A Darkness Strange and Lovely (Something Strange and Deadly Trilogy, 2) Paperback – June 24, 2014

This is the second book in the Something Strange and Deadly series by Dennard. The third book, Strange and Ever After, is set to release in July of 2014. I enjoyed this book, I didn’t think it was quite as good as the first one… but I still enjoyed reading it.The Spirit Hunters have fled Philadelphia, leaving Eleanor to pick up the pieces. Eleanor is struggling to make ends meet and pay for her mother’s care and is being scorned by many of her former friends. Eleanor can handle all of this until she sees Marcus again, then she know she needs help. Eleanor flees to Paris to join the Ghost Hunters and beg their help. When she gets there she finds that Jie, Joseph and Daniel have bigger problems...iin form of the Walking Dead.This was a well done sequel in this series. The book was easy to read and I enjoyed the story. The only downside was I felt like not a ton happened throughout the book.The best part of the book was Eleanor exploring her newfound necromancer powers. She knows she is walking a fine line between dark and light. However she starts to learn a lot more about her powers when she meets the mysterious Oliver on her boat to Paris. Oliver was mentioned in many of her brothers letters and now Eleanor finally knows what and who he is.Eleanor is a fun character to read about. She is feminine, yet gutsy. She is constantly struggling with the decision of suppressing her magic, or learning to use it to its fullest extent. The Ghost Hunters abhor necromancers, so that makes things even tougher for her.Daniel isn’t in the story as much as I would like. Instead Eleanor spends a lot of time with Oliver. I am not going to talk about Oliver much because I don’t want to spoil anything. Let’s just say he’s not a romantic interest for Eleanor….but he is definitely a complication.Most of the story revolves around finding out who or what is behind the murders in Paris and why the Walking Dead are being amassed. All of this ends up tying in with the overall story involving Marcus.The story is fairly predictable. At times I thought there was a bit too much foreshadowing. It was pretty easy to figure out who was behind the murders in Paris right away; the book would have been a bit better if the mystery had been a bit less spelled out for the reader.The steampunk element in this story was a bit lighter than the last book in the series, mainly because Daniel was absent much of the story. This story focused more on necromancy. Still there are some steampunk elements. Daniel building Eleanor a clockwork hand and Daniel flies a dirigible around.Overall there is some great stuff in here and this was a fun read. I love the setting and the characters. The mystery was well done and was contained, as well as tying in with the overall story involving Marcus. I did feel like not a ton happened in this book though, and I thought the story was a bit too predictable. I can’t wait to see how things tie up in the third and final book, Strange and Ever After. I would recommend this book to those who like young adult reads with a steampunkish gothic feel to them.If you like this book or steampunk YA in general, I would also recommend Caitlin Kittredge’s Iron Thorn series, Bethany Griffin’s Masque of the Red Death series, or Gail Carriger’s Boarding School series.

Wow! This book just blew my mind. I thought the first in this series, Something Strange and Deadly was great, but this novel stepped the game up majorly, and blew the last book out of the water! I just devoured this book, and finished it in almost 1 day. The only reason I didn't finish it in 1 day was because I needed sleep. Set against the beautiful backdrop of Paris, A Darkness Strange and Lovely has a different feel from the first novel. I felt that it was slightly darker with Eleanor giving in to her necromancer powers, and quickly becoming overwhelmed. There's also Les Morts to worry about, and trust me...it's not an easy task. These Dead are different and back with a vengeance. This story also delves into the nitty gritty world of necromancy. It's addicting and dangerous, and makes for an even more addicting storyline.Susan Dennard's writing was absolutely astonishing. I felt as if I had been transported to Paris, and quickly became swept up in the beauty and awe, just like Eleanor. Her writing is flawless, and I have no complaints. It is also very obvious that Ms. Dennard put in a lot of time and effort to research everything for this book so that it was as accurate as possible (well, as accurate as a supernatural book can be). While there isn't as much steampunk in this novel as there was in the previous novel, there are still touches- especially in the clothing, which I could picture in my head as if it was right in front of me. Additionally, since Ms. Dennard has expertly crafted the necromancy world, I highly applaud her for being so creative and unique. I have read countless supernatural/paranormal books, and some of which have featured both necromancy and/or demons, and I must say that I have never read about demons as Susan describes. It is awesome and an interesting take, and I can't wait to read more about them in the following novel.The characters were amazing as ever. While the Spirit Hunters don't show up until several chapters in, the story isn't slow. It is action-packed all the way through, and will leave any reader breathless and on the edge of their seat. Prior to reading this book, I wasn't sure how I would like the introduction of a new character, Oliver, however, I loved him. He was funny and annoying, and I couldn't get enough of him. I am interested to see if he is in the next book, and how his character would develop. The Spirit Hunters were as kick-butt as ever. There are some new inventions, and some changes that Eleanor isn't expecting when she first arrives, but they are still amazing, and I loved every single scene. One thing that I especially loved about the characters was how real they were. I could relate to them, and none of the reactions/emotions that were expressed felt fake. They read how you would expect an actual person to react. They get angry and upset, but then they forgive (but don't forget). I also must say that Ms. Dennard knows how to create a villain. The villain is terrifying, and since it's the big twist of the story, I don't want to spoil anything. However, I was very surprised, and it was a fabulous plot twist. Lastly, this had just enough romance. Romance was definitely not the focus of this book. Even going into reading this novel, I didn't think it would be. There are some romantic scenes that will leave you cheering, but it's just enough. That being said though, I would like to see more development of the romance between a certain two characters in the next book.Overall, this is a fantastic read for any reader. This definitely doesn't suffer from MBS- Middle Book Syndrome. A Darkness Strange and Lovely is action packed, and non-stop fun. You'll be rooting for every character, and be left breathless. I can't wait to read the next and last book in this series because I know that it will be even better than this!10++++ zombies

Loved it. Eleanor in Paris with her spirit hand causing mahem accidently. Bound to Elijahs demon causing conflict with Joseph and Daniel then rescuing them and saving the day. Jai missing I wonder what will happen next. Obviously the main confrontation with Marcus who has now killed her mother leaving her all alone. Well done Sooz fast paced brilliant read :-):-)

Not really for me in style.

Such as great series! Zombies meets steampunk!

I'm happy I could finally read it, I've been looking for the book but an ebook is what I found. I loved it because with every word I read I could see the whole picture in my mind, it almost felt as a series. I loved this trip to paris and I just can't wait to know more about Mr. Sheridan and Eleanor 💜💜 and les morts. So if you are looking for some action, love and beautiful cities I recommend you "Something Starnge and Deadly"