A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard

Book two of Something Strange and Deadly series

Publisher: Harper Teen

Publication Date : July 23^rd, 2013

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

Perfect for fans of Libba Bray’s The Diviners and Cassandra Clare’s The Infernal Devices series, this spellbinding sequel to Something Strange and Deadly delivers a mix of supernatural forces and intense romance, set against the enchanting backdrop of nineteenth-century Paris.

With her brother dead and her mother insane, Eleanor Fitt is alone. Even the Spirit-Hunters—Joseph, Jie, and the handsome Daniel—have fled to Paris. So when Eleanor hears the vicious barking of hounds and sees haunting yellow eyes, she fears that the Dead, and the necromancer Marcus, are after her.

To escape, Eleanor boards a steamer bound for France. There she meets Oliver, a young man who claims to have known her brother. But Oliver harbors a dangerous secret involving necromancy and black magic that entices Eleanor beyond words. If she can resist him, she’ll be fine. But when she arrives in Paris, she finds that the Dead have taken over, and there’s a whole new evil lurking. And she is forced to make a deadly decision that will go against everything the Spirit-Hunters stand for.

In Paris, there’s a price for this darkness strange and lovely, and it may have Eleanor paying with her life.

Review

I liked the first book and this one is even better, I love zombie and steampunk so this book is perfect. Eleanor is in Philadelphia, she’s poor now because her mother is sick. Her friends are dead or gone in France. Marcus is back in Philadelphia with Elijah’s body and with him the Hell Hounds. Eleanor runs away towards France and Spirit Hunter by boat, during the route, she shares her cabin with Laure, an inhabitant of Marseille as well as with an old lady and her granddaughter. The first night, after being attacked by Hell Hounds, she’s saved by Oliver, a friend of her brother and a demon. Oliver will help her the best he can but Eleanor doesn’t trust him.

I liked the evolution of Eleanor, she’s more confident in herself but she’s also attracted by magic. By moment that annoyed me to see Eleanor so weak with her magic, and I wanted her to have a little more trust in Oliver. I know that he’s a demon and he has ulterior motives but he knows magic and he can help.

The relation between Daniel and Eleanor is changing, I like very much the way Susan Dennard brings the changes, it’s light and discreet but very important. Daniel do not trust Oliver and he’s disappointed by Eleanor but nevertheless it will be there to help her and protect her.

Joseph is disappointed too by Eleanor, he forbade her to do necromancy. It is stronger than her, Eleanor cannot resist to the appeal of the magic and Joseph is angry with her. Unfortunately Joseph never has time to teach her how to control her magic.

The Spirit Hunter doesn’t know what Eleanor had lived by being alone in Philadelphia. They will discover it only at the end, her choices was not always good but they were the only one she can make for live.

I did understand very quickly the plot but the reason were revealed at the end. I’m very impatient to read the last book even if my fellow Waterwitch babes did say that my heart will be broken.

Susan Dennard is a real genius, she has written a book about zombies but with not so much zombies. It’s very nice for the people who like it and also for the people who don’t like them. I love her writing style, it’s very addictive.

I would recommend this book to all the people who like New Victoria and steampunk.

About the author (from Goodreads)

Susan Dennard has come a long way from small-town Georgia. With a masters degree in marine biology, she got to travel the world—six out of seven continents, to be exact (she’ll get to Asia one of these days!)—before she settled down as a full-time novelist and writing instructor.

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.