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.

Website   Twitter  Facebook  Goodreads  Amazon  Pinterest  DJ's Book Corner

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





Sunday, 16 June 2013

30 Day Book Challenge

After vowing not to participate in any book challenges for this year due to university work, I have finally caved and want to participate in one. It is called the 30 Day Book Challenge, in which you attempt to read a book a day. Since I would find this virtually impossible unless all the books I read were super short, various other YouTubers have suggested reading 200 pages a day, over the course of 30 days, which I have decided upon doing, seeing as though the majority of the books I've chosen are longer than 200 pages. The books I am attempting to read are:


1.   The Queen’s Fool by Philippa Gregory – 400 pages
2.   Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris – 384 pages
3.   Dare You To by Katie McGarry – 352 pages
4.   My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher – 221 pages
5.   Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers – 484 pages
6.   Emerald by Karen Wallace – 288 pages
7.   The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd – 375 pages
8.   Ill Wind by Rachel Caine – 414 pages
9.   Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy – 384 pages (e-book)
10.                Kissed By An Angel by Elizabeth Chandler – 698 pages
11.                Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean by Justin Somper – 298 pages
12.                Prophecy of the Most Beautiful by Diantha Jones – 268 pages
13.                The Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink – 352 pages (hardback)
14.                The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter – 293 pages (e-book)
15.                Immortal City by Scott Speer – 406 pages
16.                The Tide Knot by Helen Dunmore – 336 pages


17.                Petals in the Ashes by Mary Hooper – 192 pages




The Grand total of pages comes to 6145 pages. It will be a miracle if I manage to finish all these books within this time period, but since I have finished university for good, I might as well try it out as it gives me something to do. I will leave a link to the YouTube channel of Nerd in Translation below, who came up with the challenge, and good luck to everyone who's doing it! Happy reading.

Nerd in Translation's YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/nerdintranslation

Book Haul - 16/06/2013

I haven't done a proper book haul on the blog in a while, so I thought I would share all the books I have bought and received in the past two months.

For review, I received The Elephant Girl by Henriette Gyland

I bought:
The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence
Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFevers
Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2) by Katie McGarry
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Touch of Power (Avry of Kazan #1) by Maria V. Snyder

From swaps:
Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean (Vampirates #1) by Justin Somper

Won:
The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) by Julie Kagawa (From a Facebook competition)
The Sea Change by Joanna Rossiter (My first ever win from Goodreads)


I am super excited to read all of these books, and they should keep me busy until my next haul. Feel free to let me know what books you got in the comments below, and have a great week! Happy reading.

Tuesday, 4 June 2013

Hubble Bubble by Jane Lovering - Review

Published: 2013
Publisher: Choc Lit
Length: 290 pages
Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary from Goodreads:
Be careful what you wish for…Holly Grey only took up witchery to keep her friend out of trouble – and now she’s knee-deep in hassle, in the form of apocalyptic weather, armed men, midwifery … and a sarcastic Welsh journalist.
Kai has been drawn to darkest Yorkshire by his desire to find out who he really is. What he hadn’t bargained on was getting caught up in amateur magic and dealing with a bunch of women who are trying really hard to make their dreams come true.

Together they realise that getting what you wish for is sometimes just a matter of knowing what it is you want.

Review:
Hubble Bubble was quite a strange book for me to read and review. After reading the synopsis, I wasn’t quite sure if it was a paranormal romance or a chick-lit book, but upon reading the first few chapters I grasped that it was a sort of mixture of both, but more on the chick-lit side.

Holly is a thirty-something woman from Yorkshire who is content without a man or children in her life. She goes along with her friend Megan to a nearby woman’s house who promises to make all the women’s wishes come true. Eventually, Holly discovers that the wish brings many different things into her life, including Kai, a Welsh journalist who is looking for his birth mother who abandoned him.

Holly was an okay character for me; I admired the way she lived an independent life, and wasn’t desperate for a man to complete it, on the other hand she could be slightly selfish and inconsiderate to others, such as Cerys, Kai’s daughter who was expecting twins.

I also enjoyed her and Kai’s romance; it really is a fun love story when the woman doesn’t want a relationship in the first place, and is feisty instead of letting the man walk all over her, which thankfully, Holly does not do.

I think that overall, Megan, Holly’s best friend was my favourite character of the book. Some of the stuff she came out with was just so random and quirky, and I loved it when she took in a scruffy little stray dog.

It also had a few dark elements to it that I would not normally expect from a chick-lit book, but as it also has some fantasy elements thrown in, I guess it would be fair to say it contained them.

Overall, this was a light, funny book that is great for all the single women out there, and I recommend it.

Saturday, 11 May 2013

Pictures of Lily by Paige Toon - Review


Published: 2010
Publisher: Pocket Books
Length: 413 pages
Rating: 4/5 stars
Summary from Goodreads:

‘Will you marry me?’
I think of you, then. I think of you every day. But usually in the quietest part of the morning, or the darkest part of the night. Not when my boyfriend of two years has just proposed. I look up at Richard with his hopeful eyes. ‘Lily?’ he prompts. It’s been ten years, but it feels like only yesterday that you left. How can I say yes to Richard with all my heart when most of it has always belonged to you? I take a deep breath and will myself to speak…

Ten years ago when Lily was just sixteen, she fell in love with someone she really shouldn’t have fallen in love with. Now, living in Sydney and engaged to another man, she can’t forget the one that got away. Then her past comes back to haunt her, and she has to make a decision that will break her heart – and the heart of at least one of the men who love her.
Review:
I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I anticipated. I don’t read adult chick-lit that often, my main reads are dystopians and YA fantasy books. However, from time to time I do like to read chick-lit, both YA and adult because I like the escapism you get with most of them. And Pictures of Lily was no exception.

At the start, Lily isn’t happy to move from England to Australia, since her mum has a habit of getting with a new man pretty much all the time and Lily is pretty fed up of it. However, she ends up meeting Ben at a wildlife park who is twelve-years older than her, but despite that, she finds herself falling for him as they spend more time together.

I began falling for Ben pretty much as soon as Lily did; I thought he was a really sweet guy, and thought it was adorable when they took in an injured koala pup and nursed it back to health. All the way through the book I was just dying for Lily to get back with Ben, although she had a pretty decent boyfriend of her own as the book went on. However, despite their age gap I loved them as a couple and my heart warmed whenever I read their scenes together. I will definitely be checking out more of Paige Toon’s books now.

Monday, 1 April 2013

Book Haul

These are the most recent books I have bought this month. They are

The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
The Tide Knot by Helen Dunmore