Pokemon Scarlet Proper Review

Okay, so I have now finished the main three Pokemon Scarlet storylines and I'm about to embark on the post-game or whatever. My main take-away is that I've had fun. I haven't encountered many glitches and the game only shut down on me twice. Overall, the most frustrating thing is, as usual with every Pokemon title aside from Pokemon Legends: Arceus, having massively overpowered Pokemon to travel around with in order to complete the Pokedex. Either the Pokemon you want gets caught by the Quick Ball immediately or you pray you don't make it faint with your first and only attack before peppering it with other Pokeballs.

Speaking of Pokeballs, I enjoy how they float in the air when you're catching Pokemon that were flying or floating. I don't know why the mechanics of that just make me smile, but they do. I am also at the point where I might just sell off all the random Pokeballs in my inventory aside from Quick and Ultra Balls. Doubt I'll use any of them... though I guess they do come in handy for Tera Raids. Much shrugging.

So, I have found a real hatred for the battle music that starts playing when the Gym Leaders Terastalize their Pokemon. It's the same music that was used in Pokemon Sword and Shield for the Gigantamaxing. It's gotten stuck in my head, which is extra annoying as there, of course, aren't any words. I hate it and I hope to never hear it again.

Another aspect of game play that I've had a slight issue with is the Mass Outbreaks. I was expecting them to be closer to the Pokemon Legends: Arceus Mass Outbreaks and Massive Mass Outbreaks where the Pokemon would spawn in a clump and keep spawning until the outbreak was over. However, I've visited four separate Mass Outbreaks in Pokemon Scarlet and this was only the case once. In fact, I was confused by the lack of Pokemon at the Outbreak sites. If it wasn't for the map always being in the corner of the screen, I wouldn't have known I was even in the right place! In Pokemon Scarlet, a Mass Outbreak is over once you've defeated or caught (mostly defeated, let's be real) 100 of the Outbreak Pokemon... for which there is no counter and you basically have to either keep track yourself or just guess. You get four notifications during an Outbreak: 1) You've found the Outbreak of (insert Pokemon here), 2) The amount of Pokemon has gone down, 3) The amount of Pokemon has gone down, 4) The Pokemon from the original outbreak are gone. All on the right side of the screen in rather rapidly disappearing notifications. I would have really liked a counter and really liked not to have to run around waiting for respawns.

My last thing is the Champion Assessment Test you have to take before challenging the Elite Four. Thank the universe for the internet because apparently, the answers you give must be correct or you have to take the entire thing again. And lord forbid your answer to wanting to become Champion is "For fun, I guess." Because it is. I have no real convictions about becoming Champion or not, it's gonna happen because I'm the gamer and I know I can beat the Elite Four no problem... especially with ready access to the internet and my boxes. Heck, I prepped a Sylveon and Tatsugiri to battle the last dude right before I battled him. Easy peasy. Seriously, the fact that I had to take a dumb test three times in order to actually do the battling is stupid. I hate it. Hope it doesn't make another appearance in a Pokemon game.

But anyway, as much as this post is complaining about things, I really have been enjoying my Pokemon adventure. Can't wait to see what's in store for the post-game, and maybe actually finish a Pokedex for once... thanks to my brother-in-law. I will probably be doing more Pokemon Scarlet Image Posts as I finish the game. It's just so pretty and amusing at times.

Scarlet Adventures #4

Just finished the main three storylines! I'll share my thoughts on the game so far in a separate post, cuz this one's just for pics!

I was amused by Stantler's face under that big Terastalizing Jewel

My worst sandwich

I was battling a Team Star Grunt and this Scyther just decided to back me up... ie. Stand there

Scyther getting in the way of the camera

Pretty view

Just liked the Vaporeon animation here, just treading water while I beat it to a pulp.

Age of Legends Overview

Age of Legends by Kelley Armstrong

There are spoilers contained in this overview

 

I really enjoyed Kelley Armstrong’s Age of Legends, surprisingly so. Coming off the Darkest Powers and Darkness Rising trilogies, Age of Legends is a breath of fresh air. It is totally different. Everything from the setting to the trilogy formula is just so different and really, really refreshing. I’m pretty sure I said that Armstrong could do better, and she definitely did with Age of Legends.

Age of Legends has a vaguely medieval but not really geographically set empire. Like, it’s definitely Chinese/Japanese inspired, but that’s not really shoved in your face as far as the actual setting goes. Could really be any medieval-y style society given that most of the time the characters don’t spend anywhere with particular architecture. I mean, the surnames of the clans are all Japanese, but the first names aren’t. The “Empire Born” are also given preferential treatment here and are not white, which makes a change from a lot of this kind of fantasy. Yes, the Moria and Ashyn are white, but they’re just about the only two in the entire trilogy who are. I liked that even though I honestly didn’t think about it until afterward. Also, there’s a poorly explained caste system that basically serves to explain how to tell the good guys apart from the bad guys and Gavril’s sense of honor. Not sure it was strictly necessary, but it was there.

There isn’t really a love triangle, which I appreciated. There’s plenty of relationship drama, for those interested, but it’s really mostly Ronan and Ashyn misunderstanding each other a lot. The whole Gavril-Moria-Tyrus thing is mostly a non-issue as far as the usual love triangle antics are concerned. Moria knows where she stands and who she wants to be with and both men respect her decisions on that score… with gusto is either direction, really. I like that Moria and Gavril are able to go from platonic to vaguely romantic to enemies to platonic again without much in the way of melodrama. Age of Legends had plenty of actual plot drama to keep me engaged.

I’m honestly disappointed we got so little of the Seeker and Keeper power set. In fact, their powers have very little do with anything in the entire trilogy. They don’t rely on them at all and appear to not even know the full extent of their own powers, no one does, not even the elder Seeker and Keeper who trained them. Really, their powers just seemed to be an excuse to give them their animal sidekicks — Daigo and Tova — and to explain the differing personalities of the girls. The sensing of spirits and ability to dispel them barely come in handy until the last book and then only in certain circumstances… Anyway, I was disappointed. Also, what does the Empire do with male twins?

From the Seeker and Keeper stuff, we do get some mention of the Empire’s religion, but again, that’s kept quite vague. The Seekers and Keepers play some role in pacifying real spirits that… are apparently kept in really good shape given we see nothing bad happen apart from the shadowstalkers and occasional possessed dead body. I’m pretty sure the religion some kind of state-sanctioned Buddhism with a Shinto twist, probably, given we’ve got a sect monks mummifying themselves. And, of course, there’s a big emphasis on the filial piety thing. It plays big into Alvar Kitsune’s plans for taking over the Empire… speaking of which…

I also wasn’t very impressed with Alvar Kitsune as a villain. He’s like Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter books (I said this in my Forest of Ruin review) except he doesn’t fulfill that promise of ultimate menace. I felt nothing as he cleared the way for Tyrus to take the throne there at the end, because honestly, the other princes got zero “screentime” and mean nothing to the reader. Alvar’s downfall at the end was also unsatisfying because as soon as he started chanting upon accidentally killing Gavril, I knew what was coming next… a life for a life. Super obvious. I also really don’t understand how he got shadowstalker spirits into and then out of the children with no one noticing. It doesn’t make any sense, partially due to no one really understanding how his sorcery works at all. Just… Alvar was such a disappointment in the end.

Even though Alvar himself was a crap antagonist, the way he worked in the shadows was actually kind of impressive. His use of rumor and deception on the people of the Empire worked really well. This is where the little-explained caste system really came into play. If you knew that Warrior Caste were the only ones who could legally wield swords, it stood to reason that any publicly acting dude with swords was Warrior Caste and therefore carrying out the will of the Emperor. Using rumor to discredit Gavril, Moria, and Tyrus was pretty well executed, even if I did have an issue with how that plot line was resolved.

I personally would have liked to see more of the fantasy elements explored. We get a good bit with the shadowstalkers and fiend dogs and dragons, but everything else showed up once and disappeared. The fantasy elements honestly almost seem to be there just so the story wouldn’t have to be historical fiction. It’s not a detriment to the story, just, ya know, I like more fantasy in my fantasy.

Age of Legends is definitely a good trilogy and worth a read. The fact that a good portion of my gripes have to do with wanting more out of the world is a good thing, I think. It was well enough fleshed out for the story, but I definitely wouldn't mid stepping back into this world to learn more about it.

Scarlet Adventures #3

I swear this isn't turning into a gaming blog, it's just, ya know, new Pokemon game is taking up most of my attention at the moment. I'm currently reading Victoria the Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled and Empire by Julia Baird and Fury's Kiss by Karen Chance in between the gaming. If you'd like, you can see my progress with those over on GoodReads (link in the sidebar). Anyway, on to the few pics I snapped while playing Pokemon Scarlet.

I was amused by this battle angle

Capsakid has a slightly less creepy evolution. Slightly less creepy.

Kind of a pretty view

Gonna have to ask my mom to crochet me this scarf at some stage

Probably would have done this earlier if I'd have realized how dang easy it was

Scarlet Adventures #2

 Pics from my second "full day" of playing Pokemon Scarlet. Enjoy. 😊

Just a Tinkatink being all weirdly bright

 

Tinkatuff, the evolution of Tinkatink

The more sunlight this Pokemon bathes in,, the more spicy chemicals are produced by its body, and thus the spicier its move become.... mmmhmm... definitely its moves...

This just made me tilt my head and go "wtf"

WTF is this fluffy drag queen of a Pokemon?

An attempt to make it look cool

Seriously, the frigging ruffles on this thing

Me, too, Vigoroth. Me too.

AWWWWW... poor puppies.

Scarlet Adventures #1

 Just some cute and random pictures from my Pokemon Scarlet adventure today.

This is my super cute sleepy Maschiff

I am just amused by how Oinkologne shoots Mud Shot out of his tail

Oh hey! I am indeed!

Just an example of the Pokemon noticing me and literally not moving

This thing is evil and Charcadet is a tank

Random, completely unexpected Shiny Marill!

My two new favorites: Finizen and Charcadet

Forest of Ruin by Kelley Armstrong

I really feel like a good chunk of Forest of Ruin drastically slowed the plot and killed the urgency. There’s just so much relationship stuff going on here, and not just romantic relationship stuff. Also, Alvar Kitsune really goes from being this big looming threat to, like, Voldemort in the first couple of Harry Potter books. Like, you know he’s there but he’s not a direct or even an actual threat anymore.

There’s a lot of running around throughout Forest of Ruin that’s essentially tying up the very loose ends from the previous two books. We left Ashyn and Ronan with her grandfather and the revelation that dragons are being brought into this. Moria and Gavril have to deal with their mission from the Emperor, which Tyrus also has to deal with because he can’t just stay put for two seconds if he’s not ill. And then we gotta find the kids — finally — and foil Albar Kitsune’s big giant plans that no one has any idea about… and resolve the various relationship issues at the same time. Led to a very draggy book, to be honest. The sense of urgency from the previous books just up and died.

The resolution to the whole “we must keep Tyrus away from the capital or Emperor Tatsu’s going to be forced to imprison him or whatever” thing was super underwhelming. If it was that easy to just walk up and air grievances in front of the city, why didn’t you do that before? The deal was barely sweetened by the children and the macguffin of a dragon. Honestly, the only other thing gained by that whole runaround was Gavril’s Mom Trauma.

And speaking of Alvar’s plans that could have and essentially did go wrong… he basically turned Gavril against him at every turn. This weird belief in Gavril’s unfailing filial piety above all else is just toxic and annoying… and Gavril reall should have stabbed Alvar before Alvar murdered the princes. Alvar Kitsune is honestly one of the weakest villains I’ve read in a while, and that includes a book I more-or-less hated recently. Every single one of his plans past the Edgewood/Fairview thing just kept failing and barely made sense. It’s like there’s this weird subterfuge he’s trying to pull and it just doesn’t work in world or character-wise.

I can honestly say I’m happy with how the Tyrus-Moria-Gavril “love triangle” worked out. It really wasn’t one and in the end, that’s totally okay with everyone involved. Platonic friendships FTW. I can also honestly say that Ronan’s clearly got baggage and I really disliked how his baggage was handled. Just came off like he was being stupid and completely obtuse half the time. He and Ashyn are going to need what passes for therapy in their world if they end up making it in their long-distance relationship.

Forest of Ruin was overall just alright. Armstrong kind of stuck the landing, but only after a lot of faffing about. I will also say that, after the climax, the ending of the book went straight back to the very slow pace the book had toward the middle, which was frustrating, really. But I guess all’s well that ends well and everyone got their happy endings.

Stay Tuned For Pokemon Scarlet Image Posts

Pokemon Scarlet: 5 hr Review

Due to work and being an adult, I've only really had about 5 hours to play the newest Pokemon game: Pokemon Scarlet. It's been fun, so far. Not gonna lie, I spent a good chunk of that time customizing my character's face and trying to figure out how to change clothes (spoiler: you are stuck with the core outfit, pretty much). I also spent a good chunk of time in the first area building a team of all new Pokemon, cuz who wants to play a new game with completely familiar Pokemon? Long story short: I'm having fun, which is ultimately the point.

The Long Story Part

So far, I have got two issues with Pokemon Scarlet: the way the wild Pokemon behave and the clothes.

In previous Pokemon games, the Pokemon would jump out at you while you're walking through the tall grass and/or at random depending on where you were in the game. This rarely happens in this game. In fact, if you walk past a group of Pokemon, they will notice you and either run away from you or just continue going about their days. Sometimes Hoppip will be drawn toward you while you battle and they'll just kinda float there, but not engage with you at all. The only Pokemon I've seen to actively run toward you are Maschiff and, like, one Terastallized Scyther. This is a little annoying for me because honestly, I'm more of the collecting gamer than the battling gamer so I'll just avoid wild Pokemon all day long if I'm not trying to catch them... which then leads to my team not being leveled up because I haven't been battling. I have found that I run into Pokemon more when I'm riding Koraidon around, mainly because of the speed aspect. Either I can't turn fast enough to avoid Pokemon or they can't move fast enough to avoid me. I find I much prefer the Pokemon Legends: Arceus route where the Pokemon mostly try to kill you and therefore you're engaged in battles much more often whether you want to be or not. I don't want to be deluged in battles, but, ya know, the occasional forced battle would be nice.

In a game where the main point is battling Pokemon and having a custom team, the clothes you character wears really shouldn't be an issue, especially given we were stuck with the default outfits for years and years. However, the last couple of Pokemon games have spoiled me into wanting a range of clothes to choose from. Pokemon Scarlet seriously disappoints in this regard by having you stuck to the school uniform. Granted, there are 4 different uniform types to choose from, but it's still super boring as compared to previous games. The customization options for clothes basically come down to glasses, gloves, shoes, socks, bags, and oversized hats. Seriously, all the hats are oversized and look weird. I know this is just me being spoiled by Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Ultra Moon and Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Legends: Arceus, but I would really like to change out of these stupid red-orange pants and into some jeans.

The Good Things

I liked being able to customize my character immediately upon starting the game. I spent way too long looking at all the face and hair options, but it was honestly worth it to me. I like having a character that actually looks like I want her to look immediately upon starting a game. It's nice.

I love the open world. The reason I've only gotten to the first gym after five hours of playing is testament to how big this world is. I might have spent too long customizing, but I've spent an equal amount of time just running around collecting items and Pokemon. I probably have more Pokemon at this point in the game than I would in any previous generations. There are a lot of familiar Pokemon and new ones to play with. I'm actually surprised at the amount of familiar Pokemon. Was not expecting that.

Just Kind of Meh

So, I'm not really sure how I feel about having the three different storylines to follow at random. I kind of like being able to just follow a storyline from Point A to Point B. It's not bad, exactly, just a little confusing at times. Luckily, the internet is here to help with that if I ever have a hard time making a decision regarding the best order to do things in. Ultimately, it's up to me, but... yeah... I'd like a little more than "Here's all the places you should visit to do this quest line and this one and this one all at once. Have fun!" At least a toggle would be nice. There might be one, but I haven't found it yet.

Terastallizing, Pokemon Scarlet/Violet's battle gimmick. Hmm... I feel like I'm going to be using this gimmick maybe a tad more than I did the last gimmicks, and only because of the different typings you can end up with. Most Pokemon you meet aren't going to have a different Tera-type anyway, so it's mostly just a shiny, tiny-cut-scene power up. I almost got one-shotted by a fricking Teddiursa with a Bug Tera-type (that's the one at the "first" gym, by the way). It has its uses, but I feel like it's another not-strictly-necessary gimmick to try and shake up the Pokemon formula.

The crafting. In Pokemon Scarlet, you have the ability to craft TMs from bits of Pokemon that apparently just drop off them after a battle. Literally things like Igglybuff Fluff. The thing is, I never really use TMs. Like, maybe once in a while. Maybe. I don't remember using them in the recent games at all. So... basically I'm just gonna have a bag full of Pokemon parts for no reason. I'd really like to craft something OTHER than TMs.

In Conclusion

The 5 hours I've sunk into Pokemon Scarlet have been fun. I look forward to my first day off since getting the game. It's gonna be fun to actually immerse myself without much of a time limit.

Empire of Night

A Spoiler Free Review

Originally Posted on GoodReads

I’m honestly not sure how I feel about Empire of Night. It’s not the usual runaround of Armstrong’s middle books, but at the same time, it kind of is. Stuff happens, though, rather than basically nothing ending in a semi-reset of the status quo. I liked it well enough. Wasn’t bored at any point. Wasn’t blown away either. But yeah…

Ashyn and Moria actually spend most of this book apart again, which was interesting. Ashyn basically ran around with Ronan and Tyrus while Moria was held captive by Gavril. Both storylines had their own cast of characters and it was nice to not have the girls stuck to each others sides once reunited. There is also less worrying ostensibly about each other as their world has definitely grown beyond Edgewood.

The boys were a bit more interesting this time around. Ronan was a tad more vulnerable, less stand-offish toward the girls. Tyrus got more fleshing out, though he remains an almost perfect romantic partner for Moria, I think. And Gavril was a jerk, which I think was actually keeping Moria safer than if he hadn’t been, honestly. His motives were obviously less clear as he was ostensibly a traitor in this book. Oh, and Simeon is a dick. Full stop. I have posted a rant below this review, because, well, I apparently have things to say about Simeon despite (or probably because of) my hatred for him.

We got to see a little bit more of Moria’s powers in action. If only because of the encounter with the spirit beasts toward the end of the book. Honestly, it’s like the Seeker and Keeper powers are way passive. They can speak to spirits and kind of command them, but that’s pretty much it. They might as well not have powers for a majority of the story anyway. Not a bad thing, just disappointing for me, personally.

Empire of Night is probably my favorite of Armstrong’s middle trilogy books. It kept me engaged the whole way, which is more than I can say for the last pair of trilogies I read from her. Time to see if she sticks the landing in Forest of Ruin.

That Simeon Rant I Promised

There are spoilers in this part

Okay so, Simeon. First, I really hate his name. Second, he's, uh, basically an incel. Third, it's actually quite unfortunate that he's also basically a nerd because that plays into some tropes that aren't great...

Simeon, when we meet him and through most of his "screen time," is just a socially awkward guy who also happens to be a scholar. I envision him as your bog-standard fantasy nerd type, probably even monk-ish in his dress, just cuz that's how my brain does. Ostensibly, there's nothing wrong with this. Gimme more fantasy nerd boys, we have enough dashing hero types. However, the problems arise when he decides to ask Ashyn if he can court her once their adventure is over. He reacts badly to the rejection. Very badly. Immediately starts insulting her and basically anyone associated with her. Definitely not a good look. Fast forward to later in the story after they've sent him off to tell the Emperor what happened with Tyrus and the mercenaries... he's apparently lied to the Emperor about Tyrus and Moria. Just wholesale lied about both of them. Possibly because he's on Alvar Kitsune's side or possibly because Ashyn refused his advances. Either way, not a good look.

I wholeheartedly despise these types of characters. First, most nerdy guys I've encountered aren't actually jerks underneath and portraying them as such has definitely given nerdy guys a bad rap. Maybe not completely undeserved, I have been around the internet (and, ya know, just been a woman) long enough to know better, but, ya know, "not all men" kind of thing. Given the other guys in the story are all warrior types -- almost literally given the caste system Armstrong's got going -- the nerd boy being rejected by one of the heroines and immediately being a jerk just isn't a good look for the character or Armstrong, really. Second, -- and let me be really clear here, this goes for absolutely anyone who has ever or will ever ask someone out -- this type of turnaround from kinda sweet and awkward to instant asshole is a gigantic red flag. It speaks of some kind of expectation behind the ask and honestly shows the true colors of the asker. If you turn on a dime like that, you're the asshole, not the person who turned you down. Also, let's also be really clear here: You are not owed any kind of relationship with anyone, no matter how nice you are to them. Not friendship or a romantic relationship. None. You are owed nothing for being nice or kind to anyone for any reason. It's nice when the attitude is returned, but you shouldn't freak out if it's not.

I also don't understand why you'd immediately start insulting the people attached to your crush to your crush. Like, ostensibly, and especially in Ashyn and Simeon's case, you'd maybe like to keep at least a friendship going, right? But no, apparently not? Simeon just flat burned that bridge immediately... and then to take it as far as they're assuming he did? Ashyn was too polite for just a flat "no" and pretty much told him "not right now" and he just takes it to the extreme immediately upon being rejected. Way to just completely turn off your crush, man. This is that stereotypical incel-y behavior that made me label him that way. Girl doesn't like you so you start calling her a whore and such... which has been going on for a lot longer than incels have been around, really. Empire of Night was published in 2015 and the term was apparently coined in 1997, online specifically, so... yeah. Basically people need to learn how to handle rejection better. Your nice-guy (nor nice-girl or whatever) facade crumbles immediately if you immediately start acting like a jerk. Should be obvious. Apparently isn't.

I would also like to say that the fact that Simeon is basically a nerd boy in the company of warrior boys isn't a reason for Ashyn to pick him over Ronan (who is her love interest anyway). I completely respect her choice. It just rubs me the wrong way that Simeon is a nerd boy and is a complete ass compared to Ronan, Tyrus, and Gavril. He's one of basically three named characters who is antagonistic right off and it's just frustrating, is all. And, ya know, nerd boys rarely get the girl in these stories because they're not the dashing hero type. That doesn't sit well with me either.

This rant is longer than my review... I might also be really reading too far into this... probably am. 🤷

Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong

A Spoiler Free Review

This is honestly nothing like anything I’ve read from Kelley Armstrong. That being said, I’m definitely a fan of epic fantasy and this ticks that box rather nicely. Sea of Shadows is definitely set up for the rest of the trilogy. The concepts for the magic system are set up but not completely explained, so I do hope that gets expanded upon through the rest of the trilogy. Same for the overall war plot that Armstrong has set up.

I quite liked the main protagonists, Moria and Ashyn. I would like a more thorough explanation of their powers, though. They are Seeker and Keeper but I’m still not entirely sure what that means aside from an affinity for speaking to spirits. Them having animal sidekicks is nice, love me an animal sidekick. Ronan and Gavril are kind of bog-standard for their character types, really. I was expecting either of them to do anything super awesome or important. They are clearly secondary to Moria and Ashyn and that is just fine.

The setting is actually kind of flat for this high fantasy story. Like, not sure if we’re in a European style medieval or an Asian style medieval… just kind of standard village is village thing going on for most of the story. We get a better feel for the setting once the characters reach the capital city toward the end, but it’s more of a side feature Asian style than an in-your-face kind of thing.

I think the shadow-stalkers, thunder hawk, and death worms were interesting, if largely just obstacles the girls have the get through… like mini-bosses. Honestly, of the three, the thunder hawk was my favorite. The fact that it actually influences the local weather is cool, if worrying for weather patterns.

The only thing I have left to say is that I really don’t blame the village elders or whatever for just straight up killing anyone who survives the Forest of the Dead. If you’ve had one person seem perfectly normal turn on a dime and actually be murdery and crazy, then yes, you have legitimate reason for just killing all survivors. I mean, otherwise you have to waste manpower on some kind of quarantine and, ya know, no one wants that… and yes, I am being sarcastic in that last bit. Your Forest of the Dead punishment is supposed to allow for survivors… but nope, can’t actually have that. Ugh.

Anyway, I really enjoyed Sea of Shadows. For once that ominous sounding title fits the narrative within. On to the next one!

Hunt the Moon by Karen Chance

A Spoiler Free Review

Hunt the Moon is backstory city mixed with what basically amounts to car chases and mixing mythologies. It was pretty good, exciting for a good chunk and satisfying in other chunks.

We get more backstory for Pritkin, which I guess gave more insight to his character but really served as long setup for the Netflix-like hook into the next story line. Well… and helping Cassie understand things for the finale. We got a wider version of Mircea’s backstory. I personally never gave a second thought to Mircea’s parents, but I guess it kind of mirrors Cassie’s parents… or at least that information coming to light as well. Speaking of which… While I didn’t exactly call that reveal, I kinda called half that reveal while Cassie was talking to Deino and half when Mircea mentioned it at some point earlier in the book.

The chase scenes were fun. But less chaotic that Cassie’s usual forays into fight scenes. The dragon fight was definitely a dive into that chaos.

So, important point here: I really, really hate the mixing/equating of mythologies. I mean, getting the gods all together is fun and all, but actually equating them across mythologies… more annoying than anything else. I understand how it’s a thing people do, but it’s some bullshit. The people the mythologies belonged to in the first place didn’t just go traipsing around like “Apollo is definitely also Thor.” That’s a more modern thing. That’s not to say these things didn’t happen, at least in terms of the Mediterranean mythos-es building off each other and mixing some (Greek, Roman, and Egyptian being the big three there), but Norse wasn’t included there so… this bugs me. A lot. It’s like the ancient aliens theories… kind of fun to think about but not actually a thing most scholars seriously contemplate.

But yeah Hunt the Moon was pretty okay. A better mix of the downtime and action scenes than usual, I think.

Favorite Lines

"They always are. Anyone who can only see their point of view is. Once a group decides that their way is the only way, it is an easy progression to vilifying anyone who doesn't agree with them. And once someone has been demonized, has been characterized as opposing the good, killing him becomes virtue." - Mircea Basarab

"A legend is merely a man history decided to bugger," Pritkin said harshly.

In Other News

I have finished my Falcomon project over on Ovipets! Part of my Child Digimon project.