Review: The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess

The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess

Strangely Beautiful #3 (Prequel)

Written: Leanna Renee Hieber

Published: 5/3/2011

ISBN: 9781428511163

Obtained via: NetGalley

Blurb:

The Goddess:  In the beginning, there were lovers: a winged deity of power and light, and a queen of graceand 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.

My Review:

Beautiful and elegant as ever, this is probably my favorite book in the trio so far. We learn much more about the history of the Guard here, and see their immortal patron goddess in her original flesh. I enjoyed the further glimpses into Darkness, Persephone’s underworld captor. This series is certainly a unique twist on the old myth, and I always enjoy those.

We get to meet the members of the Guard who were active before Percy and Alexi’s group, and I loved seeing the Muses in new bodies. It was like meeting old friends with new faces (except less creepy than that would be!) I had no idea that these Guard had such a brief time together as an active group. I wonder if I missed a hint in one of the previous two volumes.

Of all the great loves among the guard, it is that of Beatrice and Ibrahim that touches me deepest. Their love, the one that took years to build as a bridge over a gulf of pig-headed stubbornness, the love that crosses racial and cultural divides, is the one that most closely mirrors my own. New York and Ohio are not so far apart as London and Cairo…. But only just.

Prophecy is the volume that will break your heart, the story that weaves a wondrous foundation for the previous pair. It gives the world a strength and depth that fans just can’t miss.

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