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graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Winter's Child: A Retelling of The Snow Queen in Books
Feb 15, 2019
While WINTER'S CHILD is an easy, entertaining read, it does suffer from some short-comings. I realize that this book is not only about the Winter Child, but about how many different stories come together to make up one complete story, but there were one or two that were unnecessary to the plot as a whole. At around the three-fourths point, I was taken aback by the story going into a completely different direction than where I had hoped. This is where my main problem lays. Had some of the extra storylines been taken out and replaced with more of the development of the main plot and characters, I believe I would have been happier and completely fine with how everything turned out. Sadly, I ended up feeling somewhat cheated with the end and left unsatisfied. However, the first one-hundred pages are magical and beautifully written, and show everything I love about Cameron Dokey's work. Too bad it had to start high and then end on a low note.
Fruit Bat (42 KP) rated My Ripper Hunting Days in Books
Mar 1, 2018
The book is a work of fiction but the author cleverly works fiction and known facts about the Jack the Ripper case to produce a thrilling read.
The main character of the book is pathologist Woodrow Riley who manages to get himself mixed up in some very nasty going on's its up to the reader to decide whether you think he ambitious stupid or gullible. Myself I think he is a mixer of all three.
The story is based around Woodrow's dairy writings of 1888 and how he unwittingly become involved in the killings of five unfortunate women killed by the hand, of the man the world would know as Jack the Ripper. Woodrow takes the reader on a journey though a series of meetings and interactions he has with various characters and this where it gets very interesting because after a while you realize that each of these character is not what he first appears to be .
Great read for these cold winter nights so snuggle up and enjoy.
The main character of the book is pathologist Woodrow Riley who manages to get himself mixed up in some very nasty going on's its up to the reader to decide whether you think he ambitious stupid or gullible. Myself I think he is a mixer of all three.
The story is based around Woodrow's dairy writings of 1888 and how he unwittingly become involved in the killings of five unfortunate women killed by the hand, of the man the world would know as Jack the Ripper. Woodrow takes the reader on a journey though a series of meetings and interactions he has with various characters and this where it gets very interesting because after a while you realize that each of these character is not what he first appears to be .
Great read for these cold winter nights so snuggle up and enjoy.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2456 KP) rated Farmed and Dangerous (Local Foods Mystery, #3) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Winter has settle on Massachusetts, but farmer Cam Flaherty is still very busy. She’s growing food in her hoop house and hoping to land a contract to provide produce during the summer at the local assisted living facility. However, the night that her food is served, one of the residents dies from poison. With local gossip and the police looking at her, Cam must dive in to the mystery to clear her reputation.
The book did start a little slowly, but once the murder takes place, things pick up. I was turning pages as quickly as I could until I reached the satisfying ending. It was great to spend time with these characters again, and the suspects were equally engaging. Be sure to read through the recipes, too, since there is a joke in one of them.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/06/book-review-farmed-and-dangerous-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The book did start a little slowly, but once the murder takes place, things pick up. I was turning pages as quickly as I could until I reached the satisfying ending. It was great to spend time with these characters again, and the suspects were equally engaging. Be sure to read through the recipes, too, since there is a joke in one of them.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/06/book-review-farmed-and-dangerous-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2456 KP) rated Slayed on the Slopes (Pacific Northwest Mystery #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Meg is hoping that a feature on the winter training of the new Ridge Rangers will impress her editor at Northwest Extreme. However, when she arrives high up on Mount Hood, she finds tension in the group. As she is wondering if she will even have a story, and a murder occurs. Suddenly, she wonders if she will even survive the weekend.
The problem with the book is it takes too long for the weekend to even start. The beginning was slow, and the ending dragged on too long as well. Some of the series regulars felt shoehorned into the book, but I was happy to see them since I like them, and I appreciated the advancement on the series storylines. Honestly, I do love the characters, and once the mystery got going it was pretty good. I just hope that the pacing issues are ironed out as the series progresses.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/01/book-review-slayed-on-slopes-by-kate.html">Carstairs Considers</a>
The problem with the book is it takes too long for the weekend to even start. The beginning was slow, and the ending dragged on too long as well. Some of the series regulars felt shoehorned into the book, but I was happy to see them since I like them, and I appreciated the advancement on the series storylines. Honestly, I do love the characters, and once the mystery got going it was pretty good. I just hope that the pacing issues are ironed out as the series progresses.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/01/book-review-slayed-on-slopes-by-kate.html">Carstairs Considers</a>
The Marinated Meeple (1853 KP) rated Kingsburg in Tabletop Games
Aug 24, 2018
Simple and easy to understand game (1 more)
Mitigating your dice and figuring out how to use them is the fun part
Dice allocation for the good of the kingdom.... and yourself.
The game is about defending the kingdom from invading armies that get progressively stronger every winter. so the other three seasons are about building up your kingdom by building buildings that are defensive or make you stronger in other ways. Some defenses are better against goblins, or maybe Zombies, build a church and get a bonus against demons... The game lasts about an hour and a half depending on how quickly people take their turns. There's not much analysis paralysis, there is a clever mechanism of choosing how to use your three dice.... lets say you roll a 1, 3, 6: You can place it on the total number, a combo of the two of them or a single die value, and each number on the board gives you different returns. Not nearly as difficult as Castles of Burgundy, this is a good entry point into dice allocation games. I like it.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Olympic Dreams (2020) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
Beautiful Story
A dentist working the winter olympics falls in love with one of the athletes.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 2
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 9
Entertainment Value: 8
Memorability: 6
Pace: 10
At just 82 minutes, the movie feels even shorter. It flows smoothly from scene to scene without ever feeling rushed. Director Jeremy Teicher does a phenomenal job of time-management and making you feel a connection in such a short amount of time.
Plot: 10
A part of what makes the story pop so well is how different they made the two main characters. They drive and move the story so smoothly because of their constant conflict. The concept is also very original as well.
Resolution: 8
Overall: 81
If you’re looking for a cute love story that’s not over-the-top sappy, Olympic Dreams is definitely the way to go. I didn’t enter the movie with very high expectations but I ended up absolutely loving it. Nick Kroll and Alexi Pappas are magic together.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 2
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 9
Entertainment Value: 8
Memorability: 6
Pace: 10
At just 82 minutes, the movie feels even shorter. It flows smoothly from scene to scene without ever feeling rushed. Director Jeremy Teicher does a phenomenal job of time-management and making you feel a connection in such a short amount of time.
Plot: 10
A part of what makes the story pop so well is how different they made the two main characters. They drive and move the story so smoothly because of their constant conflict. The concept is also very original as well.
Resolution: 8
Overall: 81
If you’re looking for a cute love story that’s not over-the-top sappy, Olympic Dreams is definitely the way to go. I didn’t enter the movie with very high expectations but I ended up absolutely loving it. Nick Kroll and Alexi Pappas are magic together.
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