Really more like 3 1/2 stars

Let me start off by its not the most amazing game ever. Like any freemium game with in-app-purchases, it is made so that you are tempted to buy things with real money. I would much rather pay $8.99 up front than have sneaky IAPs. Anyway, I have played this game for a few hours with no in-all-purchases and am currently in level 11. Heres a pro/con list to make things easier:

Pros:
-Cute, great graphics. It truly looks like paradise. The water shimmers when you move it, the animations of when youre making things is a nice touch and I like that you drag the scythe to grab things you harvest instead of tapping on them--makes things slightly interactive
-Characters give it a story a progression; gives you something to do and meeting new characters is cool. Also it gives the illusion that youre really making the island better
-There are things you can customize such as the placement of certain objects, rotating said objects and your name etc
-I like that you can sell your supplies to others online for more coins, it goes you a chance to make more gold

Cons:
-Buildings and materials take a long time to make in real time; you either lose interest in the app with waiting or use your hard earned purple diamonds or just grin and bear it
-Slow progression after a certain level. It is already taking a while to get to level 12, I can only imagine how long it will take to get farther ahead in the (near?) future
-Hard to earn purple diamonds without buying them with real money; you do earn a little completing trades and leveling up or so but not much--only a few at a time
-Not much interaction in the game after initial fun beginning; other than waiting to get more supplies, completing trades, selling off things, harvesting and waiting to unlock land/objects--but wait you need to be a certain level to unlock them!

sarasarasarAAA about Paradise Bay, v1.7.0