Something Strange and Deadly Review

Title: Something Strange and Deadly

Author: Susan Dennard

Date of Publication: July 24, 2012

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-Book

Synopsis: Eleanor Fitt's brother is missing, her father is dead, and her mother is determined to marry her off to the first wealthy man that offers. Even worse, the Dead are rising in Philadelphia, when one of the Dead delivers a letter from her brother Eleanor enlists the help of the Spirit-Hunters to help her find her brother. As Eleanor spends more time with Joseph, Daniel, and Jie she begins to realize how serious the situation, and her growing attraction to Daniel, really is. When the Dead take over the city only the Spirit-Hunters and Eleanor can save the lives of everyone living there, but some lives are meant to be lost, even if it's those Eleanor loves the most.

My Review:

When I saw the absolutely stunning cover for this novel I knew I had to read it even though I had no idea what it was about. Good thing I judged this book by its cover, otherwise I might not have read it. I absolutely cannot stand books about zombies, however Something Strange and Deadly was such a fantastic book I may be willing to change my mind.

Despite starting off just a little slow I quickly fell in love with this novel the second Daniel was introduced. My favorite character by far, Daniel's rough exterior hides a sweet and genuine person that I couldn't help but love. From buying Eleanor a new parasol when she loses hers to giving her the nickname Empress, I absolutely fell for Daniel.

Jie, a Chinese girl who dresses like a man, and Joseph, a Creole man in charge of the Spirit-Hunters, were both great secondary characters. I loved Jie's personality and attitude, her entrance to the Spirit-Hunters made me laugh, making me like her that much more. Joseph was a bit of a blah character but I didn't really mind him.

I loved the steampunk aspect of this novel; I only recently discovered how much I absolutely love that genre. I loved reading about Daniel's inventions! The last half of the novel is action packed and full of romance, along with the awesome steampunk additions Something Strange and Deadly turned out to be a wonderful novel I wasn't sure I was going to end up liking.

The zombie aspect was handled so well that even readers not fans of zombies, like me, will undoubtedly love this novel! Eleanor's sassy and brave personality paired with Daniel's sweet gestures hiding under his coarse exterior with a healthy addition of steampunk makes this novel impossible to dislike! Highly recommended!

4/5