The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

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This award-winning book, The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, guides readers through a dangerous yet exciting journey of finding what is important in one’s life and to never lose hope to accomplish any dreams.

The main character, Santiago is a confident, shepherd boy that is known to be curious about the world and to believe in what he wants to believe in. In the book, he travels to many places but his destination is the Egyptian pyramids where he hopes to find treasure. Throughout the story, he receives advice from many mentors about finding his “Personal Legend”. He is taught to never lose hope and to follow his dreams which is what Santiago does. Being beat up after every obstacle Santiago has to face, by the end, he is a powerful and gritty young boy who realizes that he has the ability to accomplish any of his dreams. Join Santiago through his long journey, battling difficult circumstances and ultimately reaching his goal. With helpful advice from many individuals Santiago meets through his trip, there is valuable information that is important for the reader to also take in.

Though the book is not very long and not very hard, it is important to not speed through it but to understand The Alchemist is trying to teach us. I really liked it and if you decide to read this book too, I think you will like it as well.

– Amandine K.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available for download from Overdrive. 

The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson

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During quarantine, many of us have been searching for ways to distract ourselves from all the issues going on in the world right now. For me, the best distraction has been reading. I have always had a list of books that I am going to read “at some point,” but never actually got around to reading until now. One of those books was a friend’s recommendation: Bill Clinton and James Pattersons’ The President is Missing.

The President is Missing tells the story of a fictional President Jonathan Duncan, and his attempts to stop a cyber-terrorist attack from fictional terrorist leader Suliman Cindoruk. Duncan had attempted to negotiate with Cindoruk in order to make peace but later faced impeachment trials because of this collusion and its implications. Duncan meets two informants from Cindoruk’s group, but one of them is assassinated during the meeting. Duncan is forced to flee with the remaining informant, Auggie, to a safe house. There, he learns that Auggie and his colleague Nina created an extremely dangerous computer virus called Dark Ages for Cindoruk, but later fled to the US to help halt its use in cyber warfare. The virus is released the next day and the Los Angeles water treatment plant is sabotaged, thus contaminating all the water in the area. This is when Duncan and his staff find out that the true function of the Dark Ages is to contaminate all food and water supply in the US and use technology to sabotage everyday society. Duncan and his colleagues at the Pentagon race to figure out the disable code for Dark Ages, and his vice president is suspected of leaking the confidential information used for the virus. At the last minute, Duncan’s chief of staff correctly guesses the code word and the country is saved from Dark Ages and the impending cyber-terror attack. The person who leaked the confidential information and helped orchestrate the terrorist attack with Cindoruk is caught (no spoilers!) and the country is saved. 

This story is an epic work of fiction and is a perfect book to read during isolation. The story is incredibly intriguing and will keep you guessing until the very final page. Stay safe and keep reading!

-Katie A. 

The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive. 

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Ranked Game Mode Review

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Rainbow Six Siege is famously known for taking elite military forces and joining them together to compete against one another. The game is a first-person shooter, that allows players to compete in a five on five, simulation-based game mode. The player chooses from a wide variety of operators, each selected from the highest-ranking military task forces from around the world. Each team is either defending or attacking a certain objective. whether it be saving a hostage, defusing a bomb, or securing an area, each team must your strategy and teamwork to win the game.

I have been playing Rainbow Six Siege for a while now, and have gotten pretty good at the game. Due to the quarantine, my friends and I have decided to play the competitive playlist. This game mode is for the players that want a true challenge. Only the best of the best will compete in ranked games, and the amount of concentration is usually doubled in these games. The ranking system is very simple and easy to understand. You and your team will play ten ranked games, in each game going up against different teams with different skill levels. After you complete all of the placement matches, you and your team will be placed into a skill level, depending on how many kills, and wins, you got in the ten placement matches.

After playing the ten placement matches, the player can continue to play ranked games. This means that they will have a chance to get a higher rank then what they were placed in. But the player must be careful because if they lose too many games they could drop lower than what was given to them.

Overall, my Rainbow Six Siege ranked experience was fun, exciting, and frustrating all at the same time. I still enjoyed my time in the ranked game mode, and I am going to go back and play it as soon as aI can.

-Daniel C.

The Wizenard Series by Kobe Bryant and Wesley King

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When did magic and basketball meet? Floors moving uphill and downhill, mysterious writing on the wall, each person seeing a different vision than the next in the same place! Is there anything Rolabi Wizenard can’t change? Well, as Rolabi Wizenard tests a struggling basketball team’s commitment and desire, they find out how to handle fear and learn to overcome the biggest challenges! A team determined to win, The West Bottom Badgers start an incredibly long journey to the title, with Rolabi Wizenard as their coach! 

As each player faces their own challenges, they all have to find a way to come together as a team and compete for a championship! A team from The Bottom part of Dren is starting their adventure now. They have no time to waste, they just need to work hard everyday, and play while controlling their fears. Everyone comes from struggling parents, who can’t pay all their bills, but their hearts are bigger. Their desire to win is stronger! The main question is: Will all their hard work be enough?

As the West Bottom Badgers learn to work and hard and fight through fear, they start to unlock their true potential. Former bench players become stars and the whole team starts to look up. That is until they start the season. The season starts off very rough as they start off with 5 straight losses without a single win. Their hopes to win the championship, once as high as a mountain, start to plummet as each loss comes and goes. 

The Wizenard Series is a 2 book series with the first book being the same story in all the different parts of it, just from different perspectives. You get 5 different angles of the story with Rain, Twig, Cash, Peno, and Lab. The 2nd book is with Reggie, where you get a view of the first season with Rolabi Wizenard as head coach from the eyes of Reggie.

As everyone faces problems and challenges on the court, most of the kids also face problems off the court. Some sleep on the ground, some have to work hard into the night to earn the money their family needs, and some have lost family members. Well, after all, this is The Bottom. Once someone comes to The Bottom, they have a hard time leaving, and that is just like the situation everyone on this basketball team is in. Professor Rolabi Wizenard not only teaches these kids basketball, but he also teaches them life. Will they be able to apply what they have learned from him into their daily lives as they get older and try to get out of The Bottom with basketball?

I enjoyed reading this fabulous book, and I would rate it a 10/10. It is one of the best books I have ever read.

The first book: The Wizenard Series: Training Camp, the second book: The Wizenard Series: Season One

-Mert A.

The One by Kiera Cass

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Caution: May contain spoilers from The Selection and The Elite.

While I would consider The Selection series to be more lighthearted than other dystopian YA novels, the third book, The One, certainly introduces more darkness to America’s tale. Nevertheless, it still possesses Kiera Cass’s quirky and imaginative flair that pervades the first and second books.

As both the Selection within the castle walls and the rebel situation outside escalates, they seem to blend together into a far more complex issue than America had imagined possible. Rebel attacks increase as protest rages against the Selection and the continuation of the monarchy and Maxon struggles as his decision grows closer–a decision through which he may not be able to please both his father and his heart.

It seems that as the books have progressed the characters of the Selected have been able to grow more detailed. While America’s character bursts from the pages of the first book, many of the Selected were not as openly described, and understandably so–imagine describing and reading about 35 different characters who might not all play a large role in the story!

However, since only 6 of the Selected remain, we get to explore these characters in more depth, which I found interesting and enriching to the story. By explaining their motives and backgrounds, Kiera Cass allowed the other 5 girls to become more than just America’s competition. I particularly enjoyed a scene where the remaining Selected talk in America’s room without enmity.  With the escalation of the dangerous situation, they are able to look beyond their more frivolous squabbles.

One aspect I admire about America is that true to her decision in the first book, she remains true to herself. Though she wavers at times, especially as the competition becomes intense and when she is intimidated by the king, she consistently chooses what she feels is true to her values and herself, even if by doing so she could diminish her chances of being the One.

The One, full of romance and action; rebellion and choices; politics, love, friendship, fear, and humor, pulls the Selection and the first half of the series into a dazzling, glittering finale.

– Mia T.

The One (and the rest of The Selection series) by Kiera Cass is available for checkout at the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive. 

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

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The Westing Game (text only) by E. Raskin: E. Raskin: Amazon.com ...

16 heirs. 8 teams. 1 fortune ripe for the winning. The Westing Game has begun, and there is no turning back…

The glittery, glassy apartment house Sunset Towers (which, oddly enough, face east!) has been leased to tenants more different than not. However, after reclusive millionaire Samuel W. Westing dies, it is revealed that the residents of Sunset Towers are connected by far more than their new apartment homes – they have all been named as potential heirs to the Westing fortune!

In order to win the money, all the heirs have to do is find the one who murdered Westing. Paired up in accordance with Westing’s will, and armed with 10 thousand dollars and a single clue, the heirs must unveil the murderer before they can strike again…

Through blizzards and burglaries, bombings and burnings, the heirs play on, but nothing is as it seems on this hunt for a killer, and as the pairs follow the clues that Westing left for them, it may be that they themselves are in danger…

Ellen Raskin’s The Westing Game is the perfect combination of mystery and adventure that allows the reader to use their wits and solve the puzzle alongside the heirs in the book. No matter what the reader’s personal preferences are, Raskin’s brilliant writing and simply complicated enigma that is Westing’s will capture their attention from the first page to the last. 

-Mahak M. 

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive. 

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Game Review

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As a kid, I always used to play Nintendo games on my gaming consoles. Whether it be Super Smash Brothers or Super Mario, I fell in love with the Nintendo world. When I discovered that an Animal Crossing game was coming to mobile devices, I was very excited to see how Nintendo would execute such a large task. When I downloaded the game, I was pleasantly surprised, and immediately became nostalgic. As I completed the tutorial, classic Animal Crossing music began to play, and characters new and old started to introduce themselves. I realized that Nintendo had once again executed an amazing video game.

The object of the game is very simple and resembles a lot of the other Animal Crossing games. The player goes around the map, meeting new animal friends. The player does certain quests for said animals, and in the process, they will level up their friendships with each animal. After a certain level is reached with each animal, the player will invite their friends to their campsite. The campsite itself is the home base for the player. Each campsite is different based on the player’s style, and it can become whatever the player wants it to be. You can even change the background, foreground, fences, etc to truly make it your own.

The mobile game also includes side objectives, such as fishing, catching bugs, and crafting new outfits. These all take time, and the player is going to need materials to do these objectives, such as steel and wool. Another cool addition to the game is the Cabin and camper. Both of these locations serve as smaller campsites. Because the campsite can’t house all of your animal friends, the Cabin holds the excess animals. On top of that, you can customize the furniture in the cabin, making the animal’s hang out location interesting.

When a player is waiting for new animals, or they are low only supplies, they can complete map quests that will help them gain more materials and animals. These map quests cost coins and supplies, and in return, the player will receive a large number of different materials. If a player ever becomes bored, they can always enter fashion and design contests. These require a player to own certain outfits or furniture pieces, and the player must lay out the pieces in front of a group of judges. If the player successfully passes the test, they will receive new outfits and clothing pieces.

Overall, I really enjoyed Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. I thought that Nintendo did a great job converting the original and classic Animal Crossing games to the mobile device. The game itself is simple, fun, and addicting, and it’s one of the few mobile games that you don’t grow tired of.

-Daniel C.

Rime Game Review

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Are you looking for a fun game to play? Rime is an amazing game. It combines logical puzzles and a fantastical world to create a mysterious island with many surprises and mysteries.

First of all, there is a great storyline. The story is one of the most important parts of the game. Rime features a young boy, waking up to find himself stranded on a deserted island. He is desperate to get back home, but also curious. You are the young boy, and you need to solve all of the puzzles and games on the island in order to get home. You have nothing but a small fox who sometimes appears for a short period of time and small clues along the way. Will you ever get home?

The game has very nice graphics which look realistic. Natural sounds flood the area around you, and there is no one to hear or see. All of the sounds seem very 3D, as if you are actually there yourself. Slowly, the logical puzzles you have to solve get harder as you go along. The adventure itself is very thrilling and exciting. There are different parts to the game. Each part has a new scene where the adventure takes place. 

I would recommend this game to anyone who is looking for an exciting, adventurous game to play. It keeps you entertained, and you never get bored! 

Also, there are lots of collectible items which can be found throughout the game, so keep an eye out for those! The collectible items you find can be used to unlock cool things. Outfits are one example. Although at the beginning of the game you receive an outfit, there are also different outfits which you can find. Having different outfits could be useful, and also give your character a different look. You can also collect toys, emblems, lullabies, and keyholes. Most of these are hidden in places which are not easy to reach or not on the main path. 

Another important thing to know is that there are certain places which are ‘points of no return’. So before moving on in the game, you can explore the area you are in. You could also go back and explore the area after completing the game, so don’t worry if you couldn’t find something you were looking for. 

During the game, you will encounter a little fox. She will guide you through the game. Also, if you are stuck, this little creature will chatter in your direction. If this happens, follow her! She is the way the game gives you hints if you are stuck. The fox disappears most of the time, once you have either followed her or done what she was trying to tell you to do. 

Overall, Rime is a great game. I think it is an exciting game to play. It improves your logical and reasoning skills, and it is also really fun. I would recommend you to try this game.

Rating: 10/10

-Peri A.

Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition Game Review

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Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition, developed by Snowhound games and produced by 1C Entertainment, is an exciting and unique RPG tactics game. With the use of card game combat and a beautiful yet simple comic book aesthetic, Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition stands out as a new and upcoming role-playing game. As the player follows their team through outer space, they will explore multiple spacecraft, as well as encounter a large assortment of enemies. Throughout their journey, the player will unlock new abilities for each of their characters and will find new items along the way that will either help or hinder them.

The first thing that I noticed when I started playing Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition was the amazing and stunning graphics! The aesthetics themselves reminded me of an older style comic book, especially with the added speech and action bubbles. During fights between characters, the attention to detail in each sequence was also very impressive and clean. Due to the card game playing style, the game itself seemed to operate at a slower pace. I feel like this fits well with the game because the player was able to take in more information without becoming confused or feeling rushed.

As for the combat itself, I personally enjoyed the fight sequences very much. Each player’s team is comprised of three characters, each with a special set of skills and strengths. On my team, I assigned the Brawler, who did most of the fighting; the Healer, who healed his fellow teammates; and the Technician, who assisted the team in combat by giving him and his teammates power-ups. I like how an individual can customize each of their teams to their specific playstyle. This can keep the game interesting and exciting for everyone. There is also a huge variety in the different types of enemies that a player can face. Ranging from a floating eye to an evil janitor, each enemy has a certain skill and fighting style that the players must counter.

Another interesting aspect of Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition was the energy point system. When the player moves around the spaceship, scans for loot, and battles enemies, a certain amount of energy is consumed. After a while, the player will need to return to their base, or their teams will start to lose their shields, weapons, and life support. This danger makes the player think about each of their choices and strategies.

Overall, I personally really enjoyed Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition. I thought the graphics and looks of the game were fantastic and beautiful, as well as unique. On top of that,  the action sequences were very exciting, and fun to experience. The ability to customize your teams and weapons was a great touch. The diversity of enemies that the player had to face as well as the energy point system was challenging. All in all, I would award Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition a score of nine out of ten.

-Daniel C.

Warhammer Underworlds: Online Review

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When I launched my copy of Warhammer Underworlds: Online, I was surprised to find myself playing a tabletop card game, on my computer. This ambitious, strategy game made and produced by Steel Sky Productions gave me the need to pull out an old board game and play it with my friends. Using cards, characters, dice, magic items, etc. Warhammer Underworlds: Online represents the iconic tabletop RPG game.  The concept is quite simple, use magical characters and powerups to your advantage to get the upper hand on your opponent. But, there are multiple factors that can easily turn the tide of the battle, such as objectives, special moves, and the overall skill of the player.

The first thing that I noticed when I launched the game was the wide variety of warriors you could unlock. There were a large number of factions and warriors. There are three starter decks, each from a different faction. The humans, otherwise known as Steelheart’s champions. The monsters, known as Magore’s fiends. And finally, the skeletons, or the sepulchral guard. Each faction had a certain amount of warriors that did a certain amount of damage. Each faction had its own set of skills and objectives the player needed to complete. The player can also make their own army and faction, depending on what the player unlocks. You can also assign different skills and objectives to each of your armies.

As for gameplay, the producers really pulled it off. The graphics are quite good, and the animations of each character are very well done. The player can move around the board and change the camera angle, and it feels likey you are playing star wars hologram chess. The attacks are based on dice, and depending on which player roles a higher number,  the attack will either be successful or not. In each match, the player is trying to capture and complete objectives, which will give them objective points. Whoever has the most points at the end of the game is the winner. In between each attack, players from both sides can use power-up cards that can aid them in battle. Some examples are boosts in damage, speed, etc. This is a great addition, due to it letting each side a fair chance of winning.

I did have some problems with the game. When I first launched Warhammer Underworlds: Online, there was no tutorial or instructions on how to play. I had to find the tutorial options, which was not hard but still was slightly confusing. I realize this game is still in early access, but there was no sound at all. At first, I thought my PC was acting up, but other games had sound. I then went into settings and realized the soundbar was turned down low, so I put it to max volume. The game still did not have sound, and I think this is a major problem since music and sound effects add a lot to a game. As for multiplayer, I could not find an online game, but I am sure that is because it is in early access, and online game issues s will not be a thing. Other than that, I found Warhammer Underworlds: Online to be a really enjoyable strategy game. I think playing with friends and challenging each other to a duel could be really exciting, and I can not wait to see where this game goes.

-Daniel C.