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A review by christajls
A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard
5.0
This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic
At the end of Something Strange and Deadly, Eleanor is left in a pretty dismal state. Sure the walking dead they battled have been banished, but her brother is dead, her mother is slightly insane and the Spirit Hunters have left her behind. When A Darkness Strange and Lovely opens, we find things haven’t improved too much for her. She’s had to sell most of their belongings to pay for her mother’s medical care, she’s still very much alone and worst of all she thinks Marcus has returned. What’s a girl to do? Go to Paris and find Daniel The Spirit Hunters of course!
Can I start off by saying that I love that this book takes place in Paris. Not that there was anything wrong with Philadelphia by any means – but it’s PARIS. Who doesn’t love a novel set in Paris? Especially old-timey Paris with carriages and hot air balloons and people getting all dressed up for parties and dinners. Susan Dennard does such a fantastic job with the descriptions. I really felt like I was there. So much so, that when I was done the book I started casually looking at flights to Paris because I wanted to go “back” so badly.
I was also really happy to see that Eleanor hasn’t really changed. She has been through hell and back but she is just as tough, and brave and head strong as she was before. It’s going to sound weird but she kind of reminds me of Barbara Gordon (a.k.a Batgirl/Oracle). They both fight for what they believe is right, they both struggle with something darker and they both to cope with certain physical handicaps. Eleanor in this book is a lot more lonely and she’s a lot more tempted by necromancy but at her core she is still the same person and I appreciated that Dennard kept her so true to character. Also I loved all the food! Eleanor is a girl after my own heart. There’s a scene where the other woman at the table only has half a pastry, whereas Eleanor’s plate is full. Her thought process here is something that I have experienced exactly and I loved it.
When Eleanor departs for Paris, she makes the acquaintance of a new young man – Oliver, who claims to have known her brother. As soon as he appeared the love triangle alarm started blaring in my head, but I am happy to report that it was a false alarm. There is NO LOVE TRIANGLE!! And based on certain hints that were dropped, there won’t be in the next book either - at least not between Eleanor-Daniel-Oliver. And speaking of Daniel – *swoons* – he’s back and just as frustrating and gorgeous as ever. I loved that their relationship took a back burner to the main action, but the tension was always there. It kept you on edge and cheering for them, but didn’t get in the way of the story. (I would have liked a little more kissing though!)
Recommendation: Once again Susan Dennard has written a book that I absolutely loved reading a devoured in a single sitting. She writes great (and diverse) characters, beautiful settings and well woven plots. A Darkness Strange and Lovely is a sequel that delivers. The whole Something Strange and Deadly series is a must read to get your steampunk, zombie fix – and trust me you need that fix!
At the end of Something Strange and Deadly, Eleanor is left in a pretty dismal state. Sure the walking dead they battled have been banished, but her brother is dead, her mother is slightly insane and the Spirit Hunters have left her behind. When A Darkness Strange and Lovely opens, we find things haven’t improved too much for her. She’s had to sell most of their belongings to pay for her mother’s medical care, she’s still very much alone and worst of all she thinks Marcus has returned. What’s a girl to do? Go to Paris and find Daniel The Spirit Hunters of course!
Can I start off by saying that I love that this book takes place in Paris. Not that there was anything wrong with Philadelphia by any means – but it’s PARIS. Who doesn’t love a novel set in Paris? Especially old-timey Paris with carriages and hot air balloons and people getting all dressed up for parties and dinners. Susan Dennard does such a fantastic job with the descriptions. I really felt like I was there. So much so, that when I was done the book I started casually looking at flights to Paris because I wanted to go “back” so badly.
I was also really happy to see that Eleanor hasn’t really changed. She has been through hell and back but she is just as tough, and brave and head strong as she was before. It’s going to sound weird but she kind of reminds me of Barbara Gordon (a.k.a Batgirl/Oracle). They both fight for what they believe is right, they both struggle with something darker and they both to cope with certain physical handicaps. Eleanor in this book is a lot more lonely and she’s a lot more tempted by necromancy but at her core she is still the same person and I appreciated that Dennard kept her so true to character. Also I loved all the food! Eleanor is a girl after my own heart. There’s a scene where the other woman at the table only has half a pastry, whereas Eleanor’s plate is full. Her thought process here is something that I have experienced exactly and I loved it.
When Eleanor departs for Paris, she makes the acquaintance of a new young man – Oliver, who claims to have known her brother. As soon as he appeared the love triangle alarm started blaring in my head, but I am happy to report that it was a false alarm. There is NO LOVE TRIANGLE!! And based on certain hints that were dropped, there won’t be in the next book either - at least not between Eleanor-Daniel-Oliver. And speaking of Daniel – *swoons* – he’s back and just as frustrating and gorgeous as ever. I loved that their relationship took a back burner to the main action, but the tension was always there. It kept you on edge and cheering for them, but didn’t get in the way of the story. (I would have liked a little more kissing though!)
Recommendation: Once again Susan Dennard has written a book that I absolutely loved reading a devoured in a single sitting. She writes great (and diverse) characters, beautiful settings and well woven plots. A Darkness Strange and Lovely is a sequel that delivers. The whole Something Strange and Deadly series is a must read to get your steampunk, zombie fix – and trust me you need that fix!