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Zachary Wilson (3 KP) rated Super Mario Party in Video Games
Jul 29, 2019
A return to familiar territory (2 more)
Clever use of strategic elements
Variety of modes
Requires a single Joy-Con (2 more)
Boards are small and uninteresting
Only 4 boards in the main party mode
Super Mario Party returns to its classic roots, you know, before Mario Party 9. Though at the same time however it's not a 100% reunion. Sure you can move around freely again which is nice; but this party still wants to spice things up. See, they loved what they created on the 3DS, specifically Star Rush because elements of Star Rush make it's way to this classic party. For instance, every character has a unique die, and you can have up to 3 partners as you play. All taken from Star Rush. Heck, there's a team mode that plays very similarly to the main mode of Star Rush. The main mode in Super then is a disappointment. For starters, 4 boards is terrible and actually, this game now officially has the LEAST amount of boards out of any Mario Party game and that's terrible (I do not count Mario Party Advance or The Top 100 because both are completely different). It doesn't help that the boards aren't as fun as the old games. For one, they're all big squares and that's because they use the same 4 boards in the team mode, which turns the 4 boards into a grid design. These 4 boards are uninteresting to play on in my opinion compared to the very creative boards of the GameCube era Mario Parties. Yes, all the elements of a classic Mario Party are here. Collect coins, buy the star, don't get screwed. Even this has changes for the worse. Everything is cheaper so stars now only cost 10 coins. It's so easy to get coins, you might as well make stars free because I'd be very impressed if you couldn't afford a star. Coins basically become meaningless as you can constantly buy whatever item you want and the star at all times unless you have the absolute worst luck. This means you can go to the same corner of the board that sells the golden warp pipe, and use the pipe to get free stars. Items are not randomized in shops so if you know which item shop sells the pipe, then you can always just visit that shop over and over and not even bother actually trying to chase after the star. There is one board that's an exception to all've my complaints, and it's the best board because of it. Overall the main mode is just meh to me. Because this review is getting stupidly long, I'll rush the rest. The other modes are fine. Team mode's great if you liked Star Rush. Rythm Heaven moddme was fun. Water survival would've been better without the minigames. Basically everything else is perfectly fine and save this game from getting any lower. Look, I don't hate this game. I just think it's an ok game and isn't necessarily the return I was hoping for. If you're a fan of Mario Party then sure, get this game. I wouldn't trust my review. I think Mario Party 9 is amazing and I have no idea why anyone loves Mario Party 4 because I think it's one of the worst. Do you really trust my criticism of this one?
Block GuRU Lite
Medical and Education
8.0
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GuRU is an offline* teaching App covering single shot and continuous peripheral nerve blocks. The...
Galaxy on Fire 2™
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[ Galaxy on Fire 2™ is the award-winning space shooter that set a new standard for sci-fi gaming...
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Paper Dolls (Dark Carousel #2) in Books
Nov 7, 2020
I really loved Dollhouse, the first book in the Dark Carousel series by Anya Allyn. I couldn't wait to dive into the next book in the series, Paper Dolls. I wanted to love Paper Dolls as much as Dollhouse, but it just wasn't as great.
Paper Dolls takes place right after Dollhouse although Paper Dolls also goes back to 1920 to focus more on Jessamine's back story and to thicken the modern day plot. While I loved Jessamine's story, Cassie's narrative is a bit lackluster. The pacing for Cassie's plot feels very slow moving. While there were a few plot twists regarding Cassie's story, the main one was the most predictable from early on. Don't get me wrong, Allyn's writing is fantastic, but Cassie's plotline just didn't wow me as before. Jessamine's, on the other hand, was fantastic! I loved learning more about Jessamine and how she become like she was in Dollhouse. Jessamine's narrative moved at a great pace, and I would get so excited when her chapters would come up. I also loved how Jessamine's chapters involved more backstory for Henry and Audette and explains how they became ghosts. It also talks more about the mysterious Donovan Fiveash. Many of the other characters, even characters with small parts, from Dollhouse are mentioned again in Paper Dolls. We get a bit more of their back story as well which was nice. There is a big cliffhanger at the end of this book which will lead into the next book in the series, Marionette. Although this book is intended for young adults, I would say it's more aimed towards a mature young adult audience as it's a lot more dark compared to Dollhouse.
As with the first book in the series, Anya Allyn did a fantastic job keeping her characters realistic relatable. Even though I found Cassie's story a little boring, I still enjoyed Cassie's character. I did find her a bit naïve in this book, but she is a teenager, so I could understand why she'd trust the first boy that showed her attention. I felt like I was Cassie's babysitter and was mentally urging her not to trust anyone! Jessamine was my obviously my favorite character. I just wanted to hug her as she had such a sad life for the most part. After reading her story, I understood why she was the way she was in Dollhouse. I really wanted to protect Jessamine throughout the whole book especially when she was still alive although I already knew she'd end up as a ghost. Henry was a character I didn't think I'd end up liking since he seemed like a bad guy in the first book. However, the audience is shown a whole different side of Henry in Paper Dolls. I just wanted Audette to disappear though. Not because she was written poorly but just because how vile and horrible she was to Jessamine. Although they were nice, I had a hard time trusting the Batiste family. They just seemed a little too nice for my liking.
Trigger warnings for Paper Dolls include death, murder, attempted rape, violence, occult activity, and mentions of sex (though not graphic).
Despite being a bit of a slow read, I still enjoyed Paper Dolls. Learning more about many of the ghosts' backstory was extremely interesting, and I loved all the characters. I would recommend Paper Dolls by Anya Allyn to those aged 16+ who love supernatural horror. I have already started reading Marionette, the next book in the Dark Carousel series, since I'm loving this series!
Paper Dolls takes place right after Dollhouse although Paper Dolls also goes back to 1920 to focus more on Jessamine's back story and to thicken the modern day plot. While I loved Jessamine's story, Cassie's narrative is a bit lackluster. The pacing for Cassie's plot feels very slow moving. While there were a few plot twists regarding Cassie's story, the main one was the most predictable from early on. Don't get me wrong, Allyn's writing is fantastic, but Cassie's plotline just didn't wow me as before. Jessamine's, on the other hand, was fantastic! I loved learning more about Jessamine and how she become like she was in Dollhouse. Jessamine's narrative moved at a great pace, and I would get so excited when her chapters would come up. I also loved how Jessamine's chapters involved more backstory for Henry and Audette and explains how they became ghosts. It also talks more about the mysterious Donovan Fiveash. Many of the other characters, even characters with small parts, from Dollhouse are mentioned again in Paper Dolls. We get a bit more of their back story as well which was nice. There is a big cliffhanger at the end of this book which will lead into the next book in the series, Marionette. Although this book is intended for young adults, I would say it's more aimed towards a mature young adult audience as it's a lot more dark compared to Dollhouse.
As with the first book in the series, Anya Allyn did a fantastic job keeping her characters realistic relatable. Even though I found Cassie's story a little boring, I still enjoyed Cassie's character. I did find her a bit naïve in this book, but she is a teenager, so I could understand why she'd trust the first boy that showed her attention. I felt like I was Cassie's babysitter and was mentally urging her not to trust anyone! Jessamine was my obviously my favorite character. I just wanted to hug her as she had such a sad life for the most part. After reading her story, I understood why she was the way she was in Dollhouse. I really wanted to protect Jessamine throughout the whole book especially when she was still alive although I already knew she'd end up as a ghost. Henry was a character I didn't think I'd end up liking since he seemed like a bad guy in the first book. However, the audience is shown a whole different side of Henry in Paper Dolls. I just wanted Audette to disappear though. Not because she was written poorly but just because how vile and horrible she was to Jessamine. Although they were nice, I had a hard time trusting the Batiste family. They just seemed a little too nice for my liking.
Trigger warnings for Paper Dolls include death, murder, attempted rape, violence, occult activity, and mentions of sex (though not graphic).
Despite being a bit of a slow read, I still enjoyed Paper Dolls. Learning more about many of the ghosts' backstory was extremely interesting, and I loved all the characters. I would recommend Paper Dolls by Anya Allyn to those aged 16+ who love supernatural horror. I have already started reading Marionette, the next book in the Dark Carousel series, since I'm loving this series!
Galaxy on Fire 2™ HD
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[ Galaxy on Fire 2 HD is now fully optimized for iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6 as well as iPhone 4S (or...
Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated The Fractured Empire in Books
Oct 25, 2021
The Fractured Empire is the first in the Worlds Apart series and takes place on the fifth anniversary of The Silent Explosion when Adelaide lost her mother and sister and Clark lost his father.
“Clark and Adelaide think their lives can’t get any worse. Until they meet each other.”
The style of this book is distinctly steampunk rather than the medieval style that I am used to with ElBin books. I was nervous about this as I generally don’t read books in a steampunk setting but I did find I really enjoyed it. To me the world building wasn’t quite as clear in my mind but I’m not sure if this was because I wasn’t reading a physical book.
Despite this, The Fractured Empire met all my expectations and more! How can it not when it includes all my favourite tropes such as enemies to lovers and, of course, the old forced shared-bed situation.
“who kidnapped someone and then introduced themselves? Yet here we were”
The characters are amazing, of course they are! There isn’t an underdeveloped or “2D” character in sight as we follow Addie, Clark and his 2 brothers around the Ceithren Empire, desperately seeking answers … and finding some that they didn’t expect!
Clark and Addie’s relationship is a rollercoaster! The term enemies-to-lovers does not do this pair justice, it’s more like enemies-to-almost lovers-to- definite enemies- to- begrudging colleagues. There is a definite attraction though and it is very physical to begin with: there are a lot of references to Clark’s muscles, Addie’s dress slipping down etc. I have read other reviews where they use this to say that the romance relationship is shallow but I don’t believe this is the case, they are both quite young as characters and it merely demonstrates, in my opinion, how they are constantly drawn to each other.
The best thing about Clark and Addie’s dynamic is 100% the amount of bickering and sarcasm. Oh the amount of sarcasm in this book speaks to my soul and it is here where I think the audiobook may have been better than a physical book (I know, I know! Don’t shoot!) The narrators for Clark and Addie really captured the personalities of the characters, even down to the pacing of their reading and, in Addie’s case, the haughty tones.
From the mysterious best friend Nell (who I’m still not sure if I trust or not) to Addie’s oppressive Director father to the playboy prince: the cast of supporting characters deserves an honourable mention, particularly Gunther. If you aren’t in love with Gunther we can’t be friends – it’s as simple as that!
“I gave them a mocking salute before I turned and jumped, right out the hundredth story window”
The Fractured Empire presents twists upon twists and constantly changes who you can trust but still manages to flow really well and keep the reader engaged. This is a testament to the writing of Robin but also to the narrators of the audiobook, Cris Dukehart and Graham Halstead. Some small snippets felt like they were recorded in sections and sounded out of place but on the whole the pair really embodied the characters and kept me hooked.
Thank you to Robin Mahle for providing a free copy of the audiobook of The Fractured Empire. My TBR list however, does not thank you as it now has 3 more additions to it! (*Edit* 4! I found out about the prequel!)
“Clark and Adelaide think their lives can’t get any worse. Until they meet each other.”
The style of this book is distinctly steampunk rather than the medieval style that I am used to with ElBin books. I was nervous about this as I generally don’t read books in a steampunk setting but I did find I really enjoyed it. To me the world building wasn’t quite as clear in my mind but I’m not sure if this was because I wasn’t reading a physical book.
Despite this, The Fractured Empire met all my expectations and more! How can it not when it includes all my favourite tropes such as enemies to lovers and, of course, the old forced shared-bed situation.
“who kidnapped someone and then introduced themselves? Yet here we were”
The characters are amazing, of course they are! There isn’t an underdeveloped or “2D” character in sight as we follow Addie, Clark and his 2 brothers around the Ceithren Empire, desperately seeking answers … and finding some that they didn’t expect!
Clark and Addie’s relationship is a rollercoaster! The term enemies-to-lovers does not do this pair justice, it’s more like enemies-to-almost lovers-to- definite enemies- to- begrudging colleagues. There is a definite attraction though and it is very physical to begin with: there are a lot of references to Clark’s muscles, Addie’s dress slipping down etc. I have read other reviews where they use this to say that the romance relationship is shallow but I don’t believe this is the case, they are both quite young as characters and it merely demonstrates, in my opinion, how they are constantly drawn to each other.
The best thing about Clark and Addie’s dynamic is 100% the amount of bickering and sarcasm. Oh the amount of sarcasm in this book speaks to my soul and it is here where I think the audiobook may have been better than a physical book (I know, I know! Don’t shoot!) The narrators for Clark and Addie really captured the personalities of the characters, even down to the pacing of their reading and, in Addie’s case, the haughty tones.
From the mysterious best friend Nell (who I’m still not sure if I trust or not) to Addie’s oppressive Director father to the playboy prince: the cast of supporting characters deserves an honourable mention, particularly Gunther. If you aren’t in love with Gunther we can’t be friends – it’s as simple as that!
“I gave them a mocking salute before I turned and jumped, right out the hundredth story window”
The Fractured Empire presents twists upon twists and constantly changes who you can trust but still manages to flow really well and keep the reader engaged. This is a testament to the writing of Robin but also to the narrators of the audiobook, Cris Dukehart and Graham Halstead. Some small snippets felt like they were recorded in sections and sounded out of place but on the whole the pair really embodied the characters and kept me hooked.
Thank you to Robin Mahle for providing a free copy of the audiobook of The Fractured Empire. My TBR list however, does not thank you as it now has 3 more additions to it! (*Edit* 4! I found out about the prequel!)
Merissa (12841 KP) rated Caressed by the Edge of Darkness (Rulers of Darkness #5) in Books
Dec 20, 2017
Caressed by the Edge of Darkness (Rulers of Darkness #5) by Amanda J. Greene
Caressed by the Edge of Darkness is the fifth book in the Rulers of Darkness series, and it is time for Gabriel's story. He became obsessed by Jordan when he first saw her, and tried to preempt her abduction by Boras. When he failed at that, he was desperate to find her. Now Jordan is not your typical wilting wallflower. She was raised as a hunter and is capable of protecting herself. However, her abductors decide to drug her to keep her pliant, and even she can't fight that.
I love a tortured hero, and you don't get more tortured than Gabriel. Once you read about his past, you understand why he is the way he is. Jordan is his perfect match, if he would just trust himself. These two constantly spark off each other, making this a fun read. It is also sexy, with plenty of steamy times. We also get cameo appearances from Dimitri and Kerstyn, and hints towards Gannon and Silvie.
This book is an amazing read, but the one thing that detracts from it is the editing and grammatical errors. Spelling errors are sprinkled throughout, which is a shame because the story itself is wonderful. I would recommend this book, and series, but only if you can skim over errors without them affecting your enjoyment of the story.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I love a tortured hero, and you don't get more tortured than Gabriel. Once you read about his past, you understand why he is the way he is. Jordan is his perfect match, if he would just trust himself. These two constantly spark off each other, making this a fun read. It is also sexy, with plenty of steamy times. We also get cameo appearances from Dimitri and Kerstyn, and hints towards Gannon and Silvie.
This book is an amazing read, but the one thing that detracts from it is the editing and grammatical errors. Spelling errors are sprinkled throughout, which is a shame because the story itself is wonderful. I would recommend this book, and series, but only if you can skim over errors without them affecting your enjoyment of the story.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Merissa (12841 KP) rated Against the Grain (THIRDS #5) in Books
Jun 27, 2017
Against the Grain (THIRDS #5) by Charlie Cochet
Against The Grain is the first book where Dex and Sloane are not the main couple. Instead, we concentrate on Ash and Cael, and to be fair, their story has been a long time coming. We start where the previous book finished, with Tony wielding Old Betsy, but to the guys' surprise, it doesn't go down how they expected. Instead, Ash learns more about Cael than he realised he didn't know, and it makes him want to 'try'. This is still difficult for Ash, and it's not without it's hiccups, but Cael is prepared to help him where he can. Now, this wouldn't be a THIRDS book if something else wasn't going down, and this time it's all mixed in with Sloane's loss of control, plus it turns out Ash's loss of control, and maybe one other. You are left not knowing who to trust, apart from the family that is Destructive Delta!
Everything does become clear, plus it means a change for our crew, but they are prepared to fight for what they believe in. I will admit that I actually missed Dex's banter more than I thought I would. Although he is (obviously) still around, he isn't the main character and therefore the quips are there as much. Still, I enjoyed the mix of action, intrigue, romance, and sex. Ash and Cael's story is one that I wanted, waited for, and thoroughly enjoyed. I loved all the intrigue, the questions, and how this book complements the series as a whole. Most definitely recommended by me.
* Verified Purchase ~ April 2017 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Everything does become clear, plus it means a change for our crew, but they are prepared to fight for what they believe in. I will admit that I actually missed Dex's banter more than I thought I would. Although he is (obviously) still around, he isn't the main character and therefore the quips are there as much. Still, I enjoyed the mix of action, intrigue, romance, and sex. Ash and Cael's story is one that I wanted, waited for, and thoroughly enjoyed. I loved all the intrigue, the questions, and how this book complements the series as a whole. Most definitely recommended by me.
* Verified Purchase ~ April 2017 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) rated The Night Circus in Books
Jul 23, 2017
the amount of detail (3 more)
plot
characters
world building
So real you could smell the popcorn
Read in 2013
Review
I saw this book being mentioned on another site and as soon as I saw the cover I knew I just had to read it but after the first page I almost gave up because I would usually never be able to finish a book that has both second person narration(don't worry it doesn't really happen often) an over description but to my surprise both elements really did help make the Le Cirque des Rêves feel like it was a living and breathing entity.
The plot is wonderful but just about everything kind of just falls onto the back burner compared to the circus there is just so much thought and explanation in every chapter I found myself forgetting that there were actually two people supposed to be dueling to the death.
The characters are wonderful and I feel like even though there is a good amount of them you do get to know and form some sort of opinion on each one of them. The only character I really had a problem with was Marco from his introduction to his very last page I just didn't trust the guy.
The only thing that I was disappointed in was from the summary I definitely thought there was going to be actual magic dueling happening so I kept just kind of waiting and waiting and waiting for it to actually happen but it never really did it is explained why near the end but just couldn't shake off the slight disappointment.
Review
I saw this book being mentioned on another site and as soon as I saw the cover I knew I just had to read it but after the first page I almost gave up because I would usually never be able to finish a book that has both second person narration(don't worry it doesn't really happen often) an over description but to my surprise both elements really did help make the Le Cirque des Rêves feel like it was a living and breathing entity.
The plot is wonderful but just about everything kind of just falls onto the back burner compared to the circus there is just so much thought and explanation in every chapter I found myself forgetting that there were actually two people supposed to be dueling to the death.
The characters are wonderful and I feel like even though there is a good amount of them you do get to know and form some sort of opinion on each one of them. The only character I really had a problem with was Marco from his introduction to his very last page I just didn't trust the guy.
The only thing that I was disappointed in was from the summary I definitely thought there was going to be actual magic dueling happening so I kept just kind of waiting and waiting and waiting for it to actually happen but it never really did it is explained why near the end but just couldn't shake off the slight disappointment.