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Undertale
Undertale
2017 | Role-Playing
Sound quality (2 more)
Retro feel
One man project
Too close to source material (0 more)
Even after three years
Three years ago, Toby "Radiation" Fox stopped making rom hacks. Kinda sad, yet we did benefit. He released a one man project called Undertale on the pc market and the inter webs, as a whole, lost their mind. The game is your basic jrpg fare, traverse a world, do a thing, try not to die and don't trust flowers. Honestly, of all the games I played I rank this in my 10 favorites, not number one however. The truth of the matter is Toby was a rom breaker first and he would hack many games with the Nintendo rpg Earthbound being his playground. In essence it was Earthbound that inspired Undertale as many themes can be found. Honestly I felt as if I was playing another Earthbound game and yet it felt new, different. As Jon Jafari said with Earthbound, I could say it with this game, As an experience, this game goes beyond limitations. If you haven't played it, play it, but don't go in expecting amazing game play and mechanics. Go in expecting nothing and watch your expectations get overwhelmed. In fact as you play keep that determination thing in mind. It becomes so prominent that you begin to feel it. In fact the themes Undertale portray have in themselves become the driving force for my blog. Anyways, give the game a shot. No watching it online, you won't feel the emotions this game tries to portray. Get it, personalize it, experience it.
  
TC
Thursday's Children (Frieda Klein #4)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
There is something about Dr. Frieda Klein's past that no one is aware of. She has had no reason to share the secret with anyone until her past comes knocking at her door. When a friend from her childhood who she hasn't seen in over twenty years asks Frieda for help with her troubled daughter, Frieda is willing, but reluctant to help. When the daughter tells Frieda a story that is strangely familiar, she set out on a quest to discover the truth behind her own secret.

This was a book I couldn't put down. This book really touched me on a personal level What would you do if you told the one person you loved the most something traumatic that happened to you and they didn't believe you? What if their disbelief was so strong it had you doubting your own self and made you sad and depressed and wanting to be hidden from everyone? What if telling your secret got you killed?

In this 4th Frieda Klein novel, Frieda is forced to face a past she left behind 23 years ago. In pursuit of the truth, she rekindles some relationships that were probably better left to stay in the past. Traveling from her home in London back and forth to her hometown she left behind and never went back to in Braxton, will Frieda finally be able to find answers she didn't realize she needed.

I've finally hit a winning streak in reading good books. This one did not disappoint one bit and it's highly recommended.
  
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ClareR (6054 KP) rated Brotherhood in Books

Apr 2, 2019  
Brotherhood
Brotherhood
David Beckler | 2019 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Byron is called home to Manchester by his panicked teenage nephew, Philip, when he becomes embroiled in the murder of one of his school friends. Philip is adamant that he is innocent, and Byron believes him. Unfortunately, the murdered boy has a rather dangerous family, and there is history between the leader of this family and Byron.
Byron is helped by his friend Adam, who was in the Marines with him, and they try to solve the murder to hopefully exonerate Philip.
I really enjoyed this book. Byron and Adam seemed like really nice people, believe it or not, even though they knew how to handle themselves and there was consequently a fair bit of violence!
There was the added interest and/ or complication of an African child soldier who had been adopted by a British couple. I really felt very sad for him as I read his flashbacks; he had led an awful, violent childhood.
This looks as though it’s the start of a really good series. I liked that Byron and Adam appeared to have an equal status in their little team, and the police officers and procedures all seemed genuine to me (but then I’m not a police officer!). It was such a fast, exciting read, and I really did gasp out loud a couple of times whilst I was reading! I’ll be interested to see where this series goes next.
Many thanks to Sapere books for my copy of this book, which I hope I’ve fairly reviewed!
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated I Owe You One in Books

Apr 4, 2019 (Updated Apr 5, 2019)  
I Owe You One
I Owe You One
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Predictable but sweet
This book had to grow on me. In the beginning, Fixie drove me a little crazy. I was less irritated with her devotion to her family (perhaps I could relate there), but I was annoyed at how clueless she was in her adoration to Ryan Chalker, who was just terrible. And truly, Fixie's siblings were pretty awful to her, too. There were very few side characters in this one who were easy to like. Even Sebastian, whose laptop Fixie rescues (and who, obviously, becomes her love interest), goes back to his girlfriend a little often for my taste. Which is sad, because otherwise the Fixie/Seb dynamic is quite enjoyable and really quite funny. Still, the poor girl was clearly under a lot of pressure with her family and the store, so I get some of her behavior there. As for Ryan, I'm not so sure what her excuse was!

Still, this book wins you over with time. Fixie is an engaging character and really, rather endearing. She can't help but be who she is and she really can't help whom she is surrounded by (except Ryan--let's just all agree he's awful). When Seb enters the scene, things become more funny, and things pick up as Fixie starts to grow into her own skin. This growth is a Kinsella staple, and she does it well. There's moments of her trademark humor, as well.

Overall, this one is predictable but sweet, and once I got past some of Fixie's issues, I enjoyed it. It's a light, quick read.
  
Adrift (2018)
Adrift (2018)
2018 | Action, Adventure, Drama
Sinking ship
#adriftmovie is an uninspiring & disjointed film that fails to stay afloat during its short run time. Have you ever seen the film #Allislost with #robertredford ? if the answer is no waste no time with Adrift & rush out & buy that instead right now, its a #masterpiece & #Adrift is the opposite. So why am I comparing the 2? well 'All Is Lost' not only has a similar story but it does everything Adrift fails at & does it exceptionally well. 'All is lost' manages to tell its tragic tail not only with actual #heart & #soul but fantastically without much dialog too, the cinematography is also stunning & the #bond it successfully helps us build with its main character is tremendous & emotionally powerful. Adrift manages none of this - its told out of chronological order which kills suspense & mystery as well as making the film feel messy, the acting isn't great but that could be down to the atrocious/laughably basic dialog, the #soundtrack makes the tone feel unbalanced & the green screen at times is appalling. Its an ok watch but at a short 1h 30m it drags & by the time we finally get to see the accident I'd lost interest completely. Its a shame because I like #SamClaflin as an actor & there was some nice camera work & some #lovely establishing shots. All in all is a big missed opportunity to give this #heartbreaking #truestory the film it deserves & in the end its a film that just ends up being below average at best. #odeon #odeonlimitless #mondaymotivation #ShaileneWoodley #boobs #movie #filmcritic #cinifile #sad #tragic #filmreview #love #beautiful
  
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Sarah (7800 KP) created a post

Jun 11, 2019  
Last night I went to watch Backstreet Boys at the Manchester Arena. Not going to lie, BSB were one of my favourite bands when I was younger and I was never able to see them live at the time. So needless to say when they announced a new tour, I jumped at the chance to go and the tickets were like gold dust.

All I can say is that after 26 years in the business, the boys have still got it. They've all got fantastic voices live which is a bit of a surprise for a boyband and they can't half dance too. They really know how to put on a good show, and the majority of the audience were up on their feet throughout the entire show (us included). They did a good mix of all of their classic tunes interspersed with some from the new album too. If I have to criticise anything, they could have upped the stage production. It was just them on a massive stage with a lot of flashing lights and videos of random things playing on a screen in the background. Whilst its impressive that they can hold the stage themselves, maybe a little more would've been good. Also, I was a bit sad that they didnt come out on stage dressed as monsters for Everybody... but still a very good show and a childhood dream come true 9/10

I'll leave you with a picture of me & my friend rocking our retro looking BSB tickets ?
     
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Andy K (10823 KP) Jun 11, 2019

Looking great Sarah! Thanks for posting!

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Erika (17789 KP) Jun 12, 2019

I saw BSB around 8 years ago, when they toured with NKOTB, they're so good! Glad you got to see them!

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Sarah (7800 KP) rated Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine in Books

Jan 20, 2018 (Updated Jan 20, 2018)  
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
Gail Honeyman | 2017 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
10
8.6 (80 Ratings)
Book Rating
Clever, humorous and heartwarmingly sad
It’s very rare for me not to have a single criticism about a book, but Eleanor Oliphant has managed it. This book was nothing like I had expected, and it completely blew me away.

This book is full of sadness, yet also humour and wit. Eleanor is such an endearingly loveable character and reading about her life and her social ineptitude fills you with such empathy. She really connects with you as a reader, to the point where I almost forgot she wasn't real. Maybe it’s because she’s the same age as me, and the social interactions, loneliness and crushes are what everyone goes through in their lifetime, albeit usually at a younger age. I was almost in tears during parts of this book, and then completely thrown into fits of laughter, especially when the cat appears. The ending was part surprise, part predictable, but this book isn’t about the ending, it’s about Eleanor’s journey and it was such a delight to read. Such a heartwarming read and reminds me very much of The Rosie Project.

There’s a lot of fantastic quotes in this book, but there was one very early on that really stuck with me and I knew after reading that that it was going to be a good book;

“What could be more normal than pizza and wine?” - it might not mean much to others, but to me this is a statement that me and my best friend live by!
  
The Woman in the Window
The Woman in the Window
A.J. Finn | 2018 | Thriller
7
8.0 (41 Ratings)
Book Rating
A pretty good debut
An interesting psychological thriller full of suspense that although I enjoyed, it took me quite a while in before I connected with the main character, Anna, for some reason; I've been wracking my brains trying to think why but I just can't come up with an explanation and because of this, I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I could have which is a shame because it's a great story and not like anything I have read before.

The story is told completely from Anna's perspective but because of her fragile mental health and the wine and medication concoction, you question whether what she is saying is actually what is happening ... as she herself ends up doing.

I found it quite a sad book overall and I felt a lot of empathy for Anna and her situation but it was also a story of triumph over adversity with a gradual build up to the explosive ending which I found very satisfying.

Overall, a pretty good debut that is not full of the usual blood and violence ... it's definitely a slow burner that builds and builds to a satisfying conclusion.

I think this book would transfer really well to the big screen and I am pleased to note that it is in development as a major motion picture from Fox - it's just a shame that Alfred Hitchcock isn't alive to direct it!

Thanks to the publisher, HarperCollins UK HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
  
A Right Royal Affair
A Right Royal Affair
Helen Juliet | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
warm and fuzzies and too stinking cute! Loved it!
I was gifted my copy of this book, that I write a review was not required.

But, people!! Warm and fuzzies AND too stinking cute is a thing Ms Juliet does so bloody well!

6th in line to the throne, Prince James, is drifting. He needs some focus, and after meeting Theo at his grandmother's acceptance of her medal, James hatches a plan to focus AND have Theo. But not everyone is happy for James and Theo, and there is also the tiny matter that James' grandmother, The Queen, might deny them their happiness.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting from the blurb to this book, I really wasn't. But I really REALLY enjoyed it! It kinda crept up on me, you know??

It's well told, from both men's point of view, so we get Theo's standing up to James. We get James' admission (not saying what!) And we get it from both of them when the charity event turns into the evening from hell.

And OH!!! The Converse thing?? Loved that! That was not something I saw coming at me! Loved the actions of the Princess of Wales, James' mother, and her matchmaking, and how well that turned out!

There were some proper laugh out loud moments, some emotional ones, some sad ones and a massive happy ever after. Loved how that 6th in line thing turned out too!

I wrote 4 stars at the top of the page, but sod it!

5 stars!

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
LI
Lost in the Beehive
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I went into reading this book not knowing too much - I read all genres so I like to be surprised by stories. The cover and the title both spoke to me - I grew up on a farm and we had beehives and "raised" bees for our own honey and wax. I adore everything about bees and have always thought they were magical creatures.
Lost in the Beehive just made me love them even more. It's a wonderful thought to think that bees understand you, and are by your side during traumatic events, trying to steer you in the right direction. Gloria Ricci definitely needed some direction growing up, from anyone - or anything.
It is Vietnam era 1960's when we first find Gloria being sent to a mental asylum, to be "cured" of an "illness". We follow her through this experience, and quite a few other major life events throughout, and there always seem to be some bees hovering nearby, as if guiding her, protecting her.
Michele Young-Stones writing is exquisite. The witty banter between Gloria and her dearest friend Sheff had me laughing out loud, and the story flows so smoothly it's easy to find yourself lost in it all. The characters are so colorful, and you can feel the bees magical energy so much throughout the story, that it's just enough to make a sad story about finding yourself, feel like a mystical fairytale.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review Lost in the Beehive.