A Darkness Strange and Lovely (Something Strange and Deadly Series #2)
4.4
14
5
1
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780062658166 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 07/11/2017 |
| Series: | Something Strange and Deadly Series , #2 |
| Edition description: | Revised |
| Pages: | 432 |
| Sales rank: | 239,362 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.10(d) |
| Age Range: | 13 - 17 Years |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
A Darkness Strange and Lovely
4.4 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
14 reviews.
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The Short and Sweet:
I thought this was a strong sequel to Something Strange and Deadly. It was faced paced, filled with new adventures (in Paris!) and moral challenges for Eleanor to face, and, of course, more wonderful sexual tension with the ever-so-frustrating Daniel Sheridan *fans self*
Then there was a new character, named Oliver. I didn't like him at first, and felt his added presence brought along a mind-numbing amount of info-dumping. Then he kind of grew on me, kind of made me hate him, and finally kind of made me want to love him. Still not sure what to think about him. Meh.
Also: as with the previous book in the series, I totally saw the twist coming and knew who the baddie was pretty much the entire time. Hopefully the third book in this series will finally develop that surprise factor I desire.
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Eleanor and Daniel. *key swoon-worthy music*
I think what I love most about these books are the complicated relationships. Though I dub Eleanor and Daniel to be a swoon-worthy romance, it's not the focus of the book at all. And for them, romance does NOT come easy. I mean, how can it when the living dead are about to overrun Paris?
But even beyond them, the friends and even enemies relationships are really well-layered, too.
Throw in action, lush description of Paris in the late 1800s, and a strong-yet-flawed heroine, and I'm sold.
I loved it. You should totally read this. And the first book (Something Strange & Deadly). And the prequel novella (A Dawn Most Wicked).
Susan Dennard is an awesome writer.
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in short
Eleanor is back with a vengeance. Literally. In the wake of the tragic happenings that altered her life, she's set on revenging herself on the diabolical mastermind behind the death and destruction. The mastermind who's now coming after her. She can't fight him alone. This means a trip to Paris, where the Spirit Hunters are contending with an uprising of les Morts. On the way, she meets a sullen demon who helps her to hone a power that she's only beginning to comprehend. This sequel is deadlier and more dramatic than the first, full of questions about truth and morality. The very power that gives Eleanor strength may also be corrupting her soul. It puts her at odds with Joseph, Daniel, and Jie, who fear what she is becoming. Yet, they must band together, because someone in Paris is decapitating bodies to build a terrible spell. And where necromancy is darkest, Marcus is never far behind... As thrilling as Something Strange and Deadly, the sequel has even more gravity and grit. I held my breath the whole time, and I don't think I ever got it back.
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This is the second full-length novel in the Something Strange and Deadly series. The Spirit Hunters have left Philadelphia and Eleanor is thrust into a new life without anyone but herself to depend on. So much has changed for her, and yet Eleanor proves herself to be as strong as ever as she faces it all alone. There are some other new characters in this book, ones that I hope come back to play bigger roles in the next book.
While this was a good read, I didn't absolutely love it as much as I had anticipated after the first book. Some time has passed since the end of the first book and the beginning of this one. A lot has happened in that time with Eleanor and her mother and that time clearly changed a lot for Eleanor. I almost feel as if a lot of that time was a series of defining moments for her, moments that we as readers missed, missing some development and change to Eleanor's character.
Because of that missing time, I felt like I didn't really know Eleanor any more, at least not as well as in the first book. So much about her has changed. She is as headstrong as ever, which I love about her, but she is very different. Her relationship with Ollie, a new character that was initially close to her brother, was a bit odd. There were a lot of inferences and innuendos there that made you wonder about the nature of his relationship with her brother, but it was part of the mystery of his character that was never clearly explained. He blew hot and cold with Eleanor, often seemingly expecting her to know things about the world of magic that she couldn't possibly know, blaming her when she acted in ways he didn't like.
This is a book about choices and being torn. Ollie is from the world of her brother, who lived his life in ways that went against everything Eleanor believed in, that the Spirit Hunters believed in. The Spirit Hunters viewed that world as dark and evil and eschewed everything that came from that side of magic. Eleanor's feelings for Daniel are as strong as ever, despite his rejection. And the Daniel she sees again in Paris isn't the Daniel she fell in love with. It is a new world for her and one in which she is torn.
That conflict between who she is and who the Hunters want her to be is a big one. I think that the Hunter's reactions to her were a part of why this book lost a little of the glow for me. There was so much self-righteousness on their parts, the feeling that their way was the only way. While I understand their feelings, I hated that they refused to consider Eleanor's reasons and the circumstances behind her choices. They dismissed her without ever listening to her and that drove me insane!
My Recommendation: All in all, this was a good read, despite a bit of disconnection with Eleanor. It definitely moved the story forward and added so many new layers to the ongoing saga with the Dead!
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The Dead are back! A Darkness Strange and Lovely was full of more zombie goodness and even a little magic, demons and steampunk. If you love paranormal even a little, you have to admit that sounds awesome, right?
Eleanor has hit rock bottom in Philly after the epic battle at the end of Something Strange and Deadly. She gets evidence that Marcus - the big bad - is back, so she hops a ship bound for France to hook back up with the Spirit Hunters. On the way there, she meets Oliver, a mysterious friend of her brother's. Once in France, Eleanor finds that it's not as easy as she thought to just pick up where things were left. Things are weird with Daniel, Oliver's presence only complicates things, and her own necromancer abilities are rising to the surface whether she wants them to or not.
I loved seeing how much Eleanor has changed since the beginning of Something Strange and Deadly. She's shirked the corsets, willingly taken up with the riff-raff and embraced her own magical abilities, station and sex be damned. In that respect, I say, "You go girl!" I wish she would've transferred some of that enthusiasm to her relationship with Daniel. She can admit that she loves him to herself, but she can't admit it to him. Not only that, but she can't even bring herself to break down the rest of her walls of propriety to even act like she likes him. That was one of the most infuriating parts of this book.
Oliver was a really interesting new character to the story. He brings a lot of humor to an otherwise humorless situation. He also bring a lot more angst as he tries to pull Eleanor in a direction that is opposite from where she would normally go. He tries to encourage her to develop her powers, while the Spirit-Hunters are trying to convince her to NOT use them. There are still many facets of Oliver that we haven't seen yet, and I'm looking forward to exploring them further.
A Darkness Strange and Lovely was much more action-packed than the first book in the series. While there is the fight against the Dead, there is also a search for the necromancer in France and trying to find out the motives behind the attacks this time around. The mystery was exciting and even more curious this time around. I liked it better, actually.
Susan Dennard has set up an epic final battle in Egypt, as well as an unfulfilled love story and a good friend in mortal peril. The path to get there has been amazingly exciting so far - I can't wait to see how it all turns out.
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I have been waiting on this book and while at BEA almost jumped over the guard rail to grab a copy off of Susan Dennard’s table when I saw it…alas, I held back and was rewarded when my lovely friend Stacee (@bookjunkee) told me she found a copy in some magical bookstore near her. Of course, I dropped everything once I received it in the mail and OH MY GOD am I glad I did!
A Darkness Strange and Lovely picks up right where Something Strange and Deadly left off and this book dives right into everything. First, let me say that I love everything about this series…zombies, a great heroine, and a swoony boy. Second, if you haven’t started this series, I encourage you to get started.
Overall this was a great second book and a great lead in to the next chapter in Eleanor’s adventures. I look forward to the next book and am willing to offer up something in exchange for an early copy….cookies or whatever. Seriously….whatever.
If you haven’t started this series, definitely check it out. You have time to get and read book one AND the novella (which happens to be about Daniel…just in case you needed to be convinced) before this book comes out in July.
You can find this review on my blog - Fic Fare.
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I love the cover
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Since falling in love with the first book, I knew I adore this one as well.
Plot: I loved the way the plot flowed. The reader is back in Eleanor shoes, in which she is once again on the run to trying to fix what her brother started. Every chapter leads Eleanor further into more conspiracies as well as a power struggle. I really loved how well Eleanor took everything in. She managed not to break down but to become stronger..harder. Oh and the ending is super cool!
Love: While this area didn’t really grow much, I’m disappointed with Daniel. I mean, when you love someone, you LOVE them no matter what. It was difficult to face what is happening between these two. Once friends, they are now frenemies. I really hope that circumstances can change this.
Characters: Did I mention that Eleanor is a kick-butt chick? Cause she is! She has some fantastic sarcastic lines down and not to mention some new moves. Since the first book, Eleanor’s heart and psychical appearance has grown hard. She does what she needs to do and hardly trusts anyone. And you know what? I feel the same way. Eleanor has been left out of the loop for far too long cause no one thinks she should be involved. I think thats crap. She was already involved the minute her brother lured everything back to her. I just hope that Eleanor will learn to balance it all instead of taking it all in.
Entertaining and fun, A Darkness Strange and Lovely gives the reader a whole new adventure. The bundles of action and great world-building leaves the reader with a awesome picture in their head. A perfect blend of charm, action and original plot, A Darkness Strange and Lovely is thrilling!
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There are some books out there that deserve much, much more praise than what they receive.
Susan Dennard's books - SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY, and its recently released sequel, A DARKNESS STRANGE AND LOVELY - pretty much top that list.
Eleanor Fitt, or Miss Fitt (yes, misfit is a good word to describe her), is back and as mouthy as ever in the second installment to Susan Dennard's steampunk, historical YA debut. This time around, it's not just the motly Shadow Hunters crew we loved in book one - there's a new character. Someone who reminds her very much of her beloved brother, maybe even too much. With newfound abilities and an insatiable hunger (the girl can eat), Eleanor is a breath of fresh air amongst quiet, meek protagonists. She's all about action.
And though I love Eleanor, my favorite character just has to be Daniel. The former fugitive is hilarious as he tries to mask his slang and become a real 'gentleman'. But his struggle to understand Eleanor and his subtle sweetness only made me fall for him more.
From a bird's eye view, A DARKNESS STRANGE AND LOVELY holds betrayal, a whodunnit mystery plot, a masquerade ball (which I always love), and some massive hounds. Down to a closer level, the plot pacing was sound, and the new characters - Oliver, Laure, and even Ms Brown - were fleshed out and whole in no time. It takes skill for a writer to combine a great plot with equally great characters.
We're far from Philadelphia this time, where Eleanor is surrounded by heartbreak and sullen truths. Though the story does begin in America, we're quickly swept onto a ship chugging its way to Paris. I could pretty much see the bustling streets and magnificent structures, lurking with decay and dead.
All in all, A DARKNESS STRANGE AND LOVELY was a sequel that rivals with its prequel - in the world, characterization, and plot. It's a gripping, thrilling must-read, and if you haven't read the first installment, the fact that you need to is an understatement. Though I was able to figure out the mystery long before it unraveled, I enjoyed seeing how it all unfolded - even if it was a little gruesome. But in a world where zombies roam the streets, what more can you expect?
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