Tagged: diantha jones
Solar, Defeated by Diantha Jones
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
From the moment Strafford Law saw Chloe Clever, he knew he was destined to love her forever. But a dishonorable past and a bleak future threaten to destroy him before he gets the chance.
Looking back, he recalls his life before it came crashing down around him…a time when the one he now loathes most of all was the one he adored more than anything.
SPOILER ALERT: Read as Oracle of Delphi #2.5! YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy from Diantha Jones as part of her blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]
Ooh, we finally get to learn more about our tortured, broody Sun Prince! I won’t call myself a fangirl, but the fact that Strafford has changed so much by being in love with Chloe makes him one of my favourite love interests ever. I mean, in pretty much every YA book out there the dark, tortured love interest is still a jerk by the end of the book/series. That’s definitely not the case and Solar, Defeated provides a lot more insight into how Strafford fell into disgrace amongst other demigods and became said tortured, broody Sun Prince.
A lot of novellas that connect to series are boring and don’t really provide much of an addition to the story, but Diantha Jones has stayed away from that trap. We learn things we otherwise probably wouldn’t in the series and seeing things strictly from Strafford’s point of view is great. His decisions make sense from his point of view and his emotions feel more…real. It’s much easier to connect with him after reading Solar, Defeated because we get to see more of his flaws. (His main one being hubris, something we all suffer from occasionally.)
If you’re enjoying the Oracle of Delphi series and just can’t get enough of the moody, protective and incredibly attractive Strafford Law, I’d highly recommend this tie-in. It’s definitely worth your time.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Oracle of Delphi Blog Tour Kick-Off and Giveaway
Well folks, I’m excited to announce I’m one of the many bloggers participating in Diantha Jones’ four week long book tour which will include interviews, reviews and guest posts on various blogs. I’ll personally be posting two reviews on July 22 and July 30 and was going to do an interview but had a serious case of brain fog and completely forgot about it until the last minute. Moving on…
As part of the blog tour Diantha Jones is also hosting two giveaways with absolutely amazing prizes. I’m so jealous! So here are the giveaways for everyone to enter:
Oracle of Delphi Giveaway
Prizes are listed
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Prophecy of the Author’s Genius Contest Solve the prophecy, win a $25 Amazon Giftcard (must guess the classic book title and author) a Rafflecopter giveaway
Spotlight: Prophecy of the Setting Sunrise by Diantha Jones
Spotlight is my weekly feature in which I highlight a book I’m really looking forward to or really enjoyed. This week it’s a book I really, really loved: Prophecy of the Setting Sunrise by Diantha Jones.
It’s official. Myth is doomed.
And it’s all Chloe Clever’s fault.
Still as whacked out as ever, Chloe is now faced with an even uglier truth: Not only is she the Pythia of the Great Unknown, but she is more powerful than she ever imagined and only the manifestations of her prophetic mind can save them all now.
With her Prince boyfriend, Strafford, and the Quad Fraternity always armed and ready to annihilate the opposition, she will embark on a mission to stop a great power that could consume every god in Myth…and everyone else she’s come to love.
But the worst is still to come.
[…]
This is just one of those books you zoom through then want to start again immediately after you’ve finished. It’s also one of the rare sequels that doesn’t get bogged down in the details necessary to set up the third book. Both of these things are rare on their own, but together they make Prophecy of the Setting Sunrise an incredible read.
Not only do we learn how Strafford came to be in disgrace, Chloe develops more and the Great Unknown Prophecy is beginning to fall into place. Here we have a fantasy book with the fast pacing of an action/thriller novel and Diantha Jones has also managed to weave in aspects of Greek mythology seamlessly with the modern era. There are believable explanations for why nobody knows about the Greek gods in the modern era, as well as a believable system of how the gods operate and how they’ve managed to stay immortal.
I’m not the biggest Strafford fan out there, but at least he isn’t your typical jerk Prince that you find in YA. No, he has a believable backstory as to why he was such a jerk in the beginning and he’s actually moved beyond that, another rarity. Say whatever you like about him, but at least he’s able to change, unlike a lot of bad boy types in literature and movies.
If you haven’t already read Prophecy of the Most Beautiful, you need to. Right now. And once you’ve read the first book, you’ll devour the second book and be desperate for the third, which comes out sometime this summer.
Prophecy of the Setting Sunrise by Diantha Jones
(Cover picture courtesy of YA Novelties.)
It’s official. Myth is doomed.
And it’s all Chloe Clever’s fault.
Still as whacked out as ever, Chloe is now faced with an even uglier truth: Not only is she the Pythia of the Great Unknown, but she is more powerful than she ever imagined and only the manifestations of her prophetic mind can save them all now.
With her Prince boyfriend, Strafford, and the Quad Fraternity always armed and ready to annihilate the opposition, she will embark on a mission to stop a great power that could consume every god in Myth…and everyone else she’s come to love.
But the worst is still to come.
Dark, painful secrets are revealed, threatening to tear Strafford from her arms, and just when she thinks the future could not look more grim, she is betrayed in the worst way.
With the heavens crumbling down around her, she must hurry to find a way to set things right. But will she be in time to save the one she loves most in the world from a fate that may be more dangerous than her own?
[Full disclosure: Diantha Jones sent me a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.]
After reading and absolutely loving Prophecy of the Most Beautiful, I didn’t think it was possible for Diantha Jones’ writing to get any better.
I was wrong.
In Prophecy of the Setting Sunrise, not only are we seeing the characters themselves develop, but their relationships as well. There’s also more fighting, drama and conspiracy than ever before. In short, Diantha Jones absolutely did not succumb to Book 2 Syndrome. She improved not only her writing quality, but her characterization and even the way she chose to reveal her plot twists.
Both Chloe and Strafford are acquiring even more depth than before. Chloe is accepting her role as Pythia and really starting to show her backbone of steel as well as her intelligence. She’s no damsel in distress waiting around for Strafford to save her all of the time either! As for Strafford himself, he isn’t just the moody, tortured Sun Prince. We get to see a more tender side of him as he finally realizes just how much he loves Chloe and we finally learn why he’s in disgrace among other demigods.
As for the plot and pacing, I was absolutely glued to my computer screen. Not only was it fast-paced, there were so many unexpected plot twists that my head was spinning. Diantha Jones didn’t spend much time on re-hashing the plot points of the first book, but she added in tidbits of information that allowed me to follow everything despite reading the first and the second book so far apart. In Prophecy of the Setting Sunrise, you might as well just go with the flow because you’ll never uncover the conspiracy behind the conspiracy that involves Chloe’s little brother Benjy being kidnapped. Yes, it’s that unpredictable, but it makes total sense.
I may be a bit biased, but I absolutely love the Greek myths. I always have and probably always will. And let me just say that Diantha Jones most definitely knows her Greek myths, both famous and obscure! She takes many elements from these famous and obscure myths and blends them together to create a scenario in which such myths come alive in the modern era. Of course she adds her own twist onto a few things so you’re always on your toes. What else would you expect from such a talented writer?
I give this book 5/5 stars.
*Only available as a Kindle ebook.
My Interview with Diantha Jones
Diantha Jones is the author of Prophecy of the Most Beautiful and many other books that I have yet to read, but she agreed to do an interview with me via email. So join us for a lively discussion about inspiration, hog-tying time and what aspiring writers should really do.
1. Where did you get the idea for Prophecy of the Most Beautiful from?
When I decided that I was going to start my series, I already knew I wanted it to be about Greek mythology. I picked the Oracle of Delphi as my focus (because you’ve gotta have a focus when dealing with Greek myth or your brain will explode). From there, I decided that each book would be a different prophecy that fed into a larger overall prophecy. The name itself (Most Beautiful) just came to me one night while writing and I was like, oh yeah. That’s it, baby. Continue reading