Professor Layton 5: The Miracle Mask

Professor Layton 5: The Miracle Mask (Nintendo 3DS)

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars


It's interesting how the newer games seem to go back to Professor Layton's history more than moving things forward. Seems a little backwards in order, but is also nice since it fills in some gaps with characters and where villains originally come into play that was otherwise missing. The puzzles get even more complex with the 3-D effects, requiring all sorts of tilting screens and puzzle thinking to solve. The different map style took a little getting used to as well, but on a whole it's still very familiar and of course, lots of fun. Now to straighten out my game codes and finish the other games in the series to make sure I have all the fun completely unlocked. :3

Maeve'ra 1: Bloodwitch

Maeve'ra 1: Bloodwitch by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


It's interesting going back to the beginning of Midnight with this series. I loved Jaguar in Midnight Predator, so it was nice to see him again. Jeshika played in interesting role as both part of the main crew yet often being off to the side until the end of the story. Vance is very slow to start analyzing his world, though I suppose that's somewhat understandable given it is what he was raised to consider "normal" until his surroundings started changing again. It will be interesting to see if we learn anything more of Alasdair in this new trilogy, and how that fits in to the Serpiente and Avian lore we learned in the Kiesha'ra series. Obsidian seems like an interesting idea given the current climate between all the clans. There is a lot of potential set up well despite the shorter style of books. Anything longer might not have held attention as well, especially considering the genre. Still, would have liked to have seen some more details and fleshing out of the story overall. A lot feels like it is missed due to the entire story being from Vance's point of view - it's obvious he misses a lot going on around him, especially in the beginning.

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Tales of Xillia

Tales of Xillia (Playstation 3)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Some of the side quests are extremely easy to miss and there is a lot of running around and farming involved to level up and find various treasures. In the end though, it is an enjoyable RPG story with a variety of characters. It is also one of the few RPGs I've seen that is well done with a multi-player option (up to 4 can be assigned controllers for battle mode, though there are a total of 6 playable characters once everyone is in your group). It's been a fun family adventure to run around Rea Maxia and unravel the story.

Marvel Cinematic Universe 10: Guardians of the Galaxy

MCU 10: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Going in to this movie, I wasn't really sure what to expect. There is a lot of humor that is spot on and really enjoyable. Other parts of it leave you wondering what they were thinking using it in the film. Overall the movie is enjoyable though and keeps you entertained. I was surprised at how much I ended up liking Groot by the end of the movie given his rather limited dialogue. Even though Peter Quill is the protagonist, really the most consistent character that was a lot of fun was Rocket (the alien squirrel with an attitude). Interesting twists as the story progresses and a good diversity in the characters. Unsure what I think of the sequel talks, but I suppose it has potential if done right, like most of the Marvel stories given they have so much material to pick from.

Kate Daniels 7: Magic Breaks

Kate Daniels 7: Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The book starts off with a disclaimer from the author telling us that this is not the end of the series despite it reading like it is. To the contrary, this did not feel like a proper end to the series for me at all.

Yes, Roland finally comes into the picture. Yes, Curran finally has to give something up for Kate instead of the other way around. Yes, Kate is obviously coming more fully into her power. No, issues with the Pack, the People, or Roland in general are not completely resolved. Hugh still lives, Roland wants to get to know his daughter, and Kate has both opened herself up to more challenges and also realized just how out-classed she is magically speaking.

On the one hand, Kate really was backed into a corner many times. On the other hand, there were several times that she wanted to (or did) just whimper and wait for Curran instead of handling things herself. What happened to the strong willed, defiant mercenary that relies on no one?

Roland was... interesting. He does seem to have the attitude and power that is expected, but he doesn't come across as being complete evil despite is obviously sometimes clouded judgment. The idea that he wants to train Kate and genuinely get to know her seems at odds with Voron's training and the previous battles Kate and Curran have faced (though it sounds as if more of that was in direct opposition to Curran than to Kate). The obvious lack of care with using his power to watch Kate and "meddle" in her life (as obvious by the treat and note in the end) is both amusing and disturbing at the same time. That alone will make for some interesting dynamics in the future.

This doesn't even touch on the chaos that will be both the People and the Pack. I expect to hear more on the Pack side of things just because in power or not, the pair has more work and friend ties with them than the dead. It will be interesting to see how things play out on that field as well. Hopefully the lack of "responsibilities" in that regard will allow for more growth in our favorite make-shift little family, especially as they now deal with a very powerful, slightly unreasonable, and determined family member in the mix. One thing is for sure, their lives never seem to be dull.

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