Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard is published by HarperTeen and will be available on July 24, 2012 in 400 awesome pages!

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 [From Goodreads]

THE FAERYS FEELINGS

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard was a joy to read albeit not what I was expecting in the slightest! It was more of a paranormal suspense filled thriller then the completely steam-punk mystery that I thought it was. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy steam-punk but Something Strange and Deadly combined both beautifully.


Set in mid-1900’s Philadelphia, the dead are rising like zombies although there is no virus, etc… the main character 16 year old Eleanor is extremely close with her brother Elijah and his last telegraph stated not to look for him anymore, not to hang out with the Spirit Chasers or she’d put both their lives in jeopardy, this was handed to her from a walking dead person as she hid in the telegraph office!


Working with the Spirit Chasers is an unlikely alliance at first but gradually one begins to see that they need the other. An evil necromancer is bringing the dead to life but for what purpose? Their endeavor to find the necromancer is almost impossible and extremely dangerous because even though they don’t know who the necromancer is, the necromancer knows who they are. Danger lurks around every corner and Eleanor also has the added burden of keeping her reputation intact.


Ms. Dennard did a fabulous job with the plot and her narrative really flowed beautifully; the characters were imaginative and lively. The entire book was difficult to put down, I kept thinking “One more chapter, then I’ll go to bed” which led into 2 very late nights. A fantastic book that has me looking forward to the next in the series.


THE FAERY SAYS THE SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY MADE MY WINGS A’FLUTTER!!!