Jennifer M. (Kaydence) reviewed Dearly, Departed (Gone with the Respiration, Bk 1) on + 380 more book reviews
Summary: The world has ended and been rebuilt fashioned after Victorian England. This new Victorian world includes the same manners and sense of class that the old one did. The wealthy have above ground houses, but the majority of the populous lives underground, the more wealthy or important, the closer to the outside. Not everyone agrees with the New Victorian lifestyle, so a group called the "punks" is battling for land and rights. These "punks" are along the outskirts of New Victoria and live within fields and mines. The novel is told from multiple points of view. Nora is a teenage girl that is slightly wealthy. She goes to a boarding school and is being raised by her aunt after her father had passed away. Her best friend, Pam, is a poorer student that also attends the boarding school and represents another point of view in the story. Then Bram, a good zombie that wants to save the world, and the girl, represents another point of view. And finally, Wolf, a deranged power-hungry military captain, and Nora's father, you guessed it, another zombie, round out the other point of views within the story. Each person tells their part of the story as it moves forward. So, the story is extremely complex. Here is the basic storyline:
Nora is kidnapped by good zombies because she is immune to the zombie virus. She builds up a friendship/relationship with Bram, who is one of the zombies that rescues her. Meanwhile, the zombie virus has broken out in New Victoria. Pam kills a zombie, is arrested, gets out, and then figures out what is going on with the dead coming back to life. Nora's father was also kidnapped by a crazy man that wants him to make the vaccine for him. When Nora and Bram find out that her father is kidnapped and that New Victoria is being overrun with zombies, they make plans to save everyone. Of course, there are other details, but that basically sums things up.
My thoughts:
I really love Bram! He is the saving grace of this novel. Oh my god, his character is just the most adorable thing in the world. I could give or take everyone else, but rave about Bram for years to come. He almost replaces Valek from Poison Study in my heart, which is saying a ton, because Valek stole my heart years ago and no one has even come close until now. Dearly, Departed as a novel is long and hard to keep track of. I almost wish that I could have skipped some of the side stories so that I could have focused more on the relationship between Bram and Nora. There were several times in the story that I had to go back to figure out which character was leading the dialogue. Sometimes there is such a slight change in perspective because the same action is going on, so you have to really pay attention to the pronouns. This is a flaw because it pulls you out of the story; however, as I have mentioned several times, Bram is well worth some confusion. I look forward to book number 2.
Nora is kidnapped by good zombies because she is immune to the zombie virus. She builds up a friendship/relationship with Bram, who is one of the zombies that rescues her. Meanwhile, the zombie virus has broken out in New Victoria. Pam kills a zombie, is arrested, gets out, and then figures out what is going on with the dead coming back to life. Nora's father was also kidnapped by a crazy man that wants him to make the vaccine for him. When Nora and Bram find out that her father is kidnapped and that New Victoria is being overrun with zombies, they make plans to save everyone. Of course, there are other details, but that basically sums things up.
My thoughts:
I really love Bram! He is the saving grace of this novel. Oh my god, his character is just the most adorable thing in the world. I could give or take everyone else, but rave about Bram for years to come. He almost replaces Valek from Poison Study in my heart, which is saying a ton, because Valek stole my heart years ago and no one has even come close until now. Dearly, Departed as a novel is long and hard to keep track of. I almost wish that I could have skipped some of the side stories so that I could have focused more on the relationship between Bram and Nora. There were several times in the story that I had to go back to figure out which character was leading the dialogue. Sometimes there is such a slight change in perspective because the same action is going on, so you have to really pay attention to the pronouns. This is a flaw because it pulls you out of the story; however, as I have mentioned several times, Bram is well worth some confusion. I look forward to book number 2.
Welcome to the New Victorian era nearly two hundred years in the future. After the world descended into utter chaos following several disasters, humans migrated south to establish a new colony. They chose the Victorian era because they considered it a model of civility order and prosperity. These views are not shared by everyone and formed radical fighting groups called Punks who reject this new aristocracy. Although fighting has been going on for quite some time between the Victorians and Punks it now seems to be shifting and the fighting seems almost animalistic.
Nora Dearly, daughter of the late famous Victor Dearly, is an interesting character. From the start we sense she is just waiting to burst out of this mold of a proper woman whereas her best friend, Pamela Roe, is always trying to attain it. After returning home from school, Nora is set upon by what she thinks at the time as Punks. Bram Griswold swoops in and saves the day. Nora awakes in a secret location and is informed of what is truly going on. There are good zombies and bad zombies. These so called good zombies like Bram and surprisingly her father, are battling the bad zombies for the government who want this all to be hidden from its citizens. Nora starts to digest all this information and slowly comes to terms with it. She also discovers that her father created the serum that lengthens the life of a zombie and helps them retain their humanity for some time. Victor is also working on a vaccine to the zombie virus and apparently has been kidnapped because of it.
Bram is noticeably in love with Nora and will do anything to protect her. He defies all commands and knows that she will appreciate the truth given to her straight. Even though he is attracted to her, he knows to proceed slowly because what human woman would find a rotting zombie desirable. I agree with that completely but Bram had me falling in love with him. His strength and his struggle with his human side and his zombie side will have you cheering for him to overcome all the obstacles and get the girl.
The adventure these two embark on is exciting! The battles, the secrets and the revelations that they discover will keep you flipping the pages. Do not start this book unless you have time to finish, you will not want to put it down. The humor injected just enhances the ambiance of this story. Dearly, Departed is told from many viewpoints and Habel effortlessly does this with chapter headings of the person whose viewpoint we are reading.
I absolutely LOVED this book. The mixture of zombies, steampunk and romance made for an exhilarating read! I am not huge on the zombie genre just because there arent too many new ideas introduced into the storyline. Dearly, Departed is NOT one of those. You will fall in love with each and every one of these characters and will cheer on Nora and her pursuit to love Bram. Highly recommend for YA, steampunk, dystopian and zombie lovers everywhere.
Nora Dearly, daughter of the late famous Victor Dearly, is an interesting character. From the start we sense she is just waiting to burst out of this mold of a proper woman whereas her best friend, Pamela Roe, is always trying to attain it. After returning home from school, Nora is set upon by what she thinks at the time as Punks. Bram Griswold swoops in and saves the day. Nora awakes in a secret location and is informed of what is truly going on. There are good zombies and bad zombies. These so called good zombies like Bram and surprisingly her father, are battling the bad zombies for the government who want this all to be hidden from its citizens. Nora starts to digest all this information and slowly comes to terms with it. She also discovers that her father created the serum that lengthens the life of a zombie and helps them retain their humanity for some time. Victor is also working on a vaccine to the zombie virus and apparently has been kidnapped because of it.
Bram is noticeably in love with Nora and will do anything to protect her. He defies all commands and knows that she will appreciate the truth given to her straight. Even though he is attracted to her, he knows to proceed slowly because what human woman would find a rotting zombie desirable. I agree with that completely but Bram had me falling in love with him. His strength and his struggle with his human side and his zombie side will have you cheering for him to overcome all the obstacles and get the girl.
The adventure these two embark on is exciting! The battles, the secrets and the revelations that they discover will keep you flipping the pages. Do not start this book unless you have time to finish, you will not want to put it down. The humor injected just enhances the ambiance of this story. Dearly, Departed is told from many viewpoints and Habel effortlessly does this with chapter headings of the person whose viewpoint we are reading.
I absolutely LOVED this book. The mixture of zombies, steampunk and romance made for an exhilarating read! I am not huge on the zombie genre just because there arent too many new ideas introduced into the storyline. Dearly, Departed is NOT one of those. You will fall in love with each and every one of these characters and will cheer on Nora and her pursuit to love Bram. Highly recommend for YA, steampunk, dystopian and zombie lovers everywhere.
Stephanie S. (skywriter319) -
Oooh. DEARLY, DEPARTED was fun, fun, fun. If one overlooks some inconsistencies in worldbuilding, supporting character development, and plot, then Lia Habels paranormal/steampunk debut is a charming read thats sweet and funny.
Im at the point now with my YA reading where any mention of a romance in the synopsis puts me on guard. Because, come on now, how many more insta-romances, too-good-to-be-true boys, or dickwad love interests do we really need? This, however, is why Nora and Bram stood out to me so much. The multi-POV narration (admittedly unnecessary at times) really added to this couples attractiveness, both to one another and to us readers. Bram is a total sweetheart who is nevertheless also a guy, not some ideal creation of a love interest.
The premise is moderately well-developed and the pacing uneven at pointsquite action-packed in the beginning, followed by uneven spurts of information and a climax that felt the tiniest bit rushed. But its the characters that make DEARLY, DEPARTED stand out from the pack of paranormals or steampunks being released. These characters are a RIOT! They deliver the most wonderful zingers in their dialogue that made me literally guffaw. DEARLY, DEPARTED may be set in a futuristic/anachronistic world that may require a bit of suspension of disbelief, but these characters could be kids in any high school today. Lia Habel fills her characters with heart instead of ideals, with the result that readers will have a good time hanging out with Nora, Bram, & Co.
If youre looking for a funny and romantic speculative fiction read this fall, consider checking out Lia Habels debut novel, DEARLY, DEPARTED and be prepared to be thoroughly entertained!
Im at the point now with my YA reading where any mention of a romance in the synopsis puts me on guard. Because, come on now, how many more insta-romances, too-good-to-be-true boys, or dickwad love interests do we really need? This, however, is why Nora and Bram stood out to me so much. The multi-POV narration (admittedly unnecessary at times) really added to this couples attractiveness, both to one another and to us readers. Bram is a total sweetheart who is nevertheless also a guy, not some ideal creation of a love interest.
The premise is moderately well-developed and the pacing uneven at pointsquite action-packed in the beginning, followed by uneven spurts of information and a climax that felt the tiniest bit rushed. But its the characters that make DEARLY, DEPARTED stand out from the pack of paranormals or steampunks being released. These characters are a RIOT! They deliver the most wonderful zingers in their dialogue that made me literally guffaw. DEARLY, DEPARTED may be set in a futuristic/anachronistic world that may require a bit of suspension of disbelief, but these characters could be kids in any high school today. Lia Habel fills her characters with heart instead of ideals, with the result that readers will have a good time hanging out with Nora, Bram, & Co.
If youre looking for a funny and romantic speculative fiction read this fall, consider checking out Lia Habels debut novel, DEARLY, DEPARTED and be prepared to be thoroughly entertained!
