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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated It's a Wonderful World in Tabletop Games
Oct 30, 2021
When choosing board games to either play or purchase, how much importance should one put on box cover art? It is important to ME, but I lump that all in with the components and art/art style of the whole package. Why do I bring this up in the intro today? Well, I have to admit that I had really not had any interest in checking out It’s a Wonderful World until now because I judged the game by its cover, and the cover art told my brain that this would be some type of wargame. I am not entirely sure how I connected the two, but I did, and it turned me off right away. But! I was able to get this played at a local board game lounge, and boy was I wrong.
It’s a Wonderful World is a card drafting, economic, civilization building game with variable player powers (with a dash of campaign mode sprinkled on top). In it, players are attempting to build their civilization faster and better than their competitors. However, for this review, I will be playing the vanilla non-scenario solo mode.
DISCLAIMER: I was able to play this and several other games at The Table in Cookeville, TN. If you are ever in the neighborhood, check them out, and tell Nathaniel that I say hello.
To setup, put together the main board and place the round marker on Round 1. Lay out all the resources on their specific places upon the board and shuffle the deck of cards. Deal out eight stacks of five cards each and place them as mini-decks somewhere on the table. Choose a starting civilization (or just randomly choose one). The solo game is ready to play!
Typically, It’s a Wonderful World is a card drafting game, a la 7 Wonders, where players choose one card from the deck passed to them and pass it along to the next player until all cards have been drafted. In the solo mode, however, the player chooses one of the face-down mini-decks as their starting hand. Upon viewing the cards, the player may choose to place any or all of them in their Construction Area, or discard the cards for their Recycle Bonus (typically a type of resource), and/or discard two card from the mini-deck to draw five cards from the top of the main deck. From these drawn cards, the player may choose one to keep and discard all others. The kept card may be placed into the Construction Area or discarded for its Recycle Bonus resource.
Cards placed in the Construction Area require resources to be earned and placed on them in order to complete its build process. Each round the player will receive resources based on which cards have been built and placed above their starting civ card. Some cards, once completely built, will also offer more VP at game end, or supply a VP modifier.
After the first mini-deck has been played completely, the player will choose a second mini-deck and run through the same process. After this second mini-deck has been completed the round ends and play moves to the next round. Play continues in this fashion until all four rounds have been played (so all eight mini-decks). At game end the player counts up all their VP and compares it to the table in the rulebook to arrive at their final tier. My first game resulted in the rulebook calling me a Rooky. So be prepared to be humiliated by a rulebook.
Components. Aside from being bamboozled by the aggressive artwork on the cover, this is not a wargame. In fact, I very much like the artwork and the styling of this game. The cards are all laid out very well, and the iconography makes sense. The resource cubes are translucent colored (except the grayish white is opaque) and are fine quality. Overall the components are great and the art style has grown on me quite a bit.
I can see why so many people compare this to 7 Wonders. Essentially, the multiplayer game is quite similar. Card drafts (of 7 cards, no less) lead to needing resources in order to build, lead to being able to produce more resources to fuel other cards, and bonus points are awarded for having a nice card profile. Now, this being a solo review, I have to say that I much prefer It’s a Wonderful World to its forefather 7 Wonders because it comes packaged with a solo mode already in the box. This isn’t the only reason I prefer it, though. I find it easier to pick up and easier to teach to beginning gamers. Also, there is no card chaining, which seems to be a difficult concept for newer gamers to grasp initially. It’s a Wonderful World has nothing like this, and cards just work. 7 Wonders has been such a hit with my family, and I know they will greatly appreciate a more streamlined game experience with this one.
So here’s my recommendation with this one. If you are a fan of 7 Wonders but find it to be difficult to get others into it, check out It’s a Wonderful World. I feel that it is superior in many ways, and the solo mode is just icing. The solo mode gives me a great play experience, even though I typically am not a fan of games challenging you to beat your own high score. I will live with it here because the game is just so enjoyable. While 7 Wonders was my favorite game of all time for quite a while, it has since dropped out of my Top 10, and I think will be replaced entirely by It’s a Wonderful World. If your tastes are similar to mine, then do yourself a big favor and grab a copy of this one right away. It has several expansions out there, and I believe you will fall in love with drafting again. Now, where did I put my Wind Turbines…
It’s a Wonderful World is a card drafting, economic, civilization building game with variable player powers (with a dash of campaign mode sprinkled on top). In it, players are attempting to build their civilization faster and better than their competitors. However, for this review, I will be playing the vanilla non-scenario solo mode.
DISCLAIMER: I was able to play this and several other games at The Table in Cookeville, TN. If you are ever in the neighborhood, check them out, and tell Nathaniel that I say hello.
To setup, put together the main board and place the round marker on Round 1. Lay out all the resources on their specific places upon the board and shuffle the deck of cards. Deal out eight stacks of five cards each and place them as mini-decks somewhere on the table. Choose a starting civilization (or just randomly choose one). The solo game is ready to play!
Typically, It’s a Wonderful World is a card drafting game, a la 7 Wonders, where players choose one card from the deck passed to them and pass it along to the next player until all cards have been drafted. In the solo mode, however, the player chooses one of the face-down mini-decks as their starting hand. Upon viewing the cards, the player may choose to place any or all of them in their Construction Area, or discard the cards for their Recycle Bonus (typically a type of resource), and/or discard two card from the mini-deck to draw five cards from the top of the main deck. From these drawn cards, the player may choose one to keep and discard all others. The kept card may be placed into the Construction Area or discarded for its Recycle Bonus resource.
Cards placed in the Construction Area require resources to be earned and placed on them in order to complete its build process. Each round the player will receive resources based on which cards have been built and placed above their starting civ card. Some cards, once completely built, will also offer more VP at game end, or supply a VP modifier.
After the first mini-deck has been played completely, the player will choose a second mini-deck and run through the same process. After this second mini-deck has been completed the round ends and play moves to the next round. Play continues in this fashion until all four rounds have been played (so all eight mini-decks). At game end the player counts up all their VP and compares it to the table in the rulebook to arrive at their final tier. My first game resulted in the rulebook calling me a Rooky. So be prepared to be humiliated by a rulebook.
Components. Aside from being bamboozled by the aggressive artwork on the cover, this is not a wargame. In fact, I very much like the artwork and the styling of this game. The cards are all laid out very well, and the iconography makes sense. The resource cubes are translucent colored (except the grayish white is opaque) and are fine quality. Overall the components are great and the art style has grown on me quite a bit.
I can see why so many people compare this to 7 Wonders. Essentially, the multiplayer game is quite similar. Card drafts (of 7 cards, no less) lead to needing resources in order to build, lead to being able to produce more resources to fuel other cards, and bonus points are awarded for having a nice card profile. Now, this being a solo review, I have to say that I much prefer It’s a Wonderful World to its forefather 7 Wonders because it comes packaged with a solo mode already in the box. This isn’t the only reason I prefer it, though. I find it easier to pick up and easier to teach to beginning gamers. Also, there is no card chaining, which seems to be a difficult concept for newer gamers to grasp initially. It’s a Wonderful World has nothing like this, and cards just work. 7 Wonders has been such a hit with my family, and I know they will greatly appreciate a more streamlined game experience with this one.
So here’s my recommendation with this one. If you are a fan of 7 Wonders but find it to be difficult to get others into it, check out It’s a Wonderful World. I feel that it is superior in many ways, and the solo mode is just icing. The solo mode gives me a great play experience, even though I typically am not a fan of games challenging you to beat your own high score. I will live with it here because the game is just so enjoyable. While 7 Wonders was my favorite game of all time for quite a while, it has since dropped out of my Top 10, and I think will be replaced entirely by It’s a Wonderful World. If your tastes are similar to mine, then do yourself a big favor and grab a copy of this one right away. It has several expansions out there, and I believe you will fall in love with drafting again. Now, where did I put my Wind Turbines…
Harshini (25 KP) rated Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013) in Movies
Jan 4, 2018 (Updated Jan 13, 2018)
Annabeth's hair and eye colour matched the books (1 more)
"Stop walking on my roof"
Some scenes that should have been in were cut (4 more)
Some scenes were in that shouldn't have been
Some scenes were in that weren't even a part of the book they were producing
The author of the books hates the movies
The initial scene is of something that is never mentioned in the books - and I'm still kind of confused as to what the actors' characters are meant to be doing
Big Fan of the Books, Not So Much of the Movies
Contains spoilers, click to show
I had a huge issue with the first movie as is, so this may end up being a rant.
I have been a massive fan of the books for about 9 years now and can say with a fair amount of certainty that this movie does not echo its book source. Yes, they had the same characters (for the most part), but the characters being from the book does not mean that it is the movie of the book. It means that the book gave inspiration. Sure, some events that were in the book were in the movie - such as Tyson's slip with the winds, or Tyson's story at all - but some fairly important scenes were not to be seen in the movie - such as (what should have been the initial scene) the dodgeball game that reveals Tyson's immunity to fire, Siren Bay, or Circe. Not to mention the events that were changed in the movie - such as the fact that Polyphemus' island became a fairground instead of a lush paradisal island with man-eating sheep, or that the ship Clarisse is commandeering doesn't end up in Charybdis' stomach and that they avoid the two monsters all together. I'm not even counting the scenes that the director placed in this movie that should have come much later - like Percy's fight with Kronos, which shouldn't have taken place until the absolute last movie. When I saw the first movie, I said something about the way it was made, and I'll say it again: it's like the director hired someone to read the book and tell him what happened, the person read all the books and then decided to pick and choose their favourite parts and create an absolute mess of the books. I mean, it's a sign if the author of said books is the person who hates the movies the most.
That being said, I can attest to there being some good things about the movie. Alexandra Daddario (who plays Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena) did end up changing her hair and eye colour in the movie to the described blonde hair and grey eyes (though the eyes do look very fake). I am not sure whether or not this was just because so many fans were offended by her brown hair and eyes in the first movie (which was also terrible), but I am glad that it got changed to be more in-tune with the source material. Above all, I can say that there are about five seconds of this movie that I love - and that I will stomach the surrounding minute for - and that is when Luke Castellan tells Percy to 'stop walking on [his] roof'. It is by far the funniest part of the entire movie. However, I won't lie and say I'm not glad that the series isn't going to continue to be shown on the silver screen.
I have been a massive fan of the books for about 9 years now and can say with a fair amount of certainty that this movie does not echo its book source. Yes, they had the same characters (for the most part), but the characters being from the book does not mean that it is the movie of the book. It means that the book gave inspiration. Sure, some events that were in the book were in the movie - such as Tyson's slip with the winds, or Tyson's story at all - but some fairly important scenes were not to be seen in the movie - such as (what should have been the initial scene) the dodgeball game that reveals Tyson's immunity to fire, Siren Bay, or Circe. Not to mention the events that were changed in the movie - such as the fact that Polyphemus' island became a fairground instead of a lush paradisal island with man-eating sheep, or that the ship Clarisse is commandeering doesn't end up in Charybdis' stomach and that they avoid the two monsters all together. I'm not even counting the scenes that the director placed in this movie that should have come much later - like Percy's fight with Kronos, which shouldn't have taken place until the absolute last movie. When I saw the first movie, I said something about the way it was made, and I'll say it again: it's like the director hired someone to read the book and tell him what happened, the person read all the books and then decided to pick and choose their favourite parts and create an absolute mess of the books. I mean, it's a sign if the author of said books is the person who hates the movies the most.
That being said, I can attest to there being some good things about the movie. Alexandra Daddario (who plays Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena) did end up changing her hair and eye colour in the movie to the described blonde hair and grey eyes (though the eyes do look very fake). I am not sure whether or not this was just because so many fans were offended by her brown hair and eyes in the first movie (which was also terrible), but I am glad that it got changed to be more in-tune with the source material. Above all, I can say that there are about five seconds of this movie that I love - and that I will stomach the surrounding minute for - and that is when Luke Castellan tells Percy to 'stop walking on [his] roof'. It is by far the funniest part of the entire movie. However, I won't lie and say I'm not glad that the series isn't going to continue to be shown on the silver screen.
Connor Sheffield (293 KP) rated Riot Of The Living Dead by Lesbian Bed Death in Music
Jul 24, 2017
Awesome Rock (3 more)
Horror Movie References
Catchy Songs
Inspiring Lyrics
One of my all time favourite albums
I first found Lesbian Bed Death back in 2014 and really enjoyed what I heard. The first song I found was Halloween, and I could not get it out of my head and found myself listening to it over and over again. (Halloween was coming up and I was going to be at Whitby Goth Weekend).
When I went to book my tickets I saw that LBD were in fact going to be playing at WGW that year and I couldn't wait to hear my new found obsession live on stage in my favourite place on earth, Whitby!
After listening to the entire album (and previous albums), I found a new favourite song called Chains, which really spoke to me and in fact inspired me to write a poem called Black Candle, all about how my life throughout school etc. made me feel like I couldn't be myself but I finally broke from those chains and nowadays, I'm not afraid to be me. It was a somewhat anti-bullying themed poem, but also one about courage, and after I had finished writing it, I thought that I should let the artists that inspired me, know what their music has done for me. So I emailed them with my poem and honestly, I thought that would be that. Either they read it or they don't, but at least I went ahead and sent it.
Not long after, but drawing ever closer to the night I was going to see them live in Whitby, the manager (and guitarist), Dan Peach replied to my email, telling me he enjoyed reading the poem and that he showed the other band members and they also liked it. This was surreal to me and I was so excited to walk up to them during the meet and greet before the gig and tell them that I was the one who wrote the poem. When the night came for that opportunity I was nervous as hell, and didn't know how to talk to them. I mean, they're just people, but to me and my mind they were a band with many fans and fans can get creepy. I didn't want to be creepy. So I walked up, greeted them and told them it was so awesome to meet them, and then told them I was the one who wrote the poem and when they all told me it was awesome, I could not stop grinning like a Cheshire cat, and that's not even where the story ends.
After they played a few songs on stage, Kittie announced that the next song was for someone special in the audience. It was a little song of theirs called 'Chains' and it was dedicated to the person it inspired to write a poem about breaking free. Dan Peach nodded at me and so did Kittie and I was lost for words. I rocked so much that night and it remains the greatest night of my life.
The band themselves are awesome, and the music they create is something catchy and lyrically brilliant, with songs that'll stick in your head. I have listened to this album countless times and it remains on of my favourite albums of all time. I highly recommend the album and the band!
When I went to book my tickets I saw that LBD were in fact going to be playing at WGW that year and I couldn't wait to hear my new found obsession live on stage in my favourite place on earth, Whitby!
After listening to the entire album (and previous albums), I found a new favourite song called Chains, which really spoke to me and in fact inspired me to write a poem called Black Candle, all about how my life throughout school etc. made me feel like I couldn't be myself but I finally broke from those chains and nowadays, I'm not afraid to be me. It was a somewhat anti-bullying themed poem, but also one about courage, and after I had finished writing it, I thought that I should let the artists that inspired me, know what their music has done for me. So I emailed them with my poem and honestly, I thought that would be that. Either they read it or they don't, but at least I went ahead and sent it.
Not long after, but drawing ever closer to the night I was going to see them live in Whitby, the manager (and guitarist), Dan Peach replied to my email, telling me he enjoyed reading the poem and that he showed the other band members and they also liked it. This was surreal to me and I was so excited to walk up to them during the meet and greet before the gig and tell them that I was the one who wrote the poem. When the night came for that opportunity I was nervous as hell, and didn't know how to talk to them. I mean, they're just people, but to me and my mind they were a band with many fans and fans can get creepy. I didn't want to be creepy. So I walked up, greeted them and told them it was so awesome to meet them, and then told them I was the one who wrote the poem and when they all told me it was awesome, I could not stop grinning like a Cheshire cat, and that's not even where the story ends.
After they played a few songs on stage, Kittie announced that the next song was for someone special in the audience. It was a little song of theirs called 'Chains' and it was dedicated to the person it inspired to write a poem about breaking free. Dan Peach nodded at me and so did Kittie and I was lost for words. I rocked so much that night and it remains the greatest night of my life.
The band themselves are awesome, and the music they create is something catchy and lyrically brilliant, with songs that'll stick in your head. I have listened to this album countless times and it remains on of my favourite albums of all time. I highly recommend the album and the band!
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated A Certain Wolfish Charm (Westfield Wolves, #1) in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Rating:
3.75
Lily is worried about her nephew, Oliver, whom she has raised since he was six. He’s nearly doubled in size, he’s always angry, and she’s never raised a boy before so she has no idea what to think. So she turns to his legal guardian, Simon Westfield the duke of Blackmoor, who has never been involved in the 12-year old’s life except to send money when Lily writes to him. When she finally finds him, he won’t talk to her, won’t listen to her, and won’t help her.
But then Simon seems to realize what the problem is—because he experienced it himself: Oliver is turning into a werewolf—and demands to take Oliver under his control, to help and raise him himself. Lilly refuses to leave her nephew, and finds herself falling for Simon, then engaged to him in order to protect her reputation.
But Simon doesn’t want Lily in his life—though he can’t deny the attraction he has for her—because of the horrible stories of werewolf love going wrong. But how can he keep her away when she’s all he wants?
A Certain Wolfish Charm is book 1 in the series. The other two books center around the other two brothers Westfield, but all three books cover the same period of time.
My favorite thing about the book was the characters. I love the characters, especially the interaction between the three brothers. They love each other quite obviously, but they bicker and argue all the time. one will randomly throw something at another with lethal intents, and the other will duck and go on with life as if it was normal. which, it is. They are always threatening to kill each other, though I doubt they ever would. But let’s just say it’s a good thing werewolves heal fast.
Another thing I liked was the plot. It was simple, no crazy thriller or mystery, It was just a simple romance. But it was compelling, and had enough story to it to keep you reading.
Simon… goodness he’s a passionate one (I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to be that handsome). Lily, at times, seemed dense and silly, especially for not talking out her problems with her husband. And they were both a bit melodramatic at times, but that was rare and it only felt that way because of the sentence structure. With that in mind, the sentences may have changed as I got the ARC for review, not the finished version.
It was a bit difficult to tell if they had accents or not due to the writing. Sometimes it felt like they did, and sometimes it felt like they didn’t and it was a bit annoying. However their voices were all very clear in my head.
The writing was fine, it wasn’t fantastic but it was readable and enjoyable. I don’t particularly like the cover, I think they could have done more werewolfish stuff and less typical romance novel stuff.
A Certain Wolfish Charm was really cute, highly addictive, and fast paced. I can’t wait to read the other two!
Content: Some sex, a little swearing, mention of nudity. no violence.
Recommendation: Ages 18+ for anyone who loves a good werewolf story.
3.75
Lily is worried about her nephew, Oliver, whom she has raised since he was six. He’s nearly doubled in size, he’s always angry, and she’s never raised a boy before so she has no idea what to think. So she turns to his legal guardian, Simon Westfield the duke of Blackmoor, who has never been involved in the 12-year old’s life except to send money when Lily writes to him. When she finally finds him, he won’t talk to her, won’t listen to her, and won’t help her.
But then Simon seems to realize what the problem is—because he experienced it himself: Oliver is turning into a werewolf—and demands to take Oliver under his control, to help and raise him himself. Lilly refuses to leave her nephew, and finds herself falling for Simon, then engaged to him in order to protect her reputation.
But Simon doesn’t want Lily in his life—though he can’t deny the attraction he has for her—because of the horrible stories of werewolf love going wrong. But how can he keep her away when she’s all he wants?
A Certain Wolfish Charm is book 1 in the series. The other two books center around the other two brothers Westfield, but all three books cover the same period of time.
My favorite thing about the book was the characters. I love the characters, especially the interaction between the three brothers. They love each other quite obviously, but they bicker and argue all the time. one will randomly throw something at another with lethal intents, and the other will duck and go on with life as if it was normal. which, it is. They are always threatening to kill each other, though I doubt they ever would. But let’s just say it’s a good thing werewolves heal fast.
Another thing I liked was the plot. It was simple, no crazy thriller or mystery, It was just a simple romance. But it was compelling, and had enough story to it to keep you reading.
Simon… goodness he’s a passionate one (I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to be that handsome). Lily, at times, seemed dense and silly, especially for not talking out her problems with her husband. And they were both a bit melodramatic at times, but that was rare and it only felt that way because of the sentence structure. With that in mind, the sentences may have changed as I got the ARC for review, not the finished version.
It was a bit difficult to tell if they had accents or not due to the writing. Sometimes it felt like they did, and sometimes it felt like they didn’t and it was a bit annoying. However their voices were all very clear in my head.
The writing was fine, it wasn’t fantastic but it was readable and enjoyable. I don’t particularly like the cover, I think they could have done more werewolfish stuff and less typical romance novel stuff.
A Certain Wolfish Charm was really cute, highly addictive, and fast paced. I can’t wait to read the other two!
Content: Some sex, a little swearing, mention of nudity. no violence.
Recommendation: Ages 18+ for anyone who loves a good werewolf story.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Don't You Cry in Books
May 10, 2018
Quinn wakes up on Sunday morning to discover that her roommate, Esther, is gone. Quinn isn't sure what she should do. The window to the fire escape was left open, but there is no note or sign of where Esther could be. Should she go to the police or wait for Esther to return? When Quinn starts to find things that make her question the integrity of her roommate, she's not sure if she wants her to be found.
A few hours away on the shores of Lake Michigan, Alex, an 18 year old boy is on his way to work at the local diner. He's cleaning dishes, when the most beautiful girl he has ever seen walks in. It's all he can do to concentrate on his work and not watch her watching whatever it is she is looking at outside the window. Who is she and where did she come from? Alex is determined to find the answers to those questions.
This is the first book I have read by Mary Kubica. I have heard nothing but great things about all of her books. Recently, I won a copy of her most recent book, [b:Every Last Lie|32735394|Every Last Lie|Mary Kubica|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1486762991s/32735394.jpg|53325365], and wanted to read something else of hers to get a feel for her writing style. When I first started the book, I dove in head first, I was very intrigued from the start and wanted to know what was going to happen.
I will say, that I found out what was going to happen about a third of the way through the book, although I was surprised at the end that I wasn't completely right. That is why I gave the book 3 stars.
What would you do if you found your roommate missing? A girl who you thought was one of the sweetest people you had ever known. Then you found evidence that maybe she wasn't so sweet after all, and maybe it was a good thing she was now gone. Quinn enlists the help of her friend and co-worker, Ben, who also knows Esther to help her get to the bottom of the mystery. When stranger and stranger details start to emerge, Quinn has no choice, but to go to the police for help. But will they help, or will they just assume, Esther has gone of her own free will and doesn't want to be found.
For Alex his motive is quite different. His life is not filled with much excitement, so when a new face appears in town and can shake up his boring world a bit, he's all for taking a chance on getting to know this girl. She is quite a change from dealing with his alcoholic father and the agoraphobic woman, Ingrid, who he frequently brings food to from the diner. But this girl won't tell him her name(he calls her Pearl because of her bracelet) or where she came from or why she is here. So he makes assumptions and tries his best to get to know her and find out who she is.
Are Esther and Pearl the same person? That is the question that plagues us through the whole book. You will have to read it to find out!
A few hours away on the shores of Lake Michigan, Alex, an 18 year old boy is on his way to work at the local diner. He's cleaning dishes, when the most beautiful girl he has ever seen walks in. It's all he can do to concentrate on his work and not watch her watching whatever it is she is looking at outside the window. Who is she and where did she come from? Alex is determined to find the answers to those questions.
This is the first book I have read by Mary Kubica. I have heard nothing but great things about all of her books. Recently, I won a copy of her most recent book, [b:Every Last Lie|32735394|Every Last Lie|Mary Kubica|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1486762991s/32735394.jpg|53325365], and wanted to read something else of hers to get a feel for her writing style. When I first started the book, I dove in head first, I was very intrigued from the start and wanted to know what was going to happen.
I will say, that I found out what was going to happen about a third of the way through the book, although I was surprised at the end that I wasn't completely right. That is why I gave the book 3 stars.
What would you do if you found your roommate missing? A girl who you thought was one of the sweetest people you had ever known. Then you found evidence that maybe she wasn't so sweet after all, and maybe it was a good thing she was now gone. Quinn enlists the help of her friend and co-worker, Ben, who also knows Esther to help her get to the bottom of the mystery. When stranger and stranger details start to emerge, Quinn has no choice, but to go to the police for help. But will they help, or will they just assume, Esther has gone of her own free will and doesn't want to be found.
For Alex his motive is quite different. His life is not filled with much excitement, so when a new face appears in town and can shake up his boring world a bit, he's all for taking a chance on getting to know this girl. She is quite a change from dealing with his alcoholic father and the agoraphobic woman, Ingrid, who he frequently brings food to from the diner. But this girl won't tell him her name(he calls her Pearl because of her bracelet) or where she came from or why she is here. So he makes assumptions and tries his best to get to know her and find out who she is.
Are Esther and Pearl the same person? That is the question that plagues us through the whole book. You will have to read it to find out!
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Russian Doll in TV
Feb 5, 2019 (Updated Feb 5, 2019)
Natasha Lyonne carries this entire series phenomenally (2 more)
Good, tight script full of quick, witty dialogue
Short and sweet
Death Becomes Her
I watched Netflix's latest series Russian Doll over the past weekend and I loved it. Natasha Lyonne stars as a woman who on the night of her 36th birthday party, is suddenly hit by a car and dies. She then comes to and finds herself again standing in the bathroom in front of the sink back at her birthday party without a scratch. Then after dying a few more times and returning to the same spot in the bathroom, she realises that she is unable to stay dead and is going to be stuck in this loop indefinitely.
I had no clue what to expect going into this one. I was a fan of Natasha Lyonne from her role in Orange Is The New Black and had heard that she had co-wrote this project and even had a hand in directing it. This peaked my curiosity enough to give it a shot, and I'm glad that I did because, (although it is only February,) this is my favourite show of this year so far.
There is of course the presence of the obvious 'Groundhog Day,' trope, but thankfully the show uses this mechanic to it's benefit and manages to tell a fairly unique story based on a pretty unoriginal story-telling device. The show was co-written by Lyonne, Amy Poehler and Leslye Headland and the writing is brilliant. The show is comedic in all of the right places while managing to achieve and maintain a more serious tone when it wants to for certain moments, especially towards the end of the series.
Consisting of eight episodes all around 30 minutes in duration, the series moves at an extremely brisk pace and it is a pace that matches the quick dialogue and editing style that the series adopts during many of the death montage sequences. This all gels together to ensure that the show never feels stagnant or dragging in any sense. The score and cinematography are also great and compliment the other aspects of the show very nicely. All of this together is what gives this show it's unique, quirky feel.
Though, none of this would work without having a reliable lead protagonist to tie the whole thing together and Natasha Lyonne pulls off this difficult task flawlessly. I have always enjoyed seeing Lyonne pop up in several projects as a solid supporting actress, but this is the first time that I have seen her in the lead role and she is phenomenal through the entire eight episodes that Russian Doll consists of. Match that with the writing and directing credits that she claims on this series and you realise that we are watching an artist with incredible talent getting to realise her vision through this project and it is a joy to witness the whole thing unfold.
Overall, Russian Doll is a fantastic series that is enjoyable from start to finish. It features brilliant writing, fantastic performances and plenty of laughs. Due to the oddball nature and tone of this wonderful series, I am not sure if I want to see a second season. However, I am very much looking forward to seeing wherever Lyonne goes from here and what she plans to do next, both as an actress and as an auteur.
I had no clue what to expect going into this one. I was a fan of Natasha Lyonne from her role in Orange Is The New Black and had heard that she had co-wrote this project and even had a hand in directing it. This peaked my curiosity enough to give it a shot, and I'm glad that I did because, (although it is only February,) this is my favourite show of this year so far.
There is of course the presence of the obvious 'Groundhog Day,' trope, but thankfully the show uses this mechanic to it's benefit and manages to tell a fairly unique story based on a pretty unoriginal story-telling device. The show was co-written by Lyonne, Amy Poehler and Leslye Headland and the writing is brilliant. The show is comedic in all of the right places while managing to achieve and maintain a more serious tone when it wants to for certain moments, especially towards the end of the series.
Consisting of eight episodes all around 30 minutes in duration, the series moves at an extremely brisk pace and it is a pace that matches the quick dialogue and editing style that the series adopts during many of the death montage sequences. This all gels together to ensure that the show never feels stagnant or dragging in any sense. The score and cinematography are also great and compliment the other aspects of the show very nicely. All of this together is what gives this show it's unique, quirky feel.
Though, none of this would work without having a reliable lead protagonist to tie the whole thing together and Natasha Lyonne pulls off this difficult task flawlessly. I have always enjoyed seeing Lyonne pop up in several projects as a solid supporting actress, but this is the first time that I have seen her in the lead role and she is phenomenal through the entire eight episodes that Russian Doll consists of. Match that with the writing and directing credits that she claims on this series and you realise that we are watching an artist with incredible talent getting to realise her vision through this project and it is a joy to witness the whole thing unfold.
Overall, Russian Doll is a fantastic series that is enjoyable from start to finish. It features brilliant writing, fantastic performances and plenty of laughs. Due to the oddball nature and tone of this wonderful series, I am not sure if I want to see a second season. However, I am very much looking forward to seeing wherever Lyonne goes from here and what she plans to do next, both as an actress and as an auteur.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Conjure (The Hoodoo Apprentice, #1) in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(Review can also be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.co.uk">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
First off, I must say, what a fantastic read!! I absolutely loved this book. It was such a refreshing read!
Emma and her twin brother Jack along with their friend Cooper think they are in for a lazy summer. They couldn't be more wrong!! First, there's a mysterious note that they find buried beneath the sand. Then there's the treasure box they find. However, when Jack tries opening the treasure box, he contracts "The Creep." A curse that makes all your skin slowly fall off until just bone is left. After all that, a mysterious girl called Maggie shows up, and takes them to "a grannie", Miss Delia, who is a hoodoo practitioner. Maggie says Miss Delia can help Emma find a cure for Jack. However, there's also a curse that will steal Cooper's soul on his sixteenth birthday. Will Emma break both curses before time runs out?
I loved every character in Conjure! I loved the lengths Emma was willing to go to to save her brother. I loved how sweet and helpful Cooper came across as. Jack brought the humour into the book. I stayed suspicious of Maggie throughout the book. I couldn't tell if she was bad or good. (I won't say more as I don't want to spoil the book). My most favourite character was Miss Delia though. She came across as a warm, grandmotherly type character. I wanted to actually know her. She was amazing!
I loved the setting which takes place on a beach and near a beach. It definitely fit in with the story perfectly. The world building was equally great! I felt like I was actually there with all the characters.
I felt that the title definitely suits the book as Emma must conjure up spells in order to try to save Jack's and Cooper's life as well as conjuring up other spells to do other things in the mean time.
The cover is gorgeous, but I don't really feel like it suits the book. I take it the girl on the front is supposed to be Emma, but I don't understand why she's walking in what looks to be a forest. Yes, there is a forest by Miss Delia's house, but no one ever goes into it.
The pacing was spot on for this book! I found myself losing all sense of time whilst reading this amazing book. It reads brilliantly, and it will keep you enthralled throughout.
The dialogue was easy to understand for the most part. However, the author uses the medical names for bones which I felt was a bit too much as this is a book for young adults. I'm 28, and I don't know what most of the bones in my body are called!! I tried to use context clues to help me with this. Other than that, the dialogue was well suited to the book.
I felt so enchanted whilst reading this book. It felt as if I was transported to be apart of the actual story. It was just that amazing!
I'd definitely recommend this book for ages 12 and older...teens and adults included!
First off, I must say, what a fantastic read!! I absolutely loved this book. It was such a refreshing read!
Emma and her twin brother Jack along with their friend Cooper think they are in for a lazy summer. They couldn't be more wrong!! First, there's a mysterious note that they find buried beneath the sand. Then there's the treasure box they find. However, when Jack tries opening the treasure box, he contracts "The Creep." A curse that makes all your skin slowly fall off until just bone is left. After all that, a mysterious girl called Maggie shows up, and takes them to "a grannie", Miss Delia, who is a hoodoo practitioner. Maggie says Miss Delia can help Emma find a cure for Jack. However, there's also a curse that will steal Cooper's soul on his sixteenth birthday. Will Emma break both curses before time runs out?
I loved every character in Conjure! I loved the lengths Emma was willing to go to to save her brother. I loved how sweet and helpful Cooper came across as. Jack brought the humour into the book. I stayed suspicious of Maggie throughout the book. I couldn't tell if she was bad or good. (I won't say more as I don't want to spoil the book). My most favourite character was Miss Delia though. She came across as a warm, grandmotherly type character. I wanted to actually know her. She was amazing!
I loved the setting which takes place on a beach and near a beach. It definitely fit in with the story perfectly. The world building was equally great! I felt like I was actually there with all the characters.
I felt that the title definitely suits the book as Emma must conjure up spells in order to try to save Jack's and Cooper's life as well as conjuring up other spells to do other things in the mean time.
The cover is gorgeous, but I don't really feel like it suits the book. I take it the girl on the front is supposed to be Emma, but I don't understand why she's walking in what looks to be a forest. Yes, there is a forest by Miss Delia's house, but no one ever goes into it.
The pacing was spot on for this book! I found myself losing all sense of time whilst reading this amazing book. It reads brilliantly, and it will keep you enthralled throughout.
The dialogue was easy to understand for the most part. However, the author uses the medical names for bones which I felt was a bit too much as this is a book for young adults. I'm 28, and I don't know what most of the bones in my body are called!! I tried to use context clues to help me with this. Other than that, the dialogue was well suited to the book.
I felt so enchanted whilst reading this book. It felt as if I was transported to be apart of the actual story. It was just that amazing!
I'd definitely recommend this book for ages 12 and older...teens and adults included!