G514 Book Review of Oracles of Delphi by Marie Savage
Author: Marie Savage
ISBN: 978-0-9892079-3-5
Publisher: Self published?
Type of book: Greece, oracles, Delphi, 330 PME, mystery, forbidden arts, curiosity, temples, secrets, hidden past, Gaia oracle versus Apollo oracle, factions
Year it was published: 2014
Summary:
All Althaia wants on her trip to Delphi is to fulfill her father's last wish and enjoy time away from her tiresome new husband. Finding the body of a young woman on the altar of Dionysos in the theater of the Sacred Precinct on her first day in town is not in her plans. Neither is getting involved in the search for the killer, falling for the son of a famous priestess, or getting pulled into the ancient struggle for control of the two most powerful oracles in the world. But that's exactly what happens when Theron, Althaia's tutor and a man with a reputation for finding the truth, is asked to investigate. When a priest hints that Theron himself may be involved, Althaia is certain the old man is crazy-until Nikomachos, son of the famous priestess of Dodona, arrives with an urgent message. As Theron's past, greedy priests, paranoid priestesses, visions, prophecies, and stolen treasures complicate the investigation, Althaia finds herself falling for Nikomachos whose dangerous secrets may hold the key to the young woman's death. When another body is found and Althaia discovers Nikomachos is being blackmailed, she devises a plan to coerce the killer to reveal himself and, in the process, forces Nikomachos to confront his own past. As the plan unfolds, she comes to realize that love often comes at a high price and that the true meaning of family is more than a blood bond.
Characters:
The main characters include Althaia who happens to be a woman from Greece. She is best described as curious, a free-thinker, and for her time she is extremely educated thanks to her father. She also treats others with respect and sees them as humans. From what I recall, Nikos is very loyal to the priestesses and also helps Althaia a whole lot in solving the mystery. He also at times gets what he desires. Theron is Althaia's tutor and has encouraged her to learn whatever she can about performing autopsies and so forth. He has a very mysterious past which is revealed in the story. There are some other characters, but I regret to say that they didn't remain in my mind as I hoped.
Theme:
There is only a winner and a loser
Plot:
The story is in third person narrative from a lot of characters' points of views, namely Althaia's, Nikos's, and Theron who wants to solve the mystery and brings along Althaia with him. The pacing of the story and the mystery are well handled and a lot of intriguing details are revealed little by little, enough to pique the audience's curiosity. The ending was actually a surprise and pretty unexpected for me.
Author Information:
(From HFVBT)
Buy the Book
About the Author
Marie Savage is the pen name of Kristina Marie Blank Makansi who always wanted to be a Savage (her grandmother’s maiden name) rather than a Blank. She is co-founder and publisher of Blank Slate Press, an award-winning small press in St. Louis, and founder of Treehouse Author Services. Books she has published and/or edited have been recognized by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY), the Beverly Hills Book Awards, the David J. Langum, Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction, the British Kitchie awards, and others. She serves on the board of the Missouri Center for the Book and the Missouri Writers Guild. Along with her two daughters, she has authored The Sowing and The Reaping (Oct. 2014), the first two books of a young adult, science fiction trilogy. Oracles of Delphi, is her first solo novel.
For more information visit Kristina Makansi’s website and the Blank Slate Press website. You can also followKrisina Makansi and Blank Slate Press on Twitter.
Opinion:
Although its a mystery, I found it an interesting story of when the female deities in Greece started to be depended on less and less and instead the Greeks began to depend on masculine deities. The mystery is pretty interesting, and I am curious about the possible sequels that the author might pen in the future. Whether one is seeking mystery or perhaps how the Greecian world was around the time Alexander the Great began his conquests of other lands, I would mention to try to read the story.
This is a very late review for HFVBT
Oracles of Delphi Blog Tour Schedule
Thursday, December 11
Interview at The Maiden’s Court
Spotlight & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More
Interview at The Maiden’s Court
Spotlight & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More
Monday, December 29
Review at 100 Pages a Day – Stephanie’s Book Reviews
Spotlight at Historical Fiction Connection
Review at 100 Pages a Day – Stephanie’s Book Reviews
Spotlight at Historical Fiction Connection
Wednesday, January 7
Review at bookramblings
Review & Giveaway at Brooke Blogs
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews
Review at bookramblings
Review & Giveaway at Brooke Blogs
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews
4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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