For those who love Greek mythology mixed into their historical fantasy, I highly recommend Leanna Hieber’s Strangely Beautiful Victorian gaslamp series. Here’s my review of the prequel to the series (A version of this review was first published in Historical Novels Review Nov 2017 issue. )
Perilous Prophecy, the prequel to Hieber’s Strangely Beautiful series, weaves Greek mythology into a supernatural Victorian England and Cairo. The novel provides the origin story for the series. A manic and flighty but peace-loving Persephone plots with her mortal six member Guard to free the world from unquiet spirits and Darkness, the ruler of the underworld. He’s a god who intriguingly shifts between handsome man and skeleton. As in the Greek tradition of gods, Persephone has faults and doesn’t always consider fully the well-being of mortals. Each of the six human Guard have distinctly developed characters in harmony with the role they play as one of the Muses: Memory, Art, Intuition, Healing, Heart, and the Leader. While romance is easy for some of the Guard, the two top members stubbornly resist their powerful draw with Victorian decorum, providing the romantic focus and engaging tension. Hieber skillfully uses language reminiscent of the era to enrich her historical world. The atmospheric depictions of London and Cairo are otherworldly while effectively grounded in detail. Being a prequel gives the book, appropriately, a slightly unfinished feel, inviting you forward, with the worst yet to come—the worst for the characters being what is most entertaining to the reader. Highly recommended for readers of gaslamp fantasy, Victorian and paranormal romance, or dark fantasy.
Find Perilous Prophecy at Amazon (affiliate link), Barnes & Noble or IndieBound.
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Leanna Renee Hieber has also launched a new, “smart, boundlessly creative gaslamp fantasy” series, the first of which is The Spectral City:
Solving crime isn’t only for the living.
In turn-of-the century New York City, the police have an off-the-books spiritual go-to when it comes to solving puzzling corporeal crimes . . .