Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
- Pub. Date: July 24,2012
- Publisher:Harper Teen
- Pages: 400
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 the maddeningly stubborn yet handsome Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.
First Line: : "Dead!" a woman Screamed."It's the Dead!"
Review:
I picked this one up about a month ago read a few paragraphs and set it down because even though the opening line I'm sure was meant to suck you in, it didn't do it for me. But I gave it a second chance because I am trying to work on my love for zombie filled books and surprisingly as I kept on reading Something Strange and Deadly grew on me.
Eleanor Fitts is desperate for her brother to come home since they are running out of whatever money they had and her mother is driving them further into the hole by spending money they don't have to keep up with appearances in high society while also trying to marry her off to some rich eligible bachelor. Her brother ends up not showing up on the day he was supposed to and all she gets is a note from a dead walking corpse which makes her assume her brother is in trouble and needs to be saved. The dead are walking amongst the living, a necromancer is the doing for it all, the Spirit Hunters are out to stop them and Eleanor has somehow found herself in the middle of it all.
I liked Eleanor, the more of her personality that I got to know the more I started to enjoy the book. She went against society norms and was willing to do whatever it took to get what she wanted which was of course to see her brother safe and at home. She was fiery and I loved that, she didn't hold her tongue which led to some entertaining dialogue.
As far as the Romance at first I wasn't sure what to think of Daniel but as I kept reading he became more and more interesting especially after the reveal of his past. I liked how things developed slowly and realistically between the two.
A couple of things that bugged me a little that made me go NOOO! WHY! was a key character got killed off. I wasn't a fan of the character but he made things interesting and brought more mystery to the book. Also the predictability of the book I had already figured out who and what and why before it was all revealed.
Another thing I was mixed up about was the ending, it does make me want to pick up the second book because I want to know what happens next but did it really have to end the way it did?
Overall I do see myself picking up the next book but it's not something that I will pre-order and rush out to read.
