Hello
everyone! I’m back, sorry for missing my
Monday review but it wasn’t completely typed at that point and I spent my day
running around dealing with doctors and insurance and such for my accident last
Friday. It could have been much worse,
I’m still waiting to hear about my vehicle but it’s looking like a total loss
but my chiropractor has adjusted my neck and shoulder so that is back to
normal, the bruising in my wrist has gone down and I’m getting better at
functioning with my broken finger. Yes I
broke my first bone ever and let me tell you it might be a minor thing to some
but I have a very low pain tolerance and it hurts. Hence typing is a tad bit more difficult now
but I’m working through it just having to remember not to hit it. Anywho I’d like to share with you the review
I didn’t have finished Monday, Something Strange and Deadly by Susan
Dennard. This is the first book in the
series by the same name and it is complete.
I am currently reading the final book in the series with Perpetual YA Bookworms
Goodreads Group as we decided to do the whole series this month as we prepared
for Truthwitch!
Rating: 4
Stars
This
story is about the walking dead.
Seriously the dead are rising in Philadelphia back when young ladies
wore gowns and proper confining attire and required a chaperone and ones
brightest hope was to catch the eye of a ma well off. Eleanor has a lot to worry about. Her family has fallen on hard times so her
mother is determined to marry her off to a rich man to save the family but with
the dead rising and her brother missing Eleanor has other priorities. When a letter from her brother is delivered,
from the dead no less, she knows she must help him. Luckily her city has hired the Spirit Hunters
to protect the city and the exhibit from the dead. As she spends more time with the hunters she
learns more about them and how the world really works in the trenches aside
from tea parties and the like. Things on
all fronts become more dire and everything is put at risk.
Something
Strange and Deadly was a fast paced action book. There was constantly something happening and
things going on. It was a roller coaster
ride. Now it may be centered around the
walking dead but it focuses on other aspects as well with the dead being here
and there. There are two types of dead,
the slow moving type that are controlled by a necromancer and the fast and
vicious hungry ones who are not. Yes we
have necromancy. I was very interested
when I learned this because…umm hello it sounds super interesting. I was thinking walking dead like zombies
which is more what the Hungry are the ones outside of the necromancers power
but the others are just animated corpses under someone’s dark control. Still this book while there is lots of
action it has a lot to do with the story unraveling and mysteries being
unearthed while we get to know our characters.
Our
MC Eleanor is a bit of a modern girl in the past. She is out of time as it were in that she
doesn’t understand many of the rules society live by and she is out of place
with her thoughts and actions. She
slides back and forth sometimes with her attitude with what is acceptable and
what is proper and that was just who she is.
She tries to do the right thing by her family and be a proper lady but
that is what she normally has issues with snapping back when she realizes her
misstep. Then we have the Spirit
Hunters, and the lead is Joseph. Oh I do
love Joseph he is so sweet and proper the perfect gentlemen even in difficult
times. Then Jie, the girl who shows
Eleanor there is more to life than dresses and that how others see you can be
turned against them. She is just so fun
and quirky I love her oh and she’s pretty kick ass! Then there is Daniel or rogue inventor. He’s a bit rough around the edges but I like
him he’s such a fun character and I love the way he challenges Eleanor. Her dynamic with all of the hunters is
entertaining and a clear difference from her interactions with the proper
meetings with the Wilcox siblings or other members of their society. The play between the two was nice, seeing her
interact with both and how each interaction added to her forming her own views.
The
plot of the story was fast moving and while some items were predictable others
were a complete twist. I really enjoyed
the story and pacing overall and was excited to move onto the next story. I was invested in the characters and that is
what matters most when fighting dead. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the
comments below, what did you think of this book/series? What did you think of the characters, the
romance, the walking dead and the steampunk like world? Also don’t forget only 8 days left in the giveaway for a SIGNED copy of The Rose Society all
details here. That's it for today!
Until
next time…
