Archives for reviews - Page 15
Five Days in January by R.T. Lowe [Book Review]
The Felix Chronicles: Five Days in January by Lowe My rating: 4 of 5 stars Five Days in January is the second in the Felix Chronicles series and follows on from where The Felix Chronicles: Freshmen left off. Five Days in January Felix and his friends return in early January for the new semester, amid a backdrop of world-changing events. One of the aspects of Five Days in January that intrigued me was the development of Felix as a character. Initially Felix annoyed me, he was killing casually. The internal monologue though showed that Felix was starting to feel uneasy about this. Allison and Harper encouraged him though, keeping him steady and ensuring that he didn't lose the plot. As Five Days in January progresses Felix changes. As do the other main characters. The world around them is getting more…
The Serpent’s Root by M.J.Logue
The Serpent's Root by M. J. Logue My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Serpent's Root is the fifth in the Uncivil Wars series. Hollie Babbitt, Russell and Luce Pettit find themselves in Cornwall in 1646. The King's Army surrenders and they're hoping for an easy summer. However they find themselves laying siege to a castle. The Serpent's Root They've brought their own Cornishman home with them, Captain Kenelm Toogood. However they quickly discover that to the locals Cornwall isn't part of England. While most of the Cornish fight for the King, this is an expedient to get their own ruler, not a loyalty to the crown. Even Toogood seems to have divided loyalties, even though is fellow Cornish kicked him out when the Parliamentarians were defeated at Lostwithiel. Like the rest of the series The Serpent's Root is more…
Time Heals No Wounds by Hendrik Falkenberg [Book Review]
Time Heals No Wounds by Hendrik Falkenberg My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed reading this. A new author for me, and although I read the odd bit of crime fiction I don't read it as often as I read other things. Time Heals No Wounds The story is mainly told through the point of view of Hannes, an elite sportsman who is also a police officer. Bored with routine police work he requests a transfer. Time Heals No Wounds is his first assignment as a detective. There are interludes with unspecified other characters. Some tortured dream sequences, and also from Merle, a woman being held captive. These hang together very well, and provide clues that I only recognised when I'd read all the way to the end. The story is internally consistent. There are plenty of hooks to keep…
Up Against It by M.J. Locke [Book Review]
Up Against It by Locke My rating: 5 of 5 stars I spent a long time getting into this book. It spent time on the shelf between each of the first few chapters and the time when I make it my main read. I persevered because it was recommended via Charles Stross's blog. I'm glad I did, because I enjoyed it immensely. Up Against It - the review Up Against It is a relatively long book, not quite up with some of the fantasy genre, but over 450 dense pages. There are three interwoven plots, which is why it has a slow burn start. There is quite a bit of setup to be done. Once it gets going though it is fantastically good. There is a well defined world for it all to happen in which is internally consistent.…
MJX X300C Quadcopter Drone [Product Review]
I was sent a free drone for review earlier this year, an MJX X300C Quadcopter Drone. It was a pretty cool toy, and I was looking forward to having fun with it. MJX X300C Quadcopter Drone While the battery was charging, which took about forty minutes, I read the instruction manual. There were a lot of pictures in it, which was just as well. The manual was clearly written in another language and then translated into English by a non-native speaker. It was rather unreadable, although I persevered. In the end I found some better instructions on the internet. I started off testing it a little indoors. I got it paired with my mobile phone. I had to download a version of the app from the manufacturer website as the version in the android store didn't work. I was a little nervous…