Lia Habel is a genius. In her first book she made zombies loveable and she did not let us down with her second installment, Dearly, Beloved. I loved returning to New London and seeing how life is now that the general population knows about the dead. Of course there are different types of zombies. There are the civilized ones that just want to go about their lives now that there are ways of retaining their memories and then there are those that have succumbed to the virus and are just mindless biting machines.
Nora is still our headstrong heroine and now that they are back in New London, it is required of her to learn how to be a lady. After everything that Nora has been through, this is a little tough. She wants to be on the front lines fighting for the zombies rights. She and Bram are still going strong but they have to be careful and keep their relationship on the down low for now. Bram is still the valiant knight to Nora and will always do whatever it takes to keep her safe.
The plot this time is that the Lazarus strain has mutated and the vaccine they designed isnt made to deal with this strain. They do not want another Siege so they try to covertly move the zombie (Patient One) infected with this strain away from anyone that could use him for a weapon. There are several groups that know about Patient One and they all want him.
The main reason that I find this series fascinating is that the story is told from multiple points of views. The reader is not restricted in knowing only what the main characters know. We are lucky enough to know everything that is going on and it keeps the pace of the book moving. The non-stop action will keep the reader invested in the lives of these characters. If you are looking for a unique series to read, this is the one for you. Due to the high complexity of Lias world, I recommend reading the series in order.
(book was received from publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review)
Nora is still our headstrong heroine and now that they are back in New London, it is required of her to learn how to be a lady. After everything that Nora has been through, this is a little tough. She wants to be on the front lines fighting for the zombies rights. She and Bram are still going strong but they have to be careful and keep their relationship on the down low for now. Bram is still the valiant knight to Nora and will always do whatever it takes to keep her safe.
The plot this time is that the Lazarus strain has mutated and the vaccine they designed isnt made to deal with this strain. They do not want another Siege so they try to covertly move the zombie (Patient One) infected with this strain away from anyone that could use him for a weapon. There are several groups that know about Patient One and they all want him.
The main reason that I find this series fascinating is that the story is told from multiple points of views. The reader is not restricted in knowing only what the main characters know. We are lucky enough to know everything that is going on and it keeps the pace of the book moving. The non-stop action will keep the reader invested in the lives of these characters. If you are looking for a unique series to read, this is the one for you. Due to the high complexity of Lias world, I recommend reading the series in order.
(book was received from publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review)
Karissa E. (ophelia99) reviewed Dearly, Beloved (Gone with the Respiration, Bk 2) on + 2527 more book reviews
I got a copy of this book to review through NetGalley(dot)com. This is the second book in the Gone with Respiration series. I really enjoyed the creativity of the first book in this series (Dearly, Departed). I was very disappointed in this book because of the huge number of POVs. I almost didnt finish this book because as the story went on I just didnt care anymore.
Tensions are rising between the humans and the good zombies. Nora, Bram, and company are trying to figure out the motives behind a group called the Murder; a mysterious group targeting good zombies and zombie sympathizing humans. Also a new pro-zombie group called The Changed are causing even more increased tensions in the city. Add to this the fact that a new strain of the Laz has been uncovered and Noras dad is frantically trying to find a cure for the Laz.
All I have to say about this book is "Ugh!" There are 6, yes that is 6, POVs in this book (we hear from Laura, Nora, Bram, Michael, Vespertine, and Pamela) This fractures the story horribly and turns what could've been a decent 200 page story into a horribly boring and slow nearly 500 page one. The story is all over the place. I had some problem with the multiple POVs in the first book, but really enjoyed the creative world. This story didn't even have that wonder to it anymore...it's just a mess.
If you like politics you might enjoy this book more than I did. There are a ton of politics between various groups going on. Theres The Murder (anti-zombie human group), the Changed (anti-human zombie group), most normal humans who are neutral/confused and Nora and friends who are pro good zombies. This book is mainly about how these groups interact, attack each other, and make the city less and less safe.
There is a lot of Nora and Bram talking about how much they love each other as well which gets old over time. What happens between Nora and Bram at the end of the book felt contrived and forced to me. Not to mention you kind of have to not think too hard about their relationship in general because...well...its kind of creepy. I mean Bram is dead and Nora talking about how much she loves to kiss his cold lips is a bit odd.
Nora also does a million really stupid things that made me want to slap her. I mean how many times do you need people to tell to definitely not go there, then you go there and cause a huge mess. She does this multiple times in the story and it makes her come off as stupid and selfish.
I dont have much else to say about the side characters. Pamela has a bigger role in this story and is definitely more interesting than Nora and Bram. The other part of the story that really intrigued me was the mystery behind Patient One.
The book was very readable and the writing style easy to read. I had trouble being engaged in the story because it was so fractured. At the end of the day when I think back to what this book was about, I have trouble really saying because it was just such a mess.
Overall I did not enjoy this installment in the series. Too many POVs fractured the story and made the plot move at a crawl. There are tons of politics between various factions and Nora does a million really stupid things. I almost didnt finish this book at all. The only redeeming quality was Patient One, the mystery behind him is intriguing and would be interesting to find an answer to in the next book. Will I be reading the next book? Probably not, I am worried that Habel might add in another 3 POVs and make it an even more fractured and lengthy story. If you like this type of steampunk/victorian zombie story I would suggest, Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard...it is a much better story.
Tensions are rising between the humans and the good zombies. Nora, Bram, and company are trying to figure out the motives behind a group called the Murder; a mysterious group targeting good zombies and zombie sympathizing humans. Also a new pro-zombie group called The Changed are causing even more increased tensions in the city. Add to this the fact that a new strain of the Laz has been uncovered and Noras dad is frantically trying to find a cure for the Laz.
All I have to say about this book is "Ugh!" There are 6, yes that is 6, POVs in this book (we hear from Laura, Nora, Bram, Michael, Vespertine, and Pamela) This fractures the story horribly and turns what could've been a decent 200 page story into a horribly boring and slow nearly 500 page one. The story is all over the place. I had some problem with the multiple POVs in the first book, but really enjoyed the creative world. This story didn't even have that wonder to it anymore...it's just a mess.
If you like politics you might enjoy this book more than I did. There are a ton of politics between various groups going on. Theres The Murder (anti-zombie human group), the Changed (anti-human zombie group), most normal humans who are neutral/confused and Nora and friends who are pro good zombies. This book is mainly about how these groups interact, attack each other, and make the city less and less safe.
There is a lot of Nora and Bram talking about how much they love each other as well which gets old over time. What happens between Nora and Bram at the end of the book felt contrived and forced to me. Not to mention you kind of have to not think too hard about their relationship in general because...well...its kind of creepy. I mean Bram is dead and Nora talking about how much she loves to kiss his cold lips is a bit odd.
Nora also does a million really stupid things that made me want to slap her. I mean how many times do you need people to tell to definitely not go there, then you go there and cause a huge mess. She does this multiple times in the story and it makes her come off as stupid and selfish.
I dont have much else to say about the side characters. Pamela has a bigger role in this story and is definitely more interesting than Nora and Bram. The other part of the story that really intrigued me was the mystery behind Patient One.
The book was very readable and the writing style easy to read. I had trouble being engaged in the story because it was so fractured. At the end of the day when I think back to what this book was about, I have trouble really saying because it was just such a mess.
Overall I did not enjoy this installment in the series. Too many POVs fractured the story and made the plot move at a crawl. There are tons of politics between various factions and Nora does a million really stupid things. I almost didnt finish this book at all. The only redeeming quality was Patient One, the mystery behind him is intriguing and would be interesting to find an answer to in the next book. Will I be reading the next book? Probably not, I am worried that Habel might add in another 3 POVs and make it an even more fractured and lengthy story. If you like this type of steampunk/victorian zombie story I would suggest, Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard...it is a much better story.
