Book Review: Something Strange And Deadly

Goodreads:   

The year is 1876, and there’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 their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

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     The first book in the Something Strange And Deadly series. And WOW that was intense. This was actually my first zombie book in years. And I really enjoyed it, it wasn't overwhelmingly zombie-ish which I liked, it made me ease up with the story but still got me wanting more. I love the fact that this story took place in the 18^th  century with the dresses and the parasols, it gave the story this touch and also the language and vocabulary that Dennard used went really well with the period of time but honestly, I had to use the dictionary a couple of times. Moreover, the cover is so cute!


    So the story opens up with Eleanor Fitts in her first encounter with the Dead and I love how Dennard started this book, not with an introduction to the world or a past-life story from our heroine's background but it was rather an intense start, averagely of course. Some disasters happened to the Fitts before and after Eleanor's father death. But now they may end up in the streets with no money left. And not only was Eleanor's brother missing, actually kidnapped by the dead and only Eleanor knows and this secret is a heavy weight for her to hold. Add on this her almost lunatic, careless mother cares nothing about anything except marrying her daughter to a rich gentleman for they are about to run out of their money and oh! there was the gentleman but things happens and as long as the Dead are involved it is nothing good of course. Yet, Eleanor resorts to the only possible solution she could see, the Spirit Hunters. They were to help her find her kidnapped brother and slowly she grew to enjoy their company and she actually helped them with their duties which weren't at all lady-like. Plus, their reputation wasn't so high which forces her to lie to people from her standard. And yet, together they unreveal stuff until the truth is wide visible in front of them and they work on solving it eventually but with so much difficulty and some twists and turns too. 


   The book didn't have much of a love story, just the beginning of one, a sweet, unexpected one with a very slow attraction which made it seem realistic and intense and I can't wait for more in the next book. This was because the story's main focus was rather on the events of the story itself which I didn't mind at all. However, the characters were all good and well-developed. Eleanor at first didn't really matter to me, her character wasn't all gripping or nice enough for a main character. But then, as we go on with her story, I started to warm towards her and eventually like her. Maybe it was because I really wished that Eleanor would have been more of a modern girl with a pair of jeans, not a dress but now I can see now how it works with the story and stuff. Also, Daniel was a character that I liked from his first appearance, I liked how tough he was but then how mocking he can be and then how sexy, how sweet and tender and caring. So much stuff about his personality that gripped me. He was my favorite character by far, a very well maintained character. And he had much of a past, some really important incidents that related a lot to Eleanor and more secrets from his past that was unrevealed through the story. 

   And although I can see this book as a stand-alone novel, at least hoped for. I'm really looking forward to seeing what comes next in the series and very excited as well. Seems like Eleanor, the mis-fit will find a way out as she already started to fit somewhere. Exquisitely written by Susan Dennard. A page-turner with an unpredictable plot that would definitely keep us, the readers captivated.

   Overall, Something Strange and Deadly was the perfect zombie book for me. So if you don't mind zombies but then don't really mind an average presence of them, then I really do recommend this book for you. My advice to you though would be to linger until you're few chapters in, where things start to spice up a little bit and give yourself a chance to adapt with the story itself. A mix of some action, bizarreness, humor, anguish, longing, revenge and most importantly the dead. Highly recommend it.


Title: Something Strange and Deadly
Author: Susan Dennard
Series: Something Strange and Deadly
Release Date: July 24th 2012 by HarperTeen

Source: A copy was provided as a participant in this book's blog tour.

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Rating: 4.5/5

xoxo, Mariam