Title: The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess
Author: Leanna Renee Hieber
Genre: Historical Fantasy/Romance
Series: Strangely Beautiful #3 (Prequel)
Publisher: Dorchester
Number of Pages: 320
Number of Pages: 320
Source: Netgalley
Release Date: May 2, 2011
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. (from Goodreads)
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. (from Goodreads)
Thanks to Netgalley, I was able to get an early copy of the third book in the Strangely Beautiful Series by The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess. Words really can't describe how beautiful this book truly is. It's one of the best prequels I've read for a series. This book is not a stand alone-if you haven't read the other two, you'll be a bit lost.
I'm not even sure where to begin with my review on this book except to say that it really was just a fantastic read. The book begins with the Goddess Persephone and her love story with the Phoenix-keeper of balance. Things go horribly wrong, and the guard is formed. We fast forward to 1867 when the Cairo guard-for those of you familiar with the books, it's the guard before Alexi's is chosen. We are then introduced to each member of the guard-Beatrice (First in command) Ibrahim (the and second in command) Verena (healer) Belle, Abraham, and George. (Artist) The POV changes from Beatrice's, to Persephone and then in the second half of the book from Alexi's POV as well.
I know it sounds confusing, but it's not. The point of views change seamlessly, and I found myself engrossed in all of the story lines. I really enjoyed learning more about Beatrice and the guard before Alexi's. So many questions were answered that I had from the previous book. We find out why Alexi wears a red tie, and how the guard are chosen for their jobs. I also loved the story of Persephone and how she got involved with the guard and her heartbreaking love story. There wasn't as much action in this book as there was in the previous ones, but I hardly noticed I was so wrapped up in everything going on. This is a must read for everyone who has read books one- The Strangely Beautiful tale of Miss Percy Parker and Book Two-The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker. I want to go on and on about this book, but I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say again how much I adored this book and the entire series.
