Spring has sprung! It is now April, and that means it’s time to exchange the dreary cold of winter for flowers, spring rains, and sunshine (at least here in my part of the world)! In honor of the changing of the seasons, I want to highlight some books that give a fresh spin on the spookiest of spring goddesses: Persephone. According to Greek legend, Persephone is the daughter of the harvest goddess Demeter. One day while she was out gathering flowers, Persephone was abducted by Hades, the god of the dead, and taken down to the underworld. While in Hades’ realm, Persphone ate six pomegranate seeds, which obligate her to return to Hades for six months out of the year before returning to her mother. When her daughter is away, Demeter mourns and neglects the earth, but when they’re together, they make flowers bloom and plant life grow. This myth serves to explain why vegetation flourishes for half year but becomes dead and barren in the winter. Persephone is a fascinating and paradoxical character, serving both as a maidenly goddess of spring and as the queen of the underworld. Below are a few of my favorite books that incorporate the myth of Persephone in unique ways: Continue reading Persephone Myth Retellings
Tag: Strangely Beautiful
Review of Miss Violet and the Great War—A Strangely Beautiful Ending
It’s the end of an era. Leanna Renee Hieber’s newest release, Miss Violet and the Great War represents both the end of the Victorian era and the conclusion to her debut gaslamp fantasy series, the Strangely Beautiful Saga. Over the years, I’ve reviewed the rereleased versions of Strangely Beautiful and Perilous Prophecy. Now, after much trial and tribulation, the never-before-published final book has arrived. Miss Violet and the Great War comes out tomorrow, February 26. If you’re in the New York City area, be sure to join us at the release party at WORD in Brooklyn on Thursday. Continue reading Review of Miss Violet and the Great War—A Strangely Beautiful Ending
Romance in Gothic Fiction
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we’ve all got a bit of romance on the mind. And what could be more romantic than an entire genre that was originally called “Gothic Romance”? Of course, the term “romance” has meant different things over the course of the genre’s history, and each iteration of the Gothic utilizes romantic elements in different ways. Let’s take a brief look at the role romance has played in Gothic fiction.
Review of Perilous Prophecy—A Poignant Prequel
The re-release of Leanna Renee Hieber’s Strangely Beautiful Saga continues! Last year, Leanna revived her out-of-print debut series with the launch of Strangely Beautiful, published by Tor. This new, author-preferred edition contains her first two books, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker and The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker, in a single volume with some new scenes and edits. You can see my review of Strangely Beautiful here. Now she’s back at it with the relaunch of the series’ prequel, Perilous Prophecy, coming out tomorrow, June 20. Formerly called The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess, the book had only been out a short time before the original publisher went under, so you may have missed it the first time around. But now you’ve got a second chance! If you’re in New York, join me next week for the launch party at the Morris-Jumel Mansion. If you can’t make it out, you can pick up a copy of the book at your local independent bookstore, or buy it online using the IndieBound link at the bottom of this post. Continue reading Review of Perilous Prophecy—A Poignant Prequel
Gothic Lit Clothing Lines: An Interview with Wormwood & Gall
Just over a month ago, I discovered the lovely supplier of vintage and gothic finery, Wormwood & Gall, at a book launch of all places. You may recall from my review of Strangely Beautiful by Leanna Renee Hieber that I had planned on attending a launch event for the book at the Morris-Jumel Mansion in April. The event turned out to be even more amazing than I’d hoped for! The setting was well-chosen, with the house providing the perfect historic and haunted backdrop for Leanna’s reading. To top it all off, Wormwood & Gall contributed some delicious complementary absinthe and showcased their clothing line inspired by Leanna’s novel. Continue reading Gothic Lit Clothing Lines: An Interview with Wormwood & Gall
Strength Comes in Many Varieties: Leanna Renee Hieber and Strangely Beautiful
Last week, I posted a review of the new edition of Strangely Beautiful. Today, the author Leanna Renee Hieber has a guest post for us about the different ways in which characters can be strong. Read on to find out what Leanna has to say about the hidden strength of Miss Percy Parker…
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As my beloved and most well-known series, the Strangely Beautiful saga, is about to re-issue in a revised edition with new scenes and content from Tor Books, I’ve been doing a great deal of reflection and discussion about the oft beleaguered Gothic novel and my heroine Miss Percy Parker.
I believe in fiction that represents all people, types, perspectives, physiologies, tropes, gender identities, races, faiths, backgrounds, statuses; the whole beautiful complicated intricacy of humanity. There should be fiction featuring the vast lot, and in any genre it pleases. Continue reading Strength Comes in Many Varieties: Leanna Renee Hieber and Strangely Beautiful
Strangely Beautiful Review—New Life for a Strangely Beautiful Book
An amazing series is back from the dead—and full of new, vibrant life! You may have noticed by now that I love Leanna Renee Hieber’s gaslamp fantasy novels. I have previously read and reviewed Darker Still and The Eterna Files, the first books in her Magic Most Foul series and Eterna Files series, respectively. My obvious next move was to go back and read her first published series, the Strangely Beautiful saga. The only problem: it’s been out of print since the publisher went out of business several years ago. But we have good news! Leanna is re-releasing the series with her new publisher, Tor! Strangely Beautiful—the updated “author’s preferred edition” of the first two books of the series—comes out April 26th.
Preorder the book now, or pick one up from your local bookstore in just over a week. If you’re in the New York City area, you can also come hang out with me and Leanna for a Strangely Beautiful event at the historic and haunted Morris-Jumel Mansion on Saturday, April 30! Grab a book, get it signed by the lovely Leanna, and stick around for refreshments, storytelling, and sartorial extravaganza. And if that’s not enough Leanna for you, check back with The Gothic Library next week—I’ll be hosting a guest post by the author herself on the varieties of feminine strength as it relates to the protagonist of her Strangely Beautiful series. Continue reading Strangely Beautiful Review—New Life for a Strangely Beautiful Book
Books I’m Excited for in 2016
It’s a new year, and you know what that means? New books! 2016 has just begun, and I’m already getting hyped about all of the amazing books coming out this year. Here are just of a few of the great-looking gothic reads coming out in 2016:
- The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater (Set to be released April 26, 2016)
I’ve been talking about this series a lot lately, especially since the first book was my favorite book I read last year. Well, I hopped on the Raven Cycle bandwagon just in time, because the fourth and final book in this series is finally coming out in April! I’m excited to see if Blue and the raven boys succeed in finding their Celtic king and to find out how exactly my favorite corvid creatures fit into this mythos. Continue reading Books I’m Excited for in 2016