Sign up
Search
Advanced search settings

Search only in certain items:

Search results
All (3459)
Content
People
Apps
Books
Orbs
Movies
Music
Podcasts
Shows
Tabletop Games
Tech
TV
Video Games
YouTube Channels
Videos
40x40

Mothergamer (1610 KP) rated The Last of Us Part II in Video Games

Jun 29, 2020  
The Last of Us Part II
The Last of Us Part II
2020 | Action/Adventure
7
6.6 (8 Ratings)
Video Game Rating Watch
I really wanted to like this game. There have been so many issues with the leaks and misleading trailers. Initially the game starts out pretty strong showing Ellie and Joel living in Jackson peacefully. That doesn't last long of course and the main theme of the story is about how the cycle of revenge and violence hurts everyone. The gameplay is good for the most part, but the storytelling comes across as very heavy handed and having to switch between Ellie and Abby feels frustrating. I understand the intent behind what the writers were trying to do showing both sides of the situation but it comes across as clunky and sloppy writing. I also took issue with the handling of a trans character in the game. They made this trans character a target for constant abuse and trauma, including deadnaming them something that is incredibly hurtful to a trans person. The fact that the writers did not get any input from trans writers is frankly grossly irresponsible because we LGBT people are more than trauma and we're tired of this constant trauma trope. It's not okay and it's very lazy writing. The story is not completely bad, but it's not great either and I feel we didn't really need this sequel. You can read my full review with spoilers here: http://lorrie28-mothergamer.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-last-of-us-part-ii-good-but-not.html
  
40x40

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated Swift Edge in Books

Nov 22, 2020  
Swift Edge
Swift Edge
Laura DiSilverio | 2011 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This Book Swiftly Had me on the Edge of My Seat
PI Charlette “Charlie” Swift has a new client. Dara Peterson needs Charlie to track down her ice skating partner, Dmitri Fane, before the Olympic trials start in just a few days. With her new business partner, Gigi Goldman, semi-helping, Charlie begins investigating. She quickly gets attacked and finds someone left for dead on the ice. What has happened to Dmitri?

I read the first book in this series years ago, and I kept meaning to go back and read this one. I’m so glad I did. This book is as much fun as I remember the first being. The plot is fast paced with plenty of action and a page turning climax. What Gigi doesn’t know about the PI business she makes up for in enthusiasm, and her antics add some great laughs. Yet none of the characters come across as caricatures; there is a depth to all of them. Mostly, we only see glimpses of that depth, but it is enough to make them seem real. The book skirts around the edges of the cozy genre with just a touch more violence and language than a traditional cozy, but as long as you expect that, you’ll be fine. I really did enjoy this book, and it won’t be as long before I go back to visit these characters again.
  
40x40

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated Every Day Above Ground in Books

Mar 16, 2021  
Every Day Above Ground
Every Day Above Ground
Glen Erik Hamilton | 2017
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Greed is a Trap
Former army ranger Van Shaw is in desperate need of money, so when one of his late grandfather’s former associates, Mickey, comes with a story of long forgotten gold, it is too much for Van to resist. Teaming up with Mickey, Van goes to the abandoned office where the gold is only to find they’ve walked into a trap. Mickey is captured by persons unknown and Van barely escapes. In order to get Mickey back, Van will have to figure out who laid the trap and what they want. Can he do it?

This is very different from my normal cozy reads, both in the inclusion of language and violence, but also because Van is really an anti-hero. This is the most he’s slipped into that role, however, and knowing him from the previous two books helped me still root for him. It really helps that I do like him and the other regular characters and I want to see them succeed. While a few of the events of the book are expected, there were still some twists I wasn’t expecting along the way, and I loved the creativity of some of the locations Van used over the course of the book in his attempts to defeat the villains and come out on top. This is a fun, fasted paced thriller that will keep you turning pages.