Publisher: Del Ray
Release Date: October 18, 2011
Format: ebook
Pages: 470 (Hardcover)
Source: Library Loan via Overdrive
Genre: YA Steampunk, YA Zombies
Review Date: July 8, 2013
Rating: 2 bookmarks
Synopsis: Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?
The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.
But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.
In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.
Release Date: October 18, 2011
Format: ebook
Pages: 470 (Hardcover)
Source: Library Loan via Overdrive
Genre: YA Steampunk, YA Zombies
Review Date: July 8, 2013
Rating: 2 bookmarks
Synopsis: Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?
The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.
But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.
In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.
Steampunk, dystopian-ish, post apocalyptic, Zombie book with futuristic technology and a twist of Victorian society (gas lamps, corsets and all). What a mash up. To the authors credit, I've never read any thing like this. I feel like there was a ton of potential with this story, but unfortunately I thought there was a lot of room for improvement.
My major gripe would be the 5 different POVs. That really bothered me for some reason. Maybe because the 5 voices weren't different enough for me. I found myself going back a few pages here or there to check out the header of the chapter, indicating whose narrating, My second issue is the slow pace of the book. It took me a long time to get through this book, something like 14 days. I would pick it up, read a half chapter or so, then put it down. I hate when it takes me that long to complete a book. I didn't want to give up because I was hoping that at any moment the book would pick up pace, sadly it didn't happen. I was expecting a lot more.
My major gripe would be the 5 different POVs. That really bothered me for some reason. Maybe because the 5 voices weren't different enough for me. I found myself going back a few pages here or there to check out the header of the chapter, indicating whose narrating, My second issue is the slow pace of the book. It took me a long time to get through this book, something like 14 days. I would pick it up, read a half chapter or so, then put it down. I hate when it takes me that long to complete a book. I didn't want to give up because I was hoping that at any moment the book would pick up pace, sadly it didn't happen. I was expecting a lot more.
I'm not even sure I liked the fact that there were romantic feelings between Bram and Nora. In my opinion, it just didn't fit. it seemed sort of gross to be honest. A girl falls for a boy whose body is literally falling apart? Held together with glue and serums?...Yuck. On top of that his body won't even last in that state more than 5 years or so....again, nasty. Friends, yes. Boyfriend/Girlfriend, no. I do understand that the author was trying to convey that it's okay to be with someone different than you, and I agree with that. But I still didn't like the Zombie/Human thing.
The action consisted mostly of good Zombies vs bad Zombies. Zombies with most of their mental facilities vs the Zombies who are for the most part no longer "there". Villains that weren't all that either. Yes, they were evil, but I didn't really grasp the motivation behind their actions. It seems all a bit contrived. One man wants a cure or vaccine against the “The Laz” virus as retribution for his family being infected. The second terrorist wants it to weld some type of control over the government. Then we find out there's sort of a double cross with the two villains. I just didn't like it.
The good things amount to the lovely cover art and the general premise of the story. I also must give the author credit for her world building. I do feel that I could entirely see the world in which was being taken over by those infected with "The Laz". She was very descriptive and lyrical at times.
I feel that this book could have been great, but it wasn't executed well. There are worst books out there, but this wasn't very good either. I have the second book, but honestly after hearing that Dearly Beloved has 6 POVs, I won't bother.
Did you read this book? If so, share with me what you thought!
Happy Reading,
~Tamara
