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My Town : Beauty Spa Saloon
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It’s time to sit back and treat yourself to a day of pampering at the My Town : Spa! Perhaps...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated To Tell You The Truth in Books
Oct 8, 2020
A twisty thriller with a disappointing ending
Lucy Harper is a famous writer, known for her crime fiction stories featuring her beloved character, Eliza. Her work has made her wealthy, something that particularly pleases her husband, Dan, a once aspiring writer who now "manages" Lucy's career and money. Lucy and Dan's life and marriage look perfect from the outside, but they are anything but. Then Dan suddenly goes missing. His disappearance reminds Lucy of another time someone vanished from her life: her younger brother, Teddy, who was lost in the woods very near the house Lucy and Dan now live in. Soon Lucy finds herself reminded more and more of her past, which seems to be quickly and dangerously colliding with her present.
"After all, what kind of person creates a character who walks right out of their books and into their life? He would think I'd lost my mind."
I absolutely adore Gilly Macmillan and her books, but this was not one of my all-time favorites. It's still good, though, and twisty, and I will admit that I didn't guess the (rather bizarre) outcome. However, the ending leaves much to be desired and does not wrap everything up, which left me frustrated. (And seemed to kick off a trend in my recent thrillers, where things end with plot pieces left hanging--I'm not okay with this.)
Lucy is an unreliable narrator extraordinaire--ever since she was small, she's had a best friend named Eliza. Why yes, Eliza happens to be the name of her fictional character, as well. Lucy talks to her imaginary friend, who seems to have untold power over her. If this sounds weird and creepy, it is, and Macmillan does a good job with the eerie oddity of it all and allowing us to wonder if we can trust anything that Lucy--or Eliza--say. Knowing who and what to believe is certainly a central theme here.
Dan, meanwhile, is absolutely despicable, and I was not too sad when he disappeared, honestly. The story alternates between present-day, with Lucy's point of view, and the past, around the time Teddy disappeared. It's certainly compelling. All in all, I would have probably rated this 4-stars if there had been a better ending, versus one that felt rushed and forced, without tying up all the loose ends. This is still a good, atmospheric thriller, with plenty of twists. 3.5 stars. And if you want to read more from Macmillan, I highly recommend The Perfect Girl or her Jim Clemo series--all books that I adore.
"After all, what kind of person creates a character who walks right out of their books and into their life? He would think I'd lost my mind."
I absolutely adore Gilly Macmillan and her books, but this was not one of my all-time favorites. It's still good, though, and twisty, and I will admit that I didn't guess the (rather bizarre) outcome. However, the ending leaves much to be desired and does not wrap everything up, which left me frustrated. (And seemed to kick off a trend in my recent thrillers, where things end with plot pieces left hanging--I'm not okay with this.)
Lucy is an unreliable narrator extraordinaire--ever since she was small, she's had a best friend named Eliza. Why yes, Eliza happens to be the name of her fictional character, as well. Lucy talks to her imaginary friend, who seems to have untold power over her. If this sounds weird and creepy, it is, and Macmillan does a good job with the eerie oddity of it all and allowing us to wonder if we can trust anything that Lucy--or Eliza--say. Knowing who and what to believe is certainly a central theme here.
Dan, meanwhile, is absolutely despicable, and I was not too sad when he disappeared, honestly. The story alternates between present-day, with Lucy's point of view, and the past, around the time Teddy disappeared. It's certainly compelling. All in all, I would have probably rated this 4-stars if there had been a better ending, versus one that felt rushed and forced, without tying up all the loose ends. This is still a good, atmospheric thriller, with plenty of twists. 3.5 stars. And if you want to read more from Macmillan, I highly recommend The Perfect Girl or her Jim Clemo series--all books that I adore.
MAGENTA English<>Greek GOLDEN
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MAGENTA's large "English-Greek & Greek-English GOLDEN VERSION" for iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad...
Toca Birthday Party
Education and Entertainment
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"Another fun app from Toca Boca. If your kids like playing birthday parties (and whose don’t) then...
Buzz Books 2018: Young Adult Fall/Winter: Exclusive Excerpts from Forthcoming Titles by Rebecca Hanover, Julie Kagawa, Kody Keplinger, Natasha Ngan, Courtney Summers and More
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Our ninth Buzz Books: Young Adult gives readers the special excitement of being among the first to...
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Pocket Paragons in Tabletop Games
Sep 25, 2020
It’s a duel then? Fine. Choose your paragon and let’s see who can outwit whom. The ol’ “Battle of Wits” from “Princess Bride” now comes in card format with many planned IPs to skin over it. No, this isn’t a “Princess Bride” game, nor does it have any affiliation to the story, but once you play Pocket Paragons, you will immediately see why I made the connection.
Pocket Paragons is a two player dueling card game where the winner is the player to knock out their opponent’s character(s). This game employs a lot of card play with minimal amounts of cards and tremendous amounts of double-think and flat out guessing as to what your opponent might be thinking.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are prototype media set components, and all complete copies will have extra components including these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, but to give our readers an idea of how the game plays. You are invited to back it on Kickstarter, order from your FLGS, or purchase through any retailers stocking it after it is released. -T
To setup a game of Pocket Paragons, players will choose one character (or three in a Tournament Mode), all associated cards, and an HP/Energy dial (I am using dice for my game). Players will display in front of them their character’s main Character card as well as the Ultimate card. All other cards related to their character will begin the game in hand and will be ready to be played immediately.
A game of Pocket Paragons could range from one card played to several rounds and upwards of 10 minutes. Tournament play can be longer still. For this preview I will be describing game play for single games.
On a turn each player will choose one of the cards in hand to be played, lay it face-down on the table, and flip it once both players are ready. When the cards are flipped, the players will compare and check for Counters. Each card may counter other card types and will have text stating so (Example: the Malice card from above shows that it counters Agility cards). If a player can play a card to counter their opponent’s card then the countering player sends the opponent’s card back to their hand and will gain one Energy. If the card played had damage printed on it, the countered player will reduce their HP by the printed damage amount. However, if no cards were countered, then both cards will activate and assign any damage. The next round may now begin with players choosing cards to be played one by one until a player is knocked out of the game.
After a card is played and used the player will be discarding into a discard pile. The only way to regain these cards into hand is by playing a rest card (yellow sun). Using the rest cards at just the right time will certainly reflect the strategy of the player. Players may use a rest card at any time, but some red Weapon cards can immediately Execute an opponent if played while they are resting (think coup de grace in RPGs). Therefore, while waiting until all cards in hand are used before playing a rest card makes logical sense, smart players may be saving their Execute cards for that exact instance.
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy that cobbles six characters from multiple sets to create the Media Set we were sent. We have been informed that retail (or Kickstarter) boxes will contain six related characters and dials to track HP and Energy. The cards we were sent are of okay quality, and I do not believe this is the stock that will be used on the final game. The art and art style on the game is quite nice. Icons and placement are logical, and cards are easy to read and understand. The artwork is very colorful and one thing I VERY MUCH appreciate on this (because I almost was lost after taking the messy components shot below) is that each card belonging to specific characters show the same artwork in fade in the background. I had a hot flash (weird for a guy right?) when I was sorting the deck back together after playing it and not knowing exactly which cards belonged with which characters. So, thanks for that Solis Game Studio!
I truly enjoyed my plays of Pocket Paragons. The games are super quick, but certainly test your ability to out-think your opponent and try to guess when they might be using their rest card so you can bust out the Execute. And each character plays so differently from others that it’s truly a joy to try out each and every character you can to see which one resonates with your style of play. The art is fabulous with bright colors (a definite plus for me), and the learning curve is nice and smooth – anyone can play this in about three to five minutes of learning. If your collection is screaming for a super quick card game that can be played in under 10 minutes and you can get some brain cells moving around, then Pocket Paragons is for you. It’s certainly for me and my collection. I love everything about it and can see myself diving down the rabbit hole once more and more IPs are released. Oh boy, this is gonna hurt the wallet…
Back it on Kickstarter launching October 6, 2020!
Pocket Paragons is a two player dueling card game where the winner is the player to knock out their opponent’s character(s). This game employs a lot of card play with minimal amounts of cards and tremendous amounts of double-think and flat out guessing as to what your opponent might be thinking.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are prototype media set components, and all complete copies will have extra components including these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, but to give our readers an idea of how the game plays. You are invited to back it on Kickstarter, order from your FLGS, or purchase through any retailers stocking it after it is released. -T
To setup a game of Pocket Paragons, players will choose one character (or three in a Tournament Mode), all associated cards, and an HP/Energy dial (I am using dice for my game). Players will display in front of them their character’s main Character card as well as the Ultimate card. All other cards related to their character will begin the game in hand and will be ready to be played immediately.
A game of Pocket Paragons could range from one card played to several rounds and upwards of 10 minutes. Tournament play can be longer still. For this preview I will be describing game play for single games.
On a turn each player will choose one of the cards in hand to be played, lay it face-down on the table, and flip it once both players are ready. When the cards are flipped, the players will compare and check for Counters. Each card may counter other card types and will have text stating so (Example: the Malice card from above shows that it counters Agility cards). If a player can play a card to counter their opponent’s card then the countering player sends the opponent’s card back to their hand and will gain one Energy. If the card played had damage printed on it, the countered player will reduce their HP by the printed damage amount. However, if no cards were countered, then both cards will activate and assign any damage. The next round may now begin with players choosing cards to be played one by one until a player is knocked out of the game.
After a card is played and used the player will be discarding into a discard pile. The only way to regain these cards into hand is by playing a rest card (yellow sun). Using the rest cards at just the right time will certainly reflect the strategy of the player. Players may use a rest card at any time, but some red Weapon cards can immediately Execute an opponent if played while they are resting (think coup de grace in RPGs). Therefore, while waiting until all cards in hand are used before playing a rest card makes logical sense, smart players may be saving their Execute cards for that exact instance.
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy that cobbles six characters from multiple sets to create the Media Set we were sent. We have been informed that retail (or Kickstarter) boxes will contain six related characters and dials to track HP and Energy. The cards we were sent are of okay quality, and I do not believe this is the stock that will be used on the final game. The art and art style on the game is quite nice. Icons and placement are logical, and cards are easy to read and understand. The artwork is very colorful and one thing I VERY MUCH appreciate on this (because I almost was lost after taking the messy components shot below) is that each card belonging to specific characters show the same artwork in fade in the background. I had a hot flash (weird for a guy right?) when I was sorting the deck back together after playing it and not knowing exactly which cards belonged with which characters. So, thanks for that Solis Game Studio!
I truly enjoyed my plays of Pocket Paragons. The games are super quick, but certainly test your ability to out-think your opponent and try to guess when they might be using their rest card so you can bust out the Execute. And each character plays so differently from others that it’s truly a joy to try out each and every character you can to see which one resonates with your style of play. The art is fabulous with bright colors (a definite plus for me), and the learning curve is nice and smooth – anyone can play this in about three to five minutes of learning. If your collection is screaming for a super quick card game that can be played in under 10 minutes and you can get some brain cells moving around, then Pocket Paragons is for you. It’s certainly for me and my collection. I love everything about it and can see myself diving down the rabbit hole once more and more IPs are released. Oh boy, this is gonna hurt the wallet…
Back it on Kickstarter launching October 6, 2020!
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Hitchin' Post and the Tornado Twistin' 4th of July Celebration in Books
May 25, 2019 (Updated May 25, 2019)
I love children's books. I love reading them to my 4 year old son to help instill the love of reading I had as a child and still have now. When I heard about Hitchin' Post and the Tornado Twistin' 4th of July Celebration by Julie Barker, it was a book that I wanted to read with my son. We both ended up loving this book!
The plot is pretty straightforward although there are subplots like a bull destroying a fence and everyone coming together to fix the fence and Hitch's smaller brother trying to ride a bull for 8 seconds. The lessons are all the same and teach the lesson of coming together to solve a problem as well as no matter how big, small, or different you are, if you persevere, the end result will be worthwhile. Both are fantastic lessons for children and adults alike! Even though this book is part of a series, there are no cliffhangers, and it could be read as a standalone. There's also a happily ever after. My 4 year old was enthralled the entire time with this story and couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next!
The dialogue and writing in Hitchin' Post and the Tornado Twistin' 4th of July Celebration is easy enough for children to understand for the most part. I love how each problem is solved and the next problem is presented, yet everything still flows smoothly. I did notice a couple of grammar mistakes, but they were only minor and easily overlooked. I wouldn't say they took away from the story though.
I thought the characters were lovable for children. For those that have never read a Hitchin' Post story, Hitch is a jackrabbit who talks and acts just like a human. He's very adorable and such a fun loving character! We get to meet all of Hitch's brothers in this book. Mitch was mine and my son's favorite character perhaps because he is the smallest.
My son and I loved the illustrations. They were beautifully drawn as well as being drawn in a fun way to hold a child's attention (which we all know is no easy feat). The illustrations are so lively and very colorful. I loved all the country and western pictures especially. My favorite being the barn after it's patched up. My son loved the jackrabbits and the 4-wheeler the best.
Overall, Hitchin' Post and the Tornado Twistin' 4th of July Celebration is such an adorable book that's sure to bring a smile to anyone, young or old alike! With fantastic illustrations and an unforgettable main character, children will be begging their parents to buy them the rest of the books in the series. (I already know what my son will be getting for his birthday - more Hitchin' Post books!) I would definitely recommend Hitchin' Post and the Tornado Twistin' 4th of July Celebration by Julie Barker to everyone aged 3+.
---
(A special thank you to Julie Barker for providing me with a paperback copy of Hitchin' Post and the Tornado Twistin' 4th of July Celebration in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
The plot is pretty straightforward although there are subplots like a bull destroying a fence and everyone coming together to fix the fence and Hitch's smaller brother trying to ride a bull for 8 seconds. The lessons are all the same and teach the lesson of coming together to solve a problem as well as no matter how big, small, or different you are, if you persevere, the end result will be worthwhile. Both are fantastic lessons for children and adults alike! Even though this book is part of a series, there are no cliffhangers, and it could be read as a standalone. There's also a happily ever after. My 4 year old was enthralled the entire time with this story and couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next!
The dialogue and writing in Hitchin' Post and the Tornado Twistin' 4th of July Celebration is easy enough for children to understand for the most part. I love how each problem is solved and the next problem is presented, yet everything still flows smoothly. I did notice a couple of grammar mistakes, but they were only minor and easily overlooked. I wouldn't say they took away from the story though.
I thought the characters were lovable for children. For those that have never read a Hitchin' Post story, Hitch is a jackrabbit who talks and acts just like a human. He's very adorable and such a fun loving character! We get to meet all of Hitch's brothers in this book. Mitch was mine and my son's favorite character perhaps because he is the smallest.
My son and I loved the illustrations. They were beautifully drawn as well as being drawn in a fun way to hold a child's attention (which we all know is no easy feat). The illustrations are so lively and very colorful. I loved all the country and western pictures especially. My favorite being the barn after it's patched up. My son loved the jackrabbits and the 4-wheeler the best.
Overall, Hitchin' Post and the Tornado Twistin' 4th of July Celebration is such an adorable book that's sure to bring a smile to anyone, young or old alike! With fantastic illustrations and an unforgettable main character, children will be begging their parents to buy them the rest of the books in the series. (I already know what my son will be getting for his birthday - more Hitchin' Post books!) I would definitely recommend Hitchin' Post and the Tornado Twistin' 4th of July Celebration by Julie Barker to everyone aged 3+.
---
(A special thank you to Julie Barker for providing me with a paperback copy of Hitchin' Post and the Tornado Twistin' 4th of July Celebration in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Frankie (2019) in Movies
May 24, 2021
A film about death that dies on its feet.
In "Frankie", the eponymous French movie star (played by Isabelle Huppert) is dying of cancer and gathers her complex family and friends around her for one last 'family holiday' in the picturesque Portuguese town of Sintra. We follow the events of a single day of the vacation as frictions and back-stories of the players become more evident.
Positives:
- Sintra looks gorgeous: as a regular visitor to Portugal's Silver Coast, it's a place I've not yet visited. The cinematography of the region makes me want to change that.
- There are a couple of decent scenes in the movie: both involving the trustworthy Greg Kinnear: one involving him trying to sell a film idea to Frankie (who knows, but won't tell him, that she won't be around for it); and another with Kinnear and Tomei at their hotel.
Negatives:
- Where do I start.... the film is as dull as dishwater!
-- A criticism I had of the otherwise impressive "Nomadland" was that the story arc of the leading character was shallow and not very compelling. The story arc here is a bloody straight line! Virtually nothing happens in the movie and it goes nowhere. Events occur as isolated snippets in the storyline. For example, the 'loss' of an expensive bracelet is randomly lobbed into the story, but then is never referenced back in any future narrative.
-- When the ending happened (which the illustrious Mrs Movie Man referred to as a "blessing") it was a non-event. The lady behind us in the cinema exclaimed "WHAT????". And I could understand her frustration.
- The direction is distinctly lacking. Aside from the couple of decent scenes (see above), most of the shots feel like first takes, with the actors doing read-throughs of the clunky script to try to work out how to best sell the lines. "OK, time to film it for real now". But director Sachs has already shouted "Cut and Print.... now who's for some more vinos and Pastel de Nata?"! Were they aiming for some sort of naturalistic fumbling of the character's conversations? For that's how it comes across, and it's just awful.
- The script feels like a wasted opportunity. The set-up should have been a good one for an intense drama. And there are flashes (merely flashes) of potential brilliance in there: a formative step-brother/step-sister incident is based around the film "Grease", which is mirrored (either cleverly or purely through coincidence!?) in the beach-side romance of Maya (Sennia Nanua) and Portuguese holiday-maker Pedro (Manuel Sá Nogueira). And does the homosexual Michel (Pascal Greggory) have his sights on Jimmy (Brendan Gleeson)? Or Tiago? Or both? None of these potentially interesting strands ever get tied down.
- Aside from the poor script and the poor direction, some of the acting performances are unconvincing. "The Girl with all the Gifts" was a fabulous film - it made my number 2 slot of 2016! And I called out young Sennia Nanua as "one to watch for the future" as the zombie girl at the heart of the film. Here she was 17 at the time of filming. But I'm afraid I just didn't find her convincing as the moody teen. (By the way, I only single her out, since I was so impressed with her previous performance: with the exception perhaps of Kinnear, Tomei and Carloto Cotta. none of the rest of the cast consistently shine either.)
Summary Thoughts: It's a real shame that my first visit back to the cinema was such a let-down. Ira Sachs is not a director I know, but he comes with a strong reputation (for 2016's "Little Men"). But here he delivers a plain stinker. I'm afraid this movie has a word associated with it, and the word is "Avoid".
(For the full graphical review, please check out "One Mann's Movies" here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2021/05/24/frankie-a-film-about-death-that-dies-on-its-feet/. Thanks.)
Positives:
- Sintra looks gorgeous: as a regular visitor to Portugal's Silver Coast, it's a place I've not yet visited. The cinematography of the region makes me want to change that.
- There are a couple of decent scenes in the movie: both involving the trustworthy Greg Kinnear: one involving him trying to sell a film idea to Frankie (who knows, but won't tell him, that she won't be around for it); and another with Kinnear and Tomei at their hotel.
Negatives:
- Where do I start.... the film is as dull as dishwater!
-- A criticism I had of the otherwise impressive "Nomadland" was that the story arc of the leading character was shallow and not very compelling. The story arc here is a bloody straight line! Virtually nothing happens in the movie and it goes nowhere. Events occur as isolated snippets in the storyline. For example, the 'loss' of an expensive bracelet is randomly lobbed into the story, but then is never referenced back in any future narrative.
-- When the ending happened (which the illustrious Mrs Movie Man referred to as a "blessing") it was a non-event. The lady behind us in the cinema exclaimed "WHAT????". And I could understand her frustration.
- The direction is distinctly lacking. Aside from the couple of decent scenes (see above), most of the shots feel like first takes, with the actors doing read-throughs of the clunky script to try to work out how to best sell the lines. "OK, time to film it for real now". But director Sachs has already shouted "Cut and Print.... now who's for some more vinos and Pastel de Nata?"! Were they aiming for some sort of naturalistic fumbling of the character's conversations? For that's how it comes across, and it's just awful.
- The script feels like a wasted opportunity. The set-up should have been a good one for an intense drama. And there are flashes (merely flashes) of potential brilliance in there: a formative step-brother/step-sister incident is based around the film "Grease", which is mirrored (either cleverly or purely through coincidence!?) in the beach-side romance of Maya (Sennia Nanua) and Portuguese holiday-maker Pedro (Manuel Sá Nogueira). And does the homosexual Michel (Pascal Greggory) have his sights on Jimmy (Brendan Gleeson)? Or Tiago? Or both? None of these potentially interesting strands ever get tied down.
- Aside from the poor script and the poor direction, some of the acting performances are unconvincing. "The Girl with all the Gifts" was a fabulous film - it made my number 2 slot of 2016! And I called out young Sennia Nanua as "one to watch for the future" as the zombie girl at the heart of the film. Here she was 17 at the time of filming. But I'm afraid I just didn't find her convincing as the moody teen. (By the way, I only single her out, since I was so impressed with her previous performance: with the exception perhaps of Kinnear, Tomei and Carloto Cotta. none of the rest of the cast consistently shine either.)
Summary Thoughts: It's a real shame that my first visit back to the cinema was such a let-down. Ira Sachs is not a director I know, but he comes with a strong reputation (for 2016's "Little Men"). But here he delivers a plain stinker. I'm afraid this movie has a word associated with it, and the word is "Avoid".
(For the full graphical review, please check out "One Mann's Movies" here - https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2021/05/24/frankie-a-film-about-death-that-dies-on-its-feet/. Thanks.)
Becs (244 KP) rated Beasts of the Frozen Sun in Books
Sep 22, 2019
The plot - so bloody action-packed that leaves you exhausted at times (3 more)
The Villain - makes you want to fall in love with him but then he does something terrible and you want to dismiss him
The enemies to lovers - the MC's are everything
The writing - Jill Criswell does an amazing job with descriptive text and lyrical writing. I was enthralled throughout.
This book is so underrated and it deserves all the hype!
You can also find this review on my blog: bookingwayreads.wordpress.com
TRIGGER WARNINGS: war, violence, blood, gore, talk of sexual assault, child abuse, emotional abuse, animal violence, animal sacrifice, death of an animal, anger issues, arsony, death, murder, talk of drowning, absent parent, death of a parent, disowning, forced marriage, death of a sibling, manipulation, mind control, slavery, starvation, torture, trauma
REVIEW: First off, I want to say to not let all of those trigger warnings deter you from reading this breathtaking novel. Beasts of the Frozen Sun was extremely well-written and I will keep screaming this from the rooftops for as long as I am alive of how amazing this novel is.
Beasts of the Frozen Sun is loaded with badassery and brutally epic scenes. Also, that cover is one of the most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen. There was complexity to the world-building, relatable characters that you just can’t help but fall in love with, brutal wars and men as monstrous as some of the men in the world today. This fantasy novel was defiantly on the darker side, but it D E L I V E R E D ! And it delivered an immersive read that drowned you in the world until the very end.
Beasts of the Frozen Sun follows Lira, the heroine who is gifted from the gods and goddess’. This gift, the ability to read a person’s soul by just touching their chest, was used by others – mainly Lira’s father and uncle. But then a golden-haired giant washes ashore and Lira decides to help him heal. She hides him away and the two of them grow close, forming a bond that is forbidden by both of their clans. But then, the Dragon comes into the story and Lira is left fighting for her life, Reyker’s soul, and her people’s freedom.
Things I loved about Beasts of the Frozen Sun:
1. The main character being a badass heroine who gets angry when her sword is taken from her.
2. The love interest being a tough “bad boy” on the outside, but deep down he’s a big ole softie.
3. Gods/Goddess’ that walk the Earth with humans (even sometimes messing with them)
4. Magical powers that were once used for evil but now are used for good.
5. The whole ‘pretend to be sick so we can get close’ ordeal.
“Looking into his eyes was like gazing at the ocean – swirling shades of deep cobalt and steel gray. Fathomless. Familiar.”
When each of the characters were introduced, I was amazed at how spectacular, unique, and so very strong each of them were! Lira and Reyker’s bond was intense and absolutely addictive. They are literally EVERYTHING. The two are star-crossed lovers but also enemies to lovers and I NEED MORE OF THEM.
The world is out to keep them apart but the two are magnets. And nothing can keep them apart for very long, not even the world no matter how hard it tries too. Reyker is the beast. He was saved from drowning by Lira, who helped him heal by hiding him away. She teaches him her language and she stands by his side. Even when the rest of the world has chewed him up and spit him back out.
Lira battles with being used and caged. She hates feeling like “property” by her father and uncle. She also refuses to believe that Reyker isn’t worth saving. She is one badass heroine and I strive to be her. Smash these two together and you get one powerful couple!
I also want to take a moment to say that Quinlan has my heart and I need to see more of him in book 2 please dear author! I will pay you in my tears and heart if I have too.
“If I die in a cage tomorrow, or I die in a cage in ten years – what is the difference? A cage is not a life.”
The world-building in Beasts of the Frozen Sun was… OMG seriously some of the best I’ve ever read. With history, there is always brutality and this novel does include that. Death, torture, the treatment of woman were all horrible and at times a bit hard to read but Jill Criswell has such raw talent at describing things that she does an amazing job writing those style of scenes. And with this being a story set back in history, those themes are inevitable. But each theme included, made Beasts of the Frozen Sun seem more and more realistic with each passing page.
The plot of this novel is everything!! Wars to villages raids to snuggles between Lira and Reyker. There was never a boring moment within Beasts of the Frozen Sun. It was packed with so much intensity that at times, it left you a bit exhausted. The plot was also dark and brutal but it fit with the story. This was a bloody amazing action-packed novel of magic and redemption, high stakes and brutal fights, powerful woman and monstrous men.
I am on my first ever book hangover. That ending… Jill Criswell is a cruel woman to leave me hanging in the way she did. But OHMAGAWD, I CAN NOT WAIT for book two of this series. Please, if you only ever pick up one book that I recommend, please please please pick this amazing novel up!
“When that dark womb of stillness engulfed him, he embraced it with a flood of relief. Reyker welcomed whatever torments waited him on the other side of this world, knowing it was nothing less than he deserved.”
TRIGGER WARNINGS: war, violence, blood, gore, talk of sexual assault, child abuse, emotional abuse, animal violence, animal sacrifice, death of an animal, anger issues, arsony, death, murder, talk of drowning, absent parent, death of a parent, disowning, forced marriage, death of a sibling, manipulation, mind control, slavery, starvation, torture, trauma
REVIEW: First off, I want to say to not let all of those trigger warnings deter you from reading this breathtaking novel. Beasts of the Frozen Sun was extremely well-written and I will keep screaming this from the rooftops for as long as I am alive of how amazing this novel is.
Beasts of the Frozen Sun is loaded with badassery and brutally epic scenes. Also, that cover is one of the most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen. There was complexity to the world-building, relatable characters that you just can’t help but fall in love with, brutal wars and men as monstrous as some of the men in the world today. This fantasy novel was defiantly on the darker side, but it D E L I V E R E D ! And it delivered an immersive read that drowned you in the world until the very end.
Beasts of the Frozen Sun follows Lira, the heroine who is gifted from the gods and goddess’. This gift, the ability to read a person’s soul by just touching their chest, was used by others – mainly Lira’s father and uncle. But then a golden-haired giant washes ashore and Lira decides to help him heal. She hides him away and the two of them grow close, forming a bond that is forbidden by both of their clans. But then, the Dragon comes into the story and Lira is left fighting for her life, Reyker’s soul, and her people’s freedom.
Things I loved about Beasts of the Frozen Sun:
1. The main character being a badass heroine who gets angry when her sword is taken from her.
2. The love interest being a tough “bad boy” on the outside, but deep down he’s a big ole softie.
3. Gods/Goddess’ that walk the Earth with humans (even sometimes messing with them)
4. Magical powers that were once used for evil but now are used for good.
5. The whole ‘pretend to be sick so we can get close’ ordeal.
“Looking into his eyes was like gazing at the ocean – swirling shades of deep cobalt and steel gray. Fathomless. Familiar.”
When each of the characters were introduced, I was amazed at how spectacular, unique, and so very strong each of them were! Lira and Reyker’s bond was intense and absolutely addictive. They are literally EVERYTHING. The two are star-crossed lovers but also enemies to lovers and I NEED MORE OF THEM.
The world is out to keep them apart but the two are magnets. And nothing can keep them apart for very long, not even the world no matter how hard it tries too. Reyker is the beast. He was saved from drowning by Lira, who helped him heal by hiding him away. She teaches him her language and she stands by his side. Even when the rest of the world has chewed him up and spit him back out.
Lira battles with being used and caged. She hates feeling like “property” by her father and uncle. She also refuses to believe that Reyker isn’t worth saving. She is one badass heroine and I strive to be her. Smash these two together and you get one powerful couple!
I also want to take a moment to say that Quinlan has my heart and I need to see more of him in book 2 please dear author! I will pay you in my tears and heart if I have too.
“If I die in a cage tomorrow, or I die in a cage in ten years – what is the difference? A cage is not a life.”
The world-building in Beasts of the Frozen Sun was… OMG seriously some of the best I’ve ever read. With history, there is always brutality and this novel does include that. Death, torture, the treatment of woman were all horrible and at times a bit hard to read but Jill Criswell has such raw talent at describing things that she does an amazing job writing those style of scenes. And with this being a story set back in history, those themes are inevitable. But each theme included, made Beasts of the Frozen Sun seem more and more realistic with each passing page.
The plot of this novel is everything!! Wars to villages raids to snuggles between Lira and Reyker. There was never a boring moment within Beasts of the Frozen Sun. It was packed with so much intensity that at times, it left you a bit exhausted. The plot was also dark and brutal but it fit with the story. This was a bloody amazing action-packed novel of magic and redemption, high stakes and brutal fights, powerful woman and monstrous men.
I am on my first ever book hangover. That ending… Jill Criswell is a cruel woman to leave me hanging in the way she did. But OHMAGAWD, I CAN NOT WAIT for book two of this series. Please, if you only ever pick up one book that I recommend, please please please pick this amazing novel up!
“When that dark womb of stillness engulfed him, he embraced it with a flood of relief. Reyker welcomed whatever torments waited him on the other side of this world, knowing it was nothing less than he deserved.”
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Disney Villainous in Tabletop Games
Jan 6, 2020
I am a sucker for a great theme. Or themes that turn the game around. Such is the case with Disney Villainous. Not often does a game allow you to play AS the bad guys against the good guys. That premise is interesting to me, and as I saw this release last year, I just knew I had to have it. Now that I have played it several times, with and without the first expansion, what do I have to say about it? Read on.
Disney Villainous (“Villainous” from here on) is a card game that pits players against each other in a race to complete individualized objectives to win the game. Players are in direct competition with each other and have devices to employ to spoil the plans of their competitors. Can Maleficent place out curses on all the lands in her realm before Hades can have three Titans storm on Mount Olympus? Can Prince John attain 20 power before either of them win the game? Such is Villainous.
DISCLAIMER: This game has a few standalone expansions now, with more on the way I’m sure. We are using components from the base game as well as the first expansion, “Wicked to the Core,” for this review. Should we decide to review the expansions as standalone games, we will link to the new material here. Furthermore, I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rule book, 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 from the publisher directly or from your FLGS. -T
To setup, each player will choose a big bad to play. Each character comes equipped with a colored pawn, a realm board with four locations, a deck of cards with matching pawn colored backs, a Fate deck with white back, and a playbook with tips on how to play that character. Also give every player a reference card that details the actions available. Shuffle each deck separately, give the starting player zero power from the cauldron, the second player one power, the third player two power, etc. Each player draws a hand of four colored back cards. Begin the game with the pawns on the leftmost location on the realm board and you are now ready to play.
Play works thusly: move your pawn to any unlocked location, complete any or all actions available at the location, draw your hand back up to four, next player. You MUST move on your turn, unless a card allows you to stay at your current location on your next turn. Once moved, the location will either show two or four options for actions. These could include play a card, activate a card, discard a card, gain power tokens, move an item or ally, move a Hero card, vanquish a Hero, or play cards from an opponent’s Fate deck. Some actions are self-explanatory (gain power tokens, et al), but some require further explanation.
Some cards will have an activation symbol displayed on them. This means that a pawn has to have been moved to a location with an activate card symbol, and the player must pay to activate the card for its special abilities. Easy. Moving an item, ally, or Hero typically means physically moving the cards from one location to another adjacent location. This is important for some villains’ objectives: cards need to enter play in one location but travel to another as part of the win condition. When a villain moves to a location with the Fate symbol, they will choose an opponent, look at the top two cards of their Fate deck, and choose one card to play and one card to discard. These are especially devious and can greatly hinder the player’s progress. In addition, when a Fate card resides on a realm board it covers the top symbols of a location, thus nullifying the player’s ability to use these symbols on future turns. Using the vanquish symbol requires a Hero to have been played on your board, and having enough strength in allies and items to meet or overcome the Hero’s strength. Heroes and any allies/items used in the fight are then all discarded to the appropriate discard piles.
Play continues in this manner until one player has achieved their victory condition.
Components. I have good and bad news. Good news first. The components are absolutely fabulous! Those pawns. SOOOO good. Each is a somewhat abstracted figure of the villain, but with some concrete callbacks and recognizable features. They are just so dang fun to handle and play with. I think the cards are good quality, but I forgot what they feel like outside of the sleeves I put mine in. The board components are great, the cauldron is flimsy, unnecessary, and unwieldy when putting back in the box, especially if you have one or more expansions. I have not found a decent way to put everything back in one box, so I am resigned to having both boxes with me every time I want to play. That’s the bad. I also have put all my sleeved cards into plastic deck boxes in the main game box along with the cauldron. Everything else gets put in the expansion box. I hope a better storage solution is on the horizon along with future expansions…
So as you can see from our rating graphic on top that we are spread out on this one. I love it, but I don’t see it ever breaching my Top 10 list. It does have a tendency to overstay its welcome with all the Fate cards making it more and more difficult to win the game. Once a player seems to be near winning every other player gangs up, or seems to when I have played. I get that it may come off as a negative, and the play length as well, but it’s all part of villains out-villaining each other. While Josh rated it as a three and may not ever willingly ask to play it, I have it at a five because I think it’s a great game with a wonderful theme, amazing components, and tons of expandability. With that, we at Purple Phoenix Games give Disney Villainous a boding 16 / 24. If you are a big Disney fan, can live with the Take That, and want something that looks incredible on the table, pick it up.
Disney Villainous (“Villainous” from here on) is a card game that pits players against each other in a race to complete individualized objectives to win the game. Players are in direct competition with each other and have devices to employ to spoil the plans of their competitors. Can Maleficent place out curses on all the lands in her realm before Hades can have three Titans storm on Mount Olympus? Can Prince John attain 20 power before either of them win the game? Such is Villainous.
DISCLAIMER: This game has a few standalone expansions now, with more on the way I’m sure. We are using components from the base game as well as the first expansion, “Wicked to the Core,” for this review. Should we decide to review the expansions as standalone games, we will link to the new material here. Furthermore, I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rule book, 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 from the publisher directly or from your FLGS. -T
To setup, each player will choose a big bad to play. Each character comes equipped with a colored pawn, a realm board with four locations, a deck of cards with matching pawn colored backs, a Fate deck with white back, and a playbook with tips on how to play that character. Also give every player a reference card that details the actions available. Shuffle each deck separately, give the starting player zero power from the cauldron, the second player one power, the third player two power, etc. Each player draws a hand of four colored back cards. Begin the game with the pawns on the leftmost location on the realm board and you are now ready to play.
Play works thusly: move your pawn to any unlocked location, complete any or all actions available at the location, draw your hand back up to four, next player. You MUST move on your turn, unless a card allows you to stay at your current location on your next turn. Once moved, the location will either show two or four options for actions. These could include play a card, activate a card, discard a card, gain power tokens, move an item or ally, move a Hero card, vanquish a Hero, or play cards from an opponent’s Fate deck. Some actions are self-explanatory (gain power tokens, et al), but some require further explanation.
Some cards will have an activation symbol displayed on them. This means that a pawn has to have been moved to a location with an activate card symbol, and the player must pay to activate the card for its special abilities. Easy. Moving an item, ally, or Hero typically means physically moving the cards from one location to another adjacent location. This is important for some villains’ objectives: cards need to enter play in one location but travel to another as part of the win condition. When a villain moves to a location with the Fate symbol, they will choose an opponent, look at the top two cards of their Fate deck, and choose one card to play and one card to discard. These are especially devious and can greatly hinder the player’s progress. In addition, when a Fate card resides on a realm board it covers the top symbols of a location, thus nullifying the player’s ability to use these symbols on future turns. Using the vanquish symbol requires a Hero to have been played on your board, and having enough strength in allies and items to meet or overcome the Hero’s strength. Heroes and any allies/items used in the fight are then all discarded to the appropriate discard piles.
Play continues in this manner until one player has achieved their victory condition.
Components. I have good and bad news. Good news first. The components are absolutely fabulous! Those pawns. SOOOO good. Each is a somewhat abstracted figure of the villain, but with some concrete callbacks and recognizable features. They are just so dang fun to handle and play with. I think the cards are good quality, but I forgot what they feel like outside of the sleeves I put mine in. The board components are great, the cauldron is flimsy, unnecessary, and unwieldy when putting back in the box, especially if you have one or more expansions. I have not found a decent way to put everything back in one box, so I am resigned to having both boxes with me every time I want to play. That’s the bad. I also have put all my sleeved cards into plastic deck boxes in the main game box along with the cauldron. Everything else gets put in the expansion box. I hope a better storage solution is on the horizon along with future expansions…
So as you can see from our rating graphic on top that we are spread out on this one. I love it, but I don’t see it ever breaching my Top 10 list. It does have a tendency to overstay its welcome with all the Fate cards making it more and more difficult to win the game. Once a player seems to be near winning every other player gangs up, or seems to when I have played. I get that it may come off as a negative, and the play length as well, but it’s all part of villains out-villaining each other. While Josh rated it as a three and may not ever willingly ask to play it, I have it at a five because I think it’s a great game with a wonderful theme, amazing components, and tons of expandability. With that, we at Purple Phoenix Games give Disney Villainous a boding 16 / 24. If you are a big Disney fan, can live with the Take That, and want something that looks incredible on the table, pick it up.
