Not terrible, but nothing compared to PLANS
358239
There were definitely some great songs on this album, but it's nothing when compared to the PLANS album. If you're new to Death Cab, and are looking to buy an album, I suggest buying PLANS. Then you can just buy individual songs from this album. If you're a big Death Cab fan(like me), then I'd say this album is still worth owning (I just hope you own PLANS as well).
3213253
can i give this no stars? i was hoping for real plans. there aren't real dimensions on these plans and nothing to do with the outside of homes either. worse book.
1768054
After installing this hardware it appears to have about the same functionality, at minimum, as the 12 station timer it replaced.
*  The app installation user experience is dismal.
*  The online documentation is all 'quickstart card' and summary, with no actual documentation of the products advanced features.
*  After getting the app installed on an iPhone, setting the zones is a bit confusing (Red X indicates configured, Blue + indicates unconfigured). Setting a schedule is easy.
*  The so called Smart Details feature is pretty vague.  The description of concept sounds good, but absolutely no details that would indicate when or how the smart watering schedule may be executed on the controller.<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Orbit-57950-B-hyve-Smart-Indoor-Outdoor-12-Station-WiFi-Sprinkler-System-Controller-Works-with-Amazon-Alexa/dp/B01D15HOTU/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Orbit 57950 B-hyve Smart Indoor/Outdoor 12-Station WiFi Sprinkler System Controller, Works with Amazon Alexa</a>
4580195
Other reviewers have provided the description of the plot of this thriller and, while I agree with them that the author has written a 'good story', the story is not -to me at least -as well-written as it might have been.  The things that contributed to my mild sense of disappointment fall into at least four areas.
First would be some fairly egregious errors of fact that could have been corrected with just a bit of research.  One example of this was the author's description of a 'crucifix' on the wall of a Southern Baptist church, with an image of Jesus' head appearing to loll forward over the pews.  Personally,  I suspect that you will travel far and wide in the South and not find a Baptist church with a `crucifix' on display.  A bit of research on the issue of crucifixes vis a vis Baptists might have led to text along the lines of " The chief reason we do not use crucifixes is that they, in essence, "keep" Jesus Christ on the cross, when He not only died but also was buried, rose from the dead on the third day, and then ascended into Heaven. While we want to keep the message of the cross ever before us, we also must keep before us the fact that He did not stay on the cross. Instead we serve a living Savior Who will come for us someday. An empty cross speaks of these realities."

Second, there are instances of pretty basic editing errors.  For example on page 264 the location from which a sniper had fired is referred to as the `sniper sight' rather than the `sniper site'
Third, there are occasional instances of awkward dialogue.  For example, the evil redneck says "But my mother would then blame me forever."  Really?  I live not all that far from the location where these events take place and I can't imagine anyone actually talking that way.

Fourth (Spoiler Alert) there are a number of instances where the plot turns on situations/actions that just defy logic.  Key to the events in the story is the fact that the Fosters (the couple whose son was apparently murdered by Walter Whitiker) shoot Whitiker once as he is being released from prison.  But Whitiker is hit by two shots.  Much of the action turns on the fact that the Fosters are apparently unaware of the 'second shot'. Yes, they had their ears plugged, but it seems implausible at best that (a) they wouldn't have heard anything, (b) Tim, the husband,  would have taken his eye away so quickly from the sight picture that he wouldn't have seen the second impact, or (c) that the Fosters would have missed any news coverage after the fact indicating that there was a second shot/wound.

Second, subsequent investigation reveals that the Fosters purchased a rifle of the same make/caliber as the rifle found at the scene of the shooting, which causes the police to focus on them as suspects.  But the two shots that struck Walter Whitiker came from two rifles - one of which was used by the 'real' villain - and seems to be a kind of glaring and unaddressed issue related to the fact that there would have been a serial number on the rifle that was found at the crime scene and it would not have matched up with the serial number on the sales ticket for the rifle that was sold to the Fosters.

Third, at the conclusion of the novel, there's the REALLY implausible idea that trained SWAT officers who are equipped with night vision sniper equipment will (a) opt against using that equipment in favor of a breaching action against an armed perp with a gun to his hostage's head and (b) will leave their sniper rifles unsecured where a civilian with minimal training can just pick one up and take out the bad guy with one perfect long-distance shot.

Obviously, from the number of five star reviews, other readers were not as bothered by these issues.  But - for me - they make Run to Ground a less-than-perfectly realized effort, despite the fact that the story idea itself is a good one.
4123841
Long story short...

Pros:
-More rooms and cards (yay)
-Small enough to combine into core box.

Cons:
-The haunts (so far) are pretty mediocre at best and some are cringe-worthy (the last thing I want is a reminder of this past election, or really any of them, in any of my games). They don't feel like they like fit in compared to the core booklet's take on classical monsters and horror movie genres, and as others have mentioned were play-tested.
-The box has way too much wasted space, could be smaller
- A little over-priced. I'd value it at about $15-20 for just the 2 booklets, extra cards, and room tiles provided.

Had I known the haunts were not designed by the original makers, I would've abstained from the pre-order.
481061
I liked the premise of the story - the summary made it sound promising. But there's not really anything in the story that keeps you super interested. There's not really any conflict, though there are a couple minor storylines that could have made for some good conflict. Everything just kind of works out, and there's a lot of deep talk from guys pouring their hearts out that just isn't very realistic. The idea behind the story was pretty good; the execution was lacking.
3773024
I've seen their other feature film and while this does display improvements in a number of technical areas, it's still largely a work devoid of competent narrative writing. It's better than the other film, but not by much. They apparently got a writer who worked on a long running children's radio program. My understanding is they are episodic in nature.  I get the sense the movie was mapped out in much the same way, but the characters are still cyphers and not fully formed. The dialogue is anemic and while it's fully audible, it's not believable. The action is better in spots and there is a character who brings a lot of gravitas with hardly any lines. With all this in mind, I'm not sure how thorough a hand he had in writing for this.
They wasted their money in getting John Rhys Davies when you put him in a movie like this with nothing to do. He is the selling point of the movie and if the context of what he does, or who he is isn't believable then everything is done. A no name actor could have filled the role, making him a cypher for evil (as it should be at the bare minimum) and they could've focused on making the love story more believable.

The main character seems like a lost cause and is very thinly developed. That's the main reason the story has no weight.  I could break down in detail what makes the movie bad, but the movie doesn't warrant that. It still feels like they make movies by haphazardly plotting ideas that interest them as backdrops for action and mild Christian themes. If that's how they create and get things done I can understand not wanting to change. However, they will never make a good movie if they continue to do it this way regardless of budget.
1485652
ok for student, not really for life planning ....
1032468
I'm all for giving the underdog a shot, and I was thrilled to find an affordable SmartPhone to go with my prepaid plan. I have to start to wonder if it's worth it, though. This is my second POSH and they continue to do nothing but disappoint. I ordered it in March and two months later, the phone is not holding up well (I work an office job, so it's not like it gets put through the ringer). The mouthpiece doesn't work, so I have to call out on speaker phone. The GPS is buggy. The touch screen is lagging. And I don't know if it's the stock keyboard or my fat fingers, but I'm about to launch this thing out the window after trying to type. Good try, Posh, but I don't think you're quite ready yet.
2298362
I bought this DVD mostly based on the other recommendations.  This is not a good film.  It isn't horrible, and it shares the universal appeal that all animation has for children, but there are better things to do with your time.
The animation is good, but not great.  A game like Final Fantasy displays more imagination when fusing sailing ships and space travel.  You certainly see why hand-drawn animation is being replaced by computer animation.
The plot is abysmally shallow.  The lead character was obviously designed by a committee, hoping to create someone with which today's teenagers could identify.  Most of the sidekicks were even more bland than the lead (was there any question how Morph would impact the story?  Did Martin Short's robot character contribute *anything*?).
I'm sure Disney consulted many focus groups to patch together this script.  I wish they had taken a chance with a more inspiring storyline.
2248361
While the proposition of four separately playable but intersecting plotlines is intriguing, the promise quickly dissipates as you struggle with the horrible camera mechanics, the even worse cover system and the largely unengaging plotlines themselves. Of the four - you play as Leon, then Chris, then Jake and finally as Ada - Leon's and Jake's stories are the most interesting, but that's faint praise for plots which are little more than ramped-up action sequences strung together. Perhaps this reliance on over-the-top, non-stop action is a selling point for many gamers, but it didn't thrill me. The game is almost completely lacking in atmospherics, which are sorely missed, and each storyline ends with repeated battles against the same "boss" character who simply refuses to die. Just when you think you've polished him off, he pops up again to ruin your day some more. It's as if the writers came up with several alternate endings and then couldn't decide which they liked the most...so they kept all the endings. I'd call it anti-climactic, but in a game this focused on pure action it's pretty much beside the point. Playing each plotline co-op made the game tolerable (which is why I give it 3 instead of only 2 stars), but that's a far cry from enjoyable. And even co-op couldn't salvage the Ada story, in which the 2nd character was such an afterthought by the game designers that he magically teleports along with Ada whenever she uses her grapple-gun and he can't help solve any puzzles because none of the in-game controls are available to him. I played as this nameless 2nd character, and I ended up standing around doing absolutely nothing at times while my partner (playing as Ada) ran around and did everything. Very disappointing. The game does get some things right - a more unobtrusive HUD, streamlined access to weapons/items, a game-within-a-game in which you hunt for so-called dragon emblems, and several of the individual action set-pieces are cool - but ultimately I found the whole thing more frustrating than fun.
4813514
The only good thing in this set is the pouch.  Everything else is ok, at best.  There are 5 glitter arrow stickers that are nice.  I find that cardboard embellishments are not good for planners because they make the planner bulky.  There is some (What I would call) "bakery box string" that I don't know how to use in my planner.  The rest is some colored triangles in a vellum envelope,  all not adhesive.
Basically,  if you want a pouch that fits perfectly in the planner, this is for you.  All the rest of the contents are blah.
2342382
The plans are fine, but the projects are craft-level.  Easy to make though.  I made the bedroom set for my kids.  It's a tank and the mattresses are recessed too far down.
1603025
I had high hopes for this book and LOVED "A Simple Plan."  Started this tale with much anticipation, but it fizzled.  I got to the point where I felt I was suffering just to follow the narrative of the characters' suffering.  For no point at all.  Horrific escapism but not enteratainment, at least for me.  Your mileage may vary.
3815347
This review is based on what I was hoping for versus what model railroaders may be looking for. To me, there has been a dire shortage of layout designs that feature continuous run planning with some thoughtful scenery potential. Probably the most successful book in this genre was the original "101 Track Plans" by Linn Westcott. However,  in Mr. Kempinski's compilation of layout plans, it seemed way too many plans in the beginning were devoted to diorama concepts rather than running trains. (I'm sorry... a straight track with two stub tangents is not a layout. It's a display piece)  There is also an abundance of point-to-point industrial switching plans. Whereas I can see modelers enjoying creating a well-executed "snapsho" layoutst in scaled 3D or immersing themselves in  "real railroad" practices, it's just not my thing. I must be in the minority as publications seem to target "serious" realistic modelers, not someone who enjoys a well-executed layout that if you wanted to step back and watch the trains run, you can. I just wish there were more designers approaching layout planning with this old school sensibility utilizing what to me is manageable size (one car garage ) and, as already stated, continuous running with some interesting car storage and switching ability. The publication quality of "45 Original Track Plans" is fine and, as others have stated, well-written. I just wish I could find plan books that suit my needs. better.
1387253
Although this game is fun many aspects feel extremely lackluster.
This review is divided into sections:

Plot:
The plot is that 4 gemulets need to be returned to Jeff the Gnome King (or CEO as it's incredibly unclear whether he's a reigning monarch, or the manager at a company) or the Gnome forest will die (there's some pretty funny jokes about this happening and the game is thankfully self aware, at how generic this plot is).
One thing that's disappointing is the diverse collection of characters, have NO ROLE in the plot or the rest of the game. You just end up wishing they'd had written some actual interesting plot incorporating characters and locations from the show, but nope!

Writing:
This game has pretty funny dialogue, although you'll likely be irritated by the slow scrolling text. Overall it's good though.

Characters:
Nearly all characters from the show have NO ROLE in this game whatsoever. Even for side-quests. This is pretty disappointing. Also despite the date this was released, Ford is nowhere to be seen.

Enemies:
The enemy collection is unforgivable. There are (drumroll please) FIVE enemy types in the ENTIRE GAME.
This is not counting bosses as they're included in the enemy log. You'll be very irritated that creatures from the show like the Multi-bear, the Manotaurs, or even Bill Cipher have NO ROLE whatsoever.
Yeah, you never get to fight Bill Cipher, and his only mention is very brief and contributes nothing. You always fight the same boss, precisely the same way.
Most enemies (all but one) derive nothing from the show, which is quite disappointing.

Gameplay/Levels:
EVERY SINGLE LEVEL IS ITEM RETRIVAL, THEN BOSS FIGHT! It never changes! This get's as old as it sounds.
Gameplay is just your generic side-scroller nothing special. You can switch between Dipper and Mabel, but it barely affects things.
Dipper has the size-changing flashlight but all it does is let you into secret rooms. Yeah, you can't even use it at will. Mabel has her grappling hook, but it too can't be used at will.

Quests:
The quests are extremely lackluster. Every single one is item retrieval! And worse yet, you get nothing for completing them except a check mark in your quest log, some moderately amusing dialogue, and a few extra hours in your play-time counter, from the time you spent finding the items unfairly hidden (this game LOVES walk-through walls)!
Yeah, that's right! You're NOT rewarded for completing the quests.
Take Wendy's quest for example, you'd expect to get an Axe, maybe a special move to access secret areas or at least clear enemies faster, or at least some money (which by the way, you CAN'T use to buy consumables as this game has none even though it would've been perfect for the Mystery Shack to be a shop) not NOTHING.
I honestly think these copy-pasted quests are only present to shoe-horn in characters from the show, who contribute nothing by the way.

Animation/Music:
The animation and music are both extremely good, though it is sad how little we get to hear the opening theme, but overall the music enhances the mood of various levels quite well.
It's also annoying that when something crazy happens in a scripted sequence, characters don't visually react in the slightest!

Overall:
This game is fun, but it's incredibly obvious that it was made because someone wanted more money, not that something loved and respected the mythos of Gravity Falls. Most Gravity Falls fans, will cringe at the misrepresentation of the source material, too. I'd say 5.5/10
1783409
If you start this series hoping for the best gay fantasy novel ever, you're setting yourself up for disappointment.

The plot--what there is of it--is not bad, and has a few unique details, although it tries at times to be heavier than it actually is. The characters are passably original, although they fall into cliches at times.  The world was detailed, but it's dumped on you too fast to get a good feel for it.  Dialogue was okay, but the action scenes were...poor.

The biggest thing Scarlet and the White Wolf seems to have going for it is that it's lacking in the smut that so many other gay fiction books have. I approve of this lack, but that doesn't automatically make it a good book.

After reading all the glowing reviews here I expected a whole lot more from the book, and it didn't live up to it. I did finish reading the series, and was suitably impressed by the increased quality of the sequels, but I think I would've enjoyed the entire experience more if I hadn't been led to expect too much by other reviewers.