EDIT 07/20/12: Did anyone else not notice the gears behind the girl on the cover? Because I hadn't until just now O_O Awesome!

__

When I went into this, I was expecting a zombie book in a steampunk setting with some mystery elements. What I actually got was a paranormal fantasy with a cute romance, a fun mystery, but not nearly enough zombies for my tastes. I still enjoyed it for the most part, it was simply different than what I was expecting.

Zombies are how we get introduced to this world Susan More...

Holy crap this was awesome. I don’t even want to write a review; I just want to bask in the awesomeness that is Something Strange and Deadly. (But you know, I kind of have to write a review, so here goes it.)

Eleanor Fitt is a sixteen-year-old living with her mother in Philadelphia, in the dawn of attacks from the walking Dead brought upon Philadelphia by a mysterious and unknown necromancer. To make matters worse, Eleanor receives letters from her long-lost brother, Elijah, and the content of More...

3.5 stars

The Dead alarm rings out across 1876 Philadelphia as animated corpses walk out of Laurel Hill Cemetery. Eleanor Fitt of the Philadelphia Fitts, or just Eleanor to you and me, is caught in the middle of a Dead attack when one of the decaying bodies delivers her a letter – a letter from her missing brother, Elijah. In her determination to locate Elijah, Eleanor ventures into the labs of the so-called Spirit Hunters, a small force designated to the role of protecting the city from the Dead More...

3.5 Stars

Sixteen year-old Eleanor Fitt lives in a time of corsets and petticoats. A time where a lady's behavior is governed by strict rules of decorum. A time when Eleanor's mother is dead set on her finding and marrying a rich man to rescue their family from impeding financial ruin. But this is also a time of the Dead. The Dead are reanimated corpses plaguing the city, and Eleanor is afraid her brother, Elijah, has been captured by the one commanding them, the necromancer. The day Elijah is su More...

Ever since her father passed away, Eleanor Fitt’s life hasn’t been the same. Her brother Elijah is away in college, the money is seriously lacking, and her mother is obsessed with regaining their place in society. When her brother fails to arrive home for the second time and a walking corpse brings his vague note instead, Eleanor becomes convinced that Elijah is a victim of some necromancer and starts moving heaven and earth to find him. With no one else to turn to, she goes to the Shadow Hunter More...

2.5 stars

I'm a huge fan of world building. To me, it's vital that you set the scene with a proper introduction in order to hook the reader from the very first page. Unfortunately, you don't get a lot of that with 'Something Strange and Deadly' initially so it took me a while to get into it. The opening scene dives right into the action where Eleanor is picking up her brother from the train station not realizing that the walking dead is everywhere. The zombies are explained a bit further later in More...

Update: I'm SOO SOOO excited to be on the ARC blog Tour for SS&D! I can't wait to start reading it!

The cover is so beautiful and the premise is enticing!
Zombies + Spirit-Hunters + handsome invetors *swoons* = winning
I absolutely can NOT wait to read this. =)

Something Strange and Deadly can be a little scary. It can be funny. It can even be sexy.

While I was expecting more zombies, Something Strange and Deadly definitely didn't disappoint me. It's a book that you can easily immerse yourself in. I don't usually tend to read books set in the 1800s because they feel too formal and stiff to me. But SS&D isn't. At all. The setting is perfect the way Dennard portrays it. There's gossip, there's handsome men vying for women's hands, but behind it all, s More...

"I scoffed. And if you ever get in my way, I'll personally feed you to my mother."

Yay! Title and cover are sooo wonderful. Just look at that dress. Yummy :D

I am not a big fan of steampunk books but I enjoyed this one.
Now I wonder how long I have wait for the next one ( unfortunately 2013 ) to see where author will take her character next.

3.5 stars, rounded high. [EDIT: Almost immediately after posting this review I decided 3 stars was too low, even with the flaws. The things I liked about it are enough to round up.]

As I said in my updates, the initial worldbuilding was somewhat awkward -- so here's the short version. In this world, zombies don't come from plagues, nuclear disaster, or mutated viruses. Moreover, it's not a condition you catch from bites. Instead they're controlled by necromancers (which are closely tied to voodoo More...

As an avid reader, I know which books I am more likely to love or loathe, but then there are books — books like Something Strange & Deadly — that own territory I haven't quite invaded. Either it's new altogether or I've only skirted the outside and grazed a small amount. Why did I read this? Curiosity played a key role, certainly, because SS&D's plot strays far from my typical taste, but I also seek to pile more onto my genre plate: the more, the merrier. No reason presents itself that w More...

4.5 stars - I'm still trying to see whether or not I even like steampunk because I have yet to read one that I really liked (unless Clockwork Angel counted), and I think I can say I found my first.

I think the reason steampunk is so hard to get into because the language already takes a bit getting used to so it slows you down at first, and then, a lot of authors spend way too much time describing their steam world that that it takes you a while to get into the story itself. With this book, that w More...

This is my first experience with Steampunk and Zombies. The gene in general is not necessarily to my tastes, but I am in LOVE with Something Strange and Deadly. The characters and plot were so well rounded, and the pacing so TIGHT, that it didn't feel like a 400 page novel.

Here's a short summary of what SS&D is about:

Eleanor Fitt lives in a world were it is not "uncommon" for the dead to occasionally rise. Lately, though, it's become a huge problem, and when a corpse delivers a letter to E More...

“Even the greatest feats of man lose their luster when one's head is filled with storm clouds.”

I was always in love with steampunk novel, the corsets, the parasols, the automations; everything is so luxurious and mysterious in equal measure. And undead corpses in steampunk novel earned extra credits. The story begins at 1876 Philadelphia, where a necromancer is raising the deads from grave and killing members of the most respectful families. Elenor Fitt has plenty to worry about her brother, who More...

Parasols, corsets, and ZOMBIES!! YES PLEASE!!!! I Neeeeeds this book :)

Originally posted at Sisters Unedited

Recommend : This book rated right up there with Divergent and Angefall. It was quite original. Susan Dennard spins a tale about magic, hunters, and zombies. All you Steampunk fans will love this and those who have never read anything from that genre, well this is a good one to start with.

.

"A breath later, somber bells rang out, and I knew it was all very, very real. That was the Dead alarm.

I'd heard of corpses awakening-hungry and dangerous though still quit More...

July 12, 2012 Zombie Must Read!

Thank you so much to Around The World ARC and Edelweiss for allowing me to read and review Something Strange and Deadly. This was my first Zombie book and I LOVED every minute of it. Susan really out did herself when she decided to use the Victorian era and use Zombies. The way they dressed and talked was a great contrast with the walking dead.

The story starts out with Eleanor waiting at the train station for her older brother Elijah to come home. While at the trai More...

Let me just say upfront that this book surprised me in the best way possible. I knew very little going in, and the cover lead me to believe the book would be filled with glitz and glamor and pretty dresses; a quieter type of read. There were plenty of corsets and parasols, but oh my goodness is this book packed with action! And when I say action I mean zombies, and escapes, and chases, and spirits, and scandals! Eleanor is such a fabulous protagonist — she is determined and stubborn but incredib More...

Excellent book! Steam punk zombie story written beautifully. Great characters, loved Eleanor, she was a spunky heroine, brave, smart, witty, you could easily identify with her. There was action throughout the book, from page all the way till the end. The plot had it's twists and turns and kept you guessing, it even managed to catch me off guard at one point, which isn't easy since I am pretty damn good at figuring out the plot line. This is a definite read for everyone!

I picked up the advance reader's copy at the Texas Library Association conference in Houston. I don't usually read this type, although I have to say, I got caught up in it and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I loved trying to work out who was good and evil and what was really going on. I figured out some of it, but other bits surprised me.

I had a little difficulty with the description of people being a bit vague at first, only to find out more about their appearances later in the book and finding my ima More...

This was just too damn slow...
There was also this love triangle and of course one of the love interests has be a giant dick head
when we meet him. I thought the story line was decent but it was meh for me, glad I didn't buy it.

-R.D.

SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY is fabulous, imaginative, and romantic! Eleanor is such a fantastic and strong heroine, and the world-building is top-notch. I absolutely adored it and can't wait for the sequel!!

Sounds Really Good Can't wait to read it:):)

Five stars (*****)

First of all, I love the cover. I hardly ever comment on book’s cover but this one just grabbed my attention; it is eerily beautiful with the backdrop of the metal cartwheels and the forest. I’m not a big fan of steampunk novel since I hardly came across one with the perfect contradictions of old and new but once I started Something Strange and Deadly, I couldn’t put it down. Dennard did a good job of incorporating the right amount of Victorian 1876 Philadelphia with light refe More...

So, I heard about this book and kind of like, zombies aren't really my thing. But I bought and read it anyways. This is the one of the most amazing books I have ever read. Even now, over a month after I finished it, I am still obsessed. Seriously, its kind of creepy how obsessed I am with this book. I am a steampunk fan, and though this isn't full out steampunk, it still has some steampunk elements in it (which I really enjoyed) Also, Ms.Dennard did a wonderful job keeping the book historically More...

2.5 stars (All right, I'm splitting hairs, but somehow this isn't quite a solid 3-star for me.)

A very plotty book with a lot of plot points and clues leading toward solving the mystery and the resolution--which is not necessarily a bad thing, it just means that the book is definitely focused more on plot than character.

Unfortunately the plot does narrow down quite a lot at one point and there's a very obvious conclusion to arrive at that somehow nobody does until the Big Reveal. Something I thou More...

4.5-5 stars - A lot of fun, an intelligent female main character.

That was exhilarating! Something Strange and Deadly is a young adult novel with a feisty, unconventional heroine.

Something Strange and Deadly was an enjoyable read. Set in Philadelphia during the late 1880’s the book captures that era’s proper Victorian decorum. Gowns, corsets, parasols, gloves, chaperones, and tea are a part of this world. Meanwhile the Dead are on the loose, an imminent threat to the population.

The story begins More...

Rating: 4.5 Stars

You know how they say that some things that come into your life are exactly what you need and they always arrive at the exact time you need them? Well, my experience with Something Strange and Deadly was similar. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump the past few days, reading books that I haven’t clicked with and writing steadily more and more snarky reviews for them, so when Something Strange and Deadly arrived on my doorstep, I was both overjoyed, excited, and just a tad More...

**Originally on Read-A-holicZ**

"This book is simply PERFECTION! Filled with the right amount of romance, action, twists, fighting, and mystery; it NEVER bores you & keeps you reading through the night!"

Going into this book i was a bit wary of this book at first because I haven't read many steampunk books that I actually liked. Especially ones with sorta zombies, well there called the "dead" but it thought that was an interesting concept. For me, it did NOT disappoint. I loved that the author More...

Susan Denards new book, Something Strange and Deadly has two things that I absolutely love... Zombies and the Victorian era! As soon as I read the synopsis I had high expectations for this book, and it didn't disappoint!


Eleanor Fitz unlike many young women during this era is free thinking, brave and has an independent streak. Luckily, for her as her brother Elijah is missing and thanks to a letter delivered by one of the dead, Eleanor believes that whoever is controlling the dead also has her b More...