Some of you may know that I
originally had my own blog, Beauty but a Funny Girl, prior to joining
Bookish (now Bookish Lifestyle). I was thinking the other day about all
those reviews I left behind when I transferred and thought they should
get some love too - no matter how badly written and newbie they come
off! So I present to you: Throwback Thursday Reviews! Every once in a
while I'll post an old review from Beauty but a Funny Girl, unedited in
terms of content, with the exception of any spelling or grammatical
mistakes. It's definitely going to be fun and interesting to see how my
tastes and writing style have changed over the years!
Series: Genre: Publication.Date: July 24 2012 Pages: 388 (hardcover) Published By: HarperTeen Website: Susan Dennard Something Strange and Deadly on Goodreads My review copy:
Where to get:
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.
(Goodreads)
Originally posted July 21, 2013 on Beauty but a Funny Girl
To be honest, I only picked up Something Strange and Deadly, because of A Darkness Strange and Lovely’s
cover. I had no idea what what this book was about when I picked it up.
I skimmed Goodreads and saw that friends liked it and gave it high
ratings, so I figured it was worth the shot.
It was worth the shot and more!
Philadelphia
is being plagued by the rising dead. Apparently, the dead rising from
the grave is something that happens now and again and, while being
scared of the dead, people are used to it. So much so that the
government of Philadelphia have hired a group called the Shadow-Hunters
to figure out the problem. We know a necromancer is to blame for the
rising dead, we just don’t know why or who said necromancer is.
I kind of liked the fact that the rising dead weren’t that prominent.
I’m not a huge fan of zombies, but these weren’t really zombies. Since
they were controlled, they only did what the necromancer told them to
do. However, there are the Hungry who are more zombie like as the
necromancer has lost control of them.
The
novel starts with Eleanor receiving a letter, delivered by a corpse,
that her brother got into a little bit of trouble in New York, but not
to worry. Bad news all around as her family is going broke and her
brother coming home was their last hope. Well, that and Eleanor finding a
rich suitor to marry her. Enter Clarence Wilcox. Clarence has the
funds, the looks... and a secret. Of course, Eleanor’s mother his
thrilled by Clarence’s attention toward Eleanor.
This
woman has a very one-track mind and I feel sorry for Eleanor. All she
cares about is her son coming home (because they need money) and Eleanor
marrying somebody of high status (because they need money). I get that
it’s a different time and this is really all young women could hope for,
but good Lord woman. Even when things are falling apart this is all she
cares about. Luckily for Eleanor, every time she sneaks out, she is
able to use Clarence as a reason and then her mother just doesn’t care
what happens at that point. “You just disappeared! Unacceptable!” “But I
was with Clearance.” “Oh... okay then. No biggie.” (Summarization, not
actual dialogue.)
As
far as the Shadow-Hunters are concerned, I am in love. This is such a
ragtag group and they really pull together to solve the mystery, with
Eleanor’s help. I love that Eleanor pretty much demands to be part of
this group and help, regardless of what may happen to her.
Eleanor
herself is just an amazing character. She is feisty, strong, brave,
strong, and I just love her determination to help the Shadow-Hunters and
find her brother. She is the character that I want to be friends with.
She tries to do whatever she can for those she loves, but at the same
time, wants to be happy herself.
The
romance was not in your face and very subtle, which was a nice change.
There was a building of the relationship. His character definitely had
to grow on me, which he did around page 150. So it took a while, but
near the end of the book I was basically yelling at the two of them to
get their shit together.
The
story itself was very creative and filled with great detail that really
put me in the time period. I connected with the characters, Eleanor
especially, and I had no trouble picturing the things Dunnard described.
I did find the twist at the end a little cliche, but that might be
because I just read a book with the same twist. Of course, what saved it
is how Dunnard handled the situation, that I did not see coming.
This is a series I am absolutely going to continue. I pre-ordered A Dawn Most Wicked and A Darkness Strange and Lovely immediately after I finished this book. I suggest you do the same.
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