Review: Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

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

Author: Susan Dennard

Release Date: July 24th 2012 by HarperTeen

Read: August 19th 2012

Pages: 388-Hardcover-Library

Series: 

1. Something Strange and Deadly
2. A Darkness Strange and Lovely
3. Strange and Ever After

Synopsis:

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.

What I thought:

Fearing for her brother’s life when he doesn’t come home and leaves her note as if he’s in danger, Eleanor searches out the help of the Spirit-Hunters to help her. With the dead rising and the people fearing the worst, they had recently moved to the city to try and help. During a seance by her mother, an evil spirit is also let loose, and torments her when it gets the chance. When the necromancer controlling the dead starts to act, they all band together to try and stop it. Even Eleanor fights, even when she finds out why it’s happening and who’s behind it.

This book was so good, as soon as you start reading it tosses you right into some zombie action! All the shuffling and falling apart zombie goodness that I’ve gotten to like in books is in this one, but not only that. There’s more supernatural elements, like spirits and necromancers and dark magic which I wasn’t expecting but was just so well put together and I loved every second. There’s even a whole big plot going on behind the scenes with a group called the Gas Ring, and of course dirty politics. And of course there’s lots of explosions!

Eleanor was such a strong lead in this, always trying to find clues and get to the bottom of things when it concerned finding her brother. Including doing things most ladies of that time wouldn’t (carriage stalking for instance). It was so nice to read through her eyes, and all the cool dresses and the way the people acted back then with class and such was a great addition to this. There’s even cross dressing! I always find it amusing when girls from that era try on pants.

Another thing I must comment on was the typesetting, whoever did it gets props from me! One thing we always have to do with certain book/manual jobs at work, is make sure the beginning of a chapter falls on the right side of the book. This book is the first in a long time that actually does this, and not only that but the font that starts the first line of the chapter was so elegant and perfect for the story. Loved this! (I work in the printing industry by the way).

A great book that I highly recommend for fans of Zombies and other supernatural fun!