Monday 22 July 2013

New England Rocks by Christina Courtenay - Review

Publisher: Choc Lit

Published: 2013

Length: 202 pages

Format: paperback

Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary from Goodreads:
When Rain Mackenzie is expelled from her British boarding school, she can’t believe her bad luck. Not only is she forced to move to New England, USA, she’s also sent to the local high school, as a punishment. Rain makes it her mission to dislike everything about Northbrooke High, but what she doesn’t bank on is meeting Jesse Devlin. Jesse is the hottest guy Rain’s ever seen and he plays guitar in an awesome rock band! There’s just one small problem, Jesse already has a girlfriend, little miss perfect Amber Lawrence, who looks set to cause trouble as Rain and Jesse grow closer. But what does it matter? New England sucks anyway, and Rain doesn’t plan on sticking around. Does she?

Review:
This is my second time reviewing a book from Choc Lit and I really enjoyed New England Rocks. This was my first Christina Courtenay book, but it definitely won’t be my last, as I really found her writing style easy to read and engaging. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about Rain; she was a little bratty and I wasn’t sure if I would warm to her, but after a few chapters I really started to like her and her ‘don’t care’ attitude. I certainly wouldn’t be brave enough to join an all-boys sports team like she did.

It was also really fun watching her and the American characters bond, especially with the culture clash, her being from the UK, and the American characters not understanding her British slang most of the time. I also really loved her and Jesse as a couple. He was just so sweet and perfect sounding and their relationship was really fun to read about as they grow closer and begin to fall for each other. I don’t think I can find a single fault with Jesse; he was just great in every way!

Although I could tell where the story was heading pretty quickly, I definitely enjoyed the ride and Rain is definitely a fun rebellious character, other girls in YA need to become more like her!

Overall, I look forward to reading more in this series and Christina Courtenay’s other novels.

Saturday 20 July 2013

Diantha Jones - Author Interview

Here I got the chance to interview the lovely Diantha Jones, as part of my stop on the blog tour for her book Prophecy of the Most Beautiful (which is a really great, mythology based book, by the way!) 

1.   . Hi Diantha, I really enjoyed Prophecy of the Most Beautiful. Where did you get the idea for the story?
I really wanted to create my series around the Oracle of Delphi because after months of research, I realized she was very under-represented in literature. It only seemed natural that each book be about a different prophecy, which I then connected to a larger prophecy. Sounds like a lot, and it is. But trying to solve the prophecies is half the fun of the series, I think.

2.    What’s your favourite Greek myth?
I get asked this question so much and my answer is always the same. The love story of Cupid and Psyche. It's so cute :D

3.    Would you ever consider writing books based on other mythology?
Who says I'm not already considering it...It's a definite possibility, is what I'm saying.

4.    Have you seen many movies that involve Greek mythology?
Of course! I loved “The Lightning Thief” which is based off of the Percy Jackson series. I'm really excited for “Sea of Monsters”. Then I've seen “Clash of the Titans” and “Wrath of the Titans” which were major disappointments unfortunately. “Immortals” was total garbage, so overall my mythological cinematic adventures have not been awesome.

5.    If you could spend the day in the life of one Greek god or goddess, which one would you choose and why?
Probably Aphrodite, or Zeus. Aphrodite because she's the goddess of Love and I'd love to see how many men I could make bow down in the span of 24 hours. Zeus because I love being in charge and it would be fun to be king for a day.

6.    What are your top hobbies?
Besides writing, reading for sure. But I love to watch movies and television. Two shows I absolutely adore are Supernatural and Sons of Anarchy. They're both amazing. Online shopping is also fun, but I have to control myself because I can get a little crazy sometimes.

7.    Who is your favourite character in Prophecy of the Most Beautiful?
Chloe is my favorite character, though I am Team Strafford :) I feel she's a lot like me (though some things are different). But we're both protective of those we love and would do anything for them. Chloe can also get tough when she needs to, which is the same for me. Though I'm probably tough when I don't need to be too.

Thanks Luce!

Visit Diantha at these places: Website Twitter Facebook Goodreads Amazon Pinterest DJ's Book Corner

Thursday 18 July 2013

Prophecy of the Most Beautiful by Diantha Jones Review

Prophecy of the Most Beautiful (Oracle of Delphi #1) by Diantha Jones
Published: 2012
Publisher: Diantha Jones
Pages: 393
Format: e-book
Summary from Goodreads:
She has a destiny so great that even the gods fear her.

Constant hallucinations and the frequent conversations with the voices in her head, have earned eighteen-year-old Chloe Clever the not-so-coveted title of "Whack Job" in her home town of Adel, Georgia. With the onslaught of prescription medications and therapists threatening to push her over the edge, she wishes for a life far away from the one she has, a life where she is destined to be more than the butt of everyone's jokes and mockery.

Be careful what you wish for has never rung more true.

After living through an attack from her worst nightmare, she awakens to find herself far from home, surrounded by glorious riches and servants…and a few demigods who enjoy killing things. Upon learning that her favorite rockstar is an Olympian god, she is thrust into her new life as the Oracle of Delphi, the prophesier of the future, and the great Pythia that the gods have been anxiously awaiting to arrive for centuries. 

Setting out to fulfill the prophecy she has been given and to keep her family safe from a demigod Princess that wants her dead, Chloe learns of how great she is to become, all the while fighting mythical monsters, evading divine assassins and trying to outwit the ever-cunning Greek gods who harbor secrets of their own. In the hopes of discovering the Most Beautiful and the truth of her destiny, she strives to uncover the mysteries of the demigod Prince who has sworn to protect her with his life…and threatens to win her heart in the process.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I accepted a stop on the blog tour on a whim, after not hearing about the book previously and I was sort of worrying about it; what have I let myself in for if I have not heard of this book before? But thankfully I ended up being taken on a ride through the magical places that Diantha Jones describes and brings to life in Prophecy of the Most Beautiful.

There are a lot of characters like Chloe Clever out there right now –  a sort of outsider person who discovers they have a great destiny, but luckily I warmed straight to Chloe and was anxious to find out more about her fate as she was. I think I definitely liked Strafford and Chloe the best; he could be a bit possessive of her at times but throughout the book they have a really sweet relationship, and there were tons of ‘aww’ moments between them.

The only other books I’ve read that are based on Greek mythology are the first two books in the Percy Jackson series, and this one was definitely a great adventure, taking you from modern day Georgia to ancient Greece, which was really fun to read about. I will definitely be checking out more books to do with Greek mythology now; the ancient Greeks really seem like fascinating people, and the book made me feel like I should have studied Classics at school!


Overall, if you’re looking for an action-packed adventure with great, likeable characters then this is the book for you. I, for one am excited to read the sequel, and can’t wait to read more of Chloe and Strafford :) 

                                                   The Oracle of Delphi Series
                    Click the link above to visit the series page for synopsis' and reviews
                                                                 Book One
                                                       

Paperback: Amazon US Amazon UK



Diantha Jones was born the day thousands of turkeys sacrificed their lives to fill millions of American bellies on November 22 which also happened to be Thanksgiving Day (Her mother says she owes her a turkey). She is a journalism graduate who wants to be a career novelist (of books, not Facebook posts). When not writing or working, she is reading on her Nook, being hypnotized by Netflix or on a mission to procure french fries.

The Oracle of Delphi fantasy series is her first series. She is also the author of Mythos: Stories from Olympus, a companion series, and there is another fantasy series in the works. She also writes (new) adult fantasy/paranormal romance under the name A. Star. Invasion (An Alien Romance) is her first title released under this pen name. Future releases under A. Star include, the Love & Steampunk series, the Purr, Inc. stories, and more.

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Email Diantha Jones at: theauthor (at) diantha-jones (dot) com