Launch Day: The Lucky Diamond by Valinora Troy

It’s a blog takeover! To celebrate the launch of her debut novel, I’m handing the reins of the blog over to children’s fantasy author, Valinora Troy.

Today is all about the book – The Lucky Diamond. Enjoy my review below, and be sure to check back tomorrow to read my interview with the author.

---

About the book

The whirlclouds erupted on all sides, buffeting the boat first one way and then the next, sending Alan sprawling from one side of thedeck to the other. He couldn’t stay on his feet long enough to reach the tiller. Yvonne and Susan clung to the mast. He couldn’t see Vicky or Cathy as waves washed over the side, drenching him.”

When 10 year old Cathy meets Lucky, a magical talking diamond, she and her orphaned siblings readily agree to help Luckyget home to the Rock of Diamonds, situated far from their home in the rundown town of Lowdar, in the furthest reaches of the country on the other side of the monster infested Great Forest.

What the five children don’t know is that Lucky’s enemy, the evil Queen Rose of Cassis, is hunting the Diamond princess and will do anything to stop her, and those helping her, from reaching the Rock of Diamonds. 

With Lucky’s magic waning rapidly and Queen Rose determined to destroy her and thechildren, can five young orphans possibly succeed in their quest? 

“Nivram, a place of unimaginable beauty and danger + five orphaned siblings trying to save a friend = the adventure of a lifetime that hurtles along at tremendous speed and is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats.” Lindsay J Sedgwick, author of the Wulfie series

“The Lucky Diamond is a gem, fast-paced and convincing, with an unusual quest and characters you’ll want to know. A great read.” Livi Michael, author of The Whispering Road, winner of Nestle Children’s Book Bronze Award

The Lucky Diamond is available for a special launch day price. Get your copy today.

---

My review

An family of five orphaned children living rough on the streets of Lowdar come upon a diamond, but this is no ordinary precious stone. This is Lucky, princess of a magical shape-changing species, and she needs the children to help her get home.

I loved this magical tale. The world building is engaging, the world is full of fun, and sometimes scary, creatures, and the children need to use all of their skills (and the magical gifts left to them by their mother) to navigate the perilous journey.

My favorite of the five children was middle child, Vicky. Determined, brave, and rebellious, I loved her attitude. However, all the children are likable and relatable and I enjoyed spending time with them. I love that the children have such different and well established personalities, because every reader is going to find at least one character that they can easily relate to.

The magical Diamonds are such an original idea, and I look forward to learning more about them in subsequent books. There is something about the King of the Diamonds that draws me to him particularly.

Queen Rose is a formidable foe, who reminds me a bit of Jadis, the White Witch, from Narnia. I love her castle, and I wouldn’t mind have a home like it!

The book has little illustrations at the beginning of each chapter, which was a nice touch, and I love the cover artwork. There is a scene from the book on the back cover, which I particularly liked.

This seems to be the first book in a series and, even though the book ended in a very satisfying manner, there are a few questions that I hoped to see answered in sequels.

I award The Lucky Diamond…

---

About the author

Valinora Troy has been writing since she could read, if not beforehand! Her first start, started at the age of six, featured a girl finding a magic diamond. It took her all summer to write the first few pages. Since then, she has written many stories, both short and full length novels. The magic diamond, however, continued to call to her, and will be published in November 2021. The story has changed greatly since she was six – but the diamond, the five children, the canoe, and the Rock of Diamonds insisted on staying.

Valinora Troy comes from a family of writers and artists. She holds a MA in Creative Writing (Children’s & Young Adults), and lives in Ireland.

You can find her in Twitter @ValinoraW where she tweets about books, writing and her devoted writer’s dog.

---

There is more to come with an author interview tomorrow, and a guest post by Valinora Troy the day after.