This prequel to the Persephone Parker books (set about 21 years before those books) gives us back story on the Goddess' fight against the Darkness as well as the Guard directly before the Persephone Parker Guard (plus background on the Goddess herself).

Interestingly it should be noted that this book is set in 1867--the year that Alexi's crew become the Guard--but months before when a cadre of young people in Cairo come into possession of that duty. This other Guard, a more disparate group of young men and women then the Guard we know, share similarities with Alexi's crew, but are cut from a wholly different fabric.

I'll say this upfront--I adore Leanna's writing. I have since the very first page of the first book. That said there were times when I'd grow impatient with the Cairo Guard because of their reactions and actions. They're younger then Alexi's Guard (at least, younger then when we see Alexi's Guard working. Comparatively speaking they receive the Summons to Duty later in their age then Alexi's Guard), and are from several different religions and nationalities so their responses to things would by nature be different. Intellectually that all makes sense. Doesn't mean I wasn't glaring at the screen of my e-reader demanding they get their heads on straight however.

I can say this for the Cairo Guard though, it was fascinating watching how they learned to work with each other and mesh their various beliefs. Alexi's Guard, maybe because they have two decades on the Cairo Guard or maybe because they are all (to my knowledge) Christian of some nature, rarely had the problems the Cairo Guard faced. For instance when Ibrahim moves in with Ahmed's family or even when the Guard first meet each other, cultural misunderstandings are voiced. However the Grand Work smooths out a lot of the troubles as the teens find themselves suddenly given a place in the world.

I appreciated that Leanna used this book to also illustrate better the other side of being called to duty. Most of the members of the Cairo Guard had families--mothers, fathers and siblings who could never know about their new roles. Deliberately Leanna shows us what this toll has on those members especially with Beatrice who until her call to arms was very close with her father. She muses at one point that there was now a distance that couldn't be bridged, not a painful one, but an instinctual one both her and her father felt. Ahmed expresses a similar feeling, though with less wistfulness I believe.

The book is really two sided--we see the Cairo Guard (of whom we met Beatrice in the Percy Parker books previously), but we also watch Persephone (aka the Goddess) as she begins to fade more and more. This is a more realized Persephone, one who isn't perfect and doesn't present herself as perfect. In between her encouraging speeches to the Guard she begs to see the sights or becomes desperate as the Underworld eats away at her. Ultimately this book also sets the stage for why Persephone finally took human form (in the form of Percy Parker) and paves the way for the fourth book (Miss Violet and the Great War).

This should be read as the third book in the series if only because though this is about an earlier Guard, Leanna treats this not as a true prequel. We are given background, but the foundations are not addressed. The assumption being that the reader has read the Percy Parker books beforehand I think, so Leanna doesn't feel as great a need to elaborate on the Grand Work. Partially I think this is because the Cairo Guard are treated almost as placeholders for Alexi's Guard. We know this Guard doesn't last an extraordinary amount of time, we also know that what transpires is mainly set up for when Percy is born and the Grand Work is truly in play. ( )

Ms. Hieber has done it again. This book is just as wonderful as the other two books this series, although this is sort of a prequel to the other books. You get to find out so many things in this book, so many questions are finally answered, and I know I am going to have to go back and re-read these books just so I can jump back into the world with this fresh new knowledge. Ok, I am going to try and keep the gushing to a minimum but you all know how I get about books I love.

First off this book is not wholey focused on The Guard we already know, this book lets us meet The Guard centered around Ibrahim and Beatrice (from the last book) which is super neat because we get to see a whole new world and whole new interation of The Guard, as well as learn to love these characters even more than we already do. We also get fun facts and learn new things about our old friends from London as well.

There are so many things answered and brought to light in this book, there is no way you can go without reading it if you are a fan of the series. I want to tell you all everything but then you wouldn't need to read it. Just expect some of your burning questions answered. This book also has a totally different flavor then the other book, which is fitting, in my mind. Definitely read it. Just go get it and read it, you won't regret it. ( )

The Perilous Prohecy of Guard and Goddess is a prequel to the events that happen in the Percy Parker books. Not always a fan of prequels I was a little bit leary about reading this book. But since I love the world Leanna Renee Hieber has created, I wanted to give it a go.

Beatrice and Ibrahaim's story is beautiful and passionate. While that isn't all that happens in the book I enjoyed the story of them. It was interesting seeing the London guard come together. A dark and seductive world. Hieber breathes life into the Victorian setting that makes you want to experience it for yourself first hand. I have to say I didn't love this book as much as first two books, but I did find that it was intriguing and enjoyable. ( )

I generally dislike prequels, but decided to give The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess a shot because I enjoyed both of Leanna Renee Hieber's previous Strangely Beautiful books. I'm very glad I gave Perilous Prophecy a chance.

Perilous Prophecy focuses on the everything leading up to the London guard's meeting Percy Parker. We get to experience the early days of Alexi's guard, see exactly how Persephone became Percy Parker, and get to know the Egypt guard that was only briefly touched upon in Darkly Luminous. These people and events are essential to the tale of Percy Parker and nothing frivolously unnecessary was included included. My dislike of prequels stems from the usual inclusion of random and unrelated tangents that do nothing to explain the world or the story in the books that come after. Perilous Prophecy stays on point and enriches the plot of the entire series in a way that makes it unthinkable to have not included this prequel to the story.

While I enjoyed Darkly Luminous, I wasn't a huge fan of all the time spent in the Whisper-World, nor the focus on Beatrice in that book. Perilous Prophecy shows the importance of each, providing the background information needed to appreciate and embrace both aspects of the story. After reading Perilous Prophecy, I find that I have a stronger understanding of what was going on in Darkly Luminous and now have a much larger appreciation of both previous books.

Hieber writing is beautiful as always. She has the ability to describe in a way that captivates, making the setting just as interesting as the action or dialogue. While I still maintain my aversion to prequels, I'm pleased to say that The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess is definitely the exception to the rule. ( )