Review: Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

 

Summary and image from Amazon:

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.

I 

 I don't normally do "zombie books", but there was something about this that drew me in. Yes, I could totally guess some parts as soon as they were introduced, but all in all, it was a pretty good read. 

Ellie (Eleanor) started out being the simpering miss, but you could see her spark of intellect and defiance, and I loved it!  She was a young lady tied by both convention and duty, but as she delved deeper and deeper into the mystery, and became more involved with the Spirit-Hunters, she really grew and came into her own.  Her change honestly had me going, "You go girl!"

Though, I think my favorite character, and one I wish the author had developed a little more, was Jie.  I thought her fascinating.  Why did she join the boys?  Is she romantically involved with Joseph?  How old is she?  Where did she get her training?   

I also wish Joseph had been developed more.  I've erased this sentence several times because it just doesn't seem to come out right, but here goes---given the time period, I was surprised to find that Joseph was African American.  That wouldn't have changed my opinion of him (I thought he was pretty cool), but it just didn't seem to fit the time period. I know Philadelphia was more open-minded than other parts of the country, but so much time was spent talking of other character's hair or eye color when they were first introduced (or talking to Ellie, or whatever), that this wasn't mentioned until more than halfway through the book, it almost felt like an afterthought. 

Now, like I said there were parts where you could guess what was happening, but there was always one piece to the puzzle that was out of your reach, so you had to keep reading to find out.  

I think it could be classified as having some Steampunk elements (which you know I love), with Daniel's experiments and inventions.  But, I wanted more!  Automatons, hydrogen planes, girls with cool corsets, SOMETHING!

On a total side note, I did learn where the quote, "even the Devil can quote Scripture" came from.  I assumed that it was a Biblical reference.  But no!  Its from Shakespeare!  

Was it the best book I'd ever read?  No.  But it wasn't the worst.  If I had time, it would be one that I'd read again, and since its book 1 in a trilogy, I'll be looking forward to the others.

The version I read was an ARC (advanced reader's copy) thanks to Southern Book Bloggers book tour.  Something Strange and Deadly came out on 7/24. 

Review: Above World by Jenn Reese

 I read Above World by Jenn Reese as part of the 2012 Debut Author Challenge.  I was part of an ARC (advanced reader's copy) tour (more information about the DAC or DAC ARC tours).

The ARC tour works like this:  first, you must be participating in the DAC.  Then you go to the ARC tour blog, take a look at the ARCS available, sign up for those that you think sound interesting, wait for an email saying you were accepted as part of the tour, be sent the book, read it within a week time frame, and send it to the next person on the tour with delivery confirmation.

So anyway, all that being said---I got Above World last Friday in the mail.  I was so excited to read this as the blurb just sounded so interesting.  I was not disappointed!

Here is the summary from Goodreads:
A suspenseful sci-fi escapade plucks two children out of the ocean for a thrilling adventure.
Thirteen-year-old Aluna has lived her entire life under the ocean with the Coral Kampii in the City of Shifting Tides. But after centuries spent hidden from the Above World, her colony's survival is at risk. The Kampii's breathing necklaces are failing, but the elders are unwilling to venture above water to seek answers. Only headstrong Aluna and her friend Hoku are stubborn and bold enough to face the terrors of land to search for way to save their people. But can Aluna's fierce determination and fighting skills and Hoku's tech-savvy keep them safe? Set in a world where overcrowding has led humans to adapt - growing tails to live under the ocean or wings to live on mountains - here is a ride through a future where greed and cruelty have gone unchecked, but the loyalty of friends remains true.

So, after my head stopped spinning over people living under the ocean (DON"T CALL THEM MERMAIDS!!!!!!!!), bird people, horse people and people that were part machine part human (cyborgs?) all fighting in a post-apocolyptic world (humans were becoming increasingly rare), I really got in to this book!  


For me, all the fighting and adventure boils down to just a few simple things:  survive, family is important, even though we're all different we're all the same inside, and don't become so caught up in whatever that you lose your humanity.   For Aluna, keeping her humanity---her sense of right and wrong / just and unjust was the easy part.  It was remembering that while our family has the capacity to hurt us the most, it also has the capacity to give us the most love that was hard.  In the end, she traded her freedom for the life of her sister and the ultimate good of her people.  

In looking back at a lot of my reviews, I talk about how strong a character is and that's why I liked them so much.  Today, I'm not going to do that.  Oh sure, I could go on and on about the warrior Aluna, how she went from a headstrong girl to a thoughful and charismatic young woman, but I would like to talk more about Hoku and Callie.  Both are described, or thought of, as weak --- because they like books and learning, and not fighting.  But, they play two of the most pivotal rolls in the story.  Without Hoku or Callie, the battle would have been lost.  So yay geeks!  Just because you aren't out there kicking butt and taking names every day doesn't mean you aren't important, or are just the side-kick.  Sometimes, as in Above World, without you, all would be lost.    


There were battles, and the fights were talked about, but it didn't go in to the gory detail.


I don't know where the book took place, but I imagined it off the coast of California.  I guess I figured the water was warmer there, there were mountains for the aviars and deserts for the horse and snake people.

All in all, it was a great book.  I started it Friday afternoon and finished it midday Sunday.  I'd recommend it to middle school and up readers, and probably those who liked The Hunger Games.  That being said---know your reader, what they like and what they can handle.