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Thursday, July 24, 2014

Review: Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Read from March 27 - 29, 2014
Book: Something Strange and Deadly (Something Strange and Deadly #1) by Susan Dennard
Publication Date: July 24, 2012
Publisher: Harper Teen
Number of Pages: 388
Genre/s: Young Adult, Steampunk, Horror
Source: Bought

There's something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia...

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family as fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walkers 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. An now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.
- (source)

I almost didn't finish this book. With a cover like that and an intriguing premise, I thought Something Strange and Deadly was a book right up my alley. But all I could think about while reading was: this is not going very well.

I'm not certain why I found it hard to immersed in Dennard's world. There are a lot of possible factors I think. It could be the almost nonexistent world-building, the slow pace, the predictability, or my love/hate relationship with Eleanor, the heroine.

Eleanor for the most part is a heroine I actually admire. She's smart, sassy and brave. She's strong-minded and she has a distinct personality. But she's quite hammy for my liking. Case in point, this scene: 
"My breath shot out. I swayed back, but Daniel lunged forward and caught me before I could fall. For a moment he held me, his arm looped around my waist and his eyes gazing hard into mine."
This happened at least thrice in the book. It's a minor thing, a nitpick on my part, and naturally something that might've irked only me, but I don't like my heroine melodramatic.

Now about the story. The Dead are rising everywhere, an ominous spirit was released caused by a séance gone horribly wrong, and on top of it all, Eleanor's brother still has yet to come home. On the brink of bankruptcy and worried for his brother's safety, Eleanor must find out where his brother is and to do this she would need the help of the Spirit-Hunters.

I have to be honest. I've figured everything out even before halfway through the book so definitely there's nothing left to go on but see how Dennard would execute the events leading up to the reveal and the reveal itself. I'm not particularly impressed but I was thrilled the pace picked up once the story's ready to go in that direction.

What turned up as a surprise for me was the romance. This took a back seat and I loved how Dennard played it. I think it was one of the main strengths of the book. I found myself smiling and the subtlety of it all excites me because even in the slightest of nudge, the chemistry of Eleanor and Daniel was undeniably remarkable.

And I have to say I was so pleased at how the story concluded and this ultimately saved the book for me. Battling the Dead with a lunatic Necromancer at large was, of course, without consequences and I appreciated how Dennard handled this. Eleanor ruined her reputation, yes, but she also lost someone and something tangible. It's permanent and I think this would be one of the few times where I would see my heroine damaged, a tad unwhole, but unquestionably stronger.

I was prepared to give this book less than 3 stars but it did pick up its pace and I loved how the story endednot with a cliffhanger but with a promise of something more. I'm glad I didn't give up on this and I surely am looking forward to the next installment.

Cupid's Verdict:
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3 Cupids

23 comments:

  1. Heh. I have this on my shelf in hardcover and as much as it pains me to say that I'm not going to pick it up.. eh, I won't. I have my reasons and mainly because my friend Nick [Nick's Book Blog] told me what happens in book 3 and I won't do that to myself no matter the rave reviews about #3. Nope, not gonna happen. As for your review, yes, I've heard about the slow-ish pace. But I thought that the setting and world-building were supposed to be the bomb so to speak, so it's interesting that you didn't see it that way. LOL! I can see your problem with Eleanor. I do love me some smarts and sass though. Yeah? Predictable? :( EEEEEP. I have heard amazing things about the chem so yay that you loved it too, Sarah! I'm glad that you liked Eleanor's vulnerable yet strong state at the end of the book. Sorry it wasn't perfect, but I hope this series will continue and end on a high note for you :) Lovely review, Sarah!

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    1. Thank you, Siiri! Yes, the chemistry was amazing and now I have to know what happens in Book 3 but I hate spoilers so I'm going to have to really find that one out for myself.

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  2. I enjoyed this one quite a lot, I admit. xD Although, I kind of thought it was a chick-flick turned action, which isn't really my thing. I did adore the play on words with "Miss Fitt" and "misfit". Hehe. The melodrama is usually a turn off for me too, though.
    Thanks for stopping by @ Notebook Sisters!

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    1. Yes, the word play is quite fun. We all come across books that we thought we won't like but against all odds, they would turn out to be enjoyable. I'm glad this was how you felt about this book, Cait!

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  3. Oh nice! I hesitated with this one at first when I acquired an ARC way back when, I gave it away. Did the same with the second one too. But then when I got the first book again, I thought maybe I'd give it a try because I kept seeing so many good reviews for it.

    Glad to hear that you ultimately liked it in the end. The beginning part of your review had me worried, but I will try to be optimistic when reading it...eventually! Great review!

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    1. Yes, the ending was the real saving grace of this book along with the romance. I hope you do get around to reading this one, Jessica. :)

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  4. Your long list of cons are big issues for me, and I'm not convinced that I'll be able to see past them to be able to get as much out of this book as you did. Thanks for the honest review, I appreciate it!

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    1. Aww, Carmel. I really hope you'll try this one and learn that it is actually good, but we all have to draw the line somewhere knowing that there are tons of books waiting to be read.

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  5. Awww, yay!! I was afraid at the beginning of this review that you didn't like it at all, but I'm glad you kept reading and ended up enjoying it more. I read this when it came out and it took me forever to get to the second, but I devoured it and the third. I looooved them. :) I hope you enjoy the rest of the series!!

    Rachel @ Paper Cuts

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    1. It's encouraging to know that you love the series, Rachel. I'm not sure when I'm going to continue the series, but at least I'm certain now that I'll get to them eventually. :)

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  6. Glad to know that it somehow redeems itself despite its predictability. I'm a fan of zombies, but I've never bothered checking this one out mainly because of the cover *cringe* that doesn't scream zombies to me!!! :( In any case, I hate my heroines melodramatic when it comes to cute guys. It's like, wow, you're so independent and kick-ass and sassy and because fo the guy you become all woozy? ERMMM ><

    Faye at The Social Potato

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    1. It does, Faye. And I do agree with you that cover doesn't scream zombie book, right? Haha. Yessss! Exactly, why be all breathy and dramatic when you can take care of yourself? This I'll never understand.

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  7. Ouch. I have got this one on my TBR list and everyone told me how good it was. But now I'm not so sure. I mean I can take a lot, but predictability really turns me off and not to mention slow pacing. I had no idea that this is about zombies though xD I should read blurbs every once in a while. Great review :)

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    1. Oh Tanja. I do think it's all a matter of preference. And I do catch up pretty fast on what's going to happen on a book that I rarely do get surprise or taken aback. Haha. I don't read much of blurbs as well but by the time you start this book, you'll definitely know zombies are present immediately. ;)

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  8. Hmmm . . . on the one hand, I'm really glad you read and reviewed this, b/c I've had it on my TBR forever, and the other hand . . . it doesn't exactly look promising. I mean, yeah great, no cliffhanger, but it's that the best that can be said about it . . . Hmmm . . .

    At least you felt the action of the ending redeemed the book a bit (predictability and all). Well, whatever I decide, thanks for sharing and lovely review ;)

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    1. The ending open a lot of doors for this series, which I liked very much, and the growth of the main character is something to commend as well. I do hope you try this one, Jessica. I would love to know what you'd think of this book. :)

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  9. I'm glad there were a number of things you enjoyed about this book even though a few aspects of Eleanor's character didn't really work for you, I just loved this story! I enjoyed that the romance took a back seat as well, I'm a huge fan of romance in my books, but I really appreciate it when an author creates a relationship that makes sense but also doesn't steal the spotlight. Looking forward to your thoughts on the next one!

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    1. Glad to know you love this one, Jenny. It surprised me how the book fought over my general reservations and won in the end. I'm definitely picking up the next 2 books, I'm just not sure when. :)

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  10. I liked this one a little bit more than you, but I completely get where you're coming from Sarah. Eleanor could be an irritating character, and I hate to say this to you, but she gets worse in the second book. I almost gave up on reading book 2 because of how infuriating she was.
    I also thought this was predictable, but I think the blend of steampunk and zombies had me on the edge throughout the book. The world building does get better. I was looking forward to reading the third book, but I read the last page and spoiled myself and it's just not the kind of ending I enjoy in books. I hope you'll have better luck with this series in the next two books, Sarah.
    Lovely review.

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    1. She gets worse?? *gasps* How can she get any worse?

      I hate spoiling myself. Sometimes I get too excited, my eyes just immediately jumps to the next paragraph of the book when I'm reading. I don't read the last page though because I don't think I could handle that much. Haha! But what the heck happened, Nick? I don't want to be spoiled but I am so intrigued. Hmmm...

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  11. I recently borrowed this from the library, especially because of the positive good reviews out there for it. And, the finale just released on Tuesday, so if I like this, I can read them all at once without dying for the next book. Good chemistry? Count me in. Hopefully when I read it the plot will be more fast-paced, since this is a racing dystopia.

    Beautiful review, Sarah!

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    1. That's a good strategy, Michelle. I usually do that with Rick Riordan's book because he's the King of Cliffhangers and I feel like dying everytime I finish one of his books. Anyway, I hope this book and the series would be good for you. And yes the chemistry is definitely promising! :)

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  12. I think I gave this one 3 stars too, and I finished it having no desire to continue with the series. I love zombie books, but this one fell flat for me!

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