Fantasy Dreamer's Ramblings

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber
Book 1, Strangely Beautiful series
August 25, 2009
Genre: Gothic Victorian Fantasy
Pages: 320
Read Excerpts
Author: Website | Twitter

What fortune awaited sweet, timid Percy Parker at Athens Academy? Considering how few of Queen Victoria’s Londoners knew of it, the great Romanesque fortress was dreadfully imposing, and little could Percy guess what lay inside. She had never met the powerful and mysterious Professor Alexi Rychman, knew nothing of the growing shadow, the Ripper and other supernatural terrors against which his coterie stood guard. She knew simply that she was different, haunted, with her snow-white hair, pearlescent skin and uncanny gifts. But this arched stone doorway offered a portal to a new life, an education far from the convent—and an invitation to an intimate yet dangerous dance at the threshold of life and death…

Percy Parker is quiet, timid young lady with a romantic heart and a sweet disposition, always trying to hide her snow white hair and skin with scarfs and her eyes with dark glasses because she feels her ghostly appearance disgust and scare people. She's lead a lonely life being raised in a convent because she was orphaned as babe. Percy is giving an opportunity to attend Athens Academy, even though she is 18, very much past the age a woman in this time period would likely continue her education. At Athens Academy she meets the darkly handsome and brooding Professor Alexi Rychman and knows for the first time the stirring of attraction.

Twenty years ago when Alexi Rychman was just on the brink of manhood, he was chosen to be the leader The Guard by a mystically woman, that he thinks of as a goddess. The Guard are six chosen ones tasked with protecting the living from the evil, ghostly dead wandering earth. Each member of the guard possess their own special ability to help fight off the ghostly evils. But lately, even all together, their powers aren't enough against the dark forces that seem to be growing. It was prophesied when The Guard was formed that a seventh member would join them in their battle against evil, help keep the balance between this world and the world beyond. Now, they are desperate to find the prophesied seventh member. But they were only given a few obscure clues as to who this seventh member may be.

It's has been awhile since I've read a gothic fantasy and I don't remember being this entertained reading a book in this genre as much as I was reading Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker. I enjoyed how Ms. Hieber prose could make me feel the anticipation of that first touch and the thrill of that first kiss. I was transported to a Victorian London, during the terrible reign of Jack the Ripper. I could hear the clip-clop of the horse hooves echoing down the street, see the ghosts along the streets and feel the eeriness that always seem to accompany the evenings in London. Since I've read this book, I've even caught myself thinking in Victorian speak, it had that much of an impact on me.

It was truly a pleasure reading Ms. Hieber's tender love story with her version of Greek mythology mixed with the paranormal. The plot was well rounded and the ending gives you a nice closure but I have a few questions lingering that I hope will be answered in the next book. Your not going to find anything too terribly dark or forbidding in this book, though the evil ones were evil enough to fulfill their part in the setting of this book. It was a wonderful journey reading this book and I'm looking forward to next book in this series. Yes, I would definitely recommend this book.

If your still not sure about reading this book, I suggest that you head over to Leanna Renee Hieber's website and read the prologue and excerpts. I was hooked from reading just the prologue and I'm betting you will be too.

The Strangely Beautiful series:

1. The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker - 8/25/2009
2. Title TBD - May 2010

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