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Something Strange and Deadly (Something Strange and Deadly, Bk 1)
Something Strange and Deadly - Something Strange and Deadly, Bk 1
Author: Susan Dennard
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— — T...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780062083265
ISBN-10: 0062083260
Publication Date: 7/24/2012
Pages: 400
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 12

3.7 stars, based on 12 ratings
Publisher: HarperTeen
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Members Wishing: 3
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

ophelia99 avatar reviewed Something Strange and Deadly (Something Strange and Deadly, Bk 1) on + 2527 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I got a copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. This was an absolutely wonderful book; I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a wonderful blend of horror/historical fantasy/steampunk/walking undead with a little romance thrown in. The heroine is absolutely wonderful and I loved reading about her. The world is creative and interesting and the plot incredibly well done. The second book, A Darkness Strange and Lovely, is due out in 2013.

Eleanor Fitt has more to worry about than your average Victorian young lady; her brother has gone missing, her family is nearly destitute, and her mother wants to solve the problem by marrying her off to a rich young man. This is nothing though compared to the problems plaguing the city; the dead have started rising and they are hungry. When Eleanor suspects that her brother is somehow involved with the Dead she hunts down the group of Spirit Hunters for help.

I loved this book. It was fast-moving, had a wonderful plot, wonderful characters, and was very creative. There is witty banter and humor woven throughout the story that made it a lot of fun to read. The walking dead in this novel arent the result of a strange infection but are instead the result of necromancy. They dont spread infection but they are still incredibly hungry for human flesh.

Eleanor is an absolutely wonderful character. She tries to be a proper lady and even goes along with her mother trying to hook her up with the rich Clarence. Still she is determined to find her brother (who is also her best friend) and she will stop at nothing to find him. She ends up sneaking in visits to the Spirit Hunters in between her normal errands and house calls.

As the story progresses Eleanor really shows her metal; she throws herself into everything she does, takes risks to save those she is loyal to and is so much more tough than she seems in the beginning. She really grows a lot as the book continues. She is one of those rare heroines that really takes a lot of physical damage throughout her escapades; she doesn't heal supernaturally but just pushes through to do what she can. I love seeing a heroine actually take realistic damage and have to deal with aftermath; it just makes the story more real to me.

The Spirit Hunters arent your average ghost busters (although they do use a mixture of strange steampunkish technology and electricity to deal with their spirits) there is also an element of magic to it all. Of course one of the Spirit Hunters is the young and handsome mechanical genius Daniel. Daniel and Eleanor drive each other crazy in both a bad and a good way; this adds a little romance to the story as they have great chemistry together.

The plot is incredibly well put together, it was a bit predictable, but still very well done. The elements of Eleanors missing brother, an evil Spirit, the Walking Dead, and the Spirit Hunters are all nicely tied together as the story progresses.

Overall I absolutely loved everything about this book. Great world, wonderful writing, excellent characters, and a fast-paced plot. When reading this book you cant help but compare it to Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel; I liked this book quite a bit more than that one. If you do like Dearly, Departed by Habel I think you would really enjoy this book as well. I would also recommend this book to adult readers who are fans of the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger. This was an excellent steampunk/zombie/historical fantasy. I cant wait to read the second book, A Darkness Strange and Lovely!
esmestohelit avatar reviewed Something Strange and Deadly (Something Strange and Deadly, Bk 1) on + 109 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I really wish we had an It was OK rating here. I didn't not like this book, but I can't really say I liked it either. It was just kind of meh.

This book is entertaining enough if you're looking for something to a quick read, but don't expect a *good* book.

The story line is very predictable. I guessed both the love interest and who the necromancer was within the first 50 pages. Eleanor drove me nuts through out the whole book. One minute she's all kick ass, the next she's terrified to act because her mother may find out what she's up to. Secondary characters were all pretty much flat. I did like Jie, but I think that's more because she reminded me of the Short Round from Temple of Doom. And the zombies? *Yawn* There were a few descent action scenes, but over all I was very disappointed in this book. I will probably try the second book, but I won't go into it with much hope.
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reviewed Something Strange and Deadly (Something Strange and Deadly, Bk 1) on + 380 more book reviews
Summary:
Eleanor is growing up in Victorian Philadelphia. Her brother, Elijah (love that name!), has disappeared. Her family is not doing so well and in true Victorian fashion, her mother is attempting to marry her off to rich Clarence (again, love the name). Eleanor goes along like a good little girl, but also tries to find Elijah. In order to do that, Eleanor goes to the Spirit-Hunters. The Spirit-Hunters are a ghost hunting group that use a mixture of technology and magic. Oh, I completely forgot to mention that there is a hoard of very hungry zombies running around. The dead have been raised by a necromancer. What's a sweet Victorian lady to do?

My thoughts:
Honestly, I love when author mix genres up. This was written very well with lovable and quirky characters, but the Victorian atmosphere sold it for me. I think part of it is because the mixture of a demure young lady that kicks behind is so much fun. Eleanor delivers! She plays the perfect young lady while also risking everything for those that she cares about. She also is stubborn and spicy when it comes to the love interest, who is also stubborn and spicy. The relationship is not a fall in love at first sight type of thing, but one in which there is just as much conflict as chemistry. They are just adorable.

This is also a newer twist on zombies. I enjoyed a reason behind the risen dead. The necromancer identity is supposed to be a twist, but it is fairly easy to figure out who it is. I don't think that really takes away from the story though. Since I am used to figuring things out in YA books, this just was par for the course. I think the zombie, Victorian, steampunkish technology is reminiscent of Lia Habel; however, the love story (which I feel is a major part of Habel's Dearly, Departed: A Zombie Novel series) is not even close to similar. I love Bram from Dearly, Departed, but his love story is a love at first sight type thing. I feel like the love story in Something Strange and Deadly is more believable for the characters involved. I also feel like Eleanor is a stronger female lead. Regardless, both books are good companions to one another and I high recommend some History+Zombie reading.


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