Review: The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess

The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess

Leanna Renee Hieber
 

Series or Stand Alone: A prequel to the Strangely Beautiful series

Series Order: The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker (2009), The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker (2010), “A Christmas Carroll” –in A Midwinter Fantasy (2010), Miss Violet and The Great War (TBA)

Release Date: May 2011

Publisher: Dorchester

Pages: 320 (paperback)

Author Site: http://www.leannareneehieber.com/

My Rating: 4.5/5

Source: NetGalley

Synopsis:

[from goodreads.com]

The Goddess:
In the beginning, there were lovers: a winged deity of power and light, and a queen of grace and beauty. Phoenix was murdered, his beloved stolen away to the Whisper-world. But their passion inspired the Muses. Through great sacrifice, it could live again.

The Guard:

There are always six, mortal hosts for the divine. Battling spirits through the ages, they defy Darkness, Lord of the Dead. In 1867, a shadow rises. The tide turns against them, and all hope falls on a child of prophecy, an eerie, snow-white girl yet to be born. But her path must be cleared. A Great War is coming, and song, wind and stars whisper that the eighteen-year-old Beatrice Smith must give everything to prepare.

Review:

I have yet to come across an author who is similar in writing style to Leanna Renee Hieber. I feel repetitive when I say that her work is pure magic, but it’s true. Having read the previous books in the Strangely Beautiful series I have come to really love and enjoy the haunting beauty that she’s created. It’s so easy to become attached to each of the characters. Their fates are indeed perilous and their journeys provide a thrilling, emotional, and magical tale that continues to enthrall me.

This prequel is much bigger than just Percy’s origins, the story goes beyond Percy to the goddess she once was. Persephone, the name the goddess favors out of all given to her, and her beloved Phoenix have fought against Darkness for so long. Even the Muses fight with them and for eternal love they share. Decades before Alexi and his Guard’s time the Muses chose a group of young adults in Cairo to fight the Grand Work. Beatrice Smith (whom we meet in book two) is the Leader and this is her story as much as it is Persephone’s.

I absolutely adored getting to know the goddess more. She’s more of a myth or a past recollection in the previous books. This time around she is fully fleshed out along with the her heartbreaking separation from Phoenix, her battle with Darkness in the Whisper-world, her discovery of the young Alexi Rychman, and her ever-present love for her current and past Guard. I also mentioned that Beatrice is as much a main character as the goddess. Her fate is entwined with that of the London Guard and Percy but it was refreshing to get her back story. The love story between her and Ibrahim was filled with tension and frustration but the two are obviously made for each other. Prideful, headstrong, and impossibly stubborn I couldn’t help but want to shake the both of them!

I don’t want to spoil the story for those who have yet to read any of the books in the Strangely Beautiful saga. All of these books are to be savored and read without spoilers. It’s the discovery of the magic within Leanna’s writing that makes the books so wonderful to read. While many secrets are unveiled or further explained in The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess there is still much to be discovered as more mysteries pop up and the conclusion to the saga is started after the book is over. With the excerpt of the final book in place Percy and Alexi have an entire new battle to prepare for that involves a huge piece of their heart: their daughter!

You really must find the time to read these books if you haven’t had the chance yet. I feel the conclusion will be epic and you don’t definitely don’t want to miss out when it’s finally released.

P.S. (cover talk)

It’s my favorite out of the books so far and I’m very glad that they are continuing the theme. I can’t wait to see the last book’s cover!