Something Strange and Deadly audiobook

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!!

Some­thing Strange and deadly had a really rough start with me. There is a divide between the writ­ing of the first chap­ter and the rest of the novel. The first chap­ter gave me the false impres­sion that this book was flimsy, badly writ­ten and suf­fer­ing from stag­nant char­ac­ters and plot.How­ever, this quickly faded away as Den­nard hit her stride – intro­duc­ing fresh, inter­est­ing char­ac­ters, and intrigu­ing plotline.Den­nard cre­ates an inter­est­ing and fresh mythol­ogy in Some­thing Strange and Deadly that mixes aspects of Steam­punk with good ol’ zom­bie fun. In Elanore we find a fun, will­ful pro­tag­o­nist – dri­ving the story for­ward and flesh­ing it out with wit, humour and a charm. She also makes a per­fect bal­ance between what you would expect of well-bred lady of her times, and a strong-willed, intel­li­gent woman eager to prove her­self. She cer­tainly makes excel­lent use of her para­sol at cer­tain points in the novel in a way that would make wom­ankind proud. How­ever, I’m con­vinced that the para­sol was its own char­ac­ter in this novel. Para­sols make every­thing bet­ter. Para­sols are awe­some, but I digress…Every­thing!Daniel, Jie and Joseph are the icing to a very fun cake. Par­tic­u­larly Daniel, with his abra­sive, work­ing class atti­tude and grouchy per­son­al­ity, which played nicely against Joseph’s gen­tle­manly per­sua­sions and Jie’s seri­ous case of kick­ass. Like, she just really kicked everyone’s butt in this novel at least three times and never once complained.I’m one of those peo­ple who like steam­punk things with mon­sters. Abra­ham Lin­coln: Vam­pire Hunter sounds like a ter­ri­ble, stu­pid movie that is per­fect for me.What was extremely refresh­ing was that whilst there was some roman­tic involve­ment, it clearly took a back seat to the more press­ing issue of masses of walk­ing undead try­ing to make mince meat out of your inter­nal organs. Plus there was mys­tery and intrigue and more mys­tery and action and butt kick­ing inter­spersed evenly and gen­er­ously through­out the novel.My only real com­plaint – putting the first chap­ter aside – was one minor issue and that relates to the sim­ple­ness of the mystery.The end­ing was sim­ply too obvi­ous and came as some­thing of a let­down to real­ize my sus­pi­cions from the very begin­ning were confirmed.When you resem­ble an owl and make this face, you know the mys­tery has been too easy.Over­all, this was a great read and I strongly antic­i­pate the next one!

Oh. My. God. IN LOVE! This book takes the walking dead to a whole new level! This whole book keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what Eleanor is going to do next! Eleanor is so amazing. I kind of feel bad because her mother is horrible, she doesn't know where her brother but knows somehow is with the dead. Throughout this book Eleanor takes risks she doesn't even know she is taking and she is brave, stubborn and doesn't really care what people think about her. She is scared she is going to get married off to someone so her mother can show her face again! Then she goes to the Spirit - Hunters and there is Daniel who she is drawn to in a way but he is crabby and unpredictable and makes me fall in love with him. Throughout this book you are chewing your nails waiting to see what is going to happen next, who is the necromancer and when you find out it is like a DUH moment. Everything starts adding up for Eleanor as well, and she takes it in stride and she just blows me away with everything she does in this book and takes heroine also to a whole new level. This book is a MUST read and will be coming to you in JULY 2012.

omfg amazing

4/5 stars Miss Fitt, you know curiosity gets men killed."I grinned. "Then I daresay it's good I'm a woman. Something to listen to while reading this ♥I read Something Strange and Deadly for a buddy read with a book club, and it was my pick for the month, which is why I was very happy to see it included. You all know by now how much I enjoy a good steampunk or historical fantasy read with a strong main character and a diverse cast. To be fair, this wasn't as steampunk as I expected, as there wasn't much explanation for the machines and techniques that were used. It was also not that historical, because in terms of etiquette, many things were not possible in that era. These things though do not mean I did not enjoy this book.I found the romance, and specifically the "love triangle" (which it actually wasn't) dragged the story a little, which is why it lost some of its potential in my mind, but it still a book I find myself thinking about very much. There was a twist I wasn't a big fan of, for personal reasons, but I will not go into detail due to spoilers. I will only say that I had seen it coming. Still, this was such an enjoyable story and I found myself smiling, clapping, crying and being excited many times throughout its course.The writing was a lot like how I imagine it would be, and I loved the bits of sarcasm and wacky humor this had, as well as the more solemn, serious expressions of pain, love, grief and worry. This book handled the concept of grief and trauma in such a good way, and it actually surprised me how deeply the author took it. The plot had lots of twists and turns, some of them expectant and some others utterly surprising, and I loved the way everything built up from the start to the end. My favourite characters were of course the Spirit Hunters (is anyone surprised?) as they were such an incredibly formed team, and they all had their own personal reasons to help the world get rid of the Dead. Joseph and Jie were the greatest, but Daniel's snark had me laughing a lot too. Eleanor herself was a very wonderful protagonist in my opinion, and I really liked the play with her name. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and I recommend it for fans of YA paranormal romances and mysteries, as well as people who are starting to get into the historical fantasy and steampunk genres ♥ It will not confuse you and you will enjoy it to the fullest ♥Until the next review, keep reading ♥~Mary

3.5 stars! I enjoyed it but I wasn't surprised by it. I thought it was okay. I found up because I can definitely see this being a really good series! I did enjoy the characters—especially Eleanor, but that's pretty much it. So I hope we get to see more of them in the future. But I probably won't run out soon & buy the second book. Whoops.

I guess I should clarify first that I read a draft of the book being published. ;) It's not out yet -- I'm lucky enough to have Susan for a friend -- but this book is already a big hit to me. I can't wait to read her other books! SSD is full of plot twists that you won't suspect and characters that are just plain badass cool. There's a sense of humor even in the dark scenes and lingering emotions that will have you all jittery to read the next book. I'm not joking when I say Susan will be a huge author. Her prose and writing style are enough to make you read further, not to mention the great character voice compelling you ahead.

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 quite dead. The purpose of bells in coffins was, after all, to warn us; but if the word on the street was true, then in the last week more than a few bodies had escaped their graves."The Dead Alarm went off as Eleanor Fitt was standing in line to see if her brother had sent word about why he wasn't on the train home. Panic decends and in order for Eleanor not to be trampled she heads into the now abandoned office. But Elenor is not so lucky. She is hiding behind the door by the desk when "I lifted my gaze with deliberate caution and met the face that now waited outside the window, where only minutes ago I had waited. It was a corpse. One of the Dead."Yes, a Zombie walks up to the check out window and drops a crumpled piece of paper and leaves. This alone is odd behavior because everyone knows that Zombies hunt endlessly until they are laid to rest or destoryed. After the Zombie leaves and the alarm turns off Eleanor snatches the note. Mystery Note:I can't come. Trouble in New York has caught up with me. Don't tell Moma-it will only worry her. And you shouldn't worry either. If I do what he needs, I can come home.-Elijah (her brother)This note came at an inopportune time due to their father's death and money being tight. Elenor and her mom were counting on Elijah coming home and helping out finanically. To make matters worse her mother had already planned a welcome home party for Elijah and could not uninvite people so the last of the money was spent. Among the guest list are the Wilcoxes who happen to be quite wealthy and her mom has been hinting at Eleanor catching Clarence's eye.Now the cool thing about this world is that seance's were regular party entertainment which I have to say was a cool twist. Yes, I did a happy dance when I saw that this book was going to have a dark twist in it with spirits.This event suddenly becomes something more than just a show. A spirit slithered into the room as her mom was calling for her father. Her mom thought it was her father's spirit and so invited him in, but it was something far darker.Elenor and Clarence were the only ones who could tell that something was off and wrong about the spirit. At this point my stomach dropped just like when the Ringwraiths showed up in The Lord of the Rings. This spirit does not bode well for things to come.To make matters worse Eleanor sneaks out to see what Clarence is up to and finds a secret meeting with him and a mysterious man. She is caught before she could get back to the party. In order to keep Eleanor quiet he feels the need to "court" her. This attention from him causes discomfort between her and a few other girls. Which leaves her to once again stand on her own feet while finding help.The help comes in an unlikely package in the Machinery Hall at the International Centennial Exhibition. "The Spirit Hunters. Hired to protect. That was my answer!"Meet and Greet Time!Eleanor Fitt [image error]."You're an empress with grit and brains..."Meet the mysterious girl from the cover of the book. Eleanor is the one who has been holding her family together since her dad passed and Elijah went to college. She manages the household accounts while making sure everything is running smoothly. But when her brother fails to show up on the train she gets thrown from one bad situation to another. In order to find out what has happened to her brother she must team up with the Spirit Hunters. This puts her in harms way more than once.Daniel Sheridan."Please forgive Mr. Sheridan. I am afraid he works better with machines than with people."I dubbed him the 'Mad Scientist.' The one thing this picture is missing are his goggles that he wears when he works. I always think of his hair sticking up everywhere and his clothing un-tucked in some places. Daniel and Eleanor can't seem to decide if they annoy each other or like each other. I enjoyed his character throughout. I thought that his rough around the edges appearance and personality were endearing. .Clarence Wilcox He would be Alison's rich, very eligible brother. He has just come home from 2 years of college. He is around Eleanor's brother, Elijah's age. He seems to be tied up in his fathers past and is trying to break free. Due to Eleanor spying on him they team up to find answers under the disguise of courting. I really didn't like him at first but as time went on I found he had some redeeming qualities.* I know there are more characters but I just wanted to give you a taste. If you want more you must read it!We see that things are becoming more then Eleanor can handle; lack of money, lost brother, and scary spirit. We also get to see the Steampunk twist come into play with the Spirit Hunters. My final thoughts on Something Strange and Deadly would be to give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised to find out that when dealing with zombies always... "Aim for the knees." Thank you to H.D. Dodson for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review.

Rating: 4.5 StarsYou 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 bit skeptical. In all honesty though, I needn’t have worried. While I will admit that I am a tiny bit biased towards this novel due to its steampunk/historical fiction genre, parasol-wielding heroine, and handsome inventor-turned-romantic-interest, I think Something Strange and Deadly is a remarkably written debut novel that contains something to love for everyone, despite its flaws. In a re-imagined Post Civil War setting, the dead are slowly rising and their armies are populating major Union Cities. When Eleanor Fitt, the daughter of a once wealthy and now deceased businessman, goes to pick up her elder brother Elijah from the train station, she is shocked to find that he has been kidnapped by the dangerous necromancer who is raising the dead and whose army has moved from New York to her own town, Philadelphia. Thus, Eleanor does the only thing she possibly can – she seeks the help of Spirit-Hunters, a small group of people who claim to be able to destroy the supernatural forces at work. While Eleanor begins to spend more and more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including the infuriating, yet handsome, rascal-turned-inventor Daniel, she also begins to uncover the truth about her own past, her father’s death, and most importantly, herself. I don’t think I can even begin to describe how much I enjoyed this novel. Susan Dennard wastes no time in immersing the reader into her world and while the writing was a little sloppy in the first chapter, the action most certainly wasn’t. From there on, the pace is impeccable – fast-moving, intriguing and leaves you constantly turning the pages. Furthermore, I loved how the mystery of Elijah’s disappearance and the mystery of Eleanor’s suitor, the enigmatic Clarence Wilcox who also happened to be an old family friend, came together in an extremely clever manner. In addition, the obvious research Dennard put into her story, placing her characters in real-life settings, and her take on zombie/necromancer lore was both refreshingly original and entertaining. Nevertheless, despite these wonderful quirks, I did have a slight difficulty adjusting to the setting of this novel. It takes awhile for the reader to realize just what time period the story takes place and I still have questions such as why Eleanor’s mother deemed it fit to conduct a séance and release a dangerous spirit, which happened to follow Eleanor throughout the novel. It isn’t the spirit itself that confuses me, but why séances were considered such a popular event in society during that time. In addition to the not-so-detailed world-building, I found aspects of the plot to be rather predictable, but thankfully they weren’t overly stressed like they were in Cinder and never cast Eleanor under the light of stupidity and nor did they particularly bother me, the reader. While these flaws do remain to scar the otherwise perfect qualities of Something Strange and Deadly, they never detracted from the overall experience of the novel. Plus, what really made this story tick were the characters themselves. Eleanor is one of my favorite steampunk heroines – I love the way she brands her parasol menacingly, I love her sharp wit and ready intelligence, and I love the clever manner in which she manages to elude high society to help the Spirit-Hunters and her brother. Not only is she courageous, brave, and filled with admirable morals, she is also flawed, sarcastic, and vastly different from other women of her time. I simply adored reading her narration and to me, Eleanor felt like a long-lost friend. Yet, Eleanor wasn’t the only amazing character in this tale. I loved Joseph, the leader of the Spirit-Hunters who was both wise and powerful. Not only was he kind to Eleanor, but he appreciated her efforts and seemed to constantly encourage her search for her brother and restore her faith in humanity. Jie, a young Chinese girl who managed to stay under the radar by dressing like a man, also became an immediate favorite. She makes Eleanor think about the choices she has and shows her that it is possible to live a life away from the expectations of society. While I loved the diversity that both Jie and Joseph, a black man, brought to this tale, my favorite secondary character was, without a doubt, Daniel. Daniel is many things – an inventor, a fighter, a Spirit-Hunter and, a dashingly handsome and infuriating young man. I loved the witty banter between him and Eleanor and their romance was extremely subtle and beautifully written. Perhaps best of all is the fact that their ending is realistic, shockingly bittersweet, and leaves the reader aching for more. What else can I say about Something Strange and Deadly? It is traditionally a novel about zombies, filled with your usual paranormal and steampunk elements, but it also has a large emphasis on feminism, amongst other themes. I loved the subtle manner in which Dennard managed to weave diversity, social politics, and class hierarchies into this tale and that simply made it all the more richer for me. In addition, while characters such as Clarence Wilcox and Mrs. Fitt, Eleanor’s mother, were not my favorites, I did like the role Clarence played during the novel and Mrs. Fitts’ constant lecturing to Eleanor brought forth many cultural tid-bits of the time period which I thought was a nice touch. Most importantly however, while Dennard’s debut certainly does have its faults, I was able to overlook them and have a truly wonderful time reading this tale. It has quickly become one of my favorites, not only due to its gorgeous cover, but also due to its heart-warming characters who feel like my very own friends. Something Strange and Deadly is, without a doubt, one of the more notable, creative, and original debuts of the year and I cannot wait to get my hands on its sequel to see where this lovely new series is headed. You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.

I had decided to take a break from YA of any genre. Then, I happened to win book 3 of this trilogy from a giveaway. So, obviously, I had to pick up book 1 first. I was also skeptical because it was marketed as steampunk. I had previously been un-impressed with the genre.Well, I was pleasantly surprised with this one. What did I like?1. The main character, Eleanor, had an advanced sensibility about her that placed her well ahead of the other, more shallow, members of her peer group. In the face of her mother's vapid personality and endless pursuit of narcissistic self-fulfillment, Eleanor proved to be a fully functional heroine.2. I must confess something...I love the zombies in this book! As a fan of the Walking Dead and Night of the Living Dead, one would expect me to be stuck on the 'contagious' zombie. To the contrary, I am a huge fan of necromancer characters and reanimated corpses that do not spread a 'condition'. 3. The steampunk is light, restricted to a few gadgets. That may be why I was able to get so immersed in the story. 4. Also very light was the romance element. Flirting and crushes are described, but there is not a heavy focus on these relationships. This left a lot more room for plot development.My one real disappointment is that the primary 'twist' or 'secret' was fairly easily sniffed out so that I had guessed it before I was half way through. But, never fear, there is another lesser 'twist' that actually provides some extra life to the plot.Overall, this is a fun and action packed book. I am looking forward to continuing with number 2 very soon.

Wow, I loved this book! I do love both Zombies and Steampunk, and this had both! I'm still trying to process this book....the author really sucked me into Eleanor's world!First of all, the whole thing felt like a Victorian novel. I don't know how she managed this, with all the sci-fi zombies and inventions, but it felt really authentic, like I was reading an old classic that I loved! The plot and the central mystery was so well done...it took awhile to figure out what was really going on and to solve the case, which I always enjoy!The characters were amazing! Well thought out and great development. I really identified with Eleanor. She is a more modern girl, if it can be said. She felt just like a normal heroine in a current setting, but it was easy to imagine her floundering about in the world she lives in. All the support characters were also perfect. I could picture and hear each one in my head.There isn't as much romance, mainly because of the time period the book is set in. People do not go around kissing each other until after they are engaged. But there is some hints at it, which I thoroughly enjoyed! There is plenty of excitement and adventure, though!The ending was amazing, but left things wide open for the next book, which I cannot wait for! 5 stars for this beauty of a book!

The book not only met but SURPASSED my expectations. I thought it was well-written, clever, creative and the pacing was extraordinary--But the things I REALLY adored were the sheer imagination the author poured into this book, Eleanor herself and her personal growth, Daniel-- please God, Daniel-- and that the author did NOT hold back, in any way. She did not coddle these characters, and you can tell. It made for an extraordinary read. There were not easy answers. There were not storybook endings. And I loved it.First, let me say-- the cover is gorgeous. You might not be able to tell at first glance that the background is a mesh of gears and works. It's beautiful and stunning-- just as I'd hoped. But don't let the cover lead you to believe that Eleanor is anything but kicka**.It took me a few pages to get clued into the world of the book-- the Dead, we learn, are rising in Philadelphia, but this is not some kind of "Braaaaains"-zombie-type book. Eleanor's brother is missing, and in her work to find him, she discovers the Dead are being used by a necromancer for some ill purpose we, and Eleanor, do not yet understand. With the help of the Spirit Hunters, Eleanor will work to get to the bottom of the mystery.I love a mystery where you get some clues along the way, but it's neither super obvious, nor so thrown together at the end that it proves illogical. This mystery is airtight and perfectly crafted.And can I please talk about Daniel!!!! Is he a hero? An anti-hero? I don't care! He's a dreamboat. If his nerdy inventions didn't grab me, the SPARKS flying between he and Eleanor did! I see him as a young Tom Jane/Simon Baker/Jude Law. And I love that the relationship was honest and real-- that there were not, as I said before, easy answers to the conflicts.I know I'm rambling, forgive me!The take home message is: I loved the book, and I highly recommend it.You should definitely give it a whirl in July when it's released!

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, someone is raising the dead.Eleanor is one of my favorite female characters. Period. She's just so likable. She's not full of herself, but at the same time she doesn't spend all her time worrying about trivial things like looks. She's not a genius, she's not the strongest girl you'll ever meet, but that's why I love her. And her relationship with Daniel. There's always a little bit of tension between them. (Also no insta!love. And you all know how I feel about that.) The chemistry between the two of them practically leaps off the page.The plot, while slightly predictable, is still enjoyable. This book starts with a bang in the form of a zombie attack, but the zombies kind of fizzle out after that. The story is more centered around Eleanor's experiences with the Spirit-Hunters and her search for her brother. To be honest, I think the best part about the plot is the way Susan Dennard writes it. It's so easy to get caught up in.My only complaint is that I felt like there were a few scenes that were entirely pointless. They seemed to have no real use in the plot.Overall: Something Strange and Deadly is a surprising novel in more ways than one. With characters that are almost impossible to hate, a setting described perfectly, and an author who knows exactly what she's doing, this is a book you don't want to miss out on. 4 stars.

The reviews I've read of SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY have been mixed, but I absolutely loved it. It's the Centennial in Philadelphia and the Dead are walking the streets. Eleanor Fitt paid the newspaper stories little mind until one of the Dead gives her a letter from her brother. Determined to help Elijah, she goes to the Spirit-Hunters. Turns out Eleanor has a talent for kneecapping the Dead with her ever-present parasol. (She is, after all, a Victorian lady.)For all that SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY is a story about zombies, the setting has a lot of life in it. Eleanor ignores many of the rules she's supposed to follow, and she's often very aware that she's risking her reputation. But there are some things she considers more important than her reputation, and she's broke anyways. It's not like she had many choices before her brother was kidnapped by a necromancer.The romance is light but sweet. There's a brief moment when SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY looks like it's heading for a love triangle, but fortunately that's averted. (I did like Clarence, Eleanor's never-had-a-chance suitor, but it's just so nice not to have a love triangle.) Daniel, resident inventor for the Spirit-Hunters, has great chemistry with Eleanor. Their banter is pretty amusing.But honestly, there's a pretty easy test to see if you'll like SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY. Do you want to read about zombies running amok in Victorian times? Then yes, you should read this one.I'm definitely going to be back for the second book in the trilogy. I'm curious about where Susan Dennard will take her heroine next, because SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY functions just fine as a standalone novel. (Big cheer!) I've heard rumors that it's set in Paris, which definitely sounds dandy.