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whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
1.0
Yeah...this was definitely not my thing. Both facepalmed and hoity-toity should not be in the same book. "Extra sparkly unicorn fart kind of special" also made an appearance. I use these to illustrate one of the most annoying aspects of the book; the bizarre swings between quasi-Victorian language and contemporary youthful slang. I also found the characters flat and, honestly, the basic premise of girl on zombie kind of grossed me out. I think I can quite definitely say that I will not be reading anything additional by [a:Lia Habel|3353667|Lia Habel|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1276812869p2/3353667.jpg]. (Oh yes, did I mention that the series is named Gone With the Respiration. Seriously.)
amandalyn's review against another edition
4.0
Dearly, Departed was the first steampunk I've ever read, and I loved it! I cannot wait to pick up another one.
Habal did an amazing job of blending Victorian England with new technology. I'm always skeptical about multiple point of view books but Habal did it so well. You never forgot whose head you were in because they were so unique and had a very clear voice of their own.
This whole story was unique and new to me. The zombies in this were something I've never heard of. Good zombies? Fighting for the army? I was hooked right away! And then there were the characters. Nora and Bram were amazing together. Usually I fall for the male interest, but I fell for them as a couple. They made each other better.
And while I did love them, the character who completely swept me off my feet was Pamela, Nora's best friend. Soon I was scrambling for the chapters from her point of view. Watching her grow into her own woman was my favorite part of the story.
Dearly, Departed comes out October 18 (the day before my 21st birthday. Woo!). Pick it up. Seriously!
linzthebookworm's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn't really sure how I would feel when I picked this story up. I was a little worried that it'd be a bit much with zombies, romance, and Victorian themes going on. Overall I really liked the story, there was a lot of good character development and the pieces in the story worked well together. My big issue is that the point of view switched between so many characters. After a while I found it hard to remember who's "voice" I was suppose to be reading in. It got a little confusing when some of the later action started happening and I kept having to reread chapters. Overall I really enjoyed it and look forward to the second book.
knee's review against another edition
2.0
Well, it wasn't what I was expecting.
What I did like in the book were the good zombies, Grays, the devices (I thought the holographic stuff were cool), and Pam. I didn't like Pam at first because she was so clingy to Nora, I felt like Pam was a kiss-up. Then she changed for the better when. I like the descriptions of the friendly zombies, rotting and using their deadness to their full potential.
Things I didn't like...
The entire society is New Victorian? An entire society in what was once America was willing to adopt a culture that died out in another country? OK, I guess I can swallow that. Women whose main concerns are marriage? No women in positions of power? This is the future after an apocalyptic event? The book states that the remaining survivors agreed that the Victorian society was the best to emulate, did they have to rehash everything that was Victorian? Were the women all dead so they couldn't protest their downgrade in status?
Too many POVs. The only ones that should have been in the book are Nora's and Bram's. You don't really learn anything new or thoughtful from the other POVs. I was very confused with the timeline of events because of all the POVs. I would get really into Nora's storyline and then the next chapter would be about Pam and how she was dealing with Nora's disappearance. Were Pam's events happening before, during, or after the events of Nora's previous chapter? All the build-up of tension and intrigue ruined by the next chapter's complete change of characters and setting.
Where was all the action? I thought there was going to be a group of reluctant allies going out and demolishing those evil Grays! There was supposed to be scavenging and building a good hide-out! What a let down.
Was it just me or did anyone else got thrown off by Michael's betrayal of Pam? I felt like the author changed her mind about Michael's character and made him that way so people would feel even more sympathetic for Pam and also make a point that Nora is desirable. Who would risk their life during a zombie invasion just to get on the good side of a potential marriage partner? Nora doesn't even have any money and she didn't really inherit her father's status. He, Pam and her brother were pretty safe on the roof until she decided to save a girl who bullied and threatened her. As a result, Pam's brother is turned into a zombie, now he has, at most, 5 years of life and Pam is going to watch her only brother slowly deteriorate (in mind and body) into a monster. But who saved her brother from getting torned apart immediately from the zombies? Oh, it was Michael who went back for him. OK, so even if he had a motive for helping Pam and he trash talked her, did he still deserved to be pushed into the water? I like Michael, he was very brave during the whole zombie thing. I thought Michael and Pam were cute together.
Not what I expected in a zombie novel, but maybe the next on in the series will satisfy me?
What I did like in the book were the good zombies, Grays, the devices (I thought the holographic stuff were cool), and Pam. I didn't like Pam at first because she was so clingy to Nora, I felt like Pam was a kiss-up. Then she changed for the better when
Spoiler
the zombies showed up in her neighborhood. Jamming a parasol into a zombie's head totally earned my respectThings I didn't like...
The entire society is New Victorian? An entire society in what was once America was willing to adopt a culture that died out in another country? OK, I guess I can swallow that. Women whose main concerns are marriage? No women in positions of power? This is the future after an apocalyptic event? The book states that the remaining survivors agreed that the Victorian society was the best to emulate, did they have to rehash everything that was Victorian? Were the women all dead so they couldn't protest their downgrade in status?
Too many POVs. The only ones that should have been in the book are Nora's and Bram's. You don't really learn anything new or thoughtful from the other POVs. I was very confused with the timeline of events because of all the POVs.
Spoiler
I thought the book took place over a span of at least a month, but it's actually only a week. Unbelievable.Where was all the action?
Spoiler
Only in about 2 chapters of the book :CSpoiler
This is why I liked Pam, her chapters were the only one close to my expectations. Nora spends most of time training and she has an arsenal of weapons at her disposal, but doesn't really do anything with it.Spoiler
OK, so a relationship between a zombie and a human pretty disgusting to imagine, but I think it's sweet still. Obviously, if Nora loves Bram it's not over looks or his smokin' hot bod (geddit?!). I was a little disappointed with Bram's description. If he is a zombie, why not make him more zombie-like? He's not missing any limbs, still has all his hair. He looks very human still. I would've still liked the idea of their relationship even if he was missing all his teeth and an arm. He didn't even lose any body parts after the fire, but 2 other zombies lost their throat and a leg.Was it just me or did anyone else got thrown off by Michael's betrayal of Pam? I felt like the author changed her mind about Michael's character and made him that way so people would feel even more sympathetic for Pam and also make a point that Nora is desirable. Who would risk their life during a zombie invasion just to get on the good side of a potential marriage partner? Nora doesn't even have any money and she didn't really inherit her father's status. He, Pam and her brother were pretty safe on the roof until she decided to save a girl who bullied and threatened her. As a result, Pam's brother is turned into a zombie, now he has, at most, 5 years of life and Pam is going to watch her only brother slowly deteriorate (in mind and body) into a monster. But who saved her brother from getting torned apart immediately from the zombies? Oh, it was Michael who went back for him. OK, so even if he had a motive for helping Pam and he trash talked her, did he still deserved to be pushed into the water? I like Michael, he was very brave during the whole zombie thing. I thought Michael and Pam were cute together.
Not what I expected in a zombie novel, but maybe the next on in the series will satisfy me?
stephxsu's review against another edition
3.0
Oooh. DEARLY, DEPARTED was fun, fun, fun. If one overlooks some inconsistencies in worldbuilding, supporting character development, and plot, then Lia Habel’s paranormal/steampunk debut is a charming read that’s sweet and funny.
I’m at the point now with my YA reading where any mention of a romance in the synopsis puts me on guard. Because, come on now, how many more insta-romances, too-good-to-be-true boys, or dickwad love interests do we really need? This, however, is why Nora and Bram stood out to me so much. The multi-POV narration (admittedly unnecessary at times) really added to this couple’s attractiveness, both to one another and to us readers. Bram is a total sweetheart who is nevertheless also a guy, not some ideal creation of a love interest.
The premise is moderately well-developed and the pacing uneven at points—quite action-packed in the beginning, followed by uneven spurts of information and a climax that felt the tiniest bit rushed. But it’s the characters that make DEARLY, DEPARTED stand out from the pack of paranormals or steampunks being released. These characters are a RIOT! They deliver the most wonderful zingers in their dialogue that made me literally guffaw. DEARLY, DEPARTED may be set in a futuristic/anachronistic world that may require a bit of suspension of disbelief, but these characters could be kids in any high school today. Lia Habel fills her characters with heart instead of ideals, with the result that readers will have a good time hanging out with Nora, Bram, & Co.
If you’re looking for a funny and romantic speculative fiction read this fall, consider checking out Lia Habel’s debut novel, DEARLY, DEPARTED and be prepared to be thoroughly entertained!
I’m at the point now with my YA reading where any mention of a romance in the synopsis puts me on guard. Because, come on now, how many more insta-romances, too-good-to-be-true boys, or dickwad love interests do we really need? This, however, is why Nora and Bram stood out to me so much. The multi-POV narration (admittedly unnecessary at times) really added to this couple’s attractiveness, both to one another and to us readers. Bram is a total sweetheart who is nevertheless also a guy, not some ideal creation of a love interest.
The premise is moderately well-developed and the pacing uneven at points—quite action-packed in the beginning, followed by uneven spurts of information and a climax that felt the tiniest bit rushed. But it’s the characters that make DEARLY, DEPARTED stand out from the pack of paranormals or steampunks being released. These characters are a RIOT! They deliver the most wonderful zingers in their dialogue that made me literally guffaw. DEARLY, DEPARTED may be set in a futuristic/anachronistic world that may require a bit of suspension of disbelief, but these characters could be kids in any high school today. Lia Habel fills her characters with heart instead of ideals, with the result that readers will have a good time hanging out with Nora, Bram, & Co.
If you’re looking for a funny and romantic speculative fiction read this fall, consider checking out Lia Habel’s debut novel, DEARLY, DEPARTED and be prepared to be thoroughly entertained!
ttmusic's review against another edition
4.0
First off, it did NOT take me nearly a month to read this book. I started it back at the end of February, but only got a few chapters in before I realized I needed to read Article 5 before Kristen Simmons came to town. I also started working a part-time job, which took up a lot of my previous reading time. Although, part of the reason it did take me a while to read this book was because of the way it was structured. Each chapter is in a different character’s point of view, which was fine when switching between Nora and Bram, or switching to what Pamela was up to, but for some reason every time we got a chapter from Victor’s POV I was totally lost. Wolfe too. When I finally had time to sit and read for more than 15-30 minutes (yay spring break!), I ended up really liking the book. I had legitimate tears on my face towards the end. The characters were well formed, I freaking loved Pamela, and their actions were believable to me. Nora’s reaction to the friendly undead got to be annoying after a while, but understandable. I mean, if you’d never heard of zombies and suddenly realized you were surrounded by friendly ones, you might freak out too. The history of the world of the series was quite interesting to me, and how Habel was somehow able to combine elements of steampunk, futuristic technology, zombies, and the Victorian era, and throw them all into a post-apocalyptic future was fascinating. Overall, once I really sat down and got into the book, it was hard to put down. Just set aside larger chunks of time in which to read if you plan to read this one, and you won’t be disappointed!
ladytiara's review against another edition
4.0
Dearly, Departed is a terrifically entertaining debut novel from Lia Haber. The book's description calls it a "steampunk romance-meets-zombie thriller." Although it has some streampunk elements, I think it's perhaps better classified as dystopian. But classification quibbles aside, Dearly, Departed is a great read.
It's 2195, and most of the world's countries have disappeared or become uninhabitable. Long ago, a tribe of survivors from North America made their way south to Central America and started a new civilization, New Victoria. Although they are technologically advanced, they have embraced the ideals of a past era and modeled their society on Victorian England. And much like the actual Victorian era, the civilized veneer of society is masking lots of unpleasant things.
Nora Dearly is an upperclass orphaned teenage girl. Unlike most proper young ladies of her class, she's fascinated by the Punks (a rebel group who periodically attack the borders of New Victoria) and war documentaries, an interest she shared with her late father. One night, she's attacked in her home by a group of strange creatures who appear to be both dead and alive. She's rescued by a group of soldiers, but she soon realizes they may be just as scary as her original attackers and she finds herself kidnapped. I won't say anything more about the plot because I don't want to give anything away, but there are many twists and turns in store for Nora. Habel's descriptions of Nora's hometown New London, the zombie soldiers' camp, and various other locations really came alive for me, and I found it very easy to picture this unusual society in my head.
The story is told from multiple points of view. Most of the chapters are narrated by Nora or Bram, a young zombie soldier who still has most of his faculties intact, despite being infected with the zombie virus. There are also a few chapters told from other characters' points of view, which keep the reader involved with the parts of the story that are happening away from Nora and Bram. This point of view switching works much better than I expected it to, because Haber does an excellent job of differentiating between the characters.
I really liked both Nora and Bram. She's an engaging heroine: smart, funny, strong, and not willing to be kept in her place by a society that deems her a second-class citizen because of her gender. Bram is a sympathetic hero. He's been dealt a raw hand in life, but there's no self-pity. Their budding romance could seem creepy, but it's actually very sweet. And if you're not interested in the romantic side of this story, don't worry, there's lots of nonstop adventure of the nonromantic variety, and the plot is very fast moving. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.
I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine.
It's 2195, and most of the world's countries have disappeared or become uninhabitable. Long ago, a tribe of survivors from North America made their way south to Central America and started a new civilization, New Victoria. Although they are technologically advanced, they have embraced the ideals of a past era and modeled their society on Victorian England. And much like the actual Victorian era, the civilized veneer of society is masking lots of unpleasant things.
Nora Dearly is an upperclass orphaned teenage girl. Unlike most proper young ladies of her class, she's fascinated by the Punks (a rebel group who periodically attack the borders of New Victoria) and war documentaries, an interest she shared with her late father. One night, she's attacked in her home by a group of strange creatures who appear to be both dead and alive. She's rescued by a group of soldiers, but she soon realizes they may be just as scary as her original attackers and she finds herself kidnapped. I won't say anything more about the plot because I don't want to give anything away, but there are many twists and turns in store for Nora. Habel's descriptions of Nora's hometown New London, the zombie soldiers' camp, and various other locations really came alive for me, and I found it very easy to picture this unusual society in my head.
The story is told from multiple points of view. Most of the chapters are narrated by Nora or Bram, a young zombie soldier who still has most of his faculties intact, despite being infected with the zombie virus. There are also a few chapters told from other characters' points of view, which keep the reader involved with the parts of the story that are happening away from Nora and Bram. This point of view switching works much better than I expected it to, because Haber does an excellent job of differentiating between the characters.
I really liked both Nora and Bram. She's an engaging heroine: smart, funny, strong, and not willing to be kept in her place by a society that deems her a second-class citizen because of her gender. Bram is a sympathetic hero. He's been dealt a raw hand in life, but there's no self-pity. Their budding romance could seem creepy, but it's actually very sweet. And if you're not interested in the romantic side of this story, don't worry, there's lots of nonstop adventure of the nonromantic variety, and the plot is very fast moving. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.
I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine.
charms1976's review against another edition
4.0
Many people have been reading and reviewing this book. I was hesitant on reading it for a couple of reasons. One reason is that I am not a huge fan of Steampunk and Victorian era books. I am not really sure why, but for some reason they just aren't usually a big hit for me. Another reason is that it involves zombies and I have also never been a huge zombie creature fan. Lastly, there was so much hype and amazing reviews of this book that it made my expectations for the story unbelievably high for a new series.
I will say that the prologue of this book instantly captured my interest. It gave us the feel of creepiness that was going to be the tone of this book. The book is set in the year 2195 and the world is now living as a Victorian era. The days of proper women, manners and society standards and classification is now the world that Nora is living in. Not only is she living in this new world, but she is also hearing about the rise of people called "Punks" trying to convince everyone that we are repeating past mistakes.
I was turned off by the overabundant amount of story set up that the first few chapters offer. I felt I was reading a history textbook and just wanted it to end. If the author could have woven some dialogue into the history it would have been much better. I did like how the author gave the zombies a different name though calling them The Laz. I was able to digest them being called The Laz better than zombies because it didn't creep me out as much. Just a personal opinion on that and not a dig at zombies books in particular. It just sits better in my mind. After the book started to take off though, I found myself caught up in the new world from this authors imagination and the romance that was weaved within the mystery.
If you are a fan of the Victorian era with Steampunk thrown into the mix, then I have no doubt that this will be a book you will enjoy. Throw in romance, mystery, conspiracy and zombies and you have one thrilling ride of a book!
I will say that the prologue of this book instantly captured my interest. It gave us the feel of creepiness that was going to be the tone of this book. The book is set in the year 2195 and the world is now living as a Victorian era. The days of proper women, manners and society standards and classification is now the world that Nora is living in. Not only is she living in this new world, but she is also hearing about the rise of people called "Punks" trying to convince everyone that we are repeating past mistakes.
I was turned off by the overabundant amount of story set up that the first few chapters offer. I felt I was reading a history textbook and just wanted it to end. If the author could have woven some dialogue into the history it would have been much better. I did like how the author gave the zombies a different name though calling them The Laz. I was able to digest them being called The Laz better than zombies because it didn't creep me out as much. Just a personal opinion on that and not a dig at zombies books in particular. It just sits better in my mind. After the book started to take off though, I found myself caught up in the new world from this authors imagination and the romance that was weaved within the mystery.
If you are a fan of the Victorian era with Steampunk thrown into the mix, then I have no doubt that this will be a book you will enjoy. Throw in romance, mystery, conspiracy and zombies and you have one thrilling ride of a book!
squirrelsohno's review against another edition
3.0
Check out more of my reviews on Book Brats!
When I saw DEARLY, DEPARTED by Lia Habel on NetGalley, it automatically became my first request. Science fiction-meets-steampunk-meets-zombies?! You had me at hello! My own hype for this book became an undeniable and overwhelming force in my head. When I dug into the book and started reading, I found myself growing disappointed. The writing is nice and the plot is very original and unique, but there was just something…missing, I guess you could say. Or maybe it just had way too much to deal with.
DEARLY, DEPARTED tells the stories of Nora Dearly (a young orphaned student living in a future Earth that has gone back to Victorian ways), Abraham Griswold (an army captain and zombie), Pamela Roe (Nora’s poor best friend), and Victor Dearly (Nora’s scientist father). I might have actually missed someone. Wolfe? I think he had a chapter, but let’s forget him. This novel had a lot of POVs – I’m thinking there were no less than five first person narrators constantly switching back and forth. Herein lies the first problem of the book – there is way too much head jumping going on, and this added weight also inflates the page count and drags down the pacing of the novel. At 470 pages, this is a thick book. Losing 150 pages or so and a POV or two wouldn’t have hurt it.
Another problem I suffered from was the setting. I have a hard time believing in the premise of the world Habel created. Why would the world revert back to a Victorian way of life? Why would South American governments allow all these Anglo-Saxons to take over their continent? I would have liked to know more about this because in this state it wasn’t entirely believable. I enjoyed her creativity and her attention to detail, such as the futuristic hints and bits and bobs. The book is described as steampunk, but I didn’t get nearly enough of the steam to make this work in that capacity. There were occasional hints of steampunk ideas, but it wasn’t entirely there.
But there was stuff I loved! Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a completely negative review because I actually liked this in the end. The characters were just great. Nora and Pam were both kick butt heroines, just the type of character that I love to show off on Book Brats. And Bram… For a zombie he is charming, sweet, and just to die for. I’m feeling punny today, so shoot me! There was just a tiny bit of instalove going on, but I was swept off my feet by the amazing Bram just like Nora was. I was rooting for them from the moment they met, and they romance was all too sweet and believable.
Writing action sequences is definitely one of Habel’s strong suits. Fighting zombies with weapons as varied as guns and parasols, she conveys a real sense of urgency and anxiety to the reader. Although she gets carried away by adverbs and other modifiers almost every sentence of the book, in these scenes of panic and hurry we are swept up in the story and can’t help but be pulled along. Zombies fighting zombies is especially fun, and for these scenes alone, I would recommend the book. Paired with an excellent romance and some smarmy characters that you will want to punch just like our heroes, and DEARLY, DEPARTED definitely has stuff going for it. It just also has issues I couldn’t look past.
VERDICT: At 3.5/5 stars rounded down, this book suffered from too many pages, too many POVs, and too many adverbs, but with a romance you’ll root for, a great original premise, and action scenes galore, it’s a book you should still pick up.
♥♥♥ - THREE HEARTS
When I saw DEARLY, DEPARTED by Lia Habel on NetGalley, it automatically became my first request. Science fiction-meets-steampunk-meets-zombies?! You had me at hello! My own hype for this book became an undeniable and overwhelming force in my head. When I dug into the book and started reading, I found myself growing disappointed. The writing is nice and the plot is very original and unique, but there was just something…missing, I guess you could say. Or maybe it just had way too much to deal with.
DEARLY, DEPARTED tells the stories of Nora Dearly (a young orphaned student living in a future Earth that has gone back to Victorian ways), Abraham Griswold (an army captain and zombie), Pamela Roe (Nora’s poor best friend), and Victor Dearly (Nora’s scientist father). I might have actually missed someone. Wolfe? I think he had a chapter, but let’s forget him. This novel had a lot of POVs – I’m thinking there were no less than five first person narrators constantly switching back and forth. Herein lies the first problem of the book – there is way too much head jumping going on, and this added weight also inflates the page count and drags down the pacing of the novel. At 470 pages, this is a thick book. Losing 150 pages or so and a POV or two wouldn’t have hurt it.
Another problem I suffered from was the setting. I have a hard time believing in the premise of the world Habel created. Why would the world revert back to a Victorian way of life? Why would South American governments allow all these Anglo-Saxons to take over their continent? I would have liked to know more about this because in this state it wasn’t entirely believable. I enjoyed her creativity and her attention to detail, such as the futuristic hints and bits and bobs. The book is described as steampunk, but I didn’t get nearly enough of the steam to make this work in that capacity. There were occasional hints of steampunk ideas, but it wasn’t entirely there.
But there was stuff I loved! Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a completely negative review because I actually liked this in the end. The characters were just great. Nora and Pam were both kick butt heroines, just the type of character that I love to show off on Book Brats. And Bram… For a zombie he is charming, sweet, and just to die for. I’m feeling punny today, so shoot me! There was just a tiny bit of instalove going on, but I was swept off my feet by the amazing Bram just like Nora was. I was rooting for them from the moment they met, and they romance was all too sweet and believable.
Writing action sequences is definitely one of Habel’s strong suits. Fighting zombies with weapons as varied as guns and parasols, she conveys a real sense of urgency and anxiety to the reader. Although she gets carried away by adverbs and other modifiers almost every sentence of the book, in these scenes of panic and hurry we are swept up in the story and can’t help but be pulled along. Zombies fighting zombies is especially fun, and for these scenes alone, I would recommend the book. Paired with an excellent romance and some smarmy characters that you will want to punch just like our heroes, and DEARLY, DEPARTED definitely has stuff going for it. It just also has issues I couldn’t look past.
VERDICT: At 3.5/5 stars rounded down, this book suffered from too many pages, too many POVs, and too many adverbs, but with a romance you’ll root for, a great original premise, and action scenes galore, it’s a book you should still pick up.
♥♥♥ - THREE HEARTS