April 2020 Wrap Up

On By AllieS.In Book Review, Books, Video Games, Wrap UpLeave a comment

In March I read three books and started and finished Final Fantasy VII Remake.

Books:

36686547The first book I read was The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette De Bodard. This is a science fiction novella that is set in a world where space ships have minds and personalities. The story follows Long Chau and the ship The Shadow’s Child who are attempting to solve a murder mystery. This is very much scifi combined with Sherlock Holmes. Though the story is short I ended up loving it, however it just drops you into the world so the first few pages are a little confusing as you try to figure out how this world works.

40333936._SX318_The League of Regrettable Sidekicks by Jon Morris is a coffee table type book that goes through many of the different sidekicks that have existed in comic book history. It focuses mostly on characters that are not popular and may have been forgotten over times. Its a very quick read for anyone who wants to know more comic history.

43785830The last book I read this month was Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals about Death by Caitlin Doughty. This is a nonfiction book that answers questions about death and dying posed by kids. The answers and questions are given in a way that is informative and interesting with a dash of humor but are simple enough explanations for many people to understand. I’ve read Caitlin’s other books and follow her on YouTube so I enjoy her content. I love the fact that she answers questions that many have but will not ask.

Games:

FFVIIRemakeI only game that I was playing and focusing on this month was Final Fantasy VII Remake. This is a game that I absolutely loved and I can’t wait for the next game. If you have never played Final Fantasy VII or any Final Fantasy games I would give this one a shot. I also have a full review that does contain some spoilers if anyone wants to know my full thoughts.

April 2020 OwlCrate

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Owl Crate is a young adult book subscription box where every month you receive one new hardcover book and an assortment of bookish goodies connected to the monthly theme. Some of these items are very practical and some are better suited as decor or for a pin/builtin board. April’s theme is Full Moon Magic.IMG_0354

Each box includes different bookish goodies that fit the theme of the month and are connected to other books. The items included were a canvas pouch with a bamboo moon phase banner in it, a Shatter Me inspired tote bag, a notebook with a quote from Oscar Wilde, a crescent moon bracelet, and a 300 piece puzzle with Remus Lupin from Harry Potter on it.

Every month Owl Crate has a new young adult hardback book that has an exclusive cover, is signed and comes with a letter from the author. The enamel pin that is in every box is also inspired by that months book. This months book is Bone Crier’s Moon by Kathryn Purdie. This time the book also comes with sprayed edges. The story follows Ailesse who has been training to become a Bone Crier, who are the only ones who can stop the dead from attacking the living, but she must kill the boy she is destined to love. Bastien has been seeking revenge for the death of his father but now his fate is intertwined with Ailesse.IMG_0358

May’s theme is Rebels with A Cause.

 

Video Game Review: Final Fantasy VII Remake

On By AllieS.In Video Games1 Comment

FFVIIRemakeFinal Fantasy VII Remake is the remake and re-imagining of the original 1997 Final Fantasy VII. You play as Cloud Strife a mercenary connected to an Eco terrorist group AVALANCHE who are fighting against the evil Shinra Corporation and end up getting involved with trying to save the world.

Final Fantasy VII Remake is a game that I’ve been waiting for since the PlayStation 3 tech demo was released in 2007. I’ve played the original game and the Compilation games as well. Though VII was not my first Final Fantasy the characters and plot have stuck with me more than other games and its one of my favorites. Because of this I absolutely love the remake and really don’t have anything bad to say about it. This game was everything I wanted and more and I’m so glad that we are finally getting it regardless of the fact that its coming in installments.

If you have never played Final Fantasy VII or any Final Fantasy I feel like this would be a good game to start with. Each game is a separate story so you don’t need to know anything about previous games and though there are hints that will make more since if you have played the original the story still makes since to those who are new to this game.

The two biggest criticism that I’ve seen of the game is the fact the its coming in installments and that this section is very linear. While I would love to have the whole game right now the first part with the Midgar section is well fleshed out and I trust the team making the games will finish the whole thing. The Midgar section, even in the original, was the most linear part of the story. Its setup for the bigger events to come but I love how more flesh out the world and characters are. The events of this first part are given more weight and hit harder than in the original.

To talk about my feeling about the game I need to discuss spoilers specifically for the ending. So I would recommend playing the game for yourself and not reading further if you want to avoid spoilers.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!

Through out the game you encounter these dark ghost like creatures called the Whispers. We are told later in the game that they are harbinger of fate and are trying to keep destiny on track. Most of the time when they show up you see glimpses of events from the future that played out in the original and is the future of this timeline. At the end of the game you need up fighting these harbingers of fate and defeating them making the future yours to decide. At this point in the game you also see the scene where Zack is fighting Shinra and in the original dies up after defeating fate he lives. Sephorith is also attempting to fight fate and asks Cloud to join him implying that the future games might not be the same as the original story.

My interpretation of this part of the story is that we now have three timelines. The original game and the compilation games which is essentially the bad ending with Sephiroth defeated but at to high a cost. We have the Remake timeline which is following similar events to the original but Sephiroth and other characters know more than they should and are trying to change things. Final the third timeline where Zack lives and the story will change because of him. I can’t wait to see how the story will play out now and I hope that the timeline where Zack lives will intersect with the new game timeline at some point.

To those who read this and have finished the game, what are your thoughts? I would love to discuss different theories with others and how you think the future story will unfold.

 

March 2020 Fae Crate

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I like to try out different book boxes both from companies that I’ve bought from before and new companies every so often to see how book boxes are changing. Fae Crate is a primarily young adult fantasy subscription box with several box options each month. Sadly, most of the monthly boxes have been let down for me but this years March box which is also their anniversary box is much better. There is still a few items that I won’t get much use out of but it think the company is slowly getting higher quality items.IMG_0329

Much like other boxes they include one new hard back book and bookish items. The bookish items included were a necklace inspired by The Maiden Ship which is this months book, an ACOTAR enamel pin, a skyward patch tote bag to put iron on patches on. They also included a Crown of Feathers patch to use on the bag, a Spin the Dawn blanket, and their monthly art and Polaroids. I like most of the items but I’m not a iron on patch person so I probably won’t use the patch on the bag.

Also Fae Crate always includes a e book code which can make the cost better if one isn’t a fan of most of the items. This months e book is  Iridescent Fury by Zachary James. This months book is The Maiden Ship by Micheline Ryckman and it comes with a signed book plate. For this edition of the book the hard back is embossed and comes with a reversible dust jacket with exclusive art. The story follows Dain Alloway who has been sailing on the ship The Maiden for most of his life but this all changes when he wakes one night to find a mysterious woman in his cabin.

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TV Show Review: Black Summer

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p16715506_b_v8_aaBlack Summer is a zombie TV show from Netflix that is a prequel to the events of Z Nation. Black Summer starts about six weeks after the start of the zombie apocalypse and focuses on Rose who is separated from her daughter, Anna, and a small group of survivors as they attempt to get Rose back to her daughter.

Though technically in the same world as Z Nation this show is much more realistic and more in line with our world today as people have yet to figure out how they will survive and live in this new world. The show is much shorter at the moment than Z Nation with only one season of eight thirty minute episodes but a second season is in the works.

Black Summer is a much slower show that focuses more on the interaction between people and how the world has change would effect people. Though Rose is essentially the main character because of the plot following her journey. The show does allow itself to give some focuses to other characters primarily Julius James, a criminal who is using the name Spears as it is the name of the guard who’s uniform he took. Also even though we can’t understand her I love the development given to Sun a Korean woman who can’t speak any English. Black Summer is very good at showing how those who can’t communicate with other members of the group or those with disabilities would survive or not in this new world. However, I wish Netflix had subtitled Sun’s lines as I think it would allow the audience to understand her better and maybe give us some information to her back story.

Overall, I like Z Nation more as a series but I do plan to watch the next season of Black Summer as I think that it will become a very good series in time.

TV Show Review: Z Nation

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p15918390_b_v8_abZ Nation is a zombie TV show that aired for five seasons on Syfy which follows a group of survivors attempting to get the only known survivor of a zombie bite to a CDC lab in California. 

The series starts out three years into the zombie apocalypse where most humans have been killed and groups of survivors have figured out how to live in this world. Just before the world fell apart prison inmate Alvin Murphy was injected with an experimental zombie vaccine after which he was bitten eight time and did not turn it is believed that his blood holds the cure and the last hope for humanity. The series as a hole revolves around Murphy’s travels and a group of survivors looking to get him to help save the world.

In season one we are introduced to the main group lead by Lt. Roberta Warren who’s main focus become getting Murphy to California and the CDC. Citizen Z a NSA agent stuck at the Northern Light post in the Arctic Circle who guides the group through their journey and tries to figure out why different people are after Murphy. “Doc” a counselor and recovering drug addict who is the groups medic even though he is not really a doctor. “10K” a young man who is an amazing sniper and has vowed to kill 10,000 zombies. Addy Carver a young woman with a talent with radio equipment and uses a customized metal bat known as the Z Whacker. The main group stays mostly the same thorough the entire series with a few new character being add and some lost in each season.

The series starts out very much like its supost to be a very fun campy take on zombies and ridding on the fame of the Walking Dead. Though the series is pretty reduclus in how far zombies are taken and some story elements it does deal with emotional and hard topics while also trying to be as entertaing as possible. I didn’t love every season or epsiode but overall its an enjoyable show.  In the following paragraphs I will be giving a summary of each season which some spoliers will be included.

Season one is mostly just the group attempting to get Murphy to California and all the things and problems they encounter a long the way. Near the end of the season they met Dr. Kurian the creator of the zombie virus who wants to take Murphy with him and while Murphy escapes he triggers the launch of multiple nuclear weapons which turns this into a nuclear apocalypse not just a zombie one.

Season two starts with the group getting back together and attempting to find Murphy again. As the story progresses they run into a woman they had met before who is now pregnant with Murphy’s child. When the baby is born it becomes clear that because of the vaccine in Murphy’s blood and his mutation into a zombie/human hybrid that the baby is not fully human and Murphy finds a couple to leave the child, Lucy, with. At the end of the season they arrive in California and Murphy agrees to go to the CDC lab but not all is as it seems and Murphy has other plan for the future.

Season three is my least favorite of the entire series mostly because of 10K’s story line. This season starts with a two part movie episode introducing The Man, a villian, who will show up again and his connection to ZONA. However, the main story of season three is Murphy creating a cult of “blends” people who he has injected with his blood which he can then control, and Warren trying to figure out how they can stop Murphy and save humanity. Near the end they form a truce when they need to save Lucy from The Man and stop ZONA from getting her.

Season four starts two years after the end of season three where Warren was shot and infected by Murphy’s blood and they where both taken by ZONA. Warren and Murphy escape ZONA and meet back up with the rest of the group who are trying to get to Newmerica, a community that is trying to get the world back on track. However, Warren keeps having visions of the Black Rainbow and the destruction of the world so the group goes on a mission to stop it.

Season five is the last and at the moment final season of Z Nation. Following the ending of season four and the Black Rainbow, Doc, 10K, and Sarge, a newer member of the group, are leading other survivors to Newmerica while Murphy goes looking for Warren. The group meets up again after finding Newmerica and meeting George, an old friend of Warren’s. Because of the Black Rainbow the zombies don’t just walk some of them talk and understand what is going on. Which becomes the main conflict of the season what to do with the talkers and how will this change society going forward. The series ends with Murphy eating the brain of a scientist that figure out the cure and we are left to wonder what will happen next. There is enough loose ends for more season but Syfy did offically cancel the series and no one has pick it up.

March 2020 Wrap Up

On By AllieS.In Book Review, Movie Review, TV Review, Wrap UpLeave a comment

In March I started reading more and doing other hobbies more as with the virus I’ve been at home more. I read six books in March which had been my best month so far this year.

Books:

36495876._SX318_Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition volume one by Hiromu Arakawa is the first volume of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga series. This is a special hardcover edition that the publisher has started to release. The story follows brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric who are attempting to restore their bodies after trying to bring their mother back to life and failing. This series is a reread for me and I still love the story as much as the first time I read it. I’m reading each volume as I collect these editions.

45899240Monstress volume four by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda is a fantasy graphic novel that continues the story of Miaka and how she is connected to the demon who lives inside her. This volume gives the reader more information on Miaka’s past and where the major conflict is heading. I can’t wait for the rest of the story.

52186666._SX318_SY475_The Deep by Alma Katsu is a historical fiction with supernatural elements focusing on the Sinking of the Titanic. The story follows maid Annie Hebbley who survived the sinking and is working as a nurse on Titanic’s sister ship Britannic during World War I and her connection to soldier Mark Fletcher. I loved the concept of the story but felt that it switched perspectives too often for me to connect to the characters. I received this book from the publisher by winning a Goodreads contest and there is a full review on this blog and Goodreads.

33116011The Race to Save the Romanovs by Helen Rappaport in a historical nonfiction book about the different plan to possibly save the Romanov family and the ideas to get them out of Russia. While good I prefer historical books about the family directly than events that they didn’t have any control or input on so not my favorite book about the Romanovs. It would be a great resource for anyone studying this time period.

44660930._SY475_Five Nights at Freddy’s Fazbear Frights #1: Into the Pit by Scott Cawthon is the first in the series of Five Nights short story collections. All of the stories take place in the world of Five Nights at Freddy’s and show different elements to the previous books and game. All the stories are very creepy and good for teenagers. They remind me of R L Stine’s and Darren Shan’s series and books. As someone who is into the lore surrounding the games and story I do plan an reading the next books in the series.

26114463Nevernight by Jay Kristoff is the first book in an adult fantasy series following Mia Corvere to train to be an assassin and kill those who destroyed her family when she was a child.  I loved this book even though it took me quite a while to finish. The first hundred pages before getting to the Red Church are slow but it pick ups from there. I love Mia and Tric’s relationship and its one of the strongest parts of the book. I also have a full review posted.

TV Shows:

Series12Promo2(1)Doctor Who: I finished Doctor Who series twelve this month and I liked it much more than series eleven. At times it still didn’t feel like Doctor Who to me and I felt that there could have been more fun stories that didn’t need a message but I liked the dynamics between all the characters and the companions being fleshed out more. However, the Timeless Child story line was dumb and was not something that the series needed. The fact at the end of the series that it had no impact and nothing really changed meant that the writer had no reason to add it in. I do plan on watching the next series but I generally wait to binge watch it.

Movies:

downloadKong: Skull Island: I watched Kong: Skull Island because I heard that I wasn’t bad and I want some mindless entertainment one night. Though the plot isn’t all that interesting the acting is good and the visual effects are great. The ending sets up the idea that Kong and the other monsters like Godzilla all exist in the same world and I’m interested in where movies that these ideas.

February 2020 BaeCrate

On By AllieS.In BaeCrate, Book BoxLeave a comment

IMG_0311Bae Crate is a adult romance book box that includes at least one romance book with an author letter and signed book plate as well as four to six items that go with the monthly theme.IMG_0314

February’s box theme was Bite Me and focused on vampires. Due to the corona virus situation this box was delayed and the travel jewelry box had to be switched to a duffel bag inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The other items included a red lipstick, a glitter face mask, a Bite Me cuff bracelet, and a pink scarf.

Sadly, I didn’t like many of these items. Everything except the duffel bag felt cheep and are not things that I think I would use. The cuff bracelet does not fit and feels like it was meant for a teenager, I don’t know the brand of lipstick and would not use it with out knowing more, and glitter has no place in skin care in my opinion.

IMG_0317The books included where Wicked Bite and Shades of Wicked by Jeaniene Frost which are the first two books in the Night Rebel series. Since I love vampire paranormal romance books and this is a series that I have never heard about I look forward to reading them but I wish the box as a whole was much better.

Book Review: Grave Peril By Jim Butcher (Dresden Files #3)

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91476Grave Peril by Jim Butcher is the third book in the Dresden Files series. The story once again as always follows Harry Dresden, a wizard living in Chicago who helps the police with supernatural crimes. This time ghosts are causing trouble all over Chicago and many people affect are somehow connected to Harry.

The story starts out with what seems to be typical for Dresden at the moment trying to stop ghosts from killing anyone but as the story progresses there is a connection to a demon who Harry defeated before and their might be bigger problems coming.

Many people say that book three is where the series starts to get good and I agree that Jim Butcher has found his footing with the series and the stories he wants to tell. Grave Peril starts to give the reader more information about Harry’s backstory and the supernatural world that is connected to our modern world. The supernatural elements are better fleshed out and the stakes are being raised in this book as we see what Harry will do to protect the people he cares about.

As if the other books in this series, I read it as an audio book which is brilliantly narrated by James Marsters which makes me like the series even more. Unlike, the first two books I completely enjoyed the story and can’t wait to continue on with the series.

 

 

 

 

Book Review: Full Moon by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files #2)

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91477Full Moon by Jim Butcher is the second book in the Dresden Files series. The story once again follows Harry Dresden, wizard living in Chicago who helps the police with supernatural crimes. Dresden is down on his luck with no work when a mutilated corpse, strange paw prints combined with a full moon drag him into a murder investigation. Based on the title and summary this time Dresden is going up against werewolf’s but maybe not the ones we know from fiction.

Many people say that the Dresden Files books don’t start getting really good until book three and I agree that Full Moon is not Butcher’s best work. I love the world he has created and Harry Dresden as a character but this book board me at best and annoyed me at worst. I disliked all the scenes with Murphy and until close to the end of the book I didn’t care about what happened or the stakes.

I listen to these books as audio books because even if I’m struggling with the story James Marsters as the narrator make me want to finish the book. However, even with the issues I sometimes have with this series there is something that keeps bring me back and I do plan on continuing with the series.