Double Review Friday- Something Strange and Deadly

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
♦publisher: Harper Teen
♦release date: July 24th, 2012
♦hardback, 388 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦rating: ♥♥♥♥

Review: Animated corpses, corsets, parasols, and zombies all set in the Victorian Era.

 The dead are being raised in Philadelphia but Eleanor has a lot more to worry about than the walking dead.  Her family is financially struggling after her father’s death, her brother Ethan is missing, and her mother wants to marry her off to every eligible bachelor. Despite all her troubles, when a corpse arrives to deliver Eleanor a letter from Ethan, everything changes.

As corpses start to rise and new headless bodies are found throughout the city, the only ones who seem to have the answers are the illusive and notable Sprit Hunters. Reminiscent of a steam punk setting, a group of unwelcome scientists arrive with new inventions, gadgets and unheard of technology for the 1870’s.  All of which are meant to protect the people from the walking dead.

Desperate for answers and to locate her brother, Eleanor seeks out the Spirit Hunters, who weave her into a life of chaos and adventure, one she might just be ready for. Throwing her into a world of zombies, necromancy and corpses raised from the dead.

With a curiosity that could threaten her life, Eleanor’s character is one I didn’t instantly grab onto. Her decision skills lacked in thoroughness, leaving her to make rash, dangerous choices. Ones that leave you questioning her  but in turn, also makes her more of a realistic character, a character that doesn’t make all the right choices and decisions. However, as the book continues, Eleanor’s character starts to grow on you; making you feel for her purpose, causing you to root for her as she tries to find the answers the Spirit Hunters want to hold back.

Romance is forcibly woven into Eleanor’s life, as she is pressured by her mother into seeing the rich and egotistical Clarence, which only makes her all the more detested by the other girls of her society. Yet, when Spirit Hunter Daniel is introduced as a part love interest, I found myself wanting the relationship to expand.  Leaving a vacant hole in the romance area of the story, with a spot waiting to be filled with the upcoming books of the series.  Something Strange and Deadly is purely a building block to a great trilogy, that continues to grow and build with each additional book. That Builds anticipation as you read.

With such an amazing front cover, I knew I was bound to read this book. An engaging storyline that allows you to fly through the storyline that is full of twists and turns, which delicately weave you through a captivating story. Matching the Victorian time perfectly, with séances, tightly corseted dresses, gloves and parasols, along with horse drawn carriages, and proper suitors.

Teaching readers a valuable life lesson, always carry a parasol in the zombie apocalypse.  

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