Search

Search only in certain items:

    New York City Subway Map

    New York City Subway Map

    Navigation and Travel

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    The free New York Subway Map app has everything you need to get around NYC Subway including - -...

    NAVITIME for Japan Travel

    NAVITIME for Japan Travel

    Navigation and Travel

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    NAVITIME for Japan Travel will help you travel around like a local! App Overview: -Explore (Travel...

The Shape of Stars Unknown (The Aldarfall Saga #1)
The Shape of Stars Unknown (The Aldarfall Saga #1)
Sybil Le Pyrmont | 2020 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
THE SHAPE OF STARS UNKNOWN is the first book in the Aldarfall series, and settle yourself down because this is a hefty book!

We start off with Silver - she is alone in the world and kind of drifting. She is making do and trying to pay off debt, but nothing really zings for her. Then she meets Julian, who may be her saviour, maybe not. He leads her into a world where things are not as they appear.

Living just outside of Frankfurt myself, I loved reading about local places, even if the people are imaginary! I've never been to Tokyo, but I now have a better understanding of the place, given how in-depth the details were.

The pacing is perfect for this book. It is slow in places, even with action almost constantly going on, and yet is never too slow. Nor is it rushed, there are enough details that you need to read. This book is not for skim readers!

The world-building is excellent and I loved the characters. Lau is my favourite (obviously), but I love the relationship he has with Rafe, Julian, and then Silver. Each one is completely different and yet helps to make up who Lau is.

The epilogue was no surprise, but I really can't wait to see what happens next after the ending - yes, two different occasions.

It is unusual to find a book as long as this one but trust me when I tell you that you will be gripped for all 500+ pages. A surprisingly brilliant read that I thoroughly enjoyed and can't wait for book 2! Absolutely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 27, 2021
  
Fast & Furious (2009)
Fast & Furious (2009)
2009 | Action, Mystery
Back on track
The best way to describe Fast & Furious would be as a guilty pleasure. There's nothing to lend weight to this film as a great work, an Oscar contender or a movie worthy of critical acclaim, but there something about this, as there was with the first, The Fast And The Furious, back in 2001.

Rob Cohen has never been known for subtlety and his 2001 film was far from it, but even even though he had nothing to do with this, his stamp is well and truly on it. Fast & Furious is the fourth in this surprising successful franchise, and besides the fact that I liked the original in spite of the fact that I'm NOT a motor-head, I've avoided the intervening sequels, 2 fast, 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift, for one simple reason, besides the fact that just didn't fancy them.

No Vin Diesel. I'm not suggesting that Vin is the greatest actor in the Hollywood, nor should be treading the boards of the Royal Shakespeare Company anytime soon, but his blockhead with a heart of gold persona works for me. He's likable and suits this role down to a tee, as does his dimwitted surfer dude sidekick, Paul Walker.

Walker offers nothing significant to the film except for his relationship with Diesel. The pairing is enjoyable but little more, but isn't that the point of adrenalin films like this? This is about cars, women, cops and robbers, and great fun to boot. The tone of this movie is on par with Cohen's original and though I can't justifiably compare this to the sequels which I have never seen, I don't want too either. This is the sequel that 2 Fast should have been and I only hope that now they're back on track, that Fast & Furious 5 could be another romp worthy of a watch.

It's nice to see a franchise go off track and find its feet again after so many years and it is a testament to the original cast who, though only have a limited range, have clearly breathed life back into the franchise.
  
Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018)
Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018)
2018 | Action, Sci-Fi
John Boyega (0 more)
More of the same... not that there's anything wrong with that
It's 10 years since the apocalypse was cancelled. The son of the man who uttered those immortal words is Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), currently doing anything but follow in his fathers footsteps. Scavenging fallen Jaegers for parts in order to sell to the highest bidder and living a carefree party lifestyle.

His hunt for a highly expensive Jaeger part leads him to a 15 year old girl called Amara, who is a bit of a mechanical hacking genius and has managed to use old spare parts she has scavenged (including the big one that Jake had his eye on) to build her own, much smaller, Jaeger. Rogue Jaegers are illegal, so after a bit of a tussle with one of the official, bigger Jaegers, Jake and Amara find themselves in trouble with the law. Thanks to Jakes sister stepping in though, they find themselves paying for their crime by being sent to the PPDC (Pan Pacific Defense Corps) where they begin training for a possible return of a Kaiju related world threat. And, coincidentally, one of those just happens to be right around the corner!

John Boyega manages to carry this movie with his lovable roguish charm for quite a while, in what is otherwise a pretty average movie. But, we're here for Jaegers and the Kaiju (well, I was anyway), and once that action kicks in, that's when the movie really steps up a gear. To be fair, if you enjoyed the original Pacific Rim, then you know exactly what you're in for and really should enjoy this second outing. For me, I enjoyed it just as much as the first.

Something that many other reviews have commented on is the fact that the fight scenes in Uprising tend to take place during daylight, whereas the original tended to favour night. I found the daylight scenes to be a huge improvement, allowing for much greater enjoyment of the incredible fight choreography on display, along with the gloriously detailed CGI destruction of Tokyo!
  
    Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD

    Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD

    Games and Entertainment

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Prepare for the ride of your life with the new iPad Retina display and improved visual effects! ...