Synopsis

Philadelphia 1876. The Dead are rising. A zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor Fitt. Whoever controls the Dead Army has her brother. She avoids her mother’s choice of husband for the lab of Spirit Hunters, including the maddeningly stubborn yet handsome Daniel. The situation threatens her reputation, and the lives of everyone in the city.

Review

Eleanor Fitt is a sixteen year old girl living with her mother in Philadelphia, where there are some walking dead people. Those corpses are brought to life by a necromancer. Eleanor received letters from her brother Elijah, this last one must come home but he isn’t here when he should be. After reading his letters, Eleanor thinks that the necromancer held him hostage. She must find help and help her brother. The Spirit Hunters are in Philadelphia and they can help her, so she will ask them. There is Joseph, Daniel and Jie.

The story is creative, fun and full of walking dead, I don’t call them zombie because they are under the power of a necromancer and they are really walking dead corpse. We don’t know who is the necromancer and this will be the plot. I had doubt but I didn’t found the culprit before three quarters of the book.

The characters are great, Eleanor is strong, stubborn, she knows what she wants and when she wants it. She is determined to find her brother and bring him back, she won’t take “No” for answer and there is some nice dialog with Daniel about that. I like Daniel and his sarcastic mind and grouchy personality, Joseph is a gentleman who wants to help people and Jie is a kickass. There isn’t a big romance in the first book, just love interest and it’s nice to see the characters learn to know each other.

I wasn’t frustrated by the end, I don’t know how to explain but I love the end and after I wasn’t “OH I want the next book”, YES I want the next book but I’m not IN need of the next book, mostly because there isn’t a cliffhanger. And maybe also because I already have it in my TBR.

Susan Dennard is really talented, she brings us in her world so easily, I wanted to be Eleanor even with all the things which happened to her, I wanted to fight and be strong like her. The writing style is elegant like in 1876 and that’s a great thing. I like Steampunk and Susan has done a good job with the entire book.  And I really like the cover, Eleanor is just absolutely gorgeous.

It will be a really pleasure to read A darkness Strange& Lovely soon.

About the author

She is the author of the Something Strange and Deadly series (from HarperTeen) as well as the forthcoming Witchlands  Series (Tor, 2015). When not writing, she can be found hiking with her dogs, exploring tidal pools, or earning bruises at  the dojo.

You can learn more about Susan on her website, blog, newsletter, Twitter, or Pinterest.