. Love how they play with that one ?
Loved how we don't get what Rylan is up to,not all in one go, and loved how I did not see what was in the cargo coming at me, never in a million years! I had an idea, but that was way off base!
I wrote four stars at the top of the page, but honestly?? Can't find a single thing to fault it!
First in the series Mind + Machine, and I hope I get to read more. Also first I've read of Ms dare, so hope that it's not the last. I loved how she spins her tale, how you don't get it all in one go, just in dribs and drabs, a little at a time. Meant I can keep up!
so, because I can't fault it....
5 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
*＊✿❀ Maki ❀✿＊* (7 KP) rated The Lightning Thief in Books
May 3, 2018
Percy Jackson is a series that I've been meaning to get around to for ages. Pretty much everybody I know who have read the books absolutely adore them.
So, when I needed a few quick reads to play catch up on my reading challenge, I decided that it was a good enough time to give the series a go.
...and it's not too bad.
There was a lot about The Lightning Thief that I enjoyed. The premise was a lot of fun. I liked the humor - especially the chapter titles. I liked the translation of Olympus from ancient European culture to modern American culture. I loved that this is a kids' series that rewards children for knowing mythology - if you're familiar with Greek myths at all, you'll know almost from the start of each encounter what Percy and the group are up against.
That's also kind where I started having problems, though.
The book is essentially non-stop action. Which isn't, in itself, a bad thing. But the action plays out like a series of video game encounters. Percy and his friends will travel so far in their quest, run into someone/a monster who will (sometimes accidentally) help them get to the next step of their quest, where they'll travel a certain distance again before running into something else. Repeat throughout the entire book. There are small moments of character building, but they're squeezed in where they'll fit between action scenes.
I'm more than willing to admit that that's just me, though. I'm not exactly the book's intended audience, and I can completely see how the pacing and whatnot would appeal to kids. I did enjoy it enough to continue on in the series, though.
So, when I needed a few quick reads to play catch up on my reading challenge, I decided that it was a good enough time to give the series a go.
...and it's not too bad.
There was a lot about The Lightning Thief that I enjoyed. The premise was a lot of fun. I liked the humor - especially the chapter titles. I liked the translation of Olympus from ancient European culture to modern American culture. I loved that this is a kids' series that rewards children for knowing mythology - if you're familiar with Greek myths at all, you'll know almost from the start of each encounter what Percy and the group are up against.
That's also kind where I started having problems, though.
The book is essentially non-stop action. Which isn't, in itself, a bad thing. But the action plays out like a series of video game encounters. Percy and his friends will travel so far in their quest, run into someone/a monster who will (sometimes accidentally) help them get to the next step of their quest, where they'll travel a certain distance again before running into something else. Repeat throughout the entire book. There are small moments of character building, but they're squeezed in where they'll fit between action scenes.
I'm more than willing to admit that that's just me, though. I'm not exactly the book's intended audience, and I can completely see how the pacing and whatnot would appeal to kids. I did enjoy it enough to continue on in the series, though.