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A Midnight Puzzle
A Midnight Puzzle
Gigi Pandian | 2024 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Litigious Customer Murdered
Secret Staircase Construction is being sued by their latest customer. He maintains that his wife’s accidental fall down the stairs was the result of their shoddy construction. Tempest Raj doesn’t believe a word of it and thinks he may have tried to kill his wife and blame them. Before they can figure out what to do the man dies at the theater where Tempest is preparing for her farewell tour – a theater with a connection to the Raj family’s tragic past. While the police are initially looking elsewhere, Tempest knows it is just a matter of time before they look at her family. Can she figure out what really happened?

This book wraps up an arc that Tempest has been on, which means fans of the series will be satisfied. If you are new to the series, there is some background, but you might not fully understand some of what happens here. The pacing in this book is off, with things a little slow in the second act. Unfortunately, it means that the third act, while it does logically wrap things up, also feels very rushed. We needed a little more time to fully absorb the twists. Still, I love the premise of this series, and Tempest and her friends and family are always a joy to spend time around. As usual, there are a couple of recipes at the end. Fans will be looking forward to the next entry when they finish this one.
  
The inbetween (2022)
The inbetween (2022)
2022 |
6
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The movie starts with the aftermath of an accident. A young boy and girl are lying on the ground and the girl wakes up in hospital, it then rewinds to show us what happened prior to the accident (182 days).
Its clear from a conversation that the girl is adopted but won't connect with her adoptive parents, instead she spends time with her camera by herself. During a trip to the cinema she meets a young lad who offers to translate the movie for her and they hit it off straight away.
It then goes back to the hospital where we find out that skye (the boy) and tessa had become a couple, and skye had died and become stuck in the Inbetween (hence the movies title) trying to contact tessa.
There's a lot of back and forth between the time lines as skye and tessas relationship develops. I like that they used the difference in colour to show which timeline we were watching, the memory is bright and cheerful, whereas the present has more of a grey ish tint to it. I thought the performances were very good, though I did feel the length was a bit too long. Everything could have been wrapped up in an hour and a half rather than 2 hours. As for the storyline itself, I love a good romance movie so I can't complain, though I do feel the movie would have better if it wasn't back and forth all the time.
  
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Merissa (12911 KP) rated Uprising (Rebellion #3) in Books

Apr 7, 2022 (Updated Jun 26, 2023)  
Uprising (Rebellion #3)
Uprising (Rebellion #3)
Annabelle Jacobs | 2022 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
UPRISING is the third book in the Rebellion series, and I think this is the last. The story is wrapped up nicely, giving me exactly the ending I was looking for.

This book focuses on Michael and Isaac, the two enigmatic Alphas from packs seemingly on opposite sides of the war, but looks can be deceiving as we find out. Isaac and Michael were as close as two wolves could be without being bonded. When they decided what they were going to do, it placed them miles apart - both figuratively and literally. Now events have brought them back together, but can they pick up where they left off?

Uprising starts where Defiance finished and the whole host of characters return, including those you love to hate. Some will shock you though, and some you will end up feeling sympathy for. Don't you just love it when an author does that to you?

Just as full of action as the previous two, you get the bigger picture in this as groups start working together. If there was one character I wish I'd heard more from, it would be Baker, but it wasn't his book!

A brilliant end to a fantastic series and absolutely recommended by me, so long as you read it as a series and don't miss out on any of the good bits.

** 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!
Apr 7, 2022
  
Connected: Discovering Your Inner Guides: A Kid's Guide to Navigating Their Emotions
Connected: Discovering Your Inner Guides: A Kid's Guide to Navigating Their Emotions
Seema Desai, James Ballance | 2022 | Children, Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
When I got the chance to read Connected: Discovering Your Inner Guides by Seema Desai, I jumped at the chance. My 7 (almost 8) year old sometimes has some big emotions. I figured this would be a great book for us to read together to help him navigate those emotions.

Connected: Discovering Your Inner Guides starts off with a guide for adults and a guide for kids on how to use the book to their advantage. It talks about inner guides which are any type of thing that can help you. It also talks about guards which are the negative feelings and emotions we all experience. Although the book is short in length, it does a very good job at discussing what guides we can use to help squash our guards and help us. Along the way, the author shares some tips and tools to help overcome the guards. Mine and my son's favorite tool was the tapping method. I really felt that both adults and kids can do this method quite easily to help them overcome any number of guards such as fear, anxiety, or any other horrible feeling. There's also a handy guide for teaching children (and/or adults) how to meditate. Desai also goes into just enough detail about different types of guards and guides that can help both adults and children understand what's going on. She never uses language that is too difficult to understand, nor does she drone on and on. This helps so much to keep the book flowing throughout and to help keep children's minds from wandering which they are prone to do quite often. One thing I do want to mention is I felt like my son was a little too young to understand some of the concepts and apply them. However, I do think that if he were a couple of years older, he would be the perfect age. I also think this might just depend on the emotionally maturity of the child as well.

The illustrations in Connected: Discovering Your Inner Guides are fabulous! James Ballance shows how talented he is with each and every drawing. The illustrations are fun and help to keep kids engaged. The drawings are very helpful in making sure Desai's words are being understood. My son and I liked the way the illustrations were aimed towards kids his own age instead of being drawn for babies. (His words, not mine.) Each illustration helps to show what each section in the book is about. Just the drawings alone are worth reading this book!

Connected: Discovering Your Inner Guides is a very informative guide that is extremely helpful for children and adults! It's written in a language that is easy to understand yet drives the point across. With it's excellent illustrations and well written (and researched) passages, this book should be in every therapist's library and every home library. Basically, just put this book in every library. I would definitely recommend Connected: Discovering Your Inner Guides by Seema Desai to everyone aged 10+ who would love to get in touch with their feelings. This is one book you don't want to miss!
  
I am honestly not completely sure about my thoughts on this play. I was so excited when it was announced that they would be releasing the script, especially since I will most likely not be able to see the stage production any time soon, but it left me in a weird mental state after reading it. Warning, there may be plot spoilers in this review, so read at your own peril. If you do not want to be spoiled, read the play first, then come back to my review.

I know that a play will never really be the same as reading a novel by good old JK, but it still felt so different from the rest of the Harry Potter series. I found myself wanting more out of it than I got. There was a lot of nostalgia for the other books that I felt when I was reading it. And I loved this play for that reason.

Now don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the play. It was different, we got to see our Golden Trio all grown up, and see their interactions with other characters, including their children. I did, however, find myself getting angry at the characters--Harry and Ginny in particular. These two characters know, probably more than anyone else in this series, what it is like to be an outsider and to feel ostracized from other people. Yet they let their son feel the same way they did. To me, that sucks. They gave him huge shoes to fill in naming Albus what they did, but it seems that they never explained to him the meaning behind it. They let him hear all of the glorious stories of Dumbledore and Snape, but never let him in on the truth that both of those men were flawed individuals who messed up a lot. In not knowing that truth, Albus was made to think that he was not good enough. Again, super crappy thing to do to a child. Harry, you should know this!!

The plot itself was interesting. I think having to look at the past and see what changing any part of it could do to the future is something Albus, and even Harry, needed to understand. They must acknowledge the past, but still have the hope to look at the future. (Boom. Dumbledore style wisdom right there.) Even Scorpius needed to see what could happen. (By the way, I love Scorpius. I think he is my favorite of all of the children characters because he is adorable and so sassy.)

Just one question: WHERE WAS MY BOY TEDDY LUPIN?!?!?!?! I was looking for him the whole freaking play because I needed to see some of Remus and Tonks in another form, but we got NOTHING and I am upset. I was thinking of taking off another half star just for that fact alone, but I need to be not as bitter about it.

I cried while reading this. Whenever Albus was being self-deprecating, my heart broke even more. And Act 4 killed me. (SPOILERS) I sobbed when they were watching Voldy kill Lily and James. Straight up sobbed like a child.

I loved all of the stage directions and I think it would be very interesting to see how it all plays out on the stage. I honestly have no idea how they would do some of the effects.

Overall, it was a good addition to the Harry Potter novels. Was it as good or give me as many emotions as the novels did? No. But I enjoyed it for what it was.
  
The Cruel Prince
The Cruel Prince
Holly Black | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
10
8.4 (36 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Cruel Prince - Holly Black [BOOK REVIEW]
I asked you guys on a Goodreads poll to decide what should be my next read. And a huge number of you have decided that The Cruel Prince should be the one! And here I am, one week later, saying THANK YOU, for giving me a reason to read this book now!

Now, before I say anything else, I want you to know that I don’t have much experience living and reading about the Faerie world. I know fairies exist, and I know about that world, but I wasn’t too involved when I grabbed this book.

And I am glad for that, because…

The Cruel Prince is a great book to start your experience in this magical world. It starts with a great statement that there won’t be any fish sticks, or ketchup or TV Shows (believe me, that is Chapter 1), and it gives you a wonderful introduction to what turns out to be a beautiful place.

We follow the story through Jude’s eyes. Jude and her two sisters witness the murder of their parents. And not just that, but they also get dragged into the Faerie world because the person that kills their parents is the father of Jude’s oldest sister.

And living in the Faerie world as a human is not easy at all. At school, Jude and her sister Taryn are constantly being bullied, and the biggest bully of them all is Cardan. He is the prince, the last son of the king, and he is so evil and self-assured. *gasps* And I love him!

‘’The odd thing about ambition is this: You can acquire it like a fever, but it is not so easy to shed.’’

While Taryn is calm and tries to avoid trouble, Jude is restless and keeps talking back to Cardan. She won’t let him win, and she won’t let him humiliate her. And that brings her a hell of a trouble.

And one day, she had enough. She decides to be even more fierceless and brutal, because that is the only way of survival…

‘’If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.’’

I love Jude, with all my heart. I loved her bravery and the way she never gives up, and keeps going for what she wants, even if people think she is being silly. I strongly agree with Jude - we should all strive towards our goals, no matter how difficult or ridiculous they may seem.

I also love Cardan. He is not a mean person,even though he is really cruel, but the background story is so harsh, and the reasons behind it are so strong. I could understand where he came from, but I am not in any way encouraging his bullying. I think that’s not acceptable under any circumstances. He was amazingly described, and there is the fight between good and evil going inside him.

‘’Love is a noble cause. How can anything done in the service of a noble cause be wrong?’’

The love and hate between Jude and Cardan is something you need to read about. Only Holly Black is able to describe the way they are towards each other. But this is the best love-hate game I have read in a while.

When we enter this world, we also see it from the eyes of her sisters Taryn and Vivi, and what I loved was that we get told the pro’s and con’s of the world, and why Taryn would decide to marry a faerie and get her place in the Court, or why Vivi would leave and go back to the human world. And sometimes, when you are a human in a world so beautiful, but so cruel, you realise that you can’t live with it (all that have read the book will know exactly to which scene I am referring to…).

If you haven’t picked up this book yet, please do so. I could not recommend it enough! It is filled with a lovely scenery of an amazing world, great adventure, great characters and stories around them. I read it in almost one go, as I couldn’t put it down!

A masterpiece, where faeries would give up their immortality to have this on their bookshelves, I am sure!

‘’And no matter how eager you are for it, you cannot make the moon set nor rise any faster.’’
  
Polemic
Polemic
2015 | Card Game, Party Game
Apples to Apples. Cards Against Humanity. What Do You Meme? These are all party card games that are based upon similar card play: the active player plays a card and the rest of the players play cards to influence the active player to choose their response. Typically it is the funniest or, in the case of CAH, most disgusting and obscene cards that win. But what if we flip this party game model on its head a bit? Does it make for a better game or more enjoyable play? Let’s find out.

DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game and its NSFW expansion for the purposes of this review. These are final components, and the game is available from the publisher and other online retail stores. Also, I do not intend to explicitly cover every rule for the game, but to give an idea of game flow and play. -T

To setup a game of Polemic, each player will choose a color of cards and receive the small deck of the same color. Each player’s deck will include a Like, Dislike, and numbered cards 0-6. Shuffle the Topic cards (or Adult Topic cards – optional expansion) and place them face down in the middle of the playing surface – my band and I used a chair when we played. Choose who will be the first active player and you are ready to play!

The active player will draw a Topic card and read the provided topics silently. They will choose one topic to play, announce it to the group and lay the card in a discard pile. Now every player (active player included) will choose whether they Like or Dislike the topic. Simple as that. However, the players will also need to choose a card describing how many of the players will Like the topic. Herein lies the game.

You see, it’s not just deciding whether you Like the topic or not, but it’s also reading and knowing your fellow players to guess how many of them will also Like the topic. Example from photo below: I choose “dogs” as my topic. Obviously I Like dogs, so I will play my Like card and another numbered card as my guess to how many total players will Like dogs. It should be all of them, but I suppose there are those who are cat people as well. All players will reveal their Like/Dislike and numbered guess simultaneously and those that guessed the number of Likes correctly will each get one point. The game continues in this fashion until you run out of time to play or you have hit the agreed-upon point total for victory.

Components. To reiterate, we were provided a copy of this game along with the Adult Topics Pack. This game is a box with a bunch of cards. A ton of Topic cards are provided and enough personal decks for up to six players. The rules are also printed on a card. I LOVE this. The cards are good quality and I might even consider sleeving my personal decks as they are handled A LOT. I have no issues with the components at all.

Here’s the deal. We hear so many times that a game is a CAH-killer. And I, for one, hope that to be true every single time. While Polemic is not really akin to CAH, I can see how it would be classified similarly. However, Polemic is SUCH a great game of discovering what your playmates are into and what they think you enjoy as well. I would be remiss if I didn’t insist on also picking up the Adult Topics Packs, but be warned: once you go NSFW you may not want to play any other way. Unless you’re playing with your grandparents or in-laws or something. Then just be smart about what you choose to play with them. That said, Purple Phoenix Games (with help from 10 of Soul) give this one a resounding 11 / 12. Pick this up now before they are sold out.