Search

Search only in certain items:

City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments, #5)
City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments, #5)
Cassandra Clare | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry, Paranormal, Young Adult (YA)
6
8.2 (27 Ratings)
Book Rating
43 of 250
Book
City of Lost Souls ( Shadowhunter book 5)
By Cassandra Clare

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments

Discover more secrets about the Shadowhunters as they fight to protect the world from demons in the fifth book in the internationally bestselling series. What price is too high to pay, even for love? Clary is willing to do anything for Jace, but can she still trust him? Or is he truly lost? This edition contains a map and a new foreword by Cassandra Clare. Read all the sensational books in The Shadowhunter Chronicles: The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, The Bane Chronicles, The Dark Artifices, The Last Hours and The Shadowhunter’s Codex.


So I’ve almost totally given up on these books Clary and Jace drive me mental!
This one was the only one I actually enjoyed the reason being it brought the other characters forward instead of focusing on this toxic childish relationship.
I will stick to the end as I’m not for giving up on a series especially 5 books in. The reason for the 3 stars instead of 2 was because the book did bring the other characters forward!
  
TS
The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, #1)
Rick Riordan | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.0 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
It's no secret that I've thoroughly enjoyed all of Riordan's mythology based series. My favorite was the Khane Chronicles, but I have to say Magnus Chase is off to a grand start. Norse mythology has such a long & many layered history to it that it fits seamlessly into Riordan's brand of storytelling. As usual there is another great crop of characters as well as a tie in to his old faithful...Percy. I look forward to seeing what other adventures are in store for Magnus & his hall mates as they try to prevent the destruction of the Nine Worlds.
  
The final in a wonderfully written trilogy this story brings together some of my favorite things. Reliance on someone that you barely know and fighting for what you believe in while conquering yourself. While I did get a tad bored through some of it most of the book follows the same format and writing style as the first two. This makes it an easy read that can be done all in one sitting. You will find yourself swept into the world and enjoying the main characters while rooting for them.
Perfect for fans of the Chronicles of Narnia.
  
    No Title

    No Title

    1.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

    Podcast

    My Pilot Chronicles is a podcast about working and living the dream as a commercial pilot. Join me...

Kids Chronicles: Quest for the Moon Stones
Kids Chronicles: Quest for the Moon Stones
2021 | Adventure, Exploration, Fantasy, Kids Game
The Kids Table series from Purple Phoenix Games seeks to lightly explore games that are focused toward children and families. We will do our best to give some good insight, but not bog your down with the millions of rules…

In Kids Chronicles: Quest of the Moon Stones (which I will just call “this game” from here on out if you please), players are new apprentices to Merlin, the old wizard keeping two neighboring kingdoms together and keeping them from warring with each other. In this game, players will be adventuring across the double-sided board solving riddles, completing quests, and meeting tons of great characters all with the assistance and guidance of a free app specifically designed for this game.

DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook, but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase a copy online or from your FLGS. -T


Setup could not be easier for this game. First, download the Kids Chronicles app to your phone or tablet, lay out the board (initially on the side that looks like Summer), display the Character cards and Item cards face-up in their respective decks. You don’t even have to sort or shuffle them! And you’re done. The game is ready to be played! Open the app and let it guide you through each mission – but do start with the tutorial, especially if any player hasn’t played a hybrid board game like this before.

I do not want to give away too much information in this review, so I will keep this portion brief. Throughout the game players will be marching around to different parts of the board, speaking with characters, collecting items, and solving riddles by scanning the QR codes found on the cards and board locations. I really should stop here so as not to spoil any actual gameplay information.
I have reviewed many of these hybrid app-driven games from Lucky Duck Games (Chronicles of Crime, CoC: 1400, CoC: 1900, and CoC: 2400). None of them, however, are designed for children, nor recommended for children to even play. With those titles, very adult themes are played through, but this is not so here with this game. Kids Chronicles is VERY family friendly, and the app simply walks players through the entire setup and missions.

What I enjoy most about this game, especially after having played their bigger siblings, is that there is no time limit to have things completed. So players can travel across the land, scanning whatever they like, and not be penalized for it. You just can’t do that with the grown-up versions. Also, the art is excellent and colorful – perfect for a kids game. The stunning visual appeal, free-feeling adventuring, and introducing the hybridization of apps and board games to children all work together really well here.

Now, the box advises that this game is for ages 7+ but my little 5-year-old loves this one and asks to play it all the time. There is a lot of reading to be done from the app (it doesn’t read anything aloud), but that just adds to the fun for us, because I enjoy adding different voices to the characters. So in a way, this is very similar to reading a nighttime book, but just way more fun.

So, if you have little gamers at home that are ready for that next step, I recommend checking out Kids Chronicles. I am super happy that Lucky Duck Games is branching out into the children’s games market, and bringing that excellent scanning mechanic along for the ride. Once you get the hang of this style of game, I suggest you also then pick up a copy of one of the Chronicles of Crime games for your adult game nights. You can thank me later!