tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34559176256565886582024-02-07T06:06:44.249+00:00Blurbarians“Come, and take choice of all my library/And so beguile thy sorrow…” - “Titus Andronicus”, W. ShakespeareVithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16136785060494274024noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-15013814982704445982015-11-27T19:30:00.000+00:002015-11-27T19:42:40.297+00:00Borderlands 2<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://blurbarians.blogspot.pt/2015/11/borderlands-2.html#more" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2qPdm-r4oV3idWHXwMldh2vgeEOaB1hJIWdhB1uCHEk7K4hxyKf8OgdscZJB1hqvqd5v-Zq_BBQNjPa7x8uzxXB_FGQAOaYSKN-er6ouwkNdtBBN7PKSxRC6grOrgcJ4SvWZFBfqff8/s1600/header.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Buckle up,
because there’s a lot to talk about….</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Starting
BL2, some things immediately grabbed my attention: the world is more colourful,
there is more stuff around, there’s more detail. There is also more immediate
humour. And…oh look it’s Claptrap. Yey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
After
spending over 100 hours on the first game to achieve 100% completion (and God
knows how long grinding collectables from the Claptrap DLC), I personally felt
like punching the little yellow robot in the face. It gets a bit better though,
as the one wheeled blabbermouth , while keeping his hyperactive personality, is
now somehow funnier. The game starts with an action sequence, which is
definitely an improvement of the first game’s bus ride, and gets you pumped up
to press onward. However, there are a lot of problems that unfortunately didn’t
get fixed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Okay, let’s
see:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Ammo
dropped on the floor can now be picked up automatically by walking over it, and
yet loot still isn’t automatic or area-wide. Meaning that, just like before,
you will spend hours and hours opening every little container in your surroundings
searching for and picking up of ammo. Ammo, which in the first parts of the
game is scarce and much needed, seeing how many enemies come at you and how
many shots it takes to kill each one.</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkymmfSx6vIlYl5JnZtfIgNuUykk68WlGZQ1y49L2KopU9KnFjEbOhjC3NzGoYJwytcsk27FraWU04Xuv0Q6Ft_NHHRtD66AYurAH71A1RRSNi_2vcXpZ4esSOkCBKWkhPwSyrrurPkIQ/s0/2015-05-17_00011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkymmfSx6vIlYl5JnZtfIgNuUykk68WlGZQ1y49L2KopU9KnFjEbOhjC3NzGoYJwytcsk27FraWU04Xuv0Q6Ft_NHHRtD66AYurAH71A1RRSNi_2vcXpZ4esSOkCBKWkhPwSyrrurPkIQ/s640/2015-05-17_00011.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Item names stop being funny pretty quickly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The whole
game feels much harder than the first one due to absolutely ridiculous scaling.
I remember being capped in BL1 and using one of the best weapons in the game,
doing a few hundred damage per shot (plus the damage from fire/corrosion/etc).
In BL2, if you have all the major DLC, when you get to level 60-70, numbers
will range between hundreds of thousands and the millions (including your
health). While it is certainly satisfying to see large numbers in this kind of
game, this means that pretty much any equipment you have, no matter how good,
will be obsolete in one or two levels. This, added to the fact that good loot
barely drops, makes everything more frustrating.</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">90% of
the DLC is cosmetic, and consequently, useless. There is also a bunch of
campaign DLC though, and most of it is pretty cool (especially Tiny Tina’s and
Mr. Torgue’s). Quests are now more varied and not just an infinite repetition
of “go here and kill those guys”. Many quests even have secondary optional
goals that will give you additional rewards if completed.</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Thinking
back to BL1 now, all I can remember was desert and bunkers. BL2 features a
bigger variety of landscapes, some very appealing. In addition, you can now see a minimap on the
screen, which helps you navigate without having to open the menu every few
seconds. Navigation is also improved, as I didn't find myself having to walk/drive as much as I did in the first game, even though there are still certain areas without any checkpoints.</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">And
speaking of menu, it kind of sucks. It might work well with a controller, I
don’t know, since I played it on PC with a Keyboard and a mouse, but the menus
were a headache to navigate.
Disappointing, seeing as they changed it so much from the first game. In
addition, every time I opened the menu my framerate would lock at 30 for some
reason, and stay locked until I alt-tabbed out and back into the game. I eventually
fixed it by, once again, editing .ini files. And it’s never a good sign when
you have to do so in order to get the game working correctly. Hey at least the
game has an FoV slider now, so there’s that. Also, the game runs a completely
useless online DLC search online <i>every
single time </i>it boots up, greatly slowing up the process. I heard it might
be possible to turn it off by further messing with .ini files.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjRJZ1vQbNHf7rqSW7SX5JXXvWEZ4CspR28KAfBc-mn1h63_CSl8qeS3eyAZiuH0H2SkBCpYfxSW6RV-6MbBCyp0RaYHTP4CCjc6lJZ6o7pNkhI14-Xoc0MJ6j9G4tRBKXQQEPeF6q9I/s0/2015-08-11_00022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjRJZ1vQbNHf7rqSW7SX5JXXvWEZ4CspR28KAfBc-mn1h63_CSl8qeS3eyAZiuH0H2SkBCpYfxSW6RV-6MbBCyp0RaYHTP4CCjc6lJZ6o7pNkhI14-Xoc0MJ6j9G4tRBKXQQEPeF6q9I/s640/2015-08-11_00022.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This quest is actually pretty funny.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The gun
variety hasn’t improved since the same game and, in fact, it might have
decreased. Many weapon brand/type combinations have been removed and most
weapons feel like the same. Every Jacobs’ weapon has high damage per bullet but
consumes several bullets per shot and revolvers are pretty much gone. That
being said, there are several great designs, so no problem there. In fact, some
designs are so cool you’ll want to use the same weapon forever, even though,
thanks to the exponential scaling, it will be obsolete once you level up.</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Class
mods and relics allow for a greater degree of character customization, even
though most of them tend to suck or to only affect specific kinds of weapons.
You can get some really good ones late game though, by killing raid bosses.
Speaking of which, raid bosses can now be safely soloed if you’re overleveled
enough (just make sure you’re not in Legendary Mode). No more
glitching/exploiting to take down Crawmerax! Just get to level 65+ and brute
force them down.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">You might
be asking now, what’s “Legendary Mode”? Well, remember in the first game, you
had to go through the entire game twice to get even close to the level cap? In
BL2 you have to go through the game twice to unlock a THIRD game mode.
Legendary Mode will scale all the enemies to your level automatically and
increase their damage and accuracy. Which is great for people who enjoy higher
difficulties, as they can go through the whole game and all the DLC in
legendary mode. People who want easy or regular difficulty can play in one of
the other 2 modes. The question is: why not just make all 3 modes available
from the beginning?</li>
</ul>
<br style="text-align: justify;" />
<br style="text-align: justify;" />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkklwQ8DZDr08QctLK_paHzIyrPt3aolFawUCw9LE-ldYPiJs5-uFGilzxOK05eM_B_5mKsOk7wurUOD-OhElBovDePOfEPpZW7Kvu0EpUwPBSgOKR1jR2ycgw4sy6fLDerdlaTEAay7M/s0/2015-08-11_00051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkklwQ8DZDr08QctLK_paHzIyrPt3aolFawUCw9LE-ldYPiJs5-uFGilzxOK05eM_B_5mKsOk7wurUOD-OhElBovDePOfEPpZW7Kvu0EpUwPBSgOKR1jR2ycgw4sy6fLDerdlaTEAay7M/s640/2015-08-11_00051.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying to hard to be funny there.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The cast
is greatly improved. The main antagonist, Handsome Jack is deliciously insane,
with great voice acting to back it up. Added to the cast from the original game
(which actually have <i>personalities</i>
now), many new additions contribute for an entertaining experience throughout. Of course, there’s a catch: writing can go
from funny to cringeworthy in one line, and there can certainly be such a thing
as too many references/memes. And I trust that if you play it, you’ll soon get
to know the reason people call the game “Memelands” (or “Bordermemes”).</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">So, here
you go folks. It’s not a bad game by a long shot, and it’s really entertaining
to play with friends, and nothing can quite beat that feeling of satisfaction
of downing Terramorphous after 30 minutes of non-stop shooting and nearly
dying. Writing is pretty decent even with all the cringy parts, and there’s a
lot to do. After
all is said and done though, there’s a lot of stuff that should have been fixed
and didn’t, and a couple of things (like framerate stability) even took a step
back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">You can get
the game plus all the important story DLC for less than 20€ on steam sales.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Vithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16136785060494274024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-23995633064303359862015-10-31T12:45:00.002+00:002015-10-31T12:49:32.455+00:00Mighty Switch Force 1 & 2<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://blurbarians.blogspot.pt/2015/10/mighty-switch-force-1-2.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwIi3YvJjevmjddlwQ8WjfRDXtYK9Oy6VLKDNSyVNCOTxBbAuP2y1T3APM0Bw-Hl36YRqOuROYuVwhA8_VWWFaaSEQMIYekVyI0Ut3xKKGkkdIdN8KIKNC7_fxuMxGTZ2sgR0tA9P9c1w/s400/Might-Switch-Force-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Mighty
Switch Force is a series that managed to keep my brain entertained for quite
some time, and after buying both games on the 3DS e-shop, the puzzle speedrunning-mania
started.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Diving
straight into the action, MSF doesn’t really have much in the way of plot or
story line. A series of hooligan girls escapes from prison, and it’s up to you,
the android police <i>Patricia Wagon</i> to
recapture them. For this she will have to use a system who allows her to switch blocks that are in the foreground of the scenario to the back and vice-versa. This makes it
possible for <i>Patty</i> to clear the way
and advance, providing her with solid ground where she can stand on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPkpE1acPavCtd7nsHUDn3z6Tqj8zo3FcUNoIdEcpup68oyp8JQuSOMm6y69fXvbgDdamVvvVKLLeqdzRB-cDqJhtiY_Htb-LcmAtpmI3dwDVexmtTKYi2P3pHkzMgy3xyeWjlenoQ9U/s1600/ss_6d2650e0d245d9f1800b2b61fe9690450e55da23.600x338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGPkpE1acPavCtd7nsHUDn3z6Tqj8zo3FcUNoIdEcpup68oyp8JQuSOMm6y69fXvbgDdamVvvVKLLeqdzRB-cDqJhtiY_Htb-LcmAtpmI3dwDVexmtTKYi2P3pHkzMgy3xyeWjlenoQ9U/s400/ss_6d2650e0d245d9f1800b2b61fe9690450e55da23.600x338.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Switching blocks onto yourself is pretty counterproductive.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-GB">Every level
has five Hooligans you must find, after which your robot partner/vehicle drops
somewhere in the level, where you must meet him to finish the level and stop
the clock. The bottom screen shows a helpful radar pointing you in the
direction of the Hooligans, as well as your lives and health points.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">In the 3DS
version there are at least two different buttons mapped to the switch
mechanic. Personally I prefer the R button, since it leaves my right thumb free
for jumping and firing. <br />
The weapon, an energy gun of sorts, is mostly used to take out smaller enemies,
destroy certain blocks, and to push bigger enemies onto specific spots, where
you then use them to solve parts of the puzzles. In the second game, the energy
gun is replaced by high tech Hose, <i>à la</i>
Super Mario Sunshine. It’s used to
destroy the same type of block that can be destroyed in the first game, put out
fires and douse burning enemies. It’s also often used to pump water through
pipes, for puzzle solving purposes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Switching,
in most cases, must be used with the correct timing starting on the very first
level, and as the game advances, the timings become tighter and harder to nail.
This, aided by the fact that the levels become more confusing as new elements are added, makes sure that the difficulty ramps up throughout.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br />
And if the first game wrinkled your brain, the second does a good job of
further messing it up. More elements are added, level layouts become
bigger and more confusing and some previously existing obstacles have an
additional layer of complexity added to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Par times, however, are whats reponsible for my extended playtime: adding a bit of speedrunning into the mix, every
level has its own par time, and beating it can be quite a challenge. A lot
of memorization and good timing is necessary to clear each level (and a series of attempts), and some par times are so tight that even a minor slip can make it impossible to reach the
end fast enough. Not to mention that, as said above, the clock only stops the
moment you get to your robot partner. That being said, every time you beat the clock, you get a lot of that familiar feeling of
satisfaction, and once you beat them all you get a pretty nifty unlock, which
I’m not going to spoil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4ym0uLDcJNJxdVeY-0lxPRvdmEqAxzeqOy9d7C_uW3BKERMa-jPNqMldJCCYhKZftpV1soo_WFdTbfqibZv7XvRlh6WseUj-NK0wZB2m-jlTsJj6L4WTmN9j0v9URzWaXrvfdLFqD6w/s1600/ss_dfc8d0d0e063c8d1042c13353d56f55470c9e6c1.600x338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4ym0uLDcJNJxdVeY-0lxPRvdmEqAxzeqOy9d7C_uW3BKERMa-jPNqMldJCCYhKZftpV1soo_WFdTbfqibZv7XvRlh6WseUj-NK0wZB2m-jlTsJj6L4WTmN9j0v9URzWaXrvfdLFqD6w/s400/ss_dfc8d0d0e063c8d1042c13353d56f55470c9e6c1.600x338.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eemies take your hitpoints if touched, making things harder to manage.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-GB">Graphics
are good enough even on the 3DS version (the 3D effect is superb), and everything
looks very clean and sharp on the PC version. Design-wise, the game is as good as you might expect from Wayforward, which is to say, pretty good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The soundtrack will stay in your ear for quite a while, courtesy of Jake Kaufman (Ducktales
Remastered, Shovel Knight, Shantae: Risky’s Revenge).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Overall, a
nifty puzzle game that will make you think and think fast. If you just enjoy
leisurely solving the puzzles you can do that, but if you like the challenge of
speedrunning, there are entire communities dedicated to sharing level times and
beating others’ level times. Perfecting the levels will most likely triple the
amount of time you need to clear the game, effectively giving you more for your
money (if you’re into that sort of thing). I bought them very cheap on a sale,
but their current full price is pretty low. If you have a 3ds and like
puzzles and/or side scrolling platformers, this game is for you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Developer: WayForward<br />Platform(s): 3DS, Wii U, Steam (first game only)</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-GB"><i>(Images herein have been taken from the steam store page of the game)</i></span></div>Vithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16136785060494274024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-79014208479128692332015-05-16T16:07:00.000+01:002015-05-16T16:12:09.757+01:00Trine & Trine 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://blurbarians.blogspot.pt/2015/05/trine-trine-2.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg143qoPQk0gvTYO0ran6disyiizcbzZGee2TuyzoKj33VIqxY4EzRCfon8VdQYn3RHsUrp3532mgY9D23vJRgfoX-1Ixsjcb5N8lD27AL5nqUK2QpPE_8j0bI7lsYIihZT7WS-1_5fbKM/s640/Capture.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Three ordinary adventurers.
One legendary team.</b>
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Trine is a side-scrolling platformer
where you use the abilities of three simple-looking characters, which are
brought together by destiny, to overcome several types of obstacles, enemies and puzzles. Starting with Zoya, a treasure hu<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebd6B8cAIFasoQ-BZbV-DjtcFt4jNuNHdbGtyQAfQzM4mVk2424cJne5Vpvsky4MD2NQafJACTwU_fP_3WdoUNPS7kJMXUmkMxO4TT_Wfu6uymhVakG1nb5Og858GgNO2RnB4MNukiMo/s0/2014-10-01_00001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebd6B8cAIFasoQ-BZbV-DjtcFt4jNuNHdbGtyQAfQzM4mVk2424cJne5Vpvsky4MD2NQafJACTwU_fP_3WdoUNPS7kJMXUmkMxO4TT_Wfu6uymhVakG1nb5Og858GgNO2RnB4MNukiMo/s400/2014-10-01_00001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I ended up spending more time admiring the scenery than solving puzzles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
nter drawn to the
Astral Academy in hopes of finding wealth and power, Amadeus, your run-of-the-mill
wizard, with a bit of womanizer thrown in, and Pontius, a brave and fearless
soldier fighting for his King.<br />
<br />
After accidentally waking up
an ancient and powerful artifact, these three find themselves linked through
their souls and stuck together with it. From here on, they must discover how to
solve their new-found problem, while dealing with an already existing one: the
dead that have recently started to rise from their graves and ravaging their
kingdom.
<br />
From here on, the game plays out like a fantasy book, as you lead the trio
through danger, defeat enemies, solve puzzles, but also through beautiful
landscapes.
<br />
<br />
You control one character at a
time, and online/local multiplayer makes it so all three can be used at once.
This, however, makes the game somewhat more complicated and also more fun, as
you discuss with your friends the best ways to get through specific obstacles
and defeat stronger enemies together. When playing with friends, you can use
classic mode, which each player controlling an element of the trio, or unlimited
mode, where you can have 3 copies of the same character.
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaSf9f5Z41GgOSt4-FgpRLGMYDPKT4BnabuY3eYPv1i8WBHGymIevH_hEK6QuZ9WwmvQkFFoB0uDmX-Ejgm93GJa_VN6ldYwLfBMF1b1s1wQy1AZmykq8QmgxpAY49ykv6nucmB9p5s8Q/s0/2015-05-11_00030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaSf9f5Z41GgOSt4-FgpRLGMYDPKT4BnabuY3eYPv1i8WBHGymIevH_hEK6QuZ9WwmvQkFFoB0uDmX-Ejgm93GJa_VN6ldYwLfBMF1b1s1wQy1AZmykq8QmgxpAY49ykv6nucmB9p5s8Q/s400/2015-05-11_00030.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inventory system in the first game allows for some neat tweaks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Now that you have the basics,
it’s time for my bullet points. Below are several aspects of the game that I thought
necessary to point out, critique or compliment as I played the game:
<br />
<br />
— Characters are fleshed out in a very light way. You
get a quick background on their reasons to do whatever they are/want to do and that’s
it. While this could be a negative point, you don’t really need to know more
than what is told to you, and from then on the plot develops over the course
of the game and through their dialogue, which is pretty nice. You get just the
right amount of information to be able to enjoy the characters and their
misadventures.
<br />
<br />
— Characters are rather overpowered in the first game,
thanks to the inventory system, allowing you to equip up to 9 artefacts to each
character, improving stats or giving them health boosts (or outright giving
them a second life). There is also the fact that each character has 3 ranks on
their spells, and Amadeus in particular can summon more than twice the number
of objects in the first game when compared to the second, including floating
platforms which make it easy to bypass obstacles or reach difficult places. In
the second game you have to use several skills from the three characters in
combination to achieve the same results, making it more enjoyable.
<br />
<br />
— Oh my god, the visuals. Every plant, leaf, statue,
EVERYTHING looks absolutely wonderful. And don’t even get me started on some of
the bosses or goblins in the second game. I don’t think I ever took as many
screenshots per minute as I did in the Trine games. Back when these games came
out in 2009 and 2011 respectively, playing on Extreme settings with a good
framerate required a pretty solid rig. But seeing as my four year old GTX670 can
keep it capped pretty much all of the time, it’s not a stretch anymore.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPIaTPVUe2WbxMzWYWioC3bnzzqsWdP2qORgcW2CAAXHxsdEpwOZbZ9Nrfc20vWcjfsH0Q2lVJmc_aH_TFazK2qIYUsrfN6jbfSjuN0mTlPe-rmIZDZ3ZsHQ1dGKCm14yIPe-WK4HRiw/s0/2015-04-09_00017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPIaTPVUe2WbxMzWYWioC3bnzzqsWdP2qORgcW2CAAXHxsdEpwOZbZ9Nrfc20vWcjfsH0Q2lVJmc_aH_TFazK2qIYUsrfN6jbfSjuN0mTlPe-rmIZDZ3ZsHQ1dGKCm14yIPe-WK4HRiw/s400/2015-04-09_00017.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You rang?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
— Occasional oddity in character physics, game has its
quirks.
<br />
<br />
— Amadeus is kind of useless in boss fights. He's a wizard that can summon boxes and move objects, meaning his offensive skills are non-existent.<br />
<br />
— Having to make movements with the cursor to summon different
objects can be a headache and make the game unnecessarily hard on higher
difficulties. It would have been easier to just press a specific button for each object (there are only 3 different
objects anyways, 2 in the second game). Making said movements with a controller
using the analog stick takes even longer than with a mouse and might get
annoying after a while. In addition, the speed at which you can levitate certain
objects (due to their weight) is painfully slow.<br />
<br />
— Everything is intuitive and makes sense, puzzles are
relatively easy to solve by using simple logic or by just paying attention to
your surroundings. Obviously, you'll have to solve them faster on harder
difficulties if you don’t want to get killed. It certainly wouldn't have hurt
to have harder puzzles, though that would probably have made certain
achievements close to impossible, such as completing levels using only one
single character.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiXzFcehTL5iqegmgGy_KmH93-Nf92-Hg_CClnKB9_uriqK8a5h51KvU28kpdmO2hKJLg3oIVDM2x5bsTpsG0K8TTz9W7L9DGocn2rt8KplE46Pqo2STLFxfmisZXeFRDt7p8F4erZec/s0/2015-04-12_00012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiXzFcehTL5iqegmgGy_KmH93-Nf92-Hg_CClnKB9_uriqK8a5h51KvU28kpdmO2hKJLg3oIVDM2x5bsTpsG0K8TTz9W7L9DGocn2rt8KplE46Pqo2STLFxfmisZXeFRDt7p8F4erZec/s400/2015-04-12_00012.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great scenery adds greatly to the game's atmosphere. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
— Voice acting is wonderful, for some reason I can’t
put my finger on. Characters seem genuinely friendly and trustful towards each
other, except for the first couple of levels in the first game. Characters
(especially Amadeus) have a lot of emotion behind them so it’s easy for the
player to empathize with them, and all dialogue sounds natural and flows well.
The narrator is nice too.<br />
<br />
— Music is very fitting and relaxing. Goes with the
beautiful art and keeps you calm and focused.<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Conclusion</b>: relaxing and fun gameplay, nice music,
friendly characters and astounding visuals. If you want a nice co-op
experience, go for it. If you want a good single-player experience, go for it too.
Especially if you like platformers, puzzles, fantasy games and beautiful
scenery.<br />
<br />
<b>Final Gameplay Stats:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Trine:</b> 11 Hours played, 33 / 33 Achievements (100%)<br />
<b>Trine 2:</b> 55 Hours played, 97 / 97 Achievements (100%)<br />
<br />
<br />
Trine is developed by Frozenbyte. Other works by Frozenbyte include <i>Shadowgrounds </i>and<i> Shadowgrounds: Survivor. </i>The Trine series is available on Windows, Linux,
MacOS, PS3, PS4 and WiiU.Vithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16136785060494274024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-79601548731390980542015-05-03T22:23:00.001+01:002015-05-16T00:59:44.954+01:00Borderlands<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://blurbarians.blogspot.pt/2015/05/borderlands.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfquazZ8JhMt3SnW6537OBbkNgerEuiCmQWabiAwsY_l-JOCkLWQwE91HN6avYfEIiaX1FFEPnzniikMDOQldAd_Ut0fEIP3u7CGbQMuVHwxxo0IjqmMMK5r0G0uJwnZw0c4eE3kuzkJ8/s0/header+logo.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
When I
picked up borderlands, I was expecting an FPS with RPG elements that would be
relatively short. Boy was I wrong about that last part.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Available on: PC, PS3, X360
<br />
Genre: FPS, RPG
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxUTa4J-JWCqIEuoc6gVZytLkMg6LlSh2YARWvdGGttut4u9_aNiW0KIoUAR4KKk6z1xV_hyphenhyphendgmKbAw87fR35ePTv8HQKzo0uo6qnEyyngv0vHfjF6OGT22P_oiOha3fbJH_60Qu3NNw/s0/2015-03-03_00003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxUTa4J-JWCqIEuoc6gVZytLkMg6LlSh2YARWvdGGttut4u9_aNiW0KIoUAR4KKk6z1xV_hyphenhyphendgmKbAw87fR35ePTv8HQKzo0uo6qnEyyngv0vHfjF6OGT22P_oiOha3fbJH_60Qu3NNw/s1600/2015-03-03_00003.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Big numbers, yeeeessssss, I love me some big numbers" </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Borderlands
came out in 2009, in an attempt to mix the FPS and RPG genres. This is in no way a stretch of the
imagination, since most of the elements are already there: going through a
story mode while fighting stronger and stronger enemies and picking up better
and more badass-looking weapons. Add quest-hubs and an experience bar however,
and bam! You have an RPG hybrid.
<br />
The game begins with a short tutorial where it introduces what might be the most
annoying NPC of all time, Claptrap. And since you’ll find dozens of them along
the adventure, you might as well get used to it. The tutorial consists of brief
explanations of game elements as you encounter them for the first time. It’s
integrated in the game and it’s pretty seamless. It also doesn’t hold your hand
so much as to seem condescending, so extra points for that.
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
After suffering through an unskippable intro movie (even if you’re already on your
third playthrough), you choose your class out of 4 possible options and arrive at
Fyrestone. After getting rid of a few bandits, people suddenly open their doors
to you and start making you work your socks off, killing pretty much anything
in sight. This plot point is conveniently asserted through a virtual stalker
who, albeit being apparently omnipresent, needs you to open “The Vault”. The
Vault being the game’s ultimate objective of course, the stuff of legend, filled
with whatever you can imagine, attracting countless adventurers and
vault-hunters (like you) to the planet of Pandora.
<br />
Starting from here, the adventure goes on until the epic finale, where, you guessed it,
the vault is opened. Except, here, thanks to the wonders of DLC, the game goes
on, and on, way after the Vault‘s been dealt with. So let’s take a look at what
stood out as I played it, good or bad (no spoilers):
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
— Some good humor in some spots in the game, especially in the Knoxx DLC. Wacky
characters and some funny references.
<br />
<br />
<br />
— It feels pretty satisfying to melt enemies and bosses with insane amounts of bullets.
Ammo is abundant in the world, especially when you can cheat the RNG making it
so you always get bullets for the weapon types you want. After a while, bullets
become unnecessary if you use an Ammo Regeneration mod, making it less annoying
since you don’t have to keep looting it.
<br />
<br />
<br />
— Looting is this game’s major annoyance. Press
a button to loot an item, and then repeat the process for each other item
scattered on the ground. Certain enemies, like bosses, drop a ton of stuff,
making it so you’ll spend most of your time in Pandora looking at the ground
and looting. You can hold the loot button to execute an area loot, but the
range is extremely short and you inventory is very small, meaning you’ll stop
being able to loot items after half a dozen of these, at best.
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuPlJTvBWDZBMwo6_Nn2OMp_C3hCP5L-G0Xge2BLY4rhshg1mIOf_Fz4jhCHQTtyTDdYu_-ML_JLBEzUrsnYuHBe0JNa0li3gTWG6oHFN4eeTDmdHWkNIsKKF8OIccEw_o4rQesdS5dfY/s0/Crawmerax+drops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuPlJTvBWDZBMwo6_Nn2OMp_C3hCP5L-G0Xge2BLY4rhshg1mIOf_Fz4jhCHQTtyTDdYu_-ML_JLBEzUrsnYuHBe0JNa0li3gTWG6oHFN4eeTDmdHWkNIsKKF8OIccEw_o4rQesdS5dfY/s1600/Crawmerax+drops.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Killing the biggest boss in the game awards you with a couple of items...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
— The
loot/weapon system is a mess. Weapons have a huge array of variable stats,
including shooting speed, magazine ammo capacity, inventory ammo capacity,
damage per bullet, bullet accuracy, bullet lag (I’ll come back to this one
later) and elemental damage. The first time you play through the game, you obviously
won’t have any idea of which elements are effective against each type of enemy.
Making things worse, you can only equip
four weapons at once (late game, 2 weapons early game), meaning you will also
spend a lot of time swapping guns every time you enter a different area. No,
you don’t get to use your favorite gun all of the time. It just doesn’t work.
Also, seeing as your inventory is very small even after fully upgraded (by
saving Claptraps) most of it will be filled with guns of various types and elements
that you will need, making it so you have close to zero inventory space for
loot and have to keep running back to vending machines to sell your crap. Loot
rarity is also mostly non-functional, since, thanks to randomly assigned bonuses,
it is possible for the crappiest low level weapon be stupidly good until 20
levels later, due to RNG.
<br />
<br />
<br />
— Bullet lag. That’s right. Some genius at Gearbox thought it was a good idea to make
each type of gun have a different bullet lag. If you shoot a medium distance
object with a rifle, it will take way longer that it’s supposed to for the
bullet to reach it. Even with a sniper, it’s near impossible to hit a non-stationary
enemy at long distances. And forget about hitting moving targets with SMGs,
unless you’re literally on their faces. What were they thinking, honestly.
<br />
<br />
<br />
— Quick Travel is a blessing, but it’s not present in the Knoxx DLC, which by
coincidence, has Kilometers of highways and makes you travel for a long time every
time a mission asks you to go somewhere (very often). Also the missions tend to be repetitive and
sometimes you have to kill every boss in an enemy base every time you get a
mission to do anything in said base. Also, having to go through the base game
twice and then going through all the DLCs to reach the level cap. Also, weird
level sync where monsters are always 2-3 levels above you making them
excessively hard to kill……
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blurbarians.blogspot.pt/2015/05/borderlands.html#more" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwDZJw98anlTY5tgLe0VAwiShTeasVhJU1YDU2eCpUgnXEbABlGvcZz6eXMcZvLhopdR9Dew20zR3S2UFBfTWBw7oCnGW5D92PI6DIkoV6qQ8hgGGZrVeD4BLFAAP-eP7iH0nLvsZ9Nos/s1600/2015-03-21_00004.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's some pretty aggressive advertising right there.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
— Heavy Texture popping, especially after loadings, collision detection problems, where
a small rock or piece of metal on the floor will bring you to a grinding halt,
which means certain death against most bosses.<br />
<br />
<br />
— Most achievements involve hours of mindless grinding and some are virtually
impossible unless you use exploits or design flaws. And even then the Coliseum
achievements take several hours of uninterrupted play.
<br />
<br />
<br />
— Multiplayer scaling is weird, making every enemy have several times more health, meaning
that unless you and the other players are always focusing fire, each individual
enemy becomes near-impossible to kill, unless you have infinite ammo or an ammo
regen mod.<br />
<br />
<br />
— The FoV is console-tier, and to be honest, I have no idea how console players can play like this. it's set at 75° by default and the only way to change it is by editing INI files and setting keybinds to change it. And even after doing so, you have to keep pressing those buttons, since the game resets the FoV every time you enter/exit a vehicle, etc.<br />
<br />
<br />
So there you have it. There’s no doubt the game has a lot of problems. I haven’t found
time to start on Borderlands 2 yet, but I trust many of these issues are no
longer present in the sequel. That being said it was a fairly poor first
attempt taking into account that we’re talking about Gearbox. Buy at your own
risk.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Final Gameplay Stats</b>:
<br />
<br />
Time played: 115 Hours
<br />
Achievements: 80 / 80Vithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16136785060494274024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-32983236601403004552014-09-17T02:17:00.000+01:002015-05-16T16:12:39.448+01:00Beat Hazard Ultra<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://blurbarians.blogspot.pt/2014/09/beat-hazard-ultra.html"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-d5OmOsi-6vUFOLUdDBDl3ZZWWfiTIe6rRWj3rrDrYNlJV2VRq1oHJgPj_R0nbLSuXxw11RKmqvMtgAya6fUCL0tmf065MqPbKgwQ9xdzYEqqmcPVeKRGUaupMhrp01AhrE3hne_Wfo/s1600/header.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
What is Beat Hazard Ultra? Well, the best way to describe it would be a mix of Asteroids and Audiosurf.
Beat Hazard is a simple yet effective and addicting concept that provides endless hours of gameplay, arcade style: you control a ship and the objective, obviously, is to survive. For that you will have to keep cleaning entire armadas of enemy ships off of your screen. Nothing new here, except this time, everything depends on the soundtrack: your soundtrack.</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><i>How does it work</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGlD3hWBlrWf1Y_NchZ5OejSS4jxrbVaKt5E7gQZiNA-3KfeyoLZ-C6ejoO3ROzYVIyAVR6G7sqYUtj_PSeJUHvtL_3KQa1wMlIlfvx3o0ANwq6mH4FeaGqZG78n3GiqZR3oROsPP6fI/s0/2012-02-10_00001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGlD3hWBlrWf1Y_NchZ5OejSS4jxrbVaKt5E7gQZiNA-3KfeyoLZ-C6ejoO3ROzYVIyAVR6G7sqYUtj_PSeJUHvtL_3KQa1wMlIlfvx3o0ANwq6mH4FeaGqZG78n3GiqZR3oROsPP6fI/s0/2012-02-10_00001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Try not to die in the last fade-out seconds of a song. It's quite frustrating, especially on longer songs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Equipped with a simple file browser (and optional iTunes and FM radio support) any sound file on your computer can be another challenging level.
This has several implications: your firepower and rate of fire will be determined by loudness, so if you choose classical music you will most likely have several moments of trouble, as your screen fills up with enemies faster than you can shoot them down. Longer tunes will, of course, present a greater challenge, as you have a very limited number of lives (you can get a couple of extra ones as an unlockable perk later on). So, if you want a challenge you can load up Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and crank up the difficulty, and that’ll do the trick.</div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
How does it work
Game modes are simple, there’s regular Single Player, where you play single songs to completion (or die trying), Survival, which is the same as single player except that the game will play everything in the chosen directory until either you lose all lives or the playlist ends and Boss Rush, where a new boss is spawned on the screen every 30 seconds, and it’s your job to kill each one within that time. This last mode follows the same style as the survival mode, lasting until the game/playlist is over.</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><i>Easy on the eyes too........not!</i></b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZCKjZ-s6VgDwjpQcvANP48KnipxoooLauDfGaDPJlWLJod75asNyOv3AXhTaKMU2VyHrwkz2LTRfQyJz-WgzDN24Ryz1yzXTzxwRWz-hHvdXMpLxxND9M_OI74xHQvu0C0Mg1FXfEW0/s0/2014-08-21_00002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZCKjZ-s6VgDwjpQcvANP48KnipxoooLauDfGaDPJlWLJod75asNyOv3AXhTaKMU2VyHrwkz2LTRfQyJz-WgzDN24Ryz1yzXTzxwRWz-hHvdXMpLxxND9M_OI74xHQvu0C0Mg1FXfEW0/s0/2014-08-21_00002.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wheeeeeeeeee!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I should point out that this game is visually intensive, and as such, the first thing you see when you run the game is a photosensitive epilepsy warning. Explosions, bullets and even interface elements will flash quickly and very strongly depending, again, on loudness levels. If you find it unpleasant or too aggressive on the eyes, you just need to change the “visual intensity” option to acceptable levels. On the other hand, if you have no love for your eyesight, you can crank it up beyond the default 100%.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Recently, new DLC was added, adding a bunch of new features: for starters you now have a co-op mode, meaning you can shoot your way through your favourite song with the help of a friend. This system has room for improvement however, since, to be able to play a song with someone, both of you must have the file. There should be a streaming system of some sort, where a player would just stream the music to the other. I found that a shared Dropbox works wonders in this situation, but the streaming idea would eliminate the need for such hijinks.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<b><i>Other Thoughts</i></b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89ahbTTI4PdaTAB8GLRS8ErWaDSJFPF4xX6KFfzyIyhT0UsP7JnhzrywWxfWpEmUkP2xdO5DkbqJyAf8llOIEHCSbqFvGYfNw2365Ch4zedE9RjWxH5wkETvpXZMuDInuIJ7l5pAI-9A/s0/2014-09-12_00010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89ahbTTI4PdaTAB8GLRS8ErWaDSJFPF4xX6KFfzyIyhT0UsP7JnhzrywWxfWpEmUkP2xdO5DkbqJyAf8llOIEHCSbqFvGYfNw2365Ch4zedE9RjWxH5wkETvpXZMuDInuIJ7l5pAI-9A/s0/2014-09-12_00010.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contrary to the usual pacifist Doctor, this <i>TARDIS</i> has quite a lot of firepower.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It feels really gratifying to swipe hundreds of enemies from your screen every minute, while dodging bullets, asteroids and smaller enemies filling the screen, <i>danmaku</i> style. The game’s perk system and achievements ensure that you’ll be going through hours and hours of music and add quite a bit of variety and longevity to the game. And don’t even get me started on the Shadow Missions DLC and the ship hangar. There is definitely a lot of music to go through. Each ship has three missions associated with it and while certain missions are easy enough, certain ones require you to go through hell and preferably without dying, since in Shadow Mission mode, every death comes with a huge penalty to mission progress (with many that completely reset your progress or make you lose an entire song.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The ship hangar, as said before, has a whole bunch of pre-made ships which you can use, each with a different style of fire: some fire a single, very powerful beam straight ahead, others fire ten weak beams in ten different directions, so whatever your gameplay style, you will most likely find something that suits you. And if you don’t, well, the Steam Workshop will ensure that anything you can think of already exists and can be used as a ship. Super Sonic? Done. A <i>TARDIS</i>? No problem. Everything can be found on the workshop, from <i>Touhou</i> characters to Obama’s face. And if by chance it doesn’t exist, you can make it. As simple as that.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In conclusion, it’s a simple “Asteroids on Steroids” kind of game, a great arcade experience and pretty cheap too. Recommended.
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0xDDRXQAcs-NhW7KO4kp8mzZ7X9cekZgatwRmHv9aAlFjE-3eBqpRAPYDniB0BWgoZ3NFha94HLiq4VclJSJIdMklXM4joyoILU-0BqdIbOzrgOQhWyImj4UFvaWh-lck60Rub3jFSc/s0/2014-09-12_00018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0xDDRXQAcs-NhW7KO4kp8mzZ7X9cekZgatwRmHv9aAlFjE-3eBqpRAPYDniB0BWgoZ3NFha94HLiq4VclJSJIdMklXM4joyoILU-0BqdIbOzrgOQhWyImj4UFvaWh-lck60Rub3jFSc/s0/2014-09-12_00018.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scores can get pretty insane in long songs, even on medium levels of difficulty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>Time Played:</b></i> 40 Hours<br />
<b><i>Achievements:</i></b> 63 / 63 (100%)</div>
Vithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16136785060494274024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-44276519049813565622014-08-19T00:48:00.000+01:002014-08-19T00:48:59.675+01:00All My Puny Sorrows, by Miriam Toews<br />
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1399498886l/19246476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1399498886l/19246476.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Faber & Faber </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publication date: </b>June 5th </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages:</b> 336</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ISBN: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.1em;">9780571305285</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Synopsis</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: none; text-align: left;">
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A funny, serious and heart felt new novel about the biggest question of all.</span></span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yolanda is conflicted. Her sister Elf has battled depression for her whole adult life, and is in a psychiatric ward under permanent observation after attempting suicide - again.</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yolanda has always looked up to Elf as her talented and beautiful older sister. She loves her with a fierce passion and wants to believe in the possibility of a future together, one in which Elf gets better. But it's looking unlikely and Yolanda has to decide; if the person you love is tired of living, is it kinder just to let them go?</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">All My Puny Sorrows</i> (a line from a Coleridge poem) is written out of Miriam Toews's personal experience and is, in some ways, a grown-up version of <i style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">A Complicated Kindness</i>, the novel that catapulted Toews to her bestselling status in Canada. This story allows Toews's beguiling narrative voice - her easy, snappy, darkly comic intimacy - to sing through.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Opinion</i></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Books have been known to make me sad or angry, but very few got a tear out of me. Fewer still left me empty and lonely in the company of loved ones. Let me explain. I read </span><i style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">All My Puny Sorrows</i><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"> during family holidays: I read it in the airplane, in the car, while waiting for food at the mall, in the supermarket, in stolen moments of silence, while family chattered around me. As any reader knows, it can be difficult and annoying to read in such circumstances, when your name is called every other page for this or that. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I was too distraught to notice. I'd look up from the page, unattached to reality, answer, and get back to the book. When I finished the novel in the car after a quick meal, the emptiness lingered, tears stung in my eyes. Even the beautiful greens of the island seemed bleak. Yet, as the story sunk in, I found myself smiling. The compulsion to cry lingered, but the colours were brighter. It's that kind of book.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>All My Puny Sorrows</i> isn't a Greek tragedy. It may deal with death, depression, suicide, broken families, unfulfilled expectations, and patriarchy, but is not all about the darkness in life. It has familial love, acceptance, resilience, and humour. Oh, so much humour. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Toews does not keep it a secret that the story is at least partially autobiographical. This may explain the fantastic grasp she has on the subject matter. She perfectly depicts the wish and horrors of death and the despair and ridicule of life. She doesn't point fingers at one side of this "debate", but explains each of them so well one can't help but wholly sympathise. Yet, in laying out the recriminations often spoken to the depressed and suicidal (e.g. selfishness), she debunks them one by one so the reader can see none of them are true. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">There are no moral accusations. The issues are laid out as they are, as facts that bring feeling, and nothing more. It may hurt, but it's the way it is and there's no point in denying the facts. All that's left to do is to choose where to step: to pay the bills, not to drown in the flood, to keep a family together, not to lose a sister, to move forward.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The characters, the paths they take, and the relationships between them are nothing short of beautiful, some devastatingly so. </span><i style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">All My Puny Sorrows </i><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">is a book populated primarily by women: daughters, mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, friends, teenagers, adults, elders, divorcees, married, single, pianists, writers, dancers, etc, etc. I could go on, but you probably got the picture by now. All characters are vastly different, yet the friendship between them is unwavering. They are together through thick and thin, and weather every storm hand in hand, without judgement. What's more, this is the first book I've read where a woman feels guilty for having had many a lover in her life (sometimes simultaneously), and the women around her shake their heads and tell her there is nothing to be ashamed of, that happiness is what matters.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<i style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">All My Puny Sorrows </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">is a remarkable story, one of the best I've read this year - no, in my whole life. It is raw with emotion and full of laughter. It has plenty of food for thought (a true banquet, I'd say), and even more of hope. Because in the end, hope is all we have.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">The book in a quote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">“I learned another thing, which is that just because someone is eating the ashes of your protagonist doesn't mean you stop telling the story.”</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Tess @ Tessellated Taleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03459741229145647465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-60934210178694658332014-08-14T21:15:00.000+01:002014-08-14T21:15:24.933+01:00Copper Magic, by Julia Mary Gibson<br />
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386381129l/18490635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386381129l/18490635.jpg" width="214" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Starscape</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publication date: </b>July 1st</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages:</b> 336</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ISBN: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.1em;">9780765332110</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Synopsis</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: none; text-align: left;">
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Debut author Julia Mary Gibson explores turn-of-the-century Native American culture, ecology, and conservation, in her historical fiction novel, <i style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">Copper Magic</i>.</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The year is 1906, and on the shores of Lake Michigan twelve-year-old Violet Blake unearths an ancient talisman—a copper hand. Violet’s touch warms the copper hand and it begins to reveal glimpses of another time. Violet is certain that the copper hand is magic—and if anyone is in need of its powers, it’s Violet. Her mother and adored baby brother are gone, perhaps never to return. Her heartbroken father can’t seem to sustain the failing farm on the outskirts of Pigeon Harbor, on the shores of Lake Michigan.</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Surely the magic of the copper hand can make things right for Violet and restore her fractured family. Violet makes a wish. But her ignorant carelessness unleashes formidable powers—and her attempts to control them jeopardizes not only herself, but the entire town of Pigeon Harbor.</span></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In <i style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">Copper Magic</i>, land and waters are alive with memories, intentions, and impulses. Magic alters Violet and brings her gifts—but not always the kind she thinks she needs. First-time author Julia Mary Gibson brings Violet and her community to life in this impressive and assured debut.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Opinion</i></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">When young Violet finds a copper hand buried in the sand, she knows to be before something powerful, something </span><i style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">magical</i><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">. Wielding magic can only mean one thing: she will get what she wants: her mother and brother back, her father's trees to grow just fine, some money in her pocket, and that pretty dress she's been enamoured with. All she has to do is treat the Hand as it should, show it how nice a girl she is and it will reward her. Indeed she gets the dress and a job as an assistant to a photographer from the big city. She even gets herself a proper friend! But Violet is only a child who was never taught how to treat magical items, and the Hand and its magic are as old as the land she lives on. When Violet makes a mistake, the repercussions are beyond anything she could have imagined.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Copper Magic</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"> is a sweet tale of loss and longing, punctuated by moments of hope and something akin to happiness. It's also a book where it's hard to pinpoint the genre it belongs to. Historical due to its setting in early 20th century America? Fantasy or magical realism thanks to the copper hand's magic? Or perhaps just drama as a result of all the family problems Violet is part of? Regardless of genre, one thing is certain, it is a very good book.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The language, for one, is not only evocative of the time and setting, but also beautifully crafted. The descriptions, never too long or too short, make it easy to step into the setting of the story, both in the sense of being lost in it and in visualising it. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Another aspect that helps to pull one in is the diversity this book has of peoples, beliefs, skin colours, religions, jobs, and aspirations, without letting one of this traits define the character in question. They may help mould them, as does the setting, but everyone is more than the sum of their parts. The quantity of covered issues too (ecology, racism, religion to name only a few) is enormous, which may feel overwhelming at first. However, it is true that the "real world" is not concerned with one single topic, but with a myriad of them. Why should a book be any different?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The plot itself is fairly simple and straightforward, as it should be when told through the eyes of a child. In its simplicity, Gibson keeps an air of charm, wonder, and mystery that make turning the page inevitable. After all, just like Violet, we want to find out what the copper hand is all about, if the events that unfold are magical or mere wishful thinking, the mysteries of the waters, and most of all why her mother disappeared and left her behind. Not all questions are answered, and not all is put back in place. Yet the conclusion, just as the rest of the book feels right. Nothing else could have worked better.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">This may not be your common fantasy book (if it is fantasy), but it is most certainly one to peruse. <i>Copper Magic</i> is a brilliant debut, and I cannot wait to see what else Gibson has up her sleeve.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">The book in a quote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">Magic was full of brambles and shadows. It could help you keep to the path or it could make you lost. It could let you find berries or it could let you starve. It could eat you or seize your mind or break your bones or shelter you. The worst thing was to be afraid of it . Once you let fear take hold, fear would be the conqueror."</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Tess @ Tessellated Taleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03459741229145647465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-20644496411921343262014-08-09T14:38:00.000+01:002014-08-09T14:38:12.694+01:00Coin Heist, by Elisa Ludwig<br />
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396371220l/21819191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396371220l/21819191.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Adaptive Studios</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publication date: </b>June 10th 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages:</b> 225</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ASIN: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.239999771118164px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">B00JAGN4JO</span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Synopsis</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: none; text-align: left;">
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; outline: none;">
The last place you’d expect to find a team of criminals is at a prestigious Philadelphia prep school. But on a class trip to the U.S. Mint—which prints a million new coins every 30 minutes—an overlooked security flaw becomes far too tempting for a small group of students to ignore. United by dire circumstances, these unlikely allies—the slacker, the nerd, the athlete, and the “perfect” student—band together to attempt the impossible: rob the U.S. Mint. This diverse crew is forced to confront their true beliefs about each other and themselves as they do the wrong thing for the right reasons.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; outline: none;">
<br style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; outline: none;">
<i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #262626; font-family: Arial; outline: none;">COIN HEIST </i>is a dynamic young adult caper told from the revolving perspectives of four teens, each with their own motive for committing a crime that could change all of their lives for the better—that is, if they can pull it off.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Opinion</i></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some books have got a great idea behind it and a promising start, but still fall short. For me, <i>Coin Heist</i> was one of such cases. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">This may be a light read that one can go through very quickly, especially if one does not think much while reading it, but it also isn't that memorable. It used a number of clichés in a predictable way and, even though it's a book where the characters are said to be in constant danger of being sent off to prison, I never worried about them. Because that's the thing, we are <i>told </i>this is something huge. But is the danger shown? Not really. It seemed like they had it too easy. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">As for the writing, I've got a bit of a love/hate relationship with it. The story is told in the first person from the view points of the four main characters, all of which are easy enough to distinguish, which is obviously good. Until, of course, one notices Alice's chapters stands out too much in terms of language - she is the only one who will insert jargon in her speech. So this made me wonder: if Alice can describe relationships using mathematics, then why can't the group's athlete speak of events with sports terms? Or the musician pay close attention to the sounds they encounter? Why is only one character constantly equating her life to her passions if the others are supposed to adore their hobbies? I don't know if there is a reason for this or if the author let it slip, but it was bothering. The r</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">est of the writing was fairly alright, even if it did lack suspense greatly.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Another issue I took lay with the fact that although all characters have problematic lives, none of their personal issues was resolved. I dare say they were not even properly tackled, only mentioned. One would expect that this YA novel would at least speak more of one character's bulimia, which is only mentioned of a couple of times in passing. Seeing as plenty teenagers, the book's intended audience, suffer from eating disorders, one would hope it would be given the right treatment. Instead, it was as important as one's favourite colour. There was too much focus on the planning of the heist (which is the majority of the book) and too little of everything else.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Sadly, all of this makes the <i>Coin Heist</i> feel flatter and flatter by the page, even if it is a very easy read. It's not challenging in the slightest. It's predictable both in character, action, and consequences, so you don't need to think much of what is happening or wonder what will happen. In short, if you want to fill a couple of hours with mind-numbing entertainment, this book could do the trick. If you're looking for something more fulfilling, I'd recommend looking elsewhere.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">The book in a quote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">We were knee deep in a river of crap, and I was wearing metaphorical flip-flops."</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Tess @ Tessellated Taleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03459741229145647465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-77171429023972835472014-08-03T15:42:00.000+01:002014-08-03T15:42:00.458+01:00I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320448228l/860532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320448228l/860532.jpg" width="207" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher:</b> Vintage Classics</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"> </span></span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Publication date: </b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1948</span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </b><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages:</b> 408</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ISBN: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.239999771118164px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">0099460874</span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Synopsis</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: none; text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div style="line-height: 18px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">'This book has one of the most charismatic narrators I've ever met'</em><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;"> J. K. Rowling.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘I write this sitting in the kitchen sink’ is the first line of this timeless, witty and enchanting novel about growing up. Cassandra Mortmain lives with her bohemian and impoverished family in a crumbling castle in the middle of nowhere. Her journal records her life with her beautiful, bored sister, Rose, her fadingly glamorous stepmother, Topaz, her little brother Thomas and her eccentric novelist father who suffers from a financially crippling writer’s block. However, all their lives are turned upside down when the American heirs to the castle arrive and Cassandra finds herself falling in love for the first time… </span></span></div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<br />
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><i>Opinion</i></b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks to Cora Linn at <a href="http://teapartyprincess.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Tea Party Princess</a> for giving me a copy of this wonderful book! I will never forget your kindness.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">There are two kinds of classic books: the ones where it's hard to understand why they lived through the test of time, and the ones where you get why they do because how could they not? <i>I Capture the Castle</i> fits neatly into the second category. I'd go as far as to say that this is one of the best classics I have ever read. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">This coming-of-age tale tells the story of the eccentric, poverty-stricken Mortmain family through the eyes of Cassandra, the younger sister whose literary ambitions take her to record her family's and her lives in journals. The book itself begins when the older daughter, Rose, flings herself upon a devilish looking statue and says she'll strike a deal with Satan himself if that will deprive them of their misery. Perhaps her longing was heard then, for not much later, two wealthy American boys enter their castle for assistance with their car. One of them even has a ghastly beard and a shadow that looks like the devil's. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">When Rose decides she will do all it takes to love and be loved by one of them, it is up to Cassandra to help her sister in her endeavour, while trying to keep her family as close to sanity as possible and the house standing.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">There are no words to describe this book. Whimsical, atmospheric, witty, charming, and unique would not even begin to cover it. Indeed, I am tempted to say "just read it" and leave it there. Nothing I write here will suffice, but I will try to weave a few sentences at the very least.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">One could be tempted into thinking this is a cliché, romance story by the synopsis alone. Yet it is anything but that. The romance for Cassandra comes only much later in the book, and it is not even the most important part of it - if there even is one exclusive main point to the book, which I don't think there is. Indeed, the story deals with life in general, both the good and the bad of its many parts. Family, friends, wealth, poverty, dreams, ambitions, misjudgements, love, religion, art, disappointment, madness, memories, growing up, and so much more. What's more, it's not just Cassandra who lives through so many of life's facets. All characters do to one point or another, only making them ever more real.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I'd go as far as to say that, along with the beautifully witty language, the characters are one of the books strongest point. They are all different, eccentric in their own ways, but despite their differences, the families still share traits that show their common path. This is also reflected in their relationships, none of which are black and white, all of which are nuanced in a variety of ways. Their growth too is palpable. Not one person is the same at the end of the book as in its beginning. This is particularly true of Thomas, whom Cassandra herself can barely recognise at the end of the book, which may say more of the two siblings than of Thomas alone.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The story itself is remarkable as well. Plenty of books that deal with the daily lives of their characters become dull only too quickly. This was not the case. Despite the existence of plenty of simple days, every journal entry was fresh with not a single dispensable word. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>I Capture the Castle</i> made me laugh, smile, and tear up. It made me believe I was in an old English castle in the 20th century, and feel confused whenever I looked away from the book and found myself in the 21st century instead. It made me feel the warmth of a bonfire and the cold pattering rain. <i>I Capture the Castle</i> is more than a book or a classic. It's a friend I will gladly read again and again.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">The book in a quote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“My hand is very tired but I want to go on writing. I keep resting and thinking. All day I have been two people - the me imprisoned in yesterday and the me out here on the mound; and now there is a third me trying to get in - the me in what is going to happen next.” </span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Tess @ Tessellated Taleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03459741229145647465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-18042169352459749432014-07-20T13:16:00.001+01:002014-07-20T13:16:34.437+01:00Destruction, by Sharon Bayliss<br />
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394055899l/20996178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394055899l/20996178.jpg" width="224" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Curiosity Quills Press</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publication date: </b>April 14th</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages:</b> 250</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ISBN: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.1em;">9781620075159</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Synopsis</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.5em; outline: none; text-align: left;">
David Vandergraff wants to be a good man. He goes to church every Sunday, keeps his lawn trim and green, and loves his wife and kids more than anything. Unfortunately, being a dark wizard isn’t a choice.<br />
<br style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;" />
Eleven years ago, David’s secret second family went missing. When his two lost children are finally found, he learns they suffered years of unthinkable abuse. Ready to make things right, David brings the kids home even though it could mean losing the wife he can’t imagine living without.<br />
<br style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;" />
Keeping his life together becomes harder when the new children claim to be dark wizards. David believes they use this fantasy to cope with their trauma. Until, David’s wife admits a secret of her own—she is a dark wizard too, as is David, and all of their children.<br />
<br style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;" />
Now, David must parent two hurting children from a dark world he doesn’t understand and keep his family from falling apart. All while dealing with the realization that everyone he loves, including himself, may be evil.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Opinion</i></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">In the acknowledgements of this book, Bayliss thanks J.K. Rowling for "inspiring my love for magic and wizards... despite her biased portrayal of Slytherins." This little sentence tells more of the book than one might imagine. In a way, it feels like Bayliss has set herself the goal of turning dark magic and other Slytherin-associated traits greyer. Not that this book has a setting or magic similar to Potter. Quite on the contrary, as this is set in the American suburbs and the differences in magic lay beyond the lack of use of a wand. And, of course, instead of our righteous boy with a hero complex, we have a cheating man whose courage wavers more often than not.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Indeed, the very story begins with an act of cowardice from David. After years of looking for his old mistress and their children, they are found but not at all like David wished. The children suffered abuse ever since their father left, and as for their mother, she is, quite simply, dead. But, despite years of searching, David never told his wife what happened. Now that he is collecting his children to bring them to his home, he doesn't either. He lets his wife put two and two together instead. A coward, wouldn't you say? And yet, this is a man who shows to care deeply for his family and to be capable of doing anything for them in various accounts. Just like the rest of his family members, like every character in this book, David has both light and darkness in him.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">An interesting thing to find when one considers that the magic system in </span><i style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Destruction</i><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"> is heavily based on the concept of light versus dark, of seasons, and of a compatible incompatibility between them. As this system is explained throughout the book and I wish to keep this review spoiler free, I will only say that it is a rather interesting one that reminded me a bit of the Celts.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The story itself was engrossing and had a good pace that did not fail to make one think "just one more chapter". In spite of the existence of magic in a contemporary setting, this book does not take the common path of making it <i>about</i> the magic, about how different these characters are from anyone else, before setting them off to destroy some hidden evil wizard that is wrecking havoc without the common mortals noticing it properly. Instead, this is a story about David's family first and foremost, about their individual and family problems, and about their acceptance and learning of a magic they did not know to have.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">It is an original story in many ways, but it had one great flaw that is hard to excuse. Plenty of these characters have been abused in one way or another, yet not only do we not know how most of them were abused, but we do not see the consequences of what should be a traumatic experience for all of these characters. They mostly seem to shrug it off and move on the next day. One character in particular comes to mind.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Nonetheless, <i>Destruction</i> was an interesting read that did a great job at showing that magic is not light or dark, even when it seems it can only go one way. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">The book in a quote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">We do not believe that light exists in spite of darkness. We believe that light exists because of it."</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Tess @ Tessellated Taleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03459741229145647465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-76176736454123523562014-07-15T20:40:00.000+01:002014-07-15T20:40:34.998+01:00The Boy with the Porcelain Blade, by Den Patrick<br />
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390488844l/19106050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390488844l/19106050.jpg" width="208" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Gollancz</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publication date: </b>March 20th</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages:</b> 336</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ISBN: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18.239999771118164px;">057513383X</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18.239999771118164px;"> </span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Synopsis</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">An ornate yet dark fantasy, with echoes of Mervyn Peake, Robin Hobb and Jon Courtenay Grimwood. An original and beautifully imagined world, populated by unforgettable characters.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">Lucien de Fontein has grown up different. One of the mysterious and misshapen Orfano who appear around the Kingdom of Landfall, he is a talented fighter yet constantly lonely, tormented by his deformity, and well aware that he is a mere pawn in a political game. Ruled by an insane King and the venomous Majordomo, it is a world where corruption and decay are deeply rooted - but to a degree Lucien never dreams possible when he first discovers the plight of the 'insane' women kept in the haunting Sanatoria.</span><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><br style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">Told in a continuous narrative interspersed with flashbacks we see Lucien grow up under the care of his tutors. We watch him forced through rigorous Testings, and fall in love, set against his yearning to discover where he comes from, and how his fate is tied to that of every one of the deformed Orfano in the Kingdom, and of the eerie Sanatoria itself.</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Opinion</i></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received a copy of this book through Goodreads for an honest review.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">When Lucien turns seventeen, the time comes for his last test. Although he was not told what it would entail, he never expected to be told to fight three men to the death. One of which, a friend. With reluctance, he fights, but when he enrages Superiore Giancarlo di Fontein, not only does he shatter his lifelong dream of joining House Fontein, but he is forced to flee, and the world is set aflame.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Lucien's story is told through the narration of both Lucien's past and present, with each chapter of the past setting up whatever will happen in the present, a clever way to further explain the plot, the characters' motivations, and the world itself. However, there were times when the past chapters felt unnecessary and serving the purpose of keeping the balance between each type of chapter.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Perhaps this is why the mood of the book in a whole shifted so many times. It began with a fantastic </span><i style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Locke Lamora</i><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"> vibe, dwindled to a gothic ambience, slipped to a fantasy feeling, and turned into a science fiction atmosphere. While by themselves, the genres are awe inspiring, in </span></span><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>The Boy with the Porcelain Blade</i>, it just felt like Patrick did not know which way to turn and decided to make a salad without mixing up the ingredients properly, and then decided to say the book had a heavy political backdrop when this is rarely played out. This is a debut novel, though, so I wouldn't expect Patrick to repeat this in future books. If he does, there is still much to be applauded.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">One of which is the deliciously morbid worldbuilding and the characters. The Orfano, childreen and teenagers who die before reaching adulthood, are all misshapen in... curious ways. Lucien was born without ears, Golia has poisonous spines in his arms, Dino cries tears of blood, and Anea... I'll let you find out about her deformity. All these children are orphans, they all know the likelihood they'll live long is small, and they are all willing to fight to survive. The explanation for them being so was one I did not expect. As this is a spoiler free review, let me just say that it's not a path I had seen taken in books of this genre, and it works splendidly.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<i style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The Boy with the Porcelain Blade </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">is the first book in a promising series, but am I going to pick up the second? With so many books out there calling for my attention, the answer might be a no. Although the dark tones were superb and little of the world has been explored, the story feels wrapped up to me. I might change my mind if the synopsis intrigues me enough, though, so we'll see. Regardless, Den Patrick is certainly an author to keep an eye on. I doubt this is the best he can and will give. </span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">The book in a quote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">""You need to stop being clever."<br />"Stop? I'm not sure I ever started.""</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Tess @ Tessellated Taleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03459741229145647465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-88398233772674193982014-07-11T15:03:00.000+01:002014-07-11T15:09:32.939+01:00To the Moon (PC)<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7AQwjGhs9pmQsxbXOEkEjSP5Ne-ZsQIN0fvYFBOCpZhGwCPlsiW_8sTcfSGll0WiOr2GPaBREMCFJrmMxe0ks_gkuRMzS0UbZ_1An-gS7U8aMadXiPFTuztwmQaQ37yobeUWCWpZ0bM/s1600/I4J0Y.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7AQwjGhs9pmQsxbXOEkEjSP5Ne-ZsQIN0fvYFBOCpZhGwCPlsiW_8sTcfSGll0WiOr2GPaBREMCFJrmMxe0ks_gkuRMzS0UbZ_1An-gS7U8aMadXiPFTuztwmQaQ37yobeUWCWpZ0bM/s0/I4J0Y.jpg" height="284" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the last
few years, pixelated games seem to have made a pretty strong comeback, much to
the delight of older gamers, who fondly remember the 8/16-bit gems of ages
past. And yet, even in the middle of this pixel revolution, the name <i>RPG Maker</i> still seems to carry a
negative connotation strong enough to keep many potential players at bay. This is where <i>To the Moon</i> comes in.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Made by <i>Freebird Games, To the Moon </i>is pretty
much a story-driven game. Truth be told, the gameplay is very simple, and it
consists of walking around in a 2D world looking for objects and talking to
characters, which…sounds like every RPG ever. However, save for a humorous
moment near the start of the game, there is no battling in here.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB">Lunacy<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">In the not-to-distant
future, science has created a machine capable of replacing real memories with
fabricated ones. However, since this technology is much too dangerous to the
recipient, it is only used in people at the end of their lives. If someone
wishes they had lived a different life, then that someone’s memories are copied
into a computer, manipulated according to the person’s desire and then uploaded
back into the person’s brain, replacing the existing ones. This is where our
two intrepid scientists, Eva and Neil come in. They have been called by Johnny,
an old man in his deathbed. And Johnny’s wish is, of course…to go to the moon.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB">Quantum Leap<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWV6d4kSWSlLKn-TVGDgh1QiqhLDibrfCf0kwGVaG135HkdCuWGOY5yGuvibZ7gxQ2jwpF0EgyOTcqshXujgQOVZQcbZNi9abZbq-RlmZMb50XFnlRg-GrMudpNE803SRTrPbnQ8yz4XI/s1600/to+the+meewn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWV6d4kSWSlLKn-TVGDgh1QiqhLDibrfCf0kwGVaG135HkdCuWGOY5yGuvibZ7gxQ2jwpF0EgyOTcqshXujgQOVZQcbZNi9abZbq-RlmZMb50XFnlRg-GrMudpNE803SRTrPbnQ8yz4XI/s0/to+the+meewn.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The further back you go, the worse it gets. Emotionally, that is.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">So, to
fulfill a person’s wish, Eva and Neil must go back to a point where they may
alter the course of that person’s history, which is often early in life. The
problem is, the starting point is the person’s most recent memories, and since
older memories fade away with time, to be able to reach far enough, you will
need to perform memory leaps, each leap taking you further back into the past.
To perform leaps you will need to find memory links, which are key objects that
may be used to trigger older memories. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">So, the
game comes down to this: you control Neil and Eva in turns, as you navigate
Johnny’s life, except backwards. This brings me to one of the game’s aspects
that hit me the hardest.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">We all know
that it takes a while to warm up to a person, and <i>To the Moon</i> does a great job of pushing your (emotional) buttons
the right way. At first, Johnny’s life seems really ordinary and bland, he has
a wife, he has his problems and worries and he goes on. But as you keep
progressing through the game (and through Johnny’s life) you soon realize that
you are watching a train wreck backwards. The more you warm up to Johnny, the
worse his life gets, meaning that every major event will hit you harder than
the previous one. This keeps going until the end, where everything that you
didn’t want to happen starts to happen, and you start to feel like you don’t
want to watch the rest of the train wreck, while at the same time being really
expectant as to how everything unfolds. And that’s all that I’ll say.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5MEXlOdH-jU9k9okAz1Gx5z5xylHfCvATO1y3zhx2hzEFbHGkQ-XISw_0URJrAbgTVqmMJQ_EwV9nKIVDMaBRM0rmvC9hmaQyNQxSmIyUTTTvfEZhBK_hQkvz9-4eY_Dqe4rU4hjju5c/s1600/to+the+meewn+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5MEXlOdH-jU9k9okAz1Gx5z5xylHfCvATO1y3zhx2hzEFbHGkQ-XISw_0URJrAbgTVqmMJQ_EwV9nKIVDMaBRM0rmvC9hmaQyNQxSmIyUTTTvfEZhBK_hQkvz9-4eY_Dqe4rU4hjju5c/s0/to+the+meewn+4.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For those who already finished the game, this <br />
lighthouse might trigger some memories as well...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">There are
also several memorable moments of humour in the game, both silly and smart, as
well as several references to other games or movies. The puzzles are simple and
the game is pretty straightforward. Bonus points for what I found to be a great
soundtrack, specially taken into account that this is an RPG Maker game. Vocals
are done by a <i>Youtuber</i> that I have
known for a while, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/supershigi" target="_blank">Laura Shigihara</a>, and the soundtrack is bundled with the game
and you can fetch it from the game folder, both in MP3 and FLAC format. The
game also includes a short extra episode, also located in the game folder,
which shows Eva and Neil, some time after the events of <i>To the Moon,</i> reflecting about whether what they do is right or not,
and developing their relation a bit more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB">To the Conclusion<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">That being
said, the game does have some rough edges. Being an RPG Maker game, it has all
the flaws inherent to a game of the kind, such as low resolution, forced
fullscreen mode, no graphical options whatsoever and a wacky support for
controllers. It’s also difficult to say which object you can or cannot walk
through at several points in the game. Even though the game only uses keyboard
prompts, I played through it using the Xbox360 controller, and had a hard time
getting used to the fact that unless I was pointing the analog perfectly in one
direction, the character would sometimes wander in different directions. The
fact that the d-pad did nothing didn't help either. </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jPeyPT7QEkjMA_-hzoifmys5Q2AtwikDHNkZi6XBv3lzsDjiZStr5arSHkcMmjw062unNktyJEuiiQixrA5lRvezHx95XlY9MHHC911MBjofXY3myrTmNlL1zDbuwfhmktHFymWx7Nk/s1600/to+the+meewn+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jPeyPT7QEkjMA_-hzoifmys5Q2AtwikDHNkZi6XBv3lzsDjiZStr5arSHkcMmjw062unNktyJEuiiQixrA5lRvezHx95XlY9MHHC911MBjofXY3myrTmNlL1zDbuwfhmktHFymWx7Nk/s0/to+the+meewn+5.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...or maybe this paper rabbit...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">If you like
heavily story-driven games and emotional stories then play this. If what you
want is gameplay to last you for hours, you might want to go look for something
else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
And since,
as always, I don’t like to read reviews by people who barely play the games
either, here are my stats:</div>
<span lang="EN-GB"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB">
<b></b></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b><b><i>Time
Played:</i></b> 5 Hours</b></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB"><b>
</b>
<b></b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b><b><i>Achievements:</i></b>
1/1 (100%)</b></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB"><b>
</b><b></b></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<span lang="EN-GB"><b>
</b></span>Vithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16136785060494274024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-74586483847217348342014-07-09T00:44:00.000+01:002014-07-09T00:44:10.980+01:00Chasers of the Wind, by Alexey Pehov<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388031580l/18490614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388031580l/18490614.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Tor Books</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publication date: </b>June 17th</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages:</b> 400</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ISBN: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">9780765334893</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Synopsis</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
Centuries after the disastrous War of the Necromancers, the Nabatorians, aligned with the evil necromancers of Sdis, mount an invasion of the Empire. Luk, a soldier, and Ga-Nor, a Northern barbarian, are thrown together as they attempt to escape the Nabatorian hordes and find their way back to their comrades.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
Gray and Layan are a married couple, master thieves who are hiding out and trying to escape their former gang. They hope to evade the bounty hunters that hound them and retire to a faraway land in peace.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
Tia is a powerful dark sorceress and one of The Damned—a group trying to take over the world and using the Nabatorian invasion as a diversion.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
Unfortunately, for Gray and Layan, they unwittingly hold the key to a powerful magical weapon that could bring The Damned back to power.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
Hounded by the killers on their trail and by the fearsome creatures sent by The Damned, Gray and Layan are aided by Luk and Ga-Nor—and Harold, the hero of The Chronicles of Siala. Realizing what’s at stake they decide that, against all odds, they must stop The Damned.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
<i style="outline: none;">Chasers of the Wind </i>is the first book in a new series from internationally bestselling author Alexey Pehov.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Opinion</i></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; outline: none;">Chasers of the Wind </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; outline: none;">has all the elements for a high fantasy book: magic and magical creatures, a panoply of races and species, action and mystery. And yet, I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was reading a Dungeons and Dragons inspired story. Now don't take me wrong, I love tabletop RPGs with a passion. It may be silly for outsiders - adults acting like sword bearers and magic wielders, breathing everything as if their character was a living part of their lives -, but that's the thing. The secret for it to work lies in making you forget you're playing pretend and to believe you're living the story. This novel did not manage to do that. If anything, I kept expecting an interruption from the game master telling everyone to take down damage points and roll their d20s. It only felt less like an RPG by the end of the book, which, coincidentally, was when I started to care for the characters.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; outline: none;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; outline: none;">And why do I say that? First of all, there's the fact that the language itself is not one to weep tears of joy over. Possibly because this is a translated book and many of the phrasings felt chunky. Then there's the excess of notes between brackets to explain what this drink or that place is (I don't know if this came with or without the translation), and the PoV changes from third to first person when Gray was in focus, which, quite frankly, annoyed me as they happened mid-chapter quite often.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; outline: none;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; outline: none;">Speaking of Gray, our fugitive assassin, there's something else that lacked realism. Gray and Weasel, or Ness and Layen, have been wedded for many a year. He has seen her do magic multiple times, and knows that there is something unnatural about her Gift and that she is hiding much about her past. Yet, it's not until this adventure of theirs starts that he asks questions. What's more, he still believes in many lies the populace spread about Layen's kind. One would think they had had enough time to dispel such falsehoods from his mind, even without spilling all her secrets.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; outline: none;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">It's not, however, a bad novel. The worldbuilding was carefully planned, and it is clear that the conflict that plays as backdrop to the story (a centuries long war between Nabatorians and the Empire) is no idle threat and has been going on for as long as it was mentioned. Intrigue is something else that this book does not lack. If this was not the first book in a series, I would be enraged at how many questions were left unanswered. The cliffhanger did not help there either.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; outline: none;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; outline: none;">The different forms of magic were interesting as well. I wish more of it had been explained during the course of the book. Having the Damned, six sorcerers of enormous power and age, sporting names of diseases definitely sparked my interest. If that is not a hint to something grand happening, I do not know what it is.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; outline: none;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; outline: none;"><span style="outline: none;">In the end, </span><i style="outline: none;">Chasers of the Wind </i><span style="outline: none;">is an good take on the high fantasy genre with beautifully written relationships and solid worldbuilding. It would just require a better translation. Oh, and of course, more female characters. Those that existed may have been well rounded, but they were far too few when compared to the number of men. A little boost there would be brilliant. As would some more of Luk and Shen, but the need of their presence is for the author to decide. Now let's see where the second book takes us.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">The book in a quote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;">"<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I call people like you 'chasers of the wind.' You chase after it blindly, but what will you do once you find it? Not one of you thinks about where that search will lead you. You may find something completely different than what you are looking for and, instead of catching the wind, you'll get lost in the storm. Are you ready to meet it face to face?"</span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Tess @ Tessellated Taleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03459741229145647465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-13127590207789123462014-06-22T00:45:00.000+01:002014-06-22T00:45:52.406+01:00The Mark of the Tala, by Jeffe Kennedy<br />
<a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/netgalley-covers/cover46091-medium.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/netgalley-covers/cover46091-medium.png" width="211" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Kensington Books</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publication date: </b>May 27th</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages:</b> 352</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ISBN: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">9780758294432</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Synopsis</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
The tales tell of three sisters, daughters of the high king. The eldest, a valiant warrior-woman, heir to the kingdom. The youngest, the sweet beauty with her Prince Charming. No one says much about the middle princess, Andromeda. Andi, the other one.</div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
Andi doesn't mind being invisible. She enjoys the company of her horse more than court, and she has a way of blending into the shadows. Until the day she meets a strange man riding, who keeps company with wolves and ravens, who rules a land of shapeshifters and demons. A country she'd thought was no more than legend--until he claims her as its queen.</div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
In a moment everything changes: Her father, the wise king, becomes a warlord, suspicious and strategic. Whispers call her dead mother a traitor and a witch. Andi doesn't know if her own instincts can be trusted, as visions appear to her and her body begins to rebel.</div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
For Andi, the time to learn her true nature has come. . .</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Opinion</i></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's a tale as old as time. Three sisters are born to a King. One a strategist fighter, one an angelical beauty, and one invisible. Andromeda, or Andi, is the latter, something she has never minded. Nobody ever expects much from a wallflower. Indeed, while the eldest learns how to rule the kingdom, and the youngest marries a prince, Andi is left to her own devices, living at the sway of the current. Until she meets a stranger in the woods, with hounds as companions, who means to take her away. She flees, but that brief contact is enough for her world to change. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Suddenly, her father deems her a traitor, an object that belongs to him and him alone. She learns to have been promised to the stranger from the woods long before she had been born, a stranger who happens to be the ruler of a people heard of only in myth: the Tala, ravenous shapeshifters, wielders of dark magic. The king sends her away to keep her hidden. But despite every precaution to shield her, Andi knows that not even being a wallflower will keep him from finding her.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">In the beginning of my teenage years, Fantasy Romance was one of my favourite genres, but as time passed by, my preferences shifted to other types of books. It has been a few years since I last read a Fantasy Romance novel. In a way, <i>The Mark of Tala</i> felt like returning home.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The story has your basic Fantasy Romance elements: a female protagonist who is more powerful than she ever thought, a mysterious love interest whom the protagonist refuses to fall for but can't stop thinking of, lusting after the enemy, a few not that necessary sex scenes (but not all, some were needed for the plot), and, of course, secrets. In this, the book is not exactly revolutionary. Nonetheless, it succeeds in the genre. Well, more or less. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">You see, until the beginning of the said sex scenes, the book read like a Young Adult novel. The presence of such scenes came as a bit of a shock.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">But that is hardly its biggest fault. That, I would say, goes to a wobbly pacing and a much too quick resolve of a number of important matters. Another issue I had was that, even though Andi often points out that romance needs not be between a man and a woman, there is no non-heterosexual couple in the story. However, it may be a promise of LGBTQ+ characters to come in the following books of the trilogy. I have my fingers crossed.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I also found it a shame that the author did not delve deeper into the worldbuilding of the Tala. The magic system, the shapeshifting, their culture, and the world they live in itself seems to be truly interesting, and fresh in many ways. The contrast between the way of the Tala and of Andi's people is clear and powerful. Nonetheless, I feel like there wasn't enough exposition of it to make Rayfe's world as black and white as Andi's. Hopefully that will change in the following novels.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">One thing you need in a Fantasy Romance novel is a strong voice. Andi has it. Despite a wide number of indecisions and some odd patterns of thought, she does not shy away from narrating her thoughts, for better or worse. She told the story in a way that, even when disagreeing with her, it's hard not to be sucked into the book and want to turn another and another page so it's hard to keep track of time.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>The Mark of Tala</i> is not ground-breaking, but it makes for a fun light read that is very hard to put down. I barely ever did.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">The book in a quote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Loyalty, like love, is based on trust and belief. I will always be loyal to my homeland and to people who live there. There is good and bad, true, but they are worthy of my belief.</span><span style="text-align: justify;">"</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Tess @ Tessellated Taleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03459741229145647465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-10032878181887973282014-06-17T23:55:00.000+01:002014-06-17T23:55:16.893+01:00The Fifth Voice, by Paul Connolly<br />
<a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/netgalley-covers/cover46855-medium.png" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: right; float: right; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/netgalley-covers/cover46855-medium.png" width="208" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Silverwood Books</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>First publication date: </b>April 16th</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages:</b> 288</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ISBN: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9781781321195</span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Synopsis</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">The lives of four singers are far from harmonious. Danny’s marriage is on the rocks, while Vince is struggling with a debilitating illness. Henry is having a mid-life crisis, and Neil is at war with his father. But when they sing together none of that matters. Because something magical happens. </span><br style="outline: none; text-align: left;" /><br style="outline: none; text-align: left;" /><span style="text-align: left;">On a mission to compete against the best quartet singers in Britain, they turn to veteran entertainer, Ken, who inspires them to discover a curious vocal technique called The Fifth Voice. </span><br style="outline: none; text-align: left;" /><br style="outline: none; text-align: left;" /><span style="text-align: left;">Over the course of a year and several adventures, they make discoveries about the power of music and friendship that help each of them shape the rest of their lives. And when they eventually find The Fifth Voice, they discover a prize much greater than the one they imagined. </span><br style="outline: none; text-align: left;" /><br style="outline: none; text-align: left;" /><span style="text-align: left;">'The Fifth Voice' is a poignant and comic tale of four lives and a single passion.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Opinion</i></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The Fifth Voice </i>tells the story of Danny, Henry, Neil, and Vince, four British men whose passion for barbershop singing is enough to alight friendship and keep their problems at bay. For Danny, his wife's one night of infidelity years ago. For Henry, the destruction of his workplace and a wife he doesn't see eye-to-eye with. For Neil, not being the achieving heterosexual son his father wanted him to be. For Vince, the progress of multiple sclerosis. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">It begins when Danny joins Vince's workplace, when the two become friends and the latter drags Danny to a meeting of his a capella group, when the four men sing together for the first time, when they decide to become a quartet and take their talent to the national barbershop championships.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">It's been a while since I last wanted to finish a book so quickly, since it took me so much effort to plough through a relatively short book. By the middle of it, I was reading it for the sole reason of writing this review, and making sure that whatever I pointed out here wouldn't be undone in the last one hundred and so pages.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">My first problem with this book lies in something quite simple. From start to finish, the author barely applies the writing principle "show, not tell". He tells us how nervous the characters are, how hurt they feel. He doesn't show us trembling hands and hollow eyes. Even the actions, a good portion of which were certainly not needed in the story, are written as if they were nothing but routine. It's hard to properly feel for the characters when the writing feels, quite honestly, dull. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Meanwhile, the dialogue wavered greatly in quality. It would vary from pleasantly witty banter (mostly in the form of Vince) to monologues that did not feel truthful at all. At times, it felt like Connolly was trying too hard.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">As for the characters, I do commend the author for including some diversity in his book, namely in Neil and Newton Burns, two homosexuals, and in Vince, who did not let MS and the occasional use of a wheelchair get him down. Their voices were also very distinct and they seemed to be well rounded. However, what he did for the men was not enough to surpass his treatment of women. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Women who were nothing but props for the men's tales. The few times Connolly wrote in their point of view, the women spoke of very little but the men they were attached to. They never even spoke to another female. The only instant of some female communication is when Neil's mother is said to be writing an email for a nameless friend. Nothing more. They don't have issues of their own, or if they do, nothing that can't be cured with smiles and kisses from their husbands, boyfriends or sons. I was, quite frankly, appalled. I don't think I've ever read a book where I felt like all women were nothing but objects and plot devices.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">In short, <i>The Fifth Voice</i> is an unexceptional book whose one positive point is the obvious love the author has for the subject. If you're looking for a light read with plenty of musical and British jokes, you might enjoy this. However, I dare say there's much better out there.</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">The book in a quote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">"You start with four individual voices, but when those voices lock perfectly together, they become one voice, and that's what your audience should hear. One unified, harmonious voice."</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Tess @ Tessellated Taleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03459741229145647465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-500376784409970322014-06-13T18:13:00.001+01:002014-06-13T18:29:45.326+01:00Pandemic <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://hex19.com/storage/article-images/pandemic-2013-box-art-full.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1358235563702" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://hex19.com/storage/article-images/pandemic-2013-box-art-full.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1358235563702" height="200" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: http://www.trollandtoad.com/</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Players:
2-4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Duration:
45 minutes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Style: cooperative<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Year: 2008<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Price:
$39,99<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Designer: Matt
Leacock<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Publisher: <a href="http://zmangames.com/product-details.php?id=1246">Z-ManGames</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US">The
might of the CDC!</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Atlanta,
Georgia. The Center for Disease Control receives dreadful news: four viruses
are spreading at an alarming speed! It’s their job – and yours, as members of
the taskforce – to limit worldwide casualties and prevent a true pandemic! In
this cooperative game, players must work together and coordinate their specific
skills, in a race against the clock and the board itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Designed by
Matt Leacock and published firstly by Z-Man Games, this popular game is the
first of the cooperative kind that I played, and I earnestly recommend it as an
introduction to this style of play. Pandemic is incredibly flexible,
accommodating less experienced players as well as veterans. A strong gaming
group will welcome a change of pace from competition-heavy games, and families
will gather everyone around the table to brainstorm the fastest and most
effective way to put out the overwhelming outspreads of disease across the
globe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US">Disease
and cure</span></i></b><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb421/GamerChrisNorwood/GamerChris/Games%20-%202013%20February/DSC_0329_zps1d809e80.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb421/GamerChrisNorwood/GamerChris/Games%20-%202013%20February/DSC_0329_zps1d809e80.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: gamerchris.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Pandemic
might appear complex to newcomers, but after a couple games, everyone understands
how the basic mechanics work. It can be explained fairly quickly to casual
tabletop gamers, though for a little less seasoned players I would advise a
simplified version first (which I propose at the end of this review). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">But let’s
not get ahead of ourselves; how does it even work? On the board, there is a
world map with some nations' capitals represented, and their communication
routes. These lines indicate how players can move, but all the same, how
disease can spread. At the start of the game there are three cities with three
disease markers, three with two markers and the last three with one marker. Each
turn includes a series of actions that change the state of the game – player
actions, and infection spread –, like so:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"> 1 – The active player firstly performs four
actions, that include moving, treat populations, trade cards, build research
centers and research a cure<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">2 – After
his action phase is over, the player draws a card to his hand. Note that a
player cannot have more than 7 cards in his hand at any time, so it’s mandatory
to discard extras. If there is no card to be drawn from the player deck at this
point, well… game over!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">3 – A card
is drawn from the infection deck and a cube is placed in the corresponding city,
to simulate infection outspread.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">This is the
basic order alright, but some variations occur throughout the game. First of
all, a city can’t have more than 3 cubes of the same disease. If a new cube is
to be placed there, that source of disease spreads and every city connected to
it gets one cube. The epidemic counter has to be moved for every city that
gives rise to an epidemic, and if the counter reaches 10, the viruses win and
the CDC gets nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Perhaps the
most important game-changer element is phase 2 of the turn. In it you have not
only the city cards you very desperately need, but special cards designed to
help you out of trouble. Although, not all of them – the dreaded epidemic card might
as well come into play! Pandemic players would no doubt tell you tales of the
fear that strikes them at times, the fear of drawing that card themselves and
inviting the team’s rage. An epidemic
card doesn’t count towards the hand limit because it goes immediately into
effect. It serves as a promoter and accelerator of the game, making everything
harder to manage for a while. The bottom city of the deck is drawn and gets
three disease cubes (or as many as it takes for it to get to the max and cause
spread), the draw card indicator is moved once to the right and the discard
pile is shuffled and placed at the top, which means cities that were already
infected might be stricken again very, very soon!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://radioreviewsblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/pd_player_cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://radioreviewsblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/pd_player_cards.jpg" height="191" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: radioreviewsblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/pd_player_cards.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">How, then,
can you defeat these terrible odds? By having your scientists find a cure! A
cure is this wonderful weapon that allows you to treat cities faster, eradicate
diseases and, most importantly, win the game! For that you generally need 5
cards of that disease colour to use in a research center, (though the Scientist
can do it with only 4). Cure the four deadly strains, and the world is saved!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US">Thumbs
up<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Games are
an entertainment, a pass-time, and we play them because they are fun. Pandemic
is not only incredibly fun, as anyone can tell from a glance over a match, as
it is engaging. It’s too easy to keep on playing, telling yourself that next
time, for sure, you’ll win. Every player, willingly or not, ends up getting
inside everyone else’s shoes to see what’s the best course of action, and the
dialogue is endless. Fun can seem like a very basic factor, a sort of “that
goes without saying” aspect in a game, but it’s not that easy to manufacture.
The enjoyment in Pandemic is caused, greatly, by the way that it works, reason
why I feel like the big, bright, golden award should be given to its mechanics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">It’s quick
paced, flowy and varied, not overly simple or overly complicated. And the luck
factor kicks in whenever you feel like the game is becoming predictable. All of
this, together with the random character roles, random starting epidemics and
three levels of difficulty, contribute to an outstanding replayability value.
And trust me, the more frantic a game is, the more fun you’ll be having!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US">...Meh</span></i></b><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">This
section is about to be incredibly small because Pandemic is, truly, an
incredible game that you can just enjoy eternally. I will say I was expecting cute figures of the
characters instead of bland tokens, and that could add a little flavor to the board.
I also found that the cards in this edition get worn out very quickly so it
might be a good idea to waste some time sleeving them up. Finally, if you don’t
like external influence, look out, because the audience in the back will
definitely try to weigh in their own strategies!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-US">Spicin'
it up!</span></i></b><span lang="EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Tired of
the original Pandemic and can’t get an expansion for it? Just starting and the
rules feel overwhelming? Whatever the case might be, here are my suggestions to
make it more personal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US">The
starter:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Play without character roles and without
hiding your hand of cards. For those that are still getting the hang of the
game, this version puts everyone on equal ground and relies only on the basic
rules. It is particularly useful to teach younger players what their several movement
options are, based on their hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Clean
World:</span></b><i><span lang="EN-US"> </span></i><span lang="EN-US">Have you
defeated the game countlessly in hard mode? … doubt it. But if you still want
it to step up, try this custom hardcore version that is only won after
eradicating all four diseases. You’ll need to be extra fast, extra cautious and
extra lucky, if curing is not good enough for you, because the time-limits are
exactly the same, and you can only get so many turns before the cards run out!</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Mianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01111937692028957265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-38728799837249068402014-06-10T21:07:00.000+01:002014-06-10T21:07:08.024+01:00Thief's Magic, by Trudi Canavan<br />
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388469030l/17302559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388469030l/17302559.jpg" width="198" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Orbit</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>First publication date:</b> May 13th</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages:</b> 528</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ISBN: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">9780748132379</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Synopsis</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">In a world where an industrial revolution is powered by magic, Tyen, a student of archaeology, discovers a sentient book in an ancient tomb. Vella was once a young sorcerer-maker, until she was transformed into a useful tool by one of the greatest sorcerers of history. Since then she has been gathering information, including a vital clue to the disaster Tyen’s world faces.</span><br style="line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><br style="line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><span style="line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">Elsewhere, in a land ruled by the priests since a terrible war depleted all but a little magic, Rielle the dyer’s daughter has been taught that to use magic is to steal from the Angels. Yet she knows from her ability to sense the stain it leaves behind that she has a talent for it, and that there are people willing to teach her how to use it, should she ever need to risks the Angels’ wrath.</span><br style="line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><br style="line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><span style="line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">Further away, a people called the Travelers live their entire lives on the move, trading goods from one world to another. They know that each world has its own store of magic, reducing or increasing a sorcerer’s abilities, so that if one entered a weak world they may be unable to leave it again. Each family maintains a safe trading route passed down through countless generations and modified whenever local strife makes visiting dangerous. But this is not the only knowledge the Travelers store within their stories and songs, collected over millennia spent roaming the universe. They know a great change is due, and that change brings both loss and opportunity.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Opinion</i></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">In a world where industry is rapidly draining all magic, Tyen, an archaeology and sorcery student, discovers Vella, a conscious book bound from the body of a woman. Though obligated to give his findings to the Academy, he hesitates to hand in Vella. There is much he must teach her, much he can learn. Scarcely did he dream this small action will be the beginning of a life-changing adventure that will challenge everything he once held true.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Meanwhile, in a world where magic is scarce, Rielle, a dye maker's daughter, is kidnapped by someone who dared to use magic, a tainted. When she helps the priests catch the tainted man, she both has her five minutes of fame and begins to fear walking alone on the streets. Her family always forgets to send her an escort and so, a painter takes it upon himself to walk her. But there is more to his actions and words than charity. Thanks to them, Rielle will never be the same.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I have always meant to read a Trudi Canavan novel, so I was nothing but ecstatic to be given the opportunity to read this ARC. It took only a page for me to see how much I've been missing out on. Anything I may write from here on will not suffice to describe how wonderful this book is.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Canavan is a master of worldbuilding. In this story, a number of different worlds are explored for different durations of the novel. Although there are some parallels between some (both Tyen's and Rielle's worlds treat women as if they were worth less than men, for example), they are clearly different in geography, climate, culture, history, beliefs, technology, politics, clothing, etcetera. What's more, neither of these lands is treated as if they were worth more than the other. Both have strengths and faults, and both are equally rich.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Although it was the worldbuilding that I enjoyed the most, there was much more that intrigued me. Vella's story, for one, was superb and I cannot wait to know more of it. It's easy to see why Tyen went out of his way to watch over her. It's not every day that you find a conscious book created by a feared wizard centuries ago who stores knowledge of all who touch her. It was this curiosity and the adventurous nature of Tyen's tale that first made me groan when there was the first PoV change. However, by the end of the first Rielle chapter, I was enamoured with her story. Her character development was nothing short of phenomenal, and the romance in the narrative was not only there for a reason but it was organic and real. It is refreshing to see characters whose judgement is not clouded by romance.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">In terms of plot, it is clear that <i>Thief's Magic</i> is an introductory novel, meant to set the two main characters on their paths and to teach us about the settings. As such, many more questions are posed than answered. Does this detract from the book? No, not at all. It is only too easy to be immersed in Tyen's and Rielle's personal journeys. Before you know it, the book is over. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>Thief's Magic</i> is, much like Vella, a highly intelligent book. Through the cultures it introduces, it points out plenty of problems in our societies, both old and new. The treatment of women and the depletion of magic (perhaps the equivalent of our creativity and energy) being the two issues more thoroughly discussed. This is a perfect beginning for what I'm sure will be an amazing trilogy. I cannot wait for the second book. In the meantime, I'll have to read the rest of Canavan's books. This is clearly an author to read intensively.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">The book in a quote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: start;">"People stay the same. Only culture changes: traditions, ideas about right and wrong, what civilisation is and what threatens it."</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Tess @ Tessellated Taleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03459741229145647465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-81943146326376197472014-06-02T22:26:00.001+01:002014-06-02T22:26:39.605+01:00A Man Came Out of a Door in the Mountain, by Adrianne Harun<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Penguin Books</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1374010405l/18114114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1374010405l/18114114.jpg" width="208" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>First publication date:</b> February 25</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">th 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages:</b> 256</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ISBN: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">9780670786107</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Synopsis</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
In an isolated town of British Columbia, young girls, mostly native, begin to vanish from the sides of a notorious highway, the Highway of Tears. Leo Kreutzer and four friends are barely touched by these disappearances—until a series of mysterious and troublesome outsiders arrive on the mountain. Then it seems as if the devil himself has appeared among them. <span style="outline: none;">A MAN CAME OUT OF A DOOR IN THE MOUNTAIN </span> is a seductive and chilling debut novel about what happens to Leo and his group of friends when evil—both human and otherwise—walks right through their town.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">
Leo and his friends are engulfed in their final days of summer as kids, trying to hold onto what innocence they have left in this poor, hardscrabble logging town in remote British Columbia. A series of dark strangers arrive on the mountain: Kevin Seven beguiles shy Ursie with his fantastical card tricks; bone-white Hana Swann befriends Jackie, and bewitches Brian with ideas of revenge against the tyrannical local drug dealer and neighborhood torturer. As you follow Leo, his friends and their families throughout the novel, you will become entranced, waiting to see just what evil the devil will sow.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Opinion</i></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Life was never easy for Bryan, Jackie, Leo, Tessa and Ursie, but the day that Hana Swann edges herself into their story marks an irreversible change. Without them knowing, the few words she speaks will haunt their every move from then on. And not just theirs. Other strangers have come with her, who entice and manipulate the inhabitants of the small town they live in. Dark thoughts are turned into action, wishes are fulfilled, monsters disappear, friends leave.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">A Man Came Out of a Door in the Mountain </i><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">is beautifully</span><i style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"> </i><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">written. Harun has the marks of a skilled writer, deftly using words to paint a grim and haunting picture of unfulfilled lifes splotched with the shadows of myth and folklore. Her prose gets under one's skin, and the longing for more, for a better, just life will creep into the mind of the reader only too easily. Just like Hana Swann, she surreptitiously feeds forbidden thoughts and whispers for the reader to change, to act, and yet...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I could not get into the characters' shoes. They were extremely realistic despite the magical realism, and I could sympathise with their burdens, sure. It's hard not to, but try as I might I could not care all that much about them. Not in the way I've cared about so many other protagonists in other novels. Indeed, though the novel was fairly short, characters like Jackie did not commit to memory, and I had to stop the reading for a moment to recall who they were. </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">There was something missing. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The plot too felt rather empty. A lot changes during the story, and there is no lack of character development, but I cannot string the novel's events into one cohesive plot. There are plenty subplots: missing girls, starving children, drug addict bullies, dying family members, etcetera, etcetera; but there is very little linking everything together. What's more, many of these subplots lay forgotten somewhere, only for another to take its place and it too be forgotten before its conclusion. Perhaps this was meant to mimic reality (not everything in life is resolved, after all), but there was so much of it that it detracted more than it added to the life-like feeling.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Overall, it's the atmosphere of the book that is best crafted. Plenty of authors could learn from Harun there. But likewise, there is much Harun could learn from other writers on plot construction. Nonetheless, this is an author I'll keep an eye on. Such a strong and unique voice in a debut novel is definitely worth putting her on the radar.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">The book in a quote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: start;">"You only know boredom and splintered light and the constant nagging in your heart to get out, get out, get out."</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Tess @ Tessellated Taleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03459741229145647465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-18944011337154238442014-05-26T01:10:00.000+01:002014-05-26T01:10:29.944+01:00The Oversight, by Charlie Fletcher<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Orbit</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1392338982l/18453119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1392338982l/18453119.jpg" width="210" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>First publication date:</b> May 6</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">th 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages:</b> 464</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ISBN: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9780356502892</span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Synopsis</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">Only five still guard the borders between the worlds.<br />Only five hold back what waits on the other side. </em><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">Once the Oversight, the secret society that policed the lines between the mundane and the magic, counted hundreds of brave souls among its members. Now their numbers can be counted on a single hand. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">When a vagabond brings a screaming girl to the Oversight's London headquarters, it seems their hopes for a new recruit will be fulfilled - but the girl is a trap. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">As the borders between this world and the next begin to break down, murders erupt across the city, the Oversight are torn viciously apart, and their enemies close in for the final blow. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">This gothic fantasy from Charlie Fletcher (the Stoneheart trilogy) spins a tale of witch-hunters, supra-naturalists, mirror-walkers and magicians. Meet the Oversight, and remember: when they fall, so do we all.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Opinion</i></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the dark hours of night in London, a girl is propped inside a bag and taken to the Jew. He, the man has been told, will pay handsomely for a screaming girl, and Lucy does little more than scream. But the Jew is not a man. He, or rather she, is a woman called Sara Falk, and she does not look pleased to strike the deal. When she does, it is not money he is given in the end. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But it is not of the man we need to worry about - not for now. This story is not about him. It is about Lucy, about Sara, about people with supranatural and human blood, about the Oversight, and the creatures in the dark that want to destroy them. And destroy them they might, for the Oversight has been reduced to a single Hand of Five after the Disaster, and as machinery changes the world, their enemies grow increasingly desperate. Nobody is safe.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The Oversight</i> is the first book in a series and it is one hell of a start. Haunting from page one, it takes hold of the creatures of nightmares, those who fiddle with your mind, who feed from your breath as leeches do from blood, and sneaks them into old but familiar settings.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The prose is deliciously ominous and darkly amusing, the sort that reminds one of gritty nails, blackened teeth, and feats of magic only heard of in folk stories. Just like character and plot, it is nuanced and enfolding, always leaving you wondering if there is more to what you read than you think. Most times than not, the answer will be a very firm "yes". Even when Fletcher hints that that's the case, there will be more going on than what he makes you at first believe. And it works. By keeping the morbid flame of curiosity alight, Fletcher ensures that the reader will turn the next page without a second thought.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">A cast of characters from the various sides of the fight (for who ever said there was only "good" versus "evil" going on here?) and a number of plot twists feed the need to read on. For all sides seem to be winning, and all sides losing. From start to finish. Even at the end of the book, when various sub-plots are wrapped up and a winner seems to be chosen, the other sides are still lurking on the sideways.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>The Oversight</i> is an atmospheric book, crawling with magical creatures and objects in Victorian England. I cannot wait to see where the next books will lead - surely to somewhere grimly scrumptious.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">The book in a quote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">"It was not that kind of magic, which only exists in fairy-tales: it was the other real kind, the sort of workaday sleight which just makes coincidences happen at the right time."</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Tess @ Tessellated Taleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03459741229145647465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-33095195682443185982014-05-21T01:45:00.000+01:002014-05-21T01:45:26.834+01:00Cuckoo Song, by Frances Hardinge<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Publisher:</b> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Pan Macmillan</span></span><br />
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385551769l/18298890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385551769l/18298890.jpg" width="208" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>First publication date:</b> May 8</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">th 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages:</b> 416</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ISBN: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9780330519731</span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Synopsis</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">The first things to shift were the doll's eyes, the beautiful grey-green glass eyes. Slowly they swivelled, until their gaze was resting on Triss's face. Then the tiny mouth moved, opened to speak.<br /><br />'What are you doing here?' It was uttered in tones of outrage and surprise, and in a voice as cold and musical as the clinking of cups. 'Who do you think you are? This is my family.'</em><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">When Triss wakes up after an accident, she knows that something is very wrong. She is insatiably hungry; her sister seems scared of her and her parents whisper behind closed doors. She looks through her diary to try to remember, but the pages have been ripped out. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">Soon Triss discovers that what happened to her is more strange and terrible than she could ever have imagined, and that she is quite literally not herself. In a quest find the truth she must travel into the terrifying Underbelly of the city to meet a twisted architect who has dark designs on her family - before it's too late...</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Opinion</i></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Something is out of place when Triss wakes up. Her parents say there was an accident, that rest and a trip to the doctor should settle everything down; but Triss cannot believe it. Not only have dolls begun to shriek in her presence, and leaves cling to her hair in the morning, there are holes in her memory, her younger sister refuses to be with her, and her parents won't stop whispering secrets to each other. Nobody will tell her what is wrong. Triss begins to fear the worst. But this time she won't sit idly by and do no more than rest. This time, she will discover what's amiss and put it right.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me begin by saying that <i>Cuckoo Song</i> is one of the best books I have read this year. It is eerie and touching, a fairy tale of its own right and a book that never quite leaves you when you close it for the night. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The story is set between the two World Wars, when jazz was finding its way into Britain and a woman working was met with head shakes and disapproving eyes. It is an atmosphere Hardinge seamlessly wove into her tale, reminiscent of Gaiman, classic fairy tales and folk stories all at once. In Hardinge's hands, such mundane things as the telephone, watches, the cinema and the tram are magical. After all, the world may be turning, but magic has been part of the land for long enough to evolve with it.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The worldbuilding is unravelled at a measured pace, for the reader steps into this wondrously frightening world alongside Triss. And how easily this is done! Hardinge's prose is nothing short on beautiful and haunting. From the various descriptions of jazz to those of Triss's fears coming true, the writer beckons us into this world with an irresistible allure, and once we're inside, the door shuts quietly behind us and we cannot leave.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Of course that story and characters help as well. Though grey is a prominent colour in the book (and for good reason, for nothing here is quite black and white), there is a panoply of colour and form to the populace in <i>Cuckoo Song. </i>It is the whole cast who drives the story forward, with nobody forgotten, left behind or turned into a two dimensional character</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">. What's more, the heroes in this story are the villains, the monsters in many others, a small, heart-warming twist.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The relationships between the characters too are organic and ever moving, both when it comes to speed and feeling. That between Triss and two other characters (whom I will not name as one was a surprise, but surely others who read the book will know whom I refer to) is particularly heart-wrenching. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I recommend this book to people of all ages and backgrounds. If you're the sort who does not read Middle Grade for fear of it being childish, please don't let that keep you from reading this. <i>Cuckoo Song</i> is a deeply moving, multi layered book about finding oneself, where magic and the aftermath of World War I walk hand in hand. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">The book in a quote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;">"Let me tell you - from one monster to another - that just because somebody tells you you’re a monster, it doesn’t mean you are."</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Tess @ Tessellated Taleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03459741229145647465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-29646882219026772482014-05-17T13:56:00.000+01:002014-05-17T13:56:39.635+01:00The Bear, by Claire Cameron<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />Publisher: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Harvill Secker</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390766524l/18160231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1390766524l/18160231.jpg" width="199" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>First publication date:</b> February 11</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">th 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages:</b> 224</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ISBN:</b> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">9781448155736</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Synopsis</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">A powerfully suspenseful story narrated by a young girl who must fend for herself and her little brother after a brutal bear attack.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">While camping with her family on a remote island, five-year-old Anna awakes in the night to the sound of her mother screaming. A rogue black bear, 300 pounds of fury, is attacking the family's campsite, pouncing on her parents as prey.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">At her dying mother's faint urging, Anna manages to get her brother into the family's canoe and paddle away. But when the canoe dumps the two children on the edge of the woods, and the sister and brother must battle hunger, the elements, and a dangerous wilderness, we see Anna's heartbreaking love for her family--and her struggle to be brave when nothing in her world seems safe anymore.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">Told in the honest, raw voice of five-year-old Anna, this is a riveting story of love, courage, and survival.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Opinion</i></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A camping trip with her parents and younger brother was meant to be a treat, not a nightmare. When hidden with her little brother in the middle of the night by her father, five-year-old Anna could not imagine that the world as she knew it would be gone forever. Even as she stepped out of her hiding place, as she saw her mother's broken figure and her father's loose shoe, she did not understand that the sounds of struggle that kept her awake during the night told the story of her parents' deaths. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the order's of her dying mother, Anna takes her brother Stick into a canoe and paddles away from the last place she ever saw her parents, away from the black bear who ate them, and into a place where she will have to be mother and sister to Stick as they try to survive in the wildness. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Told from Anna's perspective, the childish speech can sometimes be difficult to get into. However, once submerged in it, Anna's voice becomes clear and unique to the point where one's inner reading voice actually becomes that of a child.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That does not mean that the "adult reader" disappears. In my case, at least, during the first half of the book, the innocence with which Anna took things made me fear for the siblings. In everything they did, everything they saw, I conceived a deadly trap. This and the fact that most chapters ended with a cliffhanger of one sort or the other kept me from closing the book. That is, until I reached the middle. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Indeed, it felt like the pacing slackened and that the author was fishing for things to add to the story to make it a little bit longer. There were numerous flashbacks to Anna's past that did little to advance plot or characterise characters, a few repetitions of said flashbacks, and a number of monologues that seemed to be senseless (perhaps a product of dehydration and hunger? I'm not certain). It was tempting to skip full chapters to see if something would happen, which, in my case, happens very rarely.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Having said that, the story picked up again in the final part, thus allowing the novel to be wrapped up nicely and with some very interesting situations. Nonetheless, I would have preferred to read a little more of those last moments. At least I would rather know more of the end of the story than the middle of it. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>The Bear</i> is an entertaining thriller with the right touch of drama and comedy, and a great portrayal of the relationship between siblings. However, with such a premise, I am sure that Cameron could have done a little more to keep the blood running.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">The book in a quote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">"My whole body has gone away because I am one and that is not enough to be in a family so I am lost too. I got left behind."</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Tess @ Tessellated Taleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03459741229145647465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-45077884779920906762014-05-13T22:38:00.000+01:002014-05-13T22:48:35.572+01:00This House is Haunted, by John Boyne<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />Publisher: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Black Swan</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394431931l/18189452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394431931l/18189452.jpg" width="205" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>First publication date:</b> April 25th</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 2013</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages:</b> 304</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ISBN:</b> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9780552778428</span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Synopsis</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1867. On a dark and chilling night Eliza Caine arrives in Norfolk to take up her position as governess at Gaudlin Hall. As she makes her way across the station platform, a pair of invisible hands push her from behind into the path of an approaching train. She is only saved by the vigilance of a passing doctor.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is the start of a journey into a world of abandoned children, unexplained occurrences and terrifying experiences which Eliza will have to overcome if she is to survive the secrets that lie within Gaudlin's walls.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Opinion</i></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eliza Caine is twenty-one when she becomes an orphan. With no family to speak of and a need for fresh sights, she takes off to Norfolk to be a governess. She does not know who her charges will be, their ages, or anything about what their education is to be. When she arrives at Gaudlin Hall, after an incident at the train station, she is met with two peculiar children and no adults to speak of. Who then posted the advertisement for the position in the papers? Why do the people refuse to speak of the house and the children's parents? And why does Eliza feel invisible hands threatening her?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Let me begin by saying that I'm not certain as to what this book planned to accomplish. Was it to be another gothic horror story? A formula of the old books? Or a parody of it? Thus far I have read opinions on both sides, and neither has had me convinced. However, seeing as I didn't think it a parody until I saw reviews suggesting it to be one, I'll treat it as a gothic story.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">And so, <i>This House is Haunted</i> falls under a formula. There's a young school teacher with no family who takes place as a governess in a old house that is falling apart, there are secrets in the attic, the villagers don't want to speak of the house or the tales of the past, the main character is eventually seen as mad and takes too long to figure out what's happening, the haunting is traditional, etcetera, etcetera. If there's a new side to the genre in this story I completely missed it.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">As a formula, the book works quite well and is fairly entertaining. It spooks in the right moments and keeps the reader curious about what will happen next. Until the cliché becomes too... cliché. Until Eliza and the rest of the cast remind us so many times that she is a woman that it becomes annoying. Until you see the next plot twist 50 pages before it happens. Until you realise that there are no proper bonds between the characters to support many of their actions. Indeed, on this last point, it must be said that, although Eliza often says she cannot leave Gaudlin for the children, there are very few moments of interaction between the three. Those that exist do describe their mutual feelings quite well, but the children are two-dimensional and there's no proper sense of relationship between the two and between them and Eliza. Sometimes I even forgot the children belonged in the story.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Another issue I had with this book lied in the prose itself. Although at most times it was pleasant, in others, it felt clunky and not at all natural. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Despite its many faults, I did overall enjoy reading </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">This House is Haunted</i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">. However, it is not revolutionary novel or anything to tip off your hat to. </span></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">The book in a quote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">“There is cruelty in the world Eliza, you can see that, can't you? </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">It surrounds us. It breathes on us. We spend our life trying to escape it.” </span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Tess @ Tessellated Taleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03459741229145647465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-7378675553520124982014-05-07T23:07:00.000+01:002014-05-07T23:07:11.958+01:00The Crimson Ribbon, by Katherine Clements<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />Publisher: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Headline Review</span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b></b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1382974245l/18368454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1382974245l/18368454.jpg" width="204" /></a></b></span></div>
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First publication date: </b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">March 27th 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>352 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ISBN: </b></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9781472204196</span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Synopsis</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">England 1646. The Civil War is raging and society turned upside down. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">What should be a rare moment of blessing for the town of Ely takes a brutal turn and Ruth Flowers is left with little choice but to flee the household of Oliver Cromwell, the only home she has ever known. On the road to London, Ruth sparks an uneasy alliance with a deserting soldier, the battle-scarred and troubled Joseph. But when she reaches the city, it’s in the Poole household that she finds refuge. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">Lizzie Poole, beautiful and charismatic, enthrals the vulnerable Ruth, who binds herself inextricably to Lizzie’s world. But in these troubled times, Ruth is haunted by fears of her past catching up with her. And as Lizzie’s radical ideas escalate, Ruth finds herself carried to the heart of the country’s conflict, to the trial of a king.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">Based on the real figure of the extraordinary Elizabeth Poole, The Crimson Ribbon conjures a mesmerising story of two women’s obsession, superstition and hope.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Opinion</i></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The Crimson Ribbon</i> is set during the English Civil War, a time when Parliamentarians and Royalists fought over control of the country, a time when the threat of witches haunted the people's minds. Indeed, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">this book begins </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">with the hanging of a supposed witch, Ruth's mother. Ruth herself narrowly avoids the noose by fleeing to her master's home. Their crime? Helping a woman birth a deformed stillborn, clear proof of consorting with the devil.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even in Cromwell's home, she is not safe. Her only escape is to find anonymity in the streets of London. But no matter how much one runs away, the past never lets go, and new problems find home next to the old ones. One takes shape in Joseph, a deserter who dreams of fighting the Royalists with words. Another is Elizabeth, the zealous daughter of the man who gave Ruth a roof to live under. One wants Ruth to embrace politics. Another religion. And all the while, England shouts for the blood of witches, of women like Ruth. The dream of a peaceful life is naught but that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First of all, let me say that I do not know how historically accurate this book is and whether the portrayals of historical characters are correct. Nonetheless, it was quite easy to step into the England of old, into the London experienced by Ruth. Language, description, and the actions themselves created the atmosphere of an Europe aflame by superstition and a need for change.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The setting, however, does not work merely as a backdrop for the action, even if it feels like that sometimes as the book's main story has to do with Ruth's personal life. Indeed, the setting helps drive it together with the characters themselves, all of whom with deeply flawed personalities. Nobody in this novel is exactly who they seem to be. There's always another story, another version of the tale, another secret. What's more, there is clear character and relationship development. Lizzie, in particular, appears to go from one extreme to the other in the space of a few hundred pages. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And yet, there's something off with them. Albeit going through realistic transformations, Lizzie does so in jumps, which made it hard for me to follow and empathise with her development. And then there's Joseph, whose relationship and motives to cling to Ruth are lost to me. There is, once again, not a proper follow-through. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not that any of this deterred me from enjoying the book. Quite on the contrary. The writing and plot (especially the gritty beginning) pulled me into the story with incredible ease, making it hard to put the book down. It helped that not only did the story flow effortlessly but the elements included were of varied nature (such as sexuality, religion, war, superstition, and propaganda) and woven beautifully into the plot. Though I admit I would have loved to see a little more of some of them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is Katherine Clements's debut novel and I cannot wait to read her next ones.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">The book in a quote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">"I long for the impossible. I suppose, in time, this will pass, as all things must."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Tess @ Tessellated Taleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03459741229145647465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-24312048033573601522014-05-04T13:41:00.002+01:002014-05-04T13:55:09.617+01:00Hell Yeah! – Wrath of the Dead Rabbit (PC)<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0vRXZr02xc3jLEuOesWh2EBTIi6RMuwuEymzhNSRRNJyFlRSz3j8lS6urfD0fAxhjMjSWkNN7WGGiT0iEr4dXHuqlmevQEeAvyl6GrJIYY0JYcqujw0uVI5gurJ5oWtBy8xM4Amcg4s/s1600/HellYeah_Hero.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ0vRXZr02xc3jLEuOesWh2EBTIi6RMuwuEymzhNSRRNJyFlRSz3j8lS6urfD0fAxhjMjSWkNN7WGGiT0iEr4dXHuqlmevQEeAvyl6GrJIYY0JYcqujw0uVI5gurJ5oWtBy8xM4Amcg4s/s1600/HellYeah_Hero.JPG" height="172" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB">Let it Rip<o:p></o:p></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Imagine
being the Prince of Hell. What happens when your father dies? You become the
king. Still with me? Good. Now imagine you’re the King of Hell, and one day,
while doing something really embarrassing and unfitting of a King, one of them
stupid paparazzi manages to snatch some pictures of you! And of course, thanks
to the Hellternet, the pictures spread through all of Hell in an instant, so
the solution becomes obvious: everyone must die. <i>Everyone.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><i></i></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">So here
goes Ash, the heir to the throne, in search of the one who took his photographs
so he can obliterate him, while, making smart use of his time (and new
gadgets), obliterating everyone else as well. Over the course of this adventure
you will kill one hundred different hellish fiends (some more hellish than
others), while unlocking and buying new weapons, upgrades, and more importantly
of course, stylish hats.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtsDzzXpPot8ulbMMB4B4HrtMA4pLnxxkCgR3jY8KqMsqNqeWHuAEVR4VbhBVa1NHJYgCgRxjTCS9AZusAWWO8YCu0wNhVZWcXEL40vJGXsgqw_f357JWyanlpnbSlXDjNmwEnDgRUoEM/s0/2014-01-21_00009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtsDzzXpPot8ulbMMB4B4HrtMA4pLnxxkCgR3jY8KqMsqNqeWHuAEVR4VbhBVa1NHJYgCgRxjTCS9AZusAWWO8YCu0wNhVZWcXEL40vJGXsgqw_f357JWyanlpnbSlXDjNmwEnDgRUoEM/s0/2014-01-21_00009.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For once, the main character actually has a pretty straightforward attitude.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB">Helluva place<o:p></o:p></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Going
through hell to kill creatures might not sound as the funniest of tasks, but,
in this case, that’s exactly what it is: the game is filled with simple, quick
and clever jokes in what is a pretty good parody to other games, itself and pretty
much everything else. This, aided by the fact that the main character often
reacts just like the player itself adds even more humour to the experience. For
example, after Nestor, your butler, shows up for the third or so time, you are
already expecting him to explain another game mechanic, so you might think
something along the lines of “not the tutorial guy again”. Surprisingly, the
character you’re controlling reacts with “any more boring tutorial stuff to
say?” .<br />
It doesn’t stop there, of course. Ash (your character), will react in funny
and/or clever ways to most enemies, at some point calling an enemy “one of
those low level monsters that tell you how to beat them”, after the enemy in
question reveals that he will use his hidden flamethrowers to kill Ash. Another
funny example is a wizard enemy that goes around yelling that he will perform
magic tricks for food, and that gets reminded by Ash that he can just as easily
use his magic to make food appear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Nestor, on
the other hand seems like a pretty intelligent character, guiding you and
giving out what are surprisingly useful tips at more or less the right times.
He will also upgrade your main weapon, your rotary saw, at several points
through the game, allowing you to visit previously inaccessible places. He will
also give you something that came from “your father’s love for pimpin’
jetpacks” and a couple of other additional weapons.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZE7kusx8dHu04Kk6ol-1RyP3rlUdfZUJ-f_cDF8N6Yn38USKQBxkK55JQudqftVzT4viQ57BFP2Gg28XgajfzzqzPp9KFmBF5cEjZX5W2IxoJ1GoCAuO2mlINCx3Nsq8YH2X_TlnFntE/s0/2014-01-21_00082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZE7kusx8dHu04Kk6ol-1RyP3rlUdfZUJ-f_cDF8N6Yn38USKQBxkK55JQudqftVzT4viQ57BFP2Gg28XgajfzzqzPp9KFmBF5cEjZX5W2IxoJ1GoCAuO2mlINCx3Nsq8YH2X_TlnFntE/s0/2014-01-21_00082.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May god have mercy on you, because I wont.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB">“I’d say this was a
nightmare, but since I’m already in hell that seems a moot point.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The
gameplay is simple; it’s a 2D sidescroller where you jump around in 7 big
levels. The levels are not exactly sequential however, each one has zones you
can only access later so, from some point on you will start revisiting every
level you already went through in more or less random order. Every level has
doors scattered around, and each door requires you to kill a certain number of
enemies. The enemies of course, are scattered throughout the levels, and can be
easily found using the map and the radar. There are shops where you can burn
your hard-earned cash on new weapons, upgrades or cosmetic accessories,
checkpoints that restore your health and some side missions hidden in certain
levels. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br />
As for the one hundred big monsters, most of them can be killed by cutting them
up with your saw, but later, creatures have shields and protections you have to
go through. Some require you to do air combos, and others even require you to
do other simple actions. One monster for example, promises you that he will
kill himself if only he can see his loved one again. His loved one is just
off-screen, so all you have to do to help him is to press the zoom-out button
to allow him to see her. He will then promptly kill himself. <br />
Also, almost every single one of the big monsters you kill has its own
mini-game you have to clear to be able to “FINISH HIM!”. There are rhythm
games, funny quizzes and other simple, funny and short challenges. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB">Now to the bullet
points:<o:p></o:p></span></i></b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirrZNS7uk0em2ttikyuvwyuiUtLgj3Was3WxAHtf-OYhQ49WIMgtSKA2pKDloDBburk9LWVj3tG__ppqUCSh-oPNj9OwBPzj1O7CyKvujpZqFopy9N0joQR3shPzxz_gv3dej9PpoaMmQ/s0/2014-01-28_00052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirrZNS7uk0em2ttikyuvwyuiUtLgj3Was3WxAHtf-OYhQ49WIMgtSKA2pKDloDBburk9LWVj3tG__ppqUCSh-oPNj9OwBPzj1O7CyKvujpZqFopy9N0joQR3shPzxz_gv3dej9PpoaMmQ/s0/2014-01-28_00052.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This place is Hell. No really, the whole game happens in Hell.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<br />
<ul>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-indent: -18pt;">The
humour in the game feels fresh, as it doesn’t try to be complicated or
pretentious. Everything consists of simple punch-lines, and crude (as in “easy
to understand”) jokes. I got many laughs out of this game. There are also a
couple of references here and there.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-indent: -18pt;">The
amount of different existing minigames for the bosses is great. It’s true that
from some point on they start to repeat, but there are still at least 15
different ones. I swear they must have spent half of the dev time doing those.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-indent: -18pt;">The
game is pretty colourful, and all the assets are in HD. Everything looks pretty
smooth and pleasant to the eyes. Good visuals.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-indent: -18pt;">The
attention to detail doesn’t stop there. Every monster has its own nickname and
its real name, the one they had before they died, complete with a little
backstory and all. Most of those are very funny too.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Speaking
of monsters, it’s really hard not to feel pity for most of them. The reason why
is because only a couple of them are actually aggressive towards you. The
others are just going on with their lives, chilling, and some of them are
pretty funny and friendly to you. Of the top of my head I can think of a
dinosaur skeleton walking around in a museum with a huge shield to protect him
from other fossils, because it thinks they are all really old and look gross.
“Stay away from me, you nude weirdos!”</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-indent: -18pt;">The
control scheme is probably this game’s weak point. Trying to use you jetpack to
drill a wall upwards feels weird, and trying to manoeuvre while airborne while
trying to aim and shoot your ranged weapons at the same time is ridiculously
difficult. And since enemies can’t be killed while they’re off-screen (another
major issue, since they can kill YOU from off-screen) you often need to kill enemies
while keeping yourself above the ground.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Ledges
work in a weird way, and this really gets in the way of precision jumping. If
you land too close to the edge of one you will weirdly grind around the edge
and fall down automatically, often causing your death.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Checkpoints
tend to be either too close or too far away, and if you die in certain
sections, you have to collect all the scattered money again which is
bothersome.</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Despite its
few but annoying flaws, the game got a healthy amount of laughs from me, and I had
a good time playing it. Characters are funny, levels are bright and vivid and
look good. If you like platforming games and feel like something a little bit
different and really random, go for it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwDyziuEJiHKotbCS6VntpwKE7wFYmfMDpH-LP2ko-8GQhlcp3lwuLStkFTzh6myezhs2tM_pOe7jQl5KLh6XzxiU9JbmhjkOPj2IbBNulZTJd93F7hYgYU6bc0Dxh9p49ihjZA6j4kA/s0/2014-01-28_00023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwDyziuEJiHKotbCS6VntpwKE7wFYmfMDpH-LP2ko-8GQhlcp3lwuLStkFTzh6myezhs2tM_pOe7jQl5KLh6XzxiU9JbmhjkOPj2IbBNulZTJd93F7hYgYU6bc0Dxh9p49ihjZA6j4kA/s0/2014-01-28_00023.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything is visually pleasing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB">The virtual rabbit
missions DLC</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">This DLC
adds a new mode to the game’s main menu, where you are teleported to a simple
hub where you can try to clear a whole bunch of missions available there. They
are divided into 3 difficulties, and they’re in fact pretty difficult. It’s
that simple. It’s not expensive and adds more content to the game, which can
take hours to clear depending on your skill level (or patience). There’s also
the “pimp my rabbit” DLC, but that’s purely cosmetic, so if your’re into that
sort of thing, I guess…go ahead.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-GB">And since no one likes to read reviews done by people who barely played the games, here are my gameplay stats:</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB"></span><br />
<ul>
<li>14 Hours played;</li>
<li>12 / 12 achievements unlocked;</li>
<li>All virtual rabbit missions clear;</li>
</ul>
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Genre: 2D
action-platformer<br />
Dev: Arkedo Studio<br />
Released on: October 3rd, 2012 (PC)<br />
Other platforms: Xbox360 (XBLA), PS3 (PSN)<br />
Price: 12,99€ (Steam)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span>
<br />
</div>
Vithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16136785060494274024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3455917625656588658.post-59192816463563994732014-04-29T14:46:00.001+01:002014-04-29T17:55:50.642+01:00Lagoon, by Nnedi Okorafor<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br />Publisher: </b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Hodder & Stoughton Ltd</span></span><br />
<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1383619801l/18753656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1383619801l/18753656.jpg" width="208" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>First publication date: </b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; white-space: nowrap;">April 10th 2014</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pages: </b>320</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>ISBN: </b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.239999771118164px;">1444762753</span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Synopsis</i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">When a massive object crashes into the ocean off the coast of Lagos, Nigeria’s most populous and legendary city, three people wandering along Bar Beach (Adaora, the marine biologist - Anthony, the rapper famous throughout Africa - Agu, the troubled soldier) find themselves running a race against time to save the country they love and the world itself… from itself. Lagoon expertly juggles multiple points of view and crisscrossing narratives with prose that is at once propulsive and poetic, combining everything from superhero comics to Nigerian mythology to tie together a story about a city consuming itself.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">At its heart a story about humanity at the crossroads between the past, present, and future, Lagoon touches on political and philosophical issues in the rich tradition of the very best science fiction, and ultimately asks us to consider the things that bind us together – and the things that make us human.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; text-align: left;">‘There was no time to flee. No time to turn. No time to shriek. And there was no pain. It was like being thrown into the stars.’</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 10px; outline: none; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Opinion</i></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When marine biologist Adaora reaches Lagos's Bar Beach, she never expected to have two strangers walking her way. Nor for a wave to take them and return them with a fourth member, a woman who does not feel right. An alien, perhaps. Adaora names her Ayodele, and soon finds her suspicions are true. Not only does Ayodele shapeshift but she claims to have come to Nigeria as the ambassador of her people, and chosen Adaora and her two newfound companions, Agu (a soldier) and Anthony (a famous Ghanian rapper) as her helpers for establishing contact with the humans. For Ayodele's people don't want to overtake Nigeria. They want to walk with the humans, to help. But when Ayodele presents her offer of peace and change to the city, Lagos begins to burn.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is not often that I find first-contact stories set anywhere other than in the US, let alone in Africa. Even though I am hardly the biggest alien themed books reader, that alone wanted me to grab the book. It was not just the setting itself that differed from norm.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Lagoon</i> is a very human book. It is not a book about the scary aliens who come to Earth to take over the world and enslave humanity, about how humans are stronger than any other species, or anything of the sort. No. It is anything but. <i>Lagoon</i> dissects humanity and how it reacts to a crisis. There's no division of black and white, but a complex mush of greys: people who are opportunistic and curious, logical and fearful, desperate and certain, confused and calm. There are people from all walks of life, with all sorts of beliefs. And even those who come from the same "group" regard and act differently, such as two people from the same family and same religion, one of which sees the aliens as God's messengers, and the other who regards them as demons.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okoraftor manages to do so by writing a book with multiple PoVs, some of which last for only a chapter and others that show up multiple times. This way, it is possible to accurately feel what is going on in the minds of the people in such a vast city. Not only that, but in those of sea creatures as well. After all, it was in the sea that Ayodele's people landed. And everyone knows that water is life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is another point in which <i>Lagoon</i> differs. Even though this is primarily sci-fi, there is a clear fantasy element to it. The author wove Nigerian folktales seamlessly into the story in ways I would never expect. Thinking back on it, it reminds me a little of Gaiman. This symbiosis between alien, folk and even technology only helps to bring out the world even more, to help tasting and understanding Lagos and Nigeria a little further, turning them into living, breathing characters as complex as the people that inhabit the story.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A story which is nothing short of original, both in plot and structure. In many ways, I would even deem it unconventional. Most narratives hold a clear goal that the characters must reach by overcoming mishaps. Although <i>Lagoon</i> does present us with an aim, everything is much more chaotic and unpredictable than usual, mirroring life. It is easy to feel disoriented (but not in a bad way). And so, very slowly, the book creeps under your skin, altering the way you look at this and that. Well, I for one know that </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will carry</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lagoon</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in my mind for a very long time. </span></div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;">The book in a quote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;">"But the story goes deeper. It is in the dirt, the mud, the earth, in the fond memory of the soily cosmos. It is in the always-mingling past, present, and future. It is in the water."</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Tess @ Tessellated Taleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03459741229145647465noreply@blogger.com