Review: Something Strange and Deadly

Title: Something Strange and Deadly
Author: Susan Dennard
Genre: YA Paranormal/Steampunk
(Tuesday, July 24th is release day!)

See it at Goodreads

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.

I have a secret.


I’m a classic girl. I mean…I’m seriously obsessed with classic books, history, etc. Especially literature. I love the style that many authors of our past wrote in and sometimes I wished I could read modern books still in this “old language”. There’s just something magical about it and the visions I get while reading. I don’t know how to explain it other than that. What brought this up before my review of Something Strange and Deadly? Well, to simply put it, this book gave me that feeling I love. That classic sensation that I absolutely adore, and I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, I’ve loved many modern paranormal and romance books over the last few years, but it’s rare when I come across one that makes it hard to distinguish between a new and old. It caught me off-guard. It was unexpected. And I fell head over heels in love with this book. It wasn’t written with any kind of classic language or hard to understand (after all, it is a modern-aged YA Paranormal), but it had that feel. Do you understand what I’m saying? It was as if I’d picked up a book that could have been published alongside Bronte or Stoker, but with a modern twist. It just flowed in awesome from that point on.


How do I review this properly? I can’t even without sounding like a goofball. Haha. Something Strange and Deadly is easily one of my favorites of the year. The “dead” or zombies as readers will come to think of them as, are an interesting and unique concept in this story, but not really a main focus. They’re there for sure and they’re the problem for the world, but do not go into the story expecting a bunch of shambling and gory zombies. This is not it. However, it is a story full of mystery and twists and has this gothic classic setting that will leave you mesmerized. It started with a bang, and ended with a wow.


Normally, I’m good at guessing the ending--the final twist that will be at the end--but this one smacked me right in the face and I was shocked. I loved that.


There’s an array of characters. Some I loved, some I didn’t quite like so much. Ms. Dennard crafted a world that was believable, dark and rich. I didn’t want to stop reading after the last page was turned. Eleanor and Daniel…oh my… they have the best chemistry! There was humor and banter between the two of them that I really enjoyed and I always looked forward the the scenes with the both of them. I just loved it all! I wanted to be a part of this unique and strange world. I want to wear these dresses and carry one of those (deadly) beautiful parasols. Haha.


I’m telling you that you will not be disappointed with this book. If you love zombie books, you’ll like it. If you love steampunk, you’ll like it. If you love classics, you’ll like it. If you love romance, you’ll like it. It’s just a big mix of wonderful and there’s simply nothing else I can say to express myself. I’m so ready for the next book. Agghhh….This is going to be a long wait.


As I said right after I finished reading: it freaked my freak.