Something Strange and Deadly
by Susan Dennard
Pages: 416
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: 25th June 2013 (originally published 24th July 2012)
ISBN: 0062083279
Summary
Here's something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia. . . .
Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about.
Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she's just read in the newspaper:
The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.
And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor . . . from her brother.
Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she'll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including the maddeningly stubborn yet handsome Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.
Review
I love a good zombie! I mean who doesn't now days? And Something
Strange and Deadly is well written, fast paced and full to the brim with
mind-controlled walking dead. It has vivid, exciting characters and an
intriguing story line that will keep you turning the page. Not to mention that
is has a rather adorable, snarky, spirit-hunting hottie that will put a smile
on your YA loving faces!
Something Strange and Deadly is the story of Eleanor Fitt and her
life as it gets flipped upside down. It's full of plots and schemes, beheadings
and courting, science and voodoo. It's her story as she tries to find her
brother and the 'unsavoury' character's she finds herself dealing with along
the way. All of which happens the same time the dead start to rise from their graves
and tales of a necromancer start to spread. There's a strong emphasis on right
and wrong and the dangerous lengths some people will go to to get
revenge.
It's a book that is not afraid to get its hands dirty. There was
no shying away from the grizzly descriptions of the undead and the writing
painted the perfect picture of a zombie-infested city. Definitely no sugar
coating going on with this book and I found that it made it all the more
captivating.
The character's range from purposefully annoying, stubborn to the
point of endearing, to just damn sexy. Every person had their own identity,
which can be tricky as there were actually quite a few important characters
within this book. Eleanor was a joy to read, she was determined and feisty - a
rarity for the period setting. I found that her flaws made her real and the way
she constantly adapted and grew as a character throughout the story was really
interesting.
Then there was the Spirit-Hunter's who were a mismatch group that
actually kind of reminded me a little of my favourite ghost-fighting-bad-asses
from a little book called Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson. Which is NOT a
bad thing in any way, shape or form. I have a serious crush on Daniel!
There was really only one major issue I had with this book, which
was that I found it - at times - a little predictable. You see, one of the main
focuses within the story is the necromancer character and figuring out how to
stop him and who he his. However, I have to say, even though I wasn't 100% sure
until about half way through I had guesses who the necromancer was by the end
of the second chapter. That's not to say that it ruins the story, I just felt
that the clues could have done with being a tad subtler and I would have liked
it to have kept me guessing a little more.
Overall though this is a great book! No question about that and I
highly recommend this one. I'm really excited to start book 2 in the series, A
Darkness Strange and Lovely.
I really loved Eleanor and this book a lot! It was a great mix of zombies, with historical fiction and steampunk!
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Mily!
Thank you :) I love her to! Although reading Strange and Ever After at the moment and she needs to pull it together!
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I've heard a lot of good things about this book and I really want to read it! Great review! And, I love your blog design:)
ReplyDeleteIt really is worth the read and the books only get better as the series goes on! :)
DeleteThank you!
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