Reviewing: Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

I did it! I read one more book off my to-read list-- and it wasn't half bad. I do, of course, have some minor complaints-- but then I always do. Over 90% of me is sarcasm and negativity. The rest is just a mess of jumbled emotions that come out as excessive giggling and the desire to tackle-hug members of my family every point 5 seconds.

Something Strange and Deadly

Can you imagine how hard it'd be to fight zombies in a poofy dress? 

With this book you don't have to! 

Did you know parasols make excellent weapons?

You do now! 

And did you know, chopping people's heads off makes you stronger? 

I suppose all that axe/sword swinging must've paid off, huh?

(I agree, that last one was morbid. Sorry.)

*clears throat*

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.

Now that you get the general idea of what this book is about, I'm gonna dig a little deeper. This book, I dunno, explored (?) the reason behind zombies a bit more than others. (???) I guess I mean it gave a totally supernatural reason to corpses running around-- AND GUESS WHAT. [if you don't want to read any spoilers, it'd be wise if you skipped this part] *whispers excitedly* the zombies can be controlled in this book [END SPOILER.]

Okay, I'll be serious now. 

About the main character-- Eleanor Fitt-- she was a good heroine. Determined, witty, loyal, and able to take care of herself (most of the time). But, just like all realistic characters, she did mess up. (Quite a lot, actually.) And although I can understand how much she loves her brother and wants to find him, I constantly found myself mentally screaming nooooo! while she raced off to do another so-brave-it's-kinda-stupid deed.

I mean, come on.

The girl trusted everyone almost the second she met them. It's like if you didn't shove a picture of them with a big red X marked on it in her face, she would be completely clueless. The only person she didn't have a minor like of or minor trust for right away was the person she ended up trusting the most. (Okay, minor exaggeration.)

Eleanor Fitt confused me.

A lot.

The main plot twist (I'm saying main because there were a lot of little ones leading up to it) did catch me off-guard. The name I'd been chanting when the question Who's the bad guy? arose was not correct. The second name I chanted was also not correct. I was depressed. I was upset. I was ready to start a protest. Every time you think you have the main bad guy figured out, you figure out that you don't. You don't have anything figured out. Everything has been a lie.

And since I didn't read the summary before I read the book, I even guessed the love interest wrong. 

That being said, the action was good. You turn to the first page and there's already people panicking-- including Eleanor. It grabs your attention and doesn't let go. I liked that.

I liked the realness (does that make sense?) of the characters and I liked how Eleanor wasn't helpless. She went out, and she handled things herself because she realized that no one else was going to do it for her.

Overall, this book rates at 3.5 stars.

Later,

Tansie G.