Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Rating: Wide Eyed - 4/5

Release Date: July 24th, 2012

Publishers: Harper Teen

Pages: 388

Source: Won off of Twitter

Series: Something Strange and Deadly #1

First, a quick summary from Goodreads:

"The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia...

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance."

Eleanor isn't your typical 18th century kind of girl. Not only does she have social status, money and family problems, but she also has to deal with the Dead. That may just happen to have her brother held captive. As a result, Eleanor decides to seek out the help of the Spirit-Hunters despite everyone's talk against the low-class scallywags.

Something Strange and Deadly hooked my right from the start. Once I started, I found it extremely hard to put down, and when I did I couldn't stop thinking about it. Every single character had depth and the plot pacing was fantastic. The only real problem I had with this book was its setting.

Eleanor didn't really seem to fit into her 18th century, high-class role. I don't just mean in the sense that she considered herself a misfit, but I just found her too different right off the bat. And the weird thing is, no one seemed to look down on her for it. While her family was outcast-ed for having to fake their wealth, I don't think Eleanor as a character was really as much of an outcast as she made herself out to be. It may have been better if Eleanor had been from the low-class straight from the get-go. I feel like her character would have fit better there.

But aside from that, this book really was fantastic! The ending wrapped up everything nice and neat for you, yet still had you yearning for the next book in the series. I definitely can't wait for Dennard's next book!