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Ross (3284 KP) rated A Time of Blood in Books

Mar 11, 2019  
A Time of Blood
A Time of Blood
John Gwynne | 2019 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Exciting, action-packed fantasy
** Disclosure - I received a free advance copy of this from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **


A Time of Blood is the second book in John Gwynne's second series and I can happily say this is his best yet in my opinion.
The action carries on from the previous book with the evil Kadoshim minions rising up and trying to get back to power. The forces of good also start to muster, though there are still divisions and suspicions between the various groups which hamper their successes.
Drem, the trapper, really develops into a brilliant hero character without any prophecy nonsense for once, and surrounds himself with a strong cast of enjoyable diverse companions.
The first half of the book sees Drem and his companions travelling to escape the evil horde and warn others of the uprising they have witnessed. This journey is non-stop action and a thrill to read.
Meanwhile we have the recently airborne Riv who is battling with politics and prejudice to retake her place in the army. These chapters are much slower paced but vital.
The balance between chapters and characters in the book allow Gwynne to fit the story in while keeping the action flowing at a good pace.
A very enjoyable and exciting read.
  
Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year’s
Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year’s
Liz Ireland | 2024 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Interlopers at Christmas
April Claus’s husband, Nick, has just taken off on his annual trip around the world delivering presents when three human strangers are brought into town. They were found outside of Santaland injured from the cold. That means they need help before they can be sent on their way, so April and the elves work hard on keeping Santaland a secret while treating the strangers. But things take a turn when one of the strangers dies. Can April figure out what happened? Will Santaland keep its secret?

If you haven’t read this series yet, you are in for a treat. Yes, it is a cozy as you are thinking it might be, and the author has done a great job of building that cozy world for us to escape into. Yet the mystery is still well done, and April works hard to solve it. In the end, the clues lead her to a logical conclusion. The characters are as charming as ever, and the new ones fit perfectly into this world. I had to laugh and grin at the antics the characters get up to as the story unfolds. Fans of the series will delight in the latest entry. If you haven’t picked up the series, change that soon. After all, skipping it might just put you on the naughty list.
  
Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
2020 | Action, Adventure, Crime
Garish and frantic comic book movie basically does your head in for nearly two hours. Never mind doing a Batman movie without Batman, now they've done a Joker movie without the Joker: annoying homicidal pole-dancer Harley Quinn breaks up with he of the green hair and gets mixed up in a hunt for a diamond-shaped McGuffin involving various other obscure and mostly female Batman characters. Full of movement and some not bad action choreography, but the plot is a disjointed mess and it's hard to escape the impression that the producers are treating you like an idiot.

Robbie's performance is basically just irritating; not sure whether this is entirely intentional or not. Ewan McGregor is definitely just bad, but the script is to blame anyway: when the writers appear to believe it's cool and funny to break someone's legs on a whim, it's hard to take them seriously when they try to take the high ground on any moral issue, as they also do. Amoral, superficial, and sadistically violent in places; generally quite dim-witted and depressing. Undoes all the good work of recent movies in detoxifying the DC brand: come back Zach Snyder, all is forgiven.
  
Mice and Mystics
Mice and Mystics
2012 | Adventure, Exploration, Fantasy, Fighting, Miniatures
Co-op taking away tension of competitive (3 more)
Fun for all ages after a few rule adjustments
The story its self is a rich, beautiful tale of adventure
Combat is simple
For people new to the genre, reading all the rules including those for new tile spaces could be cumbersome (0 more)
Mice and Mystics is a great story telling boardgame in a series by Jerry Hawthorne. The game follows Prince Collin and his court of advisors who turn themselves to mice to escape certain death at the hands of an evil witch.

The whole game plays out by reading the story that accompanies the box and then playing out scenarios depicted by board pieces and using beautifully sculpted miniatures to navigate and fight the queens rat forces, spiders and more.
Its a game for the whole family which is brilliant, although to keep things moving smoothly for younger kids some rules can be stripped back for sure. This game is imaginative, difficulty can ramp up quickly making it challenging for all level of players and even though its co-op you can always just compete for kills......Centipedes only count as one.