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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Steam Park: Play Dirty in Tabletop Games
Aug 20, 2021
In the expansion review series, we take a look at a game expansion to discuss whether it is a necessary purchase/addition to one’s collection.
This breakdown is for the action dice-rolling and them park-building game Steam Park’s modular expansion, Play Dirty (as in dirt, not as in adult themes). Play Dirty is a modular expansion, so some modules may be added or left out depending on comfort level and enjoyment of each module.
One major module added to this expansion is the addition of a fifth player to Steam Park. As if Steam Park wasn’t frantic enough with four, go ahead and throw in a fifth set of hands going crazy at the table! Also included are gray “Stingy Visitors,” which act as wild visitor types for color, but provide one less Danari (currency in Steam Park) but create NO DIRT. Excellent! Play Dirty also includes a new set of five stands for robots to do business: Fountain, Hall of Mirrors, Office, Shooting Gallery, and Incinerator. Along with these new stands are a set of stand reference tiles to remind players what each stand actually does in the game. Very handy.
The biggest difference-makers in the expansion box are the Ride Extensions, Park Directors, and Espionage Dice. Ride Extensions do just that – extend existing rides in one’s park, but the two different colored extensions (golden and rusty) have their own rules that are triggered depending on colors of robots upon them. The Park Directors module adds a new twist that changes the rules for an aspect of the base game for all players throughout the entire game. These are very powerful changes, and one Park Director is chosen to be used at the beginning of each game. Espionage Dice are very special in that one is added to each player’s white dice and rolled as normal throughout the game. However, the Espionage Dice cost 4 Danari to activate after the Roll Phase. The power here is that the player using the die pays one Danari less to use it when matching the face of white dice in their opponent’s pig sitting to their right. For example, to use a Build Stand face on Espionage Die will cost four Danari normally. However, should the opponent on the right have four Build Stand symbols showing on their white dice, the Espionage Die activates for free!
Must you own the Play Dirty expansion to truly enjoy your plays of Steam Park? Not at all. I do very much enjoy several of the modules in the box though. I really enjoy the powerful Park Directors because it freshens up a rule from the base game or modifies it in interesting ways. I like the new Stands that come in the box as well for additional options during play, but you MUST use the reference tiles, especially if combining all 10 Stands. The other modules are fine, but I would have been happy with just the ones I mentioned here.
Official recommendation: I remember my first play of Steam Park and falling in love with it right away. I have never felt stagnation in my future plays, but adding Play Dirty certainly is a game-changer in every sense of the term. I say definitely pick it up if you are feeling the base game no longer gives you the excitement and frenzy it once did.
This breakdown is for the action dice-rolling and them park-building game Steam Park’s modular expansion, Play Dirty (as in dirt, not as in adult themes). Play Dirty is a modular expansion, so some modules may be added or left out depending on comfort level and enjoyment of each module.
One major module added to this expansion is the addition of a fifth player to Steam Park. As if Steam Park wasn’t frantic enough with four, go ahead and throw in a fifth set of hands going crazy at the table! Also included are gray “Stingy Visitors,” which act as wild visitor types for color, but provide one less Danari (currency in Steam Park) but create NO DIRT. Excellent! Play Dirty also includes a new set of five stands for robots to do business: Fountain, Hall of Mirrors, Office, Shooting Gallery, and Incinerator. Along with these new stands are a set of stand reference tiles to remind players what each stand actually does in the game. Very handy.
The biggest difference-makers in the expansion box are the Ride Extensions, Park Directors, and Espionage Dice. Ride Extensions do just that – extend existing rides in one’s park, but the two different colored extensions (golden and rusty) have their own rules that are triggered depending on colors of robots upon them. The Park Directors module adds a new twist that changes the rules for an aspect of the base game for all players throughout the entire game. These are very powerful changes, and one Park Director is chosen to be used at the beginning of each game. Espionage Dice are very special in that one is added to each player’s white dice and rolled as normal throughout the game. However, the Espionage Dice cost 4 Danari to activate after the Roll Phase. The power here is that the player using the die pays one Danari less to use it when matching the face of white dice in their opponent’s pig sitting to their right. For example, to use a Build Stand face on Espionage Die will cost four Danari normally. However, should the opponent on the right have four Build Stand symbols showing on their white dice, the Espionage Die activates for free!
Must you own the Play Dirty expansion to truly enjoy your plays of Steam Park? Not at all. I do very much enjoy several of the modules in the box though. I really enjoy the powerful Park Directors because it freshens up a rule from the base game or modifies it in interesting ways. I like the new Stands that come in the box as well for additional options during play, but you MUST use the reference tiles, especially if combining all 10 Stands. The other modules are fine, but I would have been happy with just the ones I mentioned here.
Official recommendation: I remember my first play of Steam Park and falling in love with it right away. I have never felt stagnation in my future plays, but adding Play Dirty certainly is a game-changer in every sense of the term. I say definitely pick it up if you are feeling the base game no longer gives you the excitement and frenzy it once did.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Never Saw You Coming in Books
Sep 30, 2021
An insightful look at love and religion
Meg Hennessey grew up finding comfort in her faith. But her conservative parents also kept her sheltered based on their interpretation of the rules of the church. But at age eighteen, Meg learns her entire life was a lie. Instead of going to work at a church camp for a year, she heads to Marquette, Michigan to learn more about the family she never knew she had. There, she meets Micah Allen. Micah's dad is a former pastor who is now in prison. Micah adored and believed in his father, who let the church, his congregation, and his family down famously--the press still hounds Micah years later. With his father's probation hearing coming up, his mother wants him to forgive him, but Micah isn't sure he can. Meg and Micah meet and find themselves drawn to each other. But each struggle with what they've been taught about love, along with the pasts they may need to leave behind to move forward.
"Because the uncomfortable truth is, while the church loves sinners in their pews, they don't want them in front of a crowd. It's the difference between acceptance and tolerance, and it might catch on. God forbid."
This is a really lovely and moving story. While it includes a lot of religious themes and discussion, it never felt like too much--religion and forgiveness informs the story, rather than detracts from it. Meg is a side character in Hahn's excellent book, MORE THAN MAYBE, and we see glimpses of Vada and Luke from that tale (which is really fun). It's wonderful to see Meg fully explored here--Hahn writes her sections in a snappy and smart way, capturing Meg perfectly. She's so sweet, yet smart and tough. Her entire life has been upended, and Meg truly must rethink her whole faith and foundation. I think a weaker person would crumple at such a situation. Watching her grow is really fun; you cannot help but root for her.
And Micah is a great character, too. He too, has had his faith tested, as his father destroyed his church and Micah's belief in the church. Micah and Meg's romance is cute, honest, and real. Hahn's book explores how shamed these two feel by falling in love and how the church has conditioned them to feel that love, happiness, and romance can be wrong and even sinful. It tackles the pain of loving a Jesus/God who then censures you for loving. It's so adept at this and skilled at portraying their struggles. How can the love of these two sweet, earnest kids be wrong? And as they explore why bad things happen--especially as they believe so fully--the book makes you think and examine deeply. It deftly exposes the church's focus on female purity only, while often ignoring the males. Honestly, whether you're religious or not, this is a must-read, especially in these times, when so much of the control of a women's body seems not be our own.
Overall, I loved this book. It offers a charming romance, along with a timely look at religion and how it can affect young people as they make their way in the world. The side characters are excellent (I'm looking at you, Duke, and Cash the dog!). Hahn's writing is as excellent as ever. 4.5 stars. Please note the author's own note for a trigger warning for self-harm and suicide.
I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press / Wednesday Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
"Because the uncomfortable truth is, while the church loves sinners in their pews, they don't want them in front of a crowd. It's the difference between acceptance and tolerance, and it might catch on. God forbid."
This is a really lovely and moving story. While it includes a lot of religious themes and discussion, it never felt like too much--religion and forgiveness informs the story, rather than detracts from it. Meg is a side character in Hahn's excellent book, MORE THAN MAYBE, and we see glimpses of Vada and Luke from that tale (which is really fun). It's wonderful to see Meg fully explored here--Hahn writes her sections in a snappy and smart way, capturing Meg perfectly. She's so sweet, yet smart and tough. Her entire life has been upended, and Meg truly must rethink her whole faith and foundation. I think a weaker person would crumple at such a situation. Watching her grow is really fun; you cannot help but root for her.
And Micah is a great character, too. He too, has had his faith tested, as his father destroyed his church and Micah's belief in the church. Micah and Meg's romance is cute, honest, and real. Hahn's book explores how shamed these two feel by falling in love and how the church has conditioned them to feel that love, happiness, and romance can be wrong and even sinful. It tackles the pain of loving a Jesus/God who then censures you for loving. It's so adept at this and skilled at portraying their struggles. How can the love of these two sweet, earnest kids be wrong? And as they explore why bad things happen--especially as they believe so fully--the book makes you think and examine deeply. It deftly exposes the church's focus on female purity only, while often ignoring the males. Honestly, whether you're religious or not, this is a must-read, especially in these times, when so much of the control of a women's body seems not be our own.
Overall, I loved this book. It offers a charming romance, along with a timely look at religion and how it can affect young people as they make their way in the world. The side characters are excellent (I'm looking at you, Duke, and Cash the dog!). Hahn's writing is as excellent as ever. 4.5 stars. Please note the author's own note for a trigger warning for self-harm and suicide.
I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press / Wednesday Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated Life, Death and Biscuits in Books
Apr 4, 2022
This book was an interesting look at the life of a critical care nurse during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was both heartbreaking and heartwarming in places and it was interesting to learn what exactly a critical care nurse is tasked with daily.
However, this has not been my favourite medical memoir, having read Adam Kay’s This Is Going To Hurt just before starting this book. While I liked that the emails that Anthea originally sent out were included, they became very repetitive and I started to become a little bit bored of reading about the same things. I understood that when they were sent out, they were a week or so apart from each other so it may have been necessary for the repetition, but I just don’t think that it worked well within a book.
I also started to get annoyed at the way that Anthea referred to young doctors and belittled them (they were so young they still had acne or a doctor fainted within 2 hours of starting work on the Covid ICU) and how she repeatedly told the reader that the nurses that were sent to help weren’t trained enough and weren’t giving the best care to their patients. It was like she forgot that these nurses had been pulled out of their specialties and thrown into a place where they had to learn new skills, I would bet that Anthea couldn’t work in the areas that these nurses came from to the same standard as them either.
I also got frustrated and felt that she was trying to make us feel sorry for the nurses who were fed three times a day during the start of the pandemic and were forever being gifted snacks, gift bags and hampers and how later on during the second wave she said that they did their job without the discounts, without the free coffee and without a pay rise. While these nurses really did go through hell and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody, the hospital nurses received a lot more than other nurses (especially community nurses), support workers and care home staff who worked tirelessly through the pandemic caring for those who weren’t in the hospitals. The only difference being that they didn’t have the luxury that Anthea and her team had of the food and endless “PPE hugs” whilst still working in the strangest times. Another sentence that stuck out to me was “only nurses talk of food while the aroma of faeces fills the air”, which is not true at all. Anyone who works within the health and social care sector and deals with the personal care of people have the same sense of humour and the same outlooks as many nurses but often get forgotten about.
While this book was interesting to begin, I found from about 40% through I was starting to get very annoyed by the repetition and the self-congratulatory writing that I wasn’t sure if I could finish the book. I think the book could have been much shorter than it was, but I also think that anyone who worked from home or was furloughed during the pandemic should read this to understand how hard it was to work on the front lines while most were enjoying the glorious weather and all of the lockdown activities that went on.
However, this has not been my favourite medical memoir, having read Adam Kay’s This Is Going To Hurt just before starting this book. While I liked that the emails that Anthea originally sent out were included, they became very repetitive and I started to become a little bit bored of reading about the same things. I understood that when they were sent out, they were a week or so apart from each other so it may have been necessary for the repetition, but I just don’t think that it worked well within a book.
I also started to get annoyed at the way that Anthea referred to young doctors and belittled them (they were so young they still had acne or a doctor fainted within 2 hours of starting work on the Covid ICU) and how she repeatedly told the reader that the nurses that were sent to help weren’t trained enough and weren’t giving the best care to their patients. It was like she forgot that these nurses had been pulled out of their specialties and thrown into a place where they had to learn new skills, I would bet that Anthea couldn’t work in the areas that these nurses came from to the same standard as them either.
I also got frustrated and felt that she was trying to make us feel sorry for the nurses who were fed three times a day during the start of the pandemic and were forever being gifted snacks, gift bags and hampers and how later on during the second wave she said that they did their job without the discounts, without the free coffee and without a pay rise. While these nurses really did go through hell and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody, the hospital nurses received a lot more than other nurses (especially community nurses), support workers and care home staff who worked tirelessly through the pandemic caring for those who weren’t in the hospitals. The only difference being that they didn’t have the luxury that Anthea and her team had of the food and endless “PPE hugs” whilst still working in the strangest times. Another sentence that stuck out to me was “only nurses talk of food while the aroma of faeces fills the air”, which is not true at all. Anyone who works within the health and social care sector and deals with the personal care of people have the same sense of humour and the same outlooks as many nurses but often get forgotten about.
While this book was interesting to begin, I found from about 40% through I was starting to get very annoyed by the repetition and the self-congratulatory writing that I wasn’t sure if I could finish the book. I think the book could have been much shorter than it was, but I also think that anyone who worked from home or was furloughed during the pandemic should read this to understand how hard it was to work on the front lines while most were enjoying the glorious weather and all of the lockdown activities that went on.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Station Eleven in Books
May 30, 2017
Horrifyingly Plausible
This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
The dystopian idea of a virus wiping out most of the world’s human inhabitants is not a new concept. It has be done and retold over and over again. Emily St. John Mandel’s invention of the Georgian Flu is no different from these. Brought to Canada and the USA by a passenger on a plane from Russia, the highly contagious virus spreads quickly from person to person, town to town, and once caught you are dead within forty-eight hours.
The difference between Station Eleven and other novels of apocalyptic themes is that the story takes place primarily in two time periods – pre-Georgian Flu and twenty years post-Georgian flu – rather than during the outbreak and the immediate days after (although there are a few scenes written within that timeframe). It is difficult to explain the storyline without giving too much away. Although the death of millions of people is a vital feature, it is the lives of the characters that are important. All the significant characters are in some way linked to one man, Arthur Leander, and, particularly in the case of one individual, a graphic novel titled Station Eleven.
The book opens in Toronto with Arthur, a Hollywood actor, starring in a stage production of King Lear. Despite the quick reaction of trainee paramedic Jeevan, Arthur dies of a heart attack after suddenly collapsing during the forth act. Then suddenly, that same night, the Georgian flu makes its first appearance in Canada. Despite this occurring right at the beginning, it is not the last the reader sees of Arthur. Throughout the story the author returns to Arthur, recounting scenes of his life from acting career to his three ex-wives and only child.
Twenty years after the Georgian flu, Kirsten Raymonde, who starred as a child in the same production of King Lear, is part of the Traveling Symphony: a group of actors and musicians walking from decaying-town-to-town performing a number of Shakespeare plays as they go. With her she carries two Station Eleven comics that Arthur gave her before he died – incidentally written and drawn by his first wife. Most people that the Symphony encounter are accommodating and are trying their best to live in a world of no electricity or health care, but then they meet a man who calls himself the Prophet. Believing that he has been given a duty by God to repopulate the world he preaches to the people telling them that everything happens for a reason, likening the epidemic to Noah’s flood in the Bible. However it soon becomes clear that he is a dangerous character.
In a way it is heartening to imagine that high culture (such as Shakespeare and orchestral music) survives in a world that has been destroyed. Shakespeare was born in a time before all the modern inventions relied upon today, and now, in this novel, it is once again an electricity-less era yet these historical things live on.
One problem with Station Eleven is that it is hard to pinpoint the exact plot line. There is the life story of Arthur Leander, his wives and a close friend. Then there is Kirsten living a completely different life. Nonetheless it is still an incredibly fascinating book. Although it flits between time periods it is thankfully not as confusing as some may imagine it would be.
Even though dystopian novels of this nature have been done before, Station Eleven is definitely a book to read; and through it all it poses the question of how you, the reader, would survive in such a world.
The dystopian idea of a virus wiping out most of the world’s human inhabitants is not a new concept. It has be done and retold over and over again. Emily St. John Mandel’s invention of the Georgian Flu is no different from these. Brought to Canada and the USA by a passenger on a plane from Russia, the highly contagious virus spreads quickly from person to person, town to town, and once caught you are dead within forty-eight hours.
The difference between Station Eleven and other novels of apocalyptic themes is that the story takes place primarily in two time periods – pre-Georgian Flu and twenty years post-Georgian flu – rather than during the outbreak and the immediate days after (although there are a few scenes written within that timeframe). It is difficult to explain the storyline without giving too much away. Although the death of millions of people is a vital feature, it is the lives of the characters that are important. All the significant characters are in some way linked to one man, Arthur Leander, and, particularly in the case of one individual, a graphic novel titled Station Eleven.
The book opens in Toronto with Arthur, a Hollywood actor, starring in a stage production of King Lear. Despite the quick reaction of trainee paramedic Jeevan, Arthur dies of a heart attack after suddenly collapsing during the forth act. Then suddenly, that same night, the Georgian flu makes its first appearance in Canada. Despite this occurring right at the beginning, it is not the last the reader sees of Arthur. Throughout the story the author returns to Arthur, recounting scenes of his life from acting career to his three ex-wives and only child.
Twenty years after the Georgian flu, Kirsten Raymonde, who starred as a child in the same production of King Lear, is part of the Traveling Symphony: a group of actors and musicians walking from decaying-town-to-town performing a number of Shakespeare plays as they go. With her she carries two Station Eleven comics that Arthur gave her before he died – incidentally written and drawn by his first wife. Most people that the Symphony encounter are accommodating and are trying their best to live in a world of no electricity or health care, but then they meet a man who calls himself the Prophet. Believing that he has been given a duty by God to repopulate the world he preaches to the people telling them that everything happens for a reason, likening the epidemic to Noah’s flood in the Bible. However it soon becomes clear that he is a dangerous character.
In a way it is heartening to imagine that high culture (such as Shakespeare and orchestral music) survives in a world that has been destroyed. Shakespeare was born in a time before all the modern inventions relied upon today, and now, in this novel, it is once again an electricity-less era yet these historical things live on.
One problem with Station Eleven is that it is hard to pinpoint the exact plot line. There is the life story of Arthur Leander, his wives and a close friend. Then there is Kirsten living a completely different life. Nonetheless it is still an incredibly fascinating book. Although it flits between time periods it is thankfully not as confusing as some may imagine it would be.
Even though dystopian novels of this nature have been done before, Station Eleven is definitely a book to read; and through it all it poses the question of how you, the reader, would survive in such a world.
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated The Motion of Puppets in Books
May 16, 2018
In Keith Donohue's modern retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice, The Motion of Puppets, we're introduced to a range of characters from a besotted husband and his missing wife, to an emotionally unstable puppet girl as the husband embarks on a journey to save his wife from eternity as a doll. For fans of mythology, this sounds like a great read and it is, without a doubt, beautifully written; however, when it comes to execution, the story fell flat.
Theo and Kay Harper are newlyweds with a ten year age difference between them. A teacher at a local college, Theo takes an summer vacation away from New York with his wife, Kay, as she performs with a cirque in Quebec City. While she works, he translates a book from French to English, and everything appears to be fine. That is, until Kay suddenly disappears one night after going out with her fellow actors for dinner and drinks. Woven with necromancy, animated puppets, and many references to the madness of Alice in Wonderland, Donohue's story could be considered riveting, and perhaps I would gladly label it so if I had not been so profoundly bored while reading it.
The book's plot is, in and of itself, highly intriguing. As a fan of horror and having proclaimed a love for anything necromantic in nature, the idea of people becoming puppets, or even dying and being reanimated in any fashion really, is something apt to catch my attention, and for that reason and my love of ancient mythology, I requested an advanced reader's copy of The Motion of Puppets. My frustration with it came mostly in the fact that I felt like the book progressed too slowly and there seemed to be a lot of extra "fluff" added in. For instance, the snippets regarding Theo's translation of Eadweard Muybridge's biography really felt a bit unnecessary. There was no real correlation between Muybridge and the book itself, save to provide Theo with something on which to focus. That, also, didn't feel necessary, as Theo seems to be a rather detached character, despite his very clear obsession with his wife. Even Kay's point of view seems to be a bit overly deluded, considering her time as a puppet is significantly shorter than that of the other puppets around her and yet she seems almost as aloof as they are by the conclusion of the book.
In addition to moving at a bit of a slow pace, The Motion of Puppets also seems to rely a bit more on Alice in Wonderland-like elements than it does mythos or current happenings. Everything seems weird and ridiculous, and little, if anything, makes any sense. If you try to make sense of it, chances are you'll find yourself lost, which I found myself giving up on halfway through the book. Magic is clearly alluded to as being the cause for the current state of the majority of the cast's existence; however, it is hardly mentioned and never really explained. Clearly there's enough oddness going on that the nearly-faceless bad guys worry about being found out, but even that isn't enough of a reason to delve into the why or how: it simply is.
There is no doubt in my mind that Keith Donohue is an excellent writer; he has a beautiful command of language that quite literally takes my breath away. Though The Motion of Puppets failed to satisfy me as a reader, I will likely read more of his work when I have the time. As for the genre of this book, horror probably isn't the right one. It'd be better suited in fantasy. There's nothing scary here.
Thank you to Macmillan-Picador, NetGalley, and the author for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Theo and Kay Harper are newlyweds with a ten year age difference between them. A teacher at a local college, Theo takes an summer vacation away from New York with his wife, Kay, as she performs with a cirque in Quebec City. While she works, he translates a book from French to English, and everything appears to be fine. That is, until Kay suddenly disappears one night after going out with her fellow actors for dinner and drinks. Woven with necromancy, animated puppets, and many references to the madness of Alice in Wonderland, Donohue's story could be considered riveting, and perhaps I would gladly label it so if I had not been so profoundly bored while reading it.
The book's plot is, in and of itself, highly intriguing. As a fan of horror and having proclaimed a love for anything necromantic in nature, the idea of people becoming puppets, or even dying and being reanimated in any fashion really, is something apt to catch my attention, and for that reason and my love of ancient mythology, I requested an advanced reader's copy of The Motion of Puppets. My frustration with it came mostly in the fact that I felt like the book progressed too slowly and there seemed to be a lot of extra "fluff" added in. For instance, the snippets regarding Theo's translation of Eadweard Muybridge's biography really felt a bit unnecessary. There was no real correlation between Muybridge and the book itself, save to provide Theo with something on which to focus. That, also, didn't feel necessary, as Theo seems to be a rather detached character, despite his very clear obsession with his wife. Even Kay's point of view seems to be a bit overly deluded, considering her time as a puppet is significantly shorter than that of the other puppets around her and yet she seems almost as aloof as they are by the conclusion of the book.
In addition to moving at a bit of a slow pace, The Motion of Puppets also seems to rely a bit more on Alice in Wonderland-like elements than it does mythos or current happenings. Everything seems weird and ridiculous, and little, if anything, makes any sense. If you try to make sense of it, chances are you'll find yourself lost, which I found myself giving up on halfway through the book. Magic is clearly alluded to as being the cause for the current state of the majority of the cast's existence; however, it is hardly mentioned and never really explained. Clearly there's enough oddness going on that the nearly-faceless bad guys worry about being found out, but even that isn't enough of a reason to delve into the why or how: it simply is.
There is no doubt in my mind that Keith Donohue is an excellent writer; he has a beautiful command of language that quite literally takes my breath away. Though The Motion of Puppets failed to satisfy me as a reader, I will likely read more of his work when I have the time. As for the genre of this book, horror probably isn't the right one. It'd be better suited in fantasy. There's nothing scary here.
Thank you to Macmillan-Picador, NetGalley, and the author for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Tempest Rising (Jane True, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
Horror, Romance, Mystery, Urban Fantasy? None of those really, though it falls under the UF genre.
I'm not quite sure why TEMPEST RISING is categorized as horror (fantasy - yes, horror - no), as there is nothing horrific at all about the book, except maybe a little bit of violence. The book was slow to start and, sadly, it never really got very far, and ended up more boring than not. The world building was good, and learning about the different species was interesting, but most of it was, at best, just okay.
The character development was next to nil. Jane starts off decent enough, could be fairly witty, but as the book progressed she became less likeable and her inner monologue started to grate on my nerves. Even though she's had some tough experiences, overall she came across as rather juvenile and I wasn't very impressed with her. And how many 'duh' moments could one person possibly have? Yes, she's new to the 'supe' world, yes, she doesn't know all there is to it, but c'mon, use some smarts girl, it's not that hard to put two and two together. So now it comes to Ryu. Oh, Ryu, ye of no personality. You may be hot, but that's all you have going for you. Talk about a flat character, he was pretty darn boring, which was unfortunate because he took up a big part of the book, and I just plain didn't like him. I got pretty sick of Jane and Ryu going at it like rabbits all the time, which would have been better used by giving him some much needed personality. Along with that, maybe an explanation of how Ryu's Japanese (I'm guessing because of his first name and almond eyes) and who also just happens to be a baobhan sith, which is a type of female vampire, from Scotland at that. The most interesting characters were Anyan, and the town pariah's (that's Jane) many friends, both human and non. How a social outcast has so many friends is beyond me, but you know Jane is despised by her woe-is-me attitude and the two people who hate her. Despite what she thinks, I highly doubt the town revolves around her.
Some of the author's descriptions are confusing and I had to reread them to 'get' it. How can something be both squat and tall (pg. 216), pray tell? I'm still pondering that one. Also, the descriptions and analogies could be really odd, and not in a good way, more in a 'where in the world did that come from?' and 'what the heck?' sorta ways. Like what was up with Ryu's laugh? Barking like a seal, giggling like a choking Pomeranian, and whatever other weird ways he laughed. I'm sorry, but that's not very attractive, but I guess it was supposed to be funny and endearing. Editing problems arose when I couldn't figure out if a certain creature was a goblin or gremlin (there is a difference). I finally figured it out when goblin edged out gremlin for the lead. A mistake dealing with the Porsche's trunk was another minor detail that I picked up on, but most people would probably miss it. I only noticed because I've wanted a Porsche since I was ten. :P
The end does show some promise that Jane might actually get some grit, being a half-selkie is a nice change from the supernatural usual after all, and Ryu just might not be featured as much. So, even with all the problems I had with the book, which did unfortunately top what I did like about the book, I probably will check out the next book in the series.
I'm not quite sure why TEMPEST RISING is categorized as horror (fantasy - yes, horror - no), as there is nothing horrific at all about the book, except maybe a little bit of violence. The book was slow to start and, sadly, it never really got very far, and ended up more boring than not. The world building was good, and learning about the different species was interesting, but most of it was, at best, just okay.
The character development was next to nil. Jane starts off decent enough, could be fairly witty, but as the book progressed she became less likeable and her inner monologue started to grate on my nerves. Even though she's had some tough experiences, overall she came across as rather juvenile and I wasn't very impressed with her. And how many 'duh' moments could one person possibly have? Yes, she's new to the 'supe' world, yes, she doesn't know all there is to it, but c'mon, use some smarts girl, it's not that hard to put two and two together. So now it comes to Ryu. Oh, Ryu, ye of no personality. You may be hot, but that's all you have going for you. Talk about a flat character, he was pretty darn boring, which was unfortunate because he took up a big part of the book, and I just plain didn't like him. I got pretty sick of Jane and Ryu going at it like rabbits all the time, which would have been better used by giving him some much needed personality. Along with that, maybe an explanation of how Ryu's Japanese (I'm guessing because of his first name and almond eyes) and who also just happens to be a baobhan sith, which is a type of female vampire, from Scotland at that. The most interesting characters were Anyan, and the town pariah's (that's Jane) many friends, both human and non. How a social outcast has so many friends is beyond me, but you know Jane is despised by her woe-is-me attitude and the two people who hate her. Despite what she thinks, I highly doubt the town revolves around her.
Some of the author's descriptions are confusing and I had to reread them to 'get' it. How can something be both squat and tall (pg. 216), pray tell? I'm still pondering that one. Also, the descriptions and analogies could be really odd, and not in a good way, more in a 'where in the world did that come from?' and 'what the heck?' sorta ways. Like what was up with Ryu's laugh? Barking like a seal, giggling like a choking Pomeranian, and whatever other weird ways he laughed. I'm sorry, but that's not very attractive, but I guess it was supposed to be funny and endearing. Editing problems arose when I couldn't figure out if a certain creature was a goblin or gremlin (there is a difference). I finally figured it out when goblin edged out gremlin for the lead. A mistake dealing with the Porsche's trunk was another minor detail that I picked up on, but most people would probably miss it. I only noticed because I've wanted a Porsche since I was ten. :P
The end does show some promise that Jane might actually get some grit, being a half-selkie is a nice change from the supernatural usual after all, and Ryu just might not be featured as much. So, even with all the problems I had with the book, which did unfortunately top what I did like about the book, I probably will check out the next book in the series.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Samsung Galaxy S10 in Tech
Mar 11, 2019 (Updated Mar 18, 2019)
Impressive
I'll begin by saying that I upgraded from an S8 to an S10. So my opinion of the S10 is based on my experience of the S8.
Looks wise, this phone is stunning. The virtually bezel-less display looks amazing and the cut out hole for the front camera works surprisingly well. I love that they've kept the edge screen too. The back of the phone with the new cameras layout looks very sleek and the prism white version that I opted for looks beautiful. The gorilla glass casing too feels so smooth and makes for a very nice phone to hold. My only criticism, which in all fairness goes for all phones not just the S10, is that this is a stunning phone but because it's not indestructible, it has to have a chunky ugly case and/or screen protector to protect it. Which for me spoils the enjoyment of having a phone that's both nice to look at and hold, and I just wish they'd find a way of making the phone more durable. Size wise it's ever so slightly bigger than the S8 but yet feels just as thin and light.
The display is visually flawless and vivid, and the processor is impressively fast. I'd thought my old S8 was fine and quick to use, but I can really see the difference in the processing speed in this. Storage capacity now comes at 128GB as standard - how we used to cope with phones with 16GB I'll never know. The cameras are definitely better than the S8 and more than good enough for what I use them for, with some manual features that would put some digital cameras to shame. The battery seems much improved although it's still early days to see whether it depletes over time. The new interface itself looks noticeably different but without making any major changes, and I really like it. And I'm glad they haven't done anything drastic. The only change I don't like is to Bixby, but I've never been a fan so its hardly worth caring.
I'm intrigued with features like the wireless power share, although I'm not sure when I'd get the chance to test this out. For me though the biggest feature change is the fingerprint sensor in the screen. And at the moment, I'm going to need a little convincing. Having the fingerprint sensor built into the sensor is a smart move and is definitely a much better location than the back like the S8. However it seems a little too specific and temperamental sometimes. If you don't put your finger in exactly the right place/position, it doesn't work. It doesn't even seem to like it when you are doing the right thing. I may reserve judgement on this for a while and hope that this is down to me getting used to a different type of sensor.
The only other glitch that I've spotted is with the use of headphones and Spotify. The headphone controls & screen lock don't seem to register with Spotify immediately and cutout or dont work. Annoying, but I have figured out a quick fix by using the lock screen controls first before using the headphones. With this being a new phone, I'm hoping this will get resolved in an update soon.
In short, this is a stunning looking phone that works well and is very slick. It may not have a massive amount of new features, but phone technology advances do appear to be slowing down and this is a much better upgrade than the S9 claimed to be.
Edit: I completely forgot another slightly irritating feature (or lack of) on the S10 - they've removed the LED indicator! I always loved this about the earlier Samsungs and while I know you have the AED to check notifications, it's not quite the same as a multicoloured flashing LED...
Looks wise, this phone is stunning. The virtually bezel-less display looks amazing and the cut out hole for the front camera works surprisingly well. I love that they've kept the edge screen too. The back of the phone with the new cameras layout looks very sleek and the prism white version that I opted for looks beautiful. The gorilla glass casing too feels so smooth and makes for a very nice phone to hold. My only criticism, which in all fairness goes for all phones not just the S10, is that this is a stunning phone but because it's not indestructible, it has to have a chunky ugly case and/or screen protector to protect it. Which for me spoils the enjoyment of having a phone that's both nice to look at and hold, and I just wish they'd find a way of making the phone more durable. Size wise it's ever so slightly bigger than the S8 but yet feels just as thin and light.
The display is visually flawless and vivid, and the processor is impressively fast. I'd thought my old S8 was fine and quick to use, but I can really see the difference in the processing speed in this. Storage capacity now comes at 128GB as standard - how we used to cope with phones with 16GB I'll never know. The cameras are definitely better than the S8 and more than good enough for what I use them for, with some manual features that would put some digital cameras to shame. The battery seems much improved although it's still early days to see whether it depletes over time. The new interface itself looks noticeably different but without making any major changes, and I really like it. And I'm glad they haven't done anything drastic. The only change I don't like is to Bixby, but I've never been a fan so its hardly worth caring.
I'm intrigued with features like the wireless power share, although I'm not sure when I'd get the chance to test this out. For me though the biggest feature change is the fingerprint sensor in the screen. And at the moment, I'm going to need a little convincing. Having the fingerprint sensor built into the sensor is a smart move and is definitely a much better location than the back like the S8. However it seems a little too specific and temperamental sometimes. If you don't put your finger in exactly the right place/position, it doesn't work. It doesn't even seem to like it when you are doing the right thing. I may reserve judgement on this for a while and hope that this is down to me getting used to a different type of sensor.
The only other glitch that I've spotted is with the use of headphones and Spotify. The headphone controls & screen lock don't seem to register with Spotify immediately and cutout or dont work. Annoying, but I have figured out a quick fix by using the lock screen controls first before using the headphones. With this being a new phone, I'm hoping this will get resolved in an update soon.
In short, this is a stunning looking phone that works well and is very slick. It may not have a massive amount of new features, but phone technology advances do appear to be slowing down and this is a much better upgrade than the S9 claimed to be.
Edit: I completely forgot another slightly irritating feature (or lack of) on the S10 - they've removed the LED indicator! I always loved this about the earlier Samsungs and while I know you have the AED to check notifications, it's not quite the same as a multicoloured flashing LED...