The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber

2.5 out of 5 worms


With a title like that which Ms. Hieber christened her literary debut with, I had my hopes high. And a Victorian setting! I was ready to be delighted. Alas, the story falls short - very short of anything outside of the teen section at B&N. I felt sorry for the characters in the plot. In fact, that was the novels strength, the solidity and color (no pun intended, since the heroine is albino) of its characters.


So here's the dilly-o. The story opens with 6 children, strangers being mysteriously summoned one night to meet a goddess, who imparts each of them with an ancient spirit. The spirit or, Guardian, endows it's mortal with special powers. However, this means that the children are now enmeshed in a long-standing battle between good and evil. Fast-forward twenty years. Our six have been protecting the balance of good and evil in London by dealing with unruly ghosts. Two of the six have created a boarding school for uber-intelligent teens. Professor Alexi Rychman is a hottie with a big.....horse he rides through the night to battle ghosts, and he is also the group's leader. The author drops the needle when the "strange and beautiful" Percy Parker arrives, a 19 y.o. albino orphan raised in a convent who can see and talk to ghosts. Sounds like a charming proposal - but the narrative is too precious. What follows sounds like it was quoted out of a tween's late night fantasy. Percy receives tutoring in his office because she can't do math (really?). She's always fainting and collapsing while in his presence. Turns out the 6 ghost busters have been waiting for a seventh team member who will help them fight evil. Could it be Percy? Of course it is. However, the poor albino is intercepted by a false prophet posing to be their seventh. 


Here's where I totally jumped ship in reading this book - and hold on to your pants. We learn that Percy is the reincarnation of Persephone from Greek mythology, the poser seventh is Medusa working for Hades, and the 6 ghost busters have been endowed with the spirits of Muses. Again - really? I thought this was a gothic ghost story set in Victorian England. I don't buy it at all. 


It's not that the concept of a twist into Greek mythology isn't a bad idea. I could see it working in the hands of someone like Anne Rice, who weaves mythology into her stories in a classy way. Here's how I would fix this story: the ghosts and battles need to be scarier. Let's think Clive Barker scary. And the battle between good and evil wouldn't seem as cheesy if it was handled in a more mature subtle way a la Stephen King. 


Bottom Line: Read if you are under 16 or at the beach