Review--A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard

Darkness has come to the City of Lights...

After helping the Spirit-Hunters save Philadelphia from the walking Dead, Eleanor Fitt must no face the things she couldn't stop: her brother's death, her mother's deteriorating health, and the sting of unrequited love. But when she encounters the necromancer Marcus, again, she must seek the help of Joseph, Jie, and the gorgeous Daniel--who have all fled to Paris.

On her way to France, Eleanor meets Oliver, who claims to have known her brother. Though friendly, Oliver harbors a secret involving black magic that entices Eleanor. Trying to resist it, she rejoins the Spirit-Hunters in hopes of stopping Marcus.

But the Dead have taken over Paris and there's a whole new evil lurking. Eleanor is now forced to make a dangerous decision--and her choice could mean life or death for everyone.

Susan Dennard continues the adventures of Eleanor Fitt in A Darkness Strange and Lovely. Ever since the Spirit Hunters left, things haven't been going well for Eleanor. She had to sell nearly everything she owned in order to pay for her mother's hospital stay, as she went a bit mad after Eleanor told her things regarding her brother Elijah--while omitting particular details--, her best friend has shunned her and basically, everything is just going wrong for her. Then there's the start of the book where she has a chance encounter with Marcus and it spurs her to quickly flee to Paris and join the Spirit Hunters.

While on route to Paris, she meets Oliver who claims to be be a friend of her brother's. And don't worry, he in no way becomes a possible romantic interest for Eleanor like I thought, for he has a secret or two that would make this not at all a good idea. But Eleanor is leery of trusting a stranger, despite him being a friend of her brother's.

There was a lot of tension in this one! Far more than what we saw in the first book. Eleanor's powers are growing stronger and her own mind is changing slightly with this growth. The powers are getting to her, possibly and she's becoming a different person than we initially saw. Whether these changes will be for good or not has yet to be determined.

It was great fun seeing the Spirit Hunters again, especially our favorite, Daniel! Daniel has changed since we last saw him and one can't help but wonder why. Especially since he declared that he didn't love Eleanor when asked last go around. But if the reader puts their mind to it, you can easily guess the reasons for the changes. And it's endearing in some aspects, yet I still miss our rowdy, somewhat rude, yet open Daniel. Luckily, he slips out every now and then!

The romance between Daniel and Eleanor was still sweet, yet they have more challenges facing them this go around. It seems almost impossible for them to come to terms on these challenges and just be together, but luckily, we have one more book to get through!

This storyline had more Dead wreaking havoc on Paris, and the gang must find whoever it is controlling them and put an end to it all. But that's easier said then done. Plus, there's still Marcus to contend with and other spoilery events that need resolving!

The ending is definitely a bit more cliffhangery than the first one as well. We have more danger afoot and there's still some unresolved tension in the midst. Who's to say how everything will all wrap-up in the final end? I cannot wait to see everything played out because as well all know, this third installment is the finale and the big bad guy must still go down! 

A Darkness Strange and Lovely will delight readers as much as Something Strange and Deadly did, if not more! It's turning out to be one engaging zombie series that I am ever so glad I decided to read!


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars