Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard Review

"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."

This is one of those books where you frequently scream "Damn it. The answer to your problem is right in front of your eyes!" This time I wouldn't say that the main character is stupid. I say that the main character is just bias and refusing to see the truth in the disaster.

Something Strange and Deadly is a book that will delight all. It reminds me of Wrapped, which was a really good book to read. Something Strange and Deadly is obviously a zombie book, if you can't tell by the synopsis. Something Strange and Deadly is a delicious meal to my eyes. It's steampunk, with mixes of the paranormal zombies and crazy evil souls that want to take revenge on the living. It's perfect for YA. 

Something Strange and Deadly is narrated from Eleanor's POV. Eleanor is this rich girl (whose family is currently deep in debt) who tries to find a way to continue her rich life. Or at least that's what her mother wants her to do. A familiar character trait, defiance, shows up to spin the book into a new direction. (You can only go in One Direction. Ha. Sorry, bad joke). 

Something Strange and Deadly (wow, third paragraph to start with the title) is fast-paced (as all good books should be, but not too fast that readers can't understand a word of it). The plot leads everything (the suspense, characters, zombies) up till the final point, which is the epic part of the book. (I'm not going to tell you, of course). Dennard's writing is amazing; I was hanging on to every word in the book (I'm a word/book addict). 

What's next? Oh, the lovely ending. What a nice twist. AND I HAVE TO WAIT A YEAR TO FIND THE NEXT CHAPTER!!! A YEAR! Authors are so nice these days, aren't they. I love them so much. And they torture us! 

Eleanor is not capable of defiance until she sees this boy and here we go! As usual, we see some form of a Romeo and Juliet retelling. Eleanor as the rich girl and Daniel as the poor boy. Classic Romeo and Juliet, with only a screaming mother and the rules of society going against them. Classic. Just classic. Daniel's a good boy so far. (I wonder if he'll turn evil.)

Rating: Four out of Five