Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Review: Something Strange and Deadly

(Something Strange and Deadly #1)
Susan Dennard
Paranormal Young Adult
400 pages
HarperTeen
Available July 24th
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
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.


MY THOUGHTS
Something Strange and Deadly is a grimly beautiful story, a myriad of different elements making for colorful cogs in a fascinating machine, but as we read we see that the gears driving this steampunk zombie tale are not shiny and new, but rather are twisted and rusted, covered in a grime that adds a delicious edge to this debut. Ms. Dennard ensures that all the pieces of her puzzle are visible from three hundred and sixty degrees, each page we flip like the revolution of a gear that propels us forward so that we can see a new side of the characters or events, and we remain on our toes throughout wondering if what will be revealed will be dark or light in nature, or perhaps more interestingly, something in between.

Eleanor is a strong and willful heroine, stuck in a time of chaperones and marriages of financial necessity when she clearly has the mind and sensibilities of a much more modern time period. She is extraordinarily loyal, loving her brother more than life itself as she throws herself into increasingly dangerous situations in order to uncover what’s happened to him and save him from a gruesome fate at the hands of the dead. For all that she wades into the middle of deadly encounters with spirits and zombies alike, she never truly comes across as irritatingly reckless, rather her desire to be of assistance when everyone around her seeks to shield her is something we can’t help but admire. She learns quickly and applies that knowledge as she goes along, proving herself to be an asset to the Spirit Hunters rather than a hindrance, and it’s easy to smile even as untold horrors are taking place because Eleanor proves again and again that her value is not defined strictly by high society’s standards.

Ms. Dennard does a brilliant job of creating a cast of secondary characters who straddle the line between good and bad, covering each of them in a fine layer of dirt—the smudges thick in some places while other areas remain pristine to give us individuals with flaws of varying severity who keep us guessing throughout. Even the villainous necromancer, for all the devastation he/she unleashes, earns our momentary flashes of sympathy, and each chapter either adds a new layer of grit to the characters or washes a layer away, ensuring that we are never bored while in their presence. The romance with Daniel is an atypical one in young adult fiction, the only familiar element being Daniel’s sometimes brooding nature, but there’s nary an instant electric connection or all consuming love in sight, and in fact we are left with nothing more than a promise – a whisper of a relationship still so fragile merely thinking of their potential together could shatter it.

While the identity of the necromancer is fairly easy to guess early on, it doesn’t detract from the other pieces of the Something Strange and Deadly mystery, things coming together in the end to paint a full picture we only could make out a single corner of previously. Ms. Dennard impresses with her characters and world in this first installment, and the days until the release of the second book cannot pass by quickly enough.

Rating: 4/5

36 comments:

  1. Hm! As I am not the biggest Zombie Fan ever out there I didn't care about this book in the first place. But, I loved the way you describe Eleanor - this is exactly how I like my heroines! Strong and not stupidly brave - just brave! The romance however seems lacking?
    I'm still not completely sure this book is for me, sooooo...

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  2. I'm glad you liked this one! I'm really super excited for it and I LOVE the cover and all the positive reviews it's been getting! July 24th needs to be here ASAP. :)

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  3. Lovely review, Jenny! I really enjoyed this book too, despite a few predictability issues. The romance was one of my favourite aspects. It's a relief to get something so sweet and entertaining without any insta-love! I can't wait to see what happens in the next book. :)

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  4. Oh wow this is such a fab review Jenny, all these amazing reviews keep popping up everywhere and they make me hugely regret not requesting a copy of this book when I first saw it up, looks like I will just have to buy a copy when it's released, which is only around the corner now! :)

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  5. Danny - I'm in no way a zombie fan either, and I loved this one. The zombies really don't play a huge part, you should try it!

    Ashelynn - I can't wait to see what you think!

    Sam - Certain things were definitely easy to see from the beginning, but I loved Eleanor and the romance, so I didn't mind that I knew who the necromancer was:)

    Jasprit - I thought I'd try this one and see how I did with zombies. Loved it. I think people who love zombie stories though might be a little disappointed with how small a part the zombies play. It was perfect for me though!

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  6. One of my absolutely FAVOURITE things that can turn a book from "good" to "amazing" in my book is a fantastic secondary cast, and I love that this has that! With the whole zombie thing and awesome protagonist, it adds up to even more awesome ;) LOL and you know that an author has talent when she can make you sympathize with even the evil villain. Predictable or not, this sounds like such a great read! :)

    Beautiful review, Jenny! <3

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  7. This sounds very very intriguing. While knowing who is the necromancer early on doesn't sound much fun, I really like the sound of the secondary characters! :)

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  8. Yay, Jenny ! I'm so happy that you liked this book as much as me. I loved the way you described Eleanor. She was a really strong girl, like you mentioned. I was actually glad that the romance wasn't a typical one. It was so much more believable, wasn't it ?
    Love the review, Jenny ! :)
    Do you write books by any chance ? Your writing is just so beautiful, it makes me want to read your reviews over and over again !

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  9. Hrm..I'm not sure about this one, Jenny. Zombies aren't normally my thing, however, I love a heroine who time and again proves that is more than capable to do lots of things beyond of what is expected of her by her society. I'm going to put this one on my maybe list.

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  10. Mimi - I really enjoyed this one, I can't wait for the next book:) I hope you like it as much as I did:)

    Amanda - Loved all the characters in this one:)

    Nick - WOO HOO! I thought the romance was great, definitely realistic and I loved it, even when it made my heart hurt. And thank you so much for the compliment on my writing, no books for me, but I enjoy writing these reviews:)

    Rummanah - Zombies aren't mine either, but I loved this one! The zombies aren't a huge part, I promise.

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  11. Oh I think this one needs to make my YA list if for no other reason than mystery and Zombies :)

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  12. I thought all of the pieces of the mystery were pretty easily identifiable so while I enjoyed the writing and mostly like Eleanor, I was left wanting more. I wanted more depth and more emotional power.

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  13. I normally hate zombie books, but you said they don't play a huge part? If so, I will have to add this one to my TBR list, because I love the historical fiction piece and it takes place in Philadelphia! Not many books do, so I as someone who lives outside of Philly, I've got to love that! :) Great review, Jenny!

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  14. Sometwhat brooding, aye I know about those :) But it does sound interesting

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  15. Felicia - YAY! I thought it was a great read:)

    Bookworm - I agree, things were pretty easy to figure out, but I still loved it overall. Maybe the next one will give you the depth you're looking for?

    Christina - I'm not a fan of zombies either, but they play a minor role in this one. They're there and they attack on occasion, but the story isn't overrun with the living dead:)

    Linda - I'm a sucker for a brooder:)

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  16. I don't read zombie books as a rule, but this one sounds like its worth checking out for sure!

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  17. I still haven't gotten to this one yet!!! Spirits & zombies.... But I heard the guy is irritating! I really DO need to get to this one!

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  18. I have this coming up on the blog next week and am really looking forward to it. Most of my blogger friends are liking it. Some beautiful analogies in your review. That opening line with the rusty cogs in the steampunk machine was brilliant. You write the most lovely reviews, my friend!

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  19. This book is on my wishlist and I probably will read it in October...I think. :) It sounds so good and look at that cover. Awesome! Zombies! Yay! Great review.

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  20. Leanna - I don't either, but this one is great! I hope you give it a try:)

    Ashley - I didn't think he was irritating at all. Standoffish at times? Absolutely. He was all brooding and things too, but that always appeals to me for reasons I don't entirely understand:)

    Heidi - Oh yay! Can't wait to see what you think! And thank you :):):)

    Nina - I hope you like it!

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  21. This looks quite good! I'm just starting to like this kind of genre so I might look out for this. Thanks for the great review! :)
    PS. I'm a new follower, your blog is awesome :) x

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  22. I want to read this book! Now I want to read it even more. AND here I thought you didn't like zombies...

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  23. " ....as we read we see that the gears driving this steampunk zombie tale are not shiny and new, but rather are twisted and rusted, covered in a grime that adds a delicious edge to this debut" <----You totally sold me right there!

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  24. Eleanor sounds like a fabulous character--I love when a character is an independent spirit, someone who even if she doesn't fit her time period, it still works. The relationship with Daniel sounds very intriguing.

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  25. I love how you started this review relating to puzzle pieces and gears! Awesome review Jenny. I was thinking about if I wanted to browse inside this book on harperteen and now I definately want to! Yay for an awesome heroine and necromancers!

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  26. Jenny, I enjoyed this one too. The plot was a bit predictable but Eleanor was such a great MC. I really liked how she tried to stand up for herself even though people refused to believe in her abilities.

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  27. Elenor rocks! I loved this book so much. I knew I was going to love it cause it reminded me of Gail Carriger series Soulless which, I adore. Nice review Jenny!

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  28. Jenny you have such a beautiful way with words. Your review is amazing! You were completely correct with your guess on my review. It was Daniel's words that made my mouth drop open and left me a bit disappointed. I hope for more in the next one. :)

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  29. Danny should know that Susan Dennard lives in Germany. That alone should make her lean a little toward reading it! I was all set to read this one and then read that the plot was easy to figure out and decided to back out. Now, I'm going to read it. I am a character girl at heart and Eleanor sounds like she's worth the time to get to know!

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  30. The more reviews I see for this the more I feel I really want to read it!!! I'm not a big zombie fan but I keep hearing how they aren't in the forefront. So I'm really excited to read this one! The setting and characters sound awesome!

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  31. Yay! It's so refreshing to know that the protagonist avoids being one of those irritatingly reckless types that make you want to pull out your hair.

    I've read other reviews that say the same about the romance, that's its on the light side, and I'm okay with that. For all the complaining I do about instalove, I think this approach sounds more realistic, which is a great element to have in a supernatural tale. :)

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  32. Something Strange and Deadly is definitely a book that needs to be pre-ordered like now. Such a fast paced story with great characters. I agree that the days leading up to A Darkness Strange and Lovely couldn't be fast enough. I am so looking to it.

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  33. Too bad that it's easy to guess the identity of the necromancer, but the characters and story still both sound great. Wonderfully written review, Jenny!

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  34. Really want to read this! Sounds very interesting! New follower!

    ~Kendra Malcom
    http://whilebayingatthemoon.blogspot.com

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  35. I agree. Zombies are definitely not my thing but I was so intrigued by this book and I loved the cover. Then I read an interview with the author and just had to read the book. I ended up loving it! Eleanor was a terrific heroine and I can't wait to see what happens with her in future books. The Shakespeare references were so much fun. I would love to have Eleanor as a friend.

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