Susan Dennard

"Eleanor Fitt flees to Europe to seek the help of the Spirit-Hunters after a villain from her past resurfaces, only to find that, in Paris, there's a new kind of evil lurking"--

A Darkness Strange and Lovely

Sierra Hernandez 

Eleanor Fitt has been left behind, per her request, to care for her ailing mother.
Her Spirit- Hunter friends Joseph, Jie, and Daniel have traveled to Paris in the hopes of destroying the Dead that are now roaming.
Marcus is still missing, and Elijah's letters are still unintelligible, while Eleanor seems to be spiraling into the poverty that comes with hospitalizing her still maddening mother.

The addition of Oliver, the friendly demon, makes Eleanor's life a bit more confusing; on the one hand he saves her from becoming Hell Hound chow, on the other... (well maybe now the term would be corporeal hand) he is obviously hiding something.

“ ''That's a very comforting response, Oliver. Of course I can trust you implicitly when all you care about is using me for your own designs.''
'' Well, if it makes you feel any better, I've been thoroughly lonely and bored until you came along. So... I don't want to lose you.''”

How do I explain my love, yet displeasure over this book? In plain words I became bored during a portion and had to pick up something else. This dry spell was probably more due to my personal preference than the actual story, but I can't disregard the tell-tale signs of a YA trap; protagonist does something terrible, for which they feel badly about, then they confess, or someone finds out, and they proceed to feel sorry about themselves till a redeemable act is found or their friends are gracious enough to forgive them.

Their was a point in this book were Eleanor had dipped a toe in these dangerously boring waters, and I had walked away before I could be disappointed in her. Had I stayed for merely a few more pages I would have realized that Eleanor would never become so pitiful, for indeed she would accept what she is and move forward in defeating the evils that lurked within Paris.

“ ''And you are a liar,'' Joseph spat. ''A liar and a necromancer. I should have seen it-you are no different than he.''
It was like a punch in the gut. He. Marcus. And for a split second my heart clenched... but then all regret vanished in a seething rush. After everything we had done together, after we had stood side by side against the Dead, after Joseph had seen what Marcus had done to my family, he thought I was no different? All my past loyalty had bought me nothing?
''No!'' I spat. ''No. I am not like Marcus. I am not the corrupt necromancer you so desperately want me to be.'' My lips curled back. ''Do not look at me like that-as if you do not understand what I mean. All you see, Joseph, is black or white, and I am sorry, but I do not fit into those lines.''”

The only point in this story where she acted like a sorry excuse for a heroine was during something that was out of her hands, during which she became a sillier more drunk version of herself.

The sub-characters in this sequel got on my nerves a bit, as did the new Paris set of friends Eleanor acquired. They seemed a bit lifeless for my liking, but some of them made wonderful villains.
I will admit some fascination in the use, or lack of use, of Daniel, who was sparsely with her during the adventures in Paris. I had felt a lacking presence when he wasn't included, which simply had me grow fonder of the character.

“ I drew in a ragged breath and forced myself around. Then I looked him square in the eye and said, ''Hello, Daniel. A fine afternoon for an overly dramatic balloon landing, don't you think?''
His eyes doubled in size, and his mouth bobbed open like a fish. If the situation wasn't so awful, I would have laughed at his shock.”

Eleanor and Daniel were in no way giggly-eyed in this installment, though I don't expect them to ever be, yet you could feel the unspoken tension and unfulfilled action, which in turn made for a mostly clear headed MC, and wonderful drama.

The detailing with which Paris was described became slightly redundant after a time, but was used as more of an atmosphere rather than a guide.
I will say one downside was the lack of action I had been expecting in this. After the first, with all the clustered drama unfolding, and the scenes becoming dire so quickly I had been hoping for even more escalated situations, rather than the worry over necromancy.
The villains of these stories seem to vary, yet the same tool is used, the Dead, or zombies, who are artfully crafted into monsters that truly are creepy enough to remember after reading.

“ ''Stay, stay, stay!'' I shouted. The Hungry's teeth clacked in spurts now, but with less time between each bite. And no matter how hard I strained, the corpse was gaining ground. Faster with each passing breath... until it was almost to the bottom step. Until it was only feet from reaching us. From reaching me.”

I enjoyed this story, Eleanor makes a wonderful protagonist to experience through, and I found myself rooting for her even when she showed her less than angelic side.

“I pushed out my chest, pumping all the assertion and command I could muster into my words. ''I am not a threat to you- not unless you try to stop me. If you get in my way, then this''- I motioned to the corpses-''will seem like child's play.''”


I can't wait to finish this series in the next installment, and hope those of you that haven't had the chance to get into this series try it out before the finale is through, it is most defiantly worth the time.

“ I sent my gaze out over Paris.
And I let the faintest smile pull my lips. Seeing this perfect, perfect morning was exactly what I needed. The reminder to dig deeper until...until...
Until I found it, hiding within my heart and wrapped beneath layers of anger and grief. It was wound up so tightly in hollow regret that I would never have found it if I had not searched.
But there it was: a tiny flame- only the faintest glimmer, really, yet a flame nonetheless. A hope in the darkness.”

New York Times bestselling author Susan Dennard delivers a mix of supernatural forces and intense romance in this spellbinding sequel to Something Strange and Deadly—now with a gorgeous new cover! Perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices series. With her brother dead and her mother unwell, Eleanor Fitt is alone. Even the Spirit-Hunters—Joseph, Jie, and the handsome Daniel—have fled to Paris. So when Eleanor hears the vicious barking of hounds and sees haunting yellow eyes, she fears that the Dead, and the necromancer Marcus, are after her. To escape, Eleanor boards a steamer bound for France. There she meets Oliver, a young man who claims to have known her brother. But Oliver harbors a dangerous secret involving necromancy and black magic that entices Eleanor. If she can resist him, she'll be fine. When she arrives in Paris, she finds a whole new evil lurking—forcing her to make a deadly decision that will go against everything the Spirit-Hunters stand for. In Paris, there's a price for this darkness strange and lovely, and it may have Eleanor paying with her life.

Jessica Williamson

4.5 Stars

I loved this so much! Seeing Paris through Elle's eyes was wonderful, I absolutely adored it. Loved the addition of Oliver and Laure and what they brought to the story. Was super happy to see our friends from the Spirit-Hunters again.

Elle was a liiiiitle whiny in this one for me and also I hate that she lied so much, but I completely understand what the author was trying to do with it, so I understand it was necessary.

Overall- really enjoying this series!

Kristen

Susan Dennard is a lovely writer. I am fascinated by this series simply because of that. And the fun zombie fighting scenes, of course. But this book was a little disappointing compared to the first, Something Strange and Deadly. 

In book 1, Eleanor came off as a very strong character. Brash, impulsive, and naive as well, but considering her sheltered life, those qualities were forgivable. In this installment, she seems much less strong. She consistently makes silly decisions, tells lies for things that are out of her control, and is all over the place. In one chapter, she jumped from goal to goal so many times, then ended up taking a nap without accomplishing anything. She was essentially infuriating through the whole book.

A few things were a little difficult to swallow as well. When Oliver first explains things to Eleanor, I thought my disbelief had to suspend a bit too far. Maybe I'm just too old though and no one else had that problem. 

Then everybody's mood swings got on my nerves. They went from love to hate, nothing in between, so quickly, too quickly to be healthy. Daniel couldn't figure out how he felt, Joseph was a rainbow of various moods and opinions, and Oliver was more hormonal than a pregnant woman. One minute he told Eleanor how she was all he had and he loved her, then the next he was calling her stupid and tossing her aside. 

But I really enjoyed the book overall. The who done it was pretty predictable, but it was executed nicely. I was pleasantly surprised to see no one was mortally wounded by Eleanor and her stupidity, but the natural progression of the plot came about regardless. Complete with a nice lead in for book 3. Despite its problems, this book is still one of my favorites. I mean, this is a steampunk zombie series whose plot focuses on warring necromancers. What's not to like?

b.andherbooks

Eleanor, recovering from her last fight against the dead and trying to support herself and asylum bound mother is drawn back into the world of spirtis, necromancy, and death. She flees to Paris to find the Spirit Hunters but finds much more than she bargained for along the way, including a demon and her own burgeoning necromancy powers.

Enjoyable for its sense of adventure and dark subject matter, I was still a bit unconvinced with the logistics of how all this spirit world stuff works. HOwever, for those who enjoy more action and romance, this is a fun title to dabble in the 'steam punk' movement without getting in too deep.

Melissa Railey

Perfect for fans of Libba Bray's The Diviners and Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices series, this spellbinding sequel to Something Strange and Deadly delivers a mix of supernatural forces and intense romance, set against the enchanting backdrop of nineteenth-century Paris. With her brother dead and her mother insane, Eleanor Fitt is alone. Even the Spirit-Hunters—Joseph, Jie, and the handsome Daniel—have fled to Paris. So when Eleanor hears the vicious barking of hounds and sees haunting yellow eyes, she fears that the Dead, and the necromancer Marcus, are after her. To escape, Eleanor boards a steamer bound for France. There she meets Oliver, a young man who claims to have known her brother. But Oliver harbors a dangerous secret involving necromancy and black magic that entices Eleanor beyond words. If she can resist him, she'll be fine. But when she arrives in Paris, she finds that the Dead have taken over, and there's a whole new evil lurking. And she is forced to make a deadly decision that will go against everything the Spirit-Hunters stand for. In Paris, there's a price for this darkness strange and lovely, and it may have Eleanor paying with her life.

A Darkness Strange and Lovely

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