Thursday, July 19, 2012

Review: Something Strange & Deadly by Susan Dennard

Something Strange and Deadly (Something Strange and Deadly #1)

Something Strange and Deadly (Something Strange & Deadly #1)

by 
The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

I really wanted to wait until the release day to post my review since that would also be the end of Susan's blog tour,  but I just couldn't. I had an even harder time putting off reading the book. It just kept staring at me, teasing and calling for me to read it. And I'm glad I did because I literally flew through the pages. The novel was so fast paced and well written that it made me want to smack anyone who gave it a negative review, well not really I wouldn't hurt someone for having a different opinion. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is Susan's debut novel is just beyond wonderful. I'm talking fireworks people.

The dead delivering mail...weird but interesting. Zombies are controlled and are very much obedient to their master. Not the usual but still gross I might add. 

Okay, first of all. The people of Philadelphia are having trouble understanding how the dead can rise yet they're performing seances at dinner parties? I know, crazy huh. I guess that's just the olden days, where statuses are defined by your relationship with the prestigious, and people actually cared how they're seen within their community, or are we still like that even today? 

Something strange and Deadly is a novel not focused entirely on zombies, but also depicts the difficulties faced by a family struggling to flourish after the death of one parent and with the absence of the eldest child. Amidst the challenges, there's also a blossoming romance and an electrifying battle between good and evil that will always exist no matter the time or century. The story was so severely graphic that I felt as if I was in 1876. From the choice of words and mode of transportation,  to the fashion and manner of the people, it all helped me experience a time that's long gone. That's one of the things I love about Historical fiction.

Character wise, Eleanor Fitt is a remarkable one of a kind protagonist. I envisioned her behavior in every scene. She's a headstrong and brave young lady but often times curiosity got the best of her, but that worked well for the story because its adventurous aspect wouldn't be possible if it weren't for Eleanor's fascination with the strange kind. Like this was no silly or unable to fend for herself kind of girl. Whenever something went down Eleanor was all in the mix defending herself and fighting to survive.

I enjoyed it. That's a total understatement...

Let's talk about the plot and the premise on which the story is developed.
In one word: authentic. How did this debut author come up with such a mind blowing and exciting tale? Is she actually from that period? Well of course not, me and my exaggerations. All I'm saying is Something Strange and Deadly reminded me of nothing I've read before and delivered an epic, timeless, and breathless story that I'll never possibly be able to forget in the coming days, months, or years. I finished the novel in one day, that's how gripping it was for me. I was disabled from taking a break for even a second, despite it being a book I just didn't want to miss a single thing. Crazy I know. This is actually going to be a series so I'm now itching extremely to find out what happens next in A Darkness Strange and Lovely (2013 is so far in book years). And don't you just love these titles, they definitely add to the old century aspect. 

In conclusion, this book deserves a rating off the scale. It's too perfect for even a ten. If you haven't added it to your TBR then I roll my eyes at you, lol. I strongly recommend purchasing the novel on release day and supporting this awesome debut author because let's be real here, great books deserve great treatments. 



15 comments:

  1. lol I guess u'll be rolling ur eyes at me then because it wasn't on my TBR pile until I read ur review. I cam across this book before but didn't think it was totally my style. Having read ur review I've changed my mind and I will have plunge myself into 1876 :p

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  2. Amazing review Shane! I really enjoyed too :) It wasn't overwhelmingly zombie-ish which I really liked and apperciated since it's my first zombie novel in a long time but at the time it was terrific :) Thanks for sharing <3
    xoxo, Mariam @Book-A-Holic

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    1. That's what I like about it too, the fact that it wasn't overtly gross. Thank you!

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  3. Thanks for mentioning this book- I've been wanting it, but I kept forgetting to request it from the library. I want to read it pretty badly and I just managed to squeak in on the first round of holds- but my library is odd. Sometimes they have the book on the shelf on or a few days after the release date. Sometimes it takes them a month- there's no rhyme or reason to this. And no, the librarians aren't reading them, they're brand new when I've gotten them. (Except for ones from another library system that we do ILL's with- I've gotten books from there where I'm supposedly first and found food, cigarette ashes, etc. in the pages of the book.) If I don't get it from the library by the time my schedule clears or if I just can't wait, I'm buying this book. I love historical fantasy and zombies.

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  4. Glad you enjoyed this one Shane. I thought it was a fun start to what looks like a great series. I loved Eleanor's snark and strong spirit. Great review Shane. :)

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  5. First off, really like your review.
    I don't usually read zombie books, idk why, just hard for me to get into them.
    But... I think I'm going to have to give this one a try.
    You made it sounds amazing!

    Great Review and Happy Reading

    Magen Corrie
    ~Corrie the book,crazed girl

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  6. I'm glad you enjoyed this as much as I did, Shane ! I thought it was a fantastic read too. I loved Eleanor. She was such a great character. And didn't you get a total crush on Daniel ? ;)
    I agree that the titles are pretty amazing.
    Great review, Shane ! :)

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    1. Yes! omigosh how could i forget to write about him i loved his character and how he never minced his words. such a badass hottie.

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  7. So glad you liked it Shane! I really enjoyed this one too but did find it a little predictable. Eleanor more than made up for that though. I loved her and can't wait to read book 2! :) Great review!

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  8. Great review Shane!!!
    Yay! convinced me!!! I wasn't sure if I have to add it, because of the "date" but now, I really want it!
    Thanks!!!

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  9. Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm!! It's wonderful to read an energetic review :) I've pre-ordered this months ago, and I can't wait to get my copy next week.

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  10. Shane, thank you so much for not only reading the book and reviewing it, but also setting up the amazing blog tour!! I can't express to you how much I appreciate all you've done. <3

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  11. I agree that Eleanor was a one of a kind character. She really made the story stand out for me. Loved your review! And I agree it really seemed like Susan was from the 1800. Must have been a lot of work researching!

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