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Gone With the Respiration #1
Dearly, Departed
A classic romance, suspense thriller, rip-roaring adventure, and macabre comedy all at once, Dearly, Departed redefines the concept of undying love.
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 mores of an antique era. Sixteen-year-old Nora Dearly is far more interested in her country’s political unrest than in silly debutante balls. But the death of her beloved parents leaves Nora at the mercy of a social-climbing aunt who plans to marry off her niece for money. To Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses. Now she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting a fatal virus that raises the dead. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and thoroughly deceased. But like the rest of his special undead unit, Bram has been enabled by luck and modern science 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.
“Heart-pounding . . . Nora and Bram’s touching and tender relationship, with its emphasis on equality and living in the moment, feels particularly special.”— Publishers Weekly
“Absolutely spellbinding . . . full of ingenious inventions and dynamic characters.”—RT Book Reviews
“A zombie romance? You bet.” —Library Journal
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 mores of an antique era. Sixteen-year-old Nora Dearly is far more interested in her country’s political unrest than in silly debutante balls. But the death of her beloved parents leaves Nora at the mercy of a social-climbing aunt who plans to marry off her niece for money. To Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses. Now she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting a fatal virus that raises the dead. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and thoroughly deceased. But like the rest of his special undead unit, Bram has been enabled by luck and modern science 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.
“Heart-pounding . . . Nora and Bram’s touching and tender relationship, with its emphasis on equality and living in the moment, feels particularly special.”— Publishers Weekly
“Absolutely spellbinding . . . full of ingenious inventions and dynamic characters.”—RT Book Reviews
“A zombie romance? You bet.” —Library Journal
486 pages, Paperback
First published October 18, 2011
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21076 people want to read
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October 24, 2011
*This ARC was provided to me by the publishers via NetGalley. No money or favours were exchanged for this review.*
Somewhere along the way, zombies became hot.
No, not that kind of hot
This kind of hot!
Lia Habel has taken my two favourite genres, steampunk and zombies, and mixed them together. The results of which should have been a hundred times more fantabulous than anything humanity could ever have hoped to produce up until this point.
With the sole exception of Neil Patrick Harris. Oh! And Terry Crew's abs.
Habel has a lot of potential going for her. This novel had SO much potential. Unfortunately, it was let down in a few key areas. However, I'm assured by the powers-that-be that this was done on purpose to stop humanity from transcending to the next level of consciousness, so I guess that explains a lot.
Habel displays an easy talent for creating fun characters, a diverse world and interesting storyline. Unfortunately, a lot of this was lost through a few rookie mistakes. It was doubly frustrating because I really wanted to enjoy this novel.
First of all, there are five POVs in this novel and it switches between them all rather frequently. Look, there's nothing wrong with multiple POVs. Many people enjoy them. However, what you gain in adding to characterization, you lose in pacing.
Reading a novel is a little like driving a stick. You start in first gear and you move your way up to five as the intensity picks up and heads towards the climax (I so want to put a filthy joke in here, but notice I didn't. RECOGNIZE MY RESTRAINT!) Then you have to move down in gear for your denouement and eventual conclusion.
But POVs tend to equal an automatic change in gear - often downward and it takes the reader awhile to get back up to speed and progress upwards. They have to get mentally pulled out of the storyline they were just following, they have to readjust to the new setting, recall where the current POV last finished and pick back up from there. Most readers can do this without much difficulty - to a point. But too many of these and you have a jerky ride at best, or lose all momentum at worst.
Secondly, the beginning struggles to get past a few big info dumps which makes the first half of this novel cumbersome. Once Habel is finished setting up her world, despite the extraordinary amount of time she takes to do this, she shows a natural flare for storytelling. With explanations out of the way, Habel seemed free to actually pump the novel full of action and excitement - something I greatly enjoyed.
I suppose the biggest issue is getting past the squick factor of romanticizing reanimated flesh.
Oh c'mon, walking corpses have been dominating the catwalk for years! Right, Kate Moss?
Every time I thought I was okay with it, I realized I. Just. Wasn't.
Which, I guess, leads me to my last and final complaint because I found the relationship between the two main protagonists to be... uninspiring, if you know what I mean. And your proper enjoyment of the novel probably hinges on the following question. Do you want to imagine illicit zombie smoochies? And let's keep in mind that Habel's zombie lore isn't that different from normal zombie lore. They're still rotting dead people.
I mean, we're talking about a Chris Brown level of gross.
No, wait. That's insulting to the zombie.
If you can, then strap on your clockwork jetpacks and give this novel a try!
Somewhere along the way, zombies became hot.
No, not that kind of hot
This kind of hot!
Lia Habel has taken my two favourite genres, steampunk and zombies, and mixed them together. The results of which should have been a hundred times more fantabulous than anything humanity could ever have hoped to produce up until this point.
With the sole exception of Neil Patrick Harris. Oh! And Terry Crew's abs.
Habel has a lot of potential going for her. This novel had SO much potential. Unfortunately, it was let down in a few key areas. However, I'm assured by the powers-that-be that this was done on purpose to stop humanity from transcending to the next level of consciousness, so I guess that explains a lot.
Habel displays an easy talent for creating fun characters, a diverse world and interesting storyline. Unfortunately, a lot of this was lost through a few rookie mistakes. It was doubly frustrating because I really wanted to enjoy this novel.
First of all, there are five POVs in this novel and it switches between them all rather frequently. Look, there's nothing wrong with multiple POVs. Many people enjoy them. However, what you gain in adding to characterization, you lose in pacing.
Reading a novel is a little like driving a stick. You start in first gear and you move your way up to five as the intensity picks up and heads towards the climax (I so want to put a filthy joke in here, but notice I didn't. RECOGNIZE MY RESTRAINT!) Then you have to move down in gear for your denouement and eventual conclusion.
But POVs tend to equal an automatic change in gear - often downward and it takes the reader awhile to get back up to speed and progress upwards. They have to get mentally pulled out of the storyline they were just following, they have to readjust to the new setting, recall where the current POV last finished and pick back up from there. Most readers can do this without much difficulty - to a point. But too many of these and you have a jerky ride at best, or lose all momentum at worst.
Secondly, the beginning struggles to get past a few big info dumps which makes the first half of this novel cumbersome. Once Habel is finished setting up her world, despite the extraordinary amount of time she takes to do this, she shows a natural flare for storytelling. With explanations out of the way, Habel seemed free to actually pump the novel full of action and excitement - something I greatly enjoyed.
I suppose the biggest issue is getting past the squick factor of romanticizing reanimated flesh.
Oh c'mon, walking corpses have been dominating the catwalk for years! Right, Kate Moss?
Every time I thought I was okay with it, I realized I. Just. Wasn't.
Which, I guess, leads me to my last and final complaint because I found the relationship between the two main protagonists to be... uninspiring, if you know what I mean. And your proper enjoyment of the novel probably hinges on the following question. Do you want to imagine illicit zombie smoochies? And let's keep in mind that Habel's zombie lore isn't that different from normal zombie lore. They're still rotting dead people.
I mean, we're talking about a Chris Brown level of gross.
No, wait. That's insulting to the zombie.
If you can, then strap on your clockwork jetpacks and give this novel a try!
October 24, 2011
Dearly Departed is one of the most enjoyable steampunk novels I've ever read, as the author skillfully puts Victorian customs down in a futuristic setting and then throws the crazy addition of zombies into the mix! It is, unfortunately, also a very frustrating novel in many ways, mainly because it has major flaws that stand in the way of a really terrific story.
In the year 2195, Nora Dearly is just coming out of a period of mourning for her father, who was a noted scientist, when her home is attacked by living corpses. She's rescued by Captain Bram Griswold, a dashing young man who turns out to be not quite alive himself. There's a difference between Bram's brand of zombie, however, who have technically died but have retained their memories and personality, and those who are just mindless, violent cannibals.
There are a number of well-plotted action sequences, mostly involving escaping from the bad, flesh-eating zombies called Greys--there's a particularly fantastic one involving a parasol being jammed into a, ahem, vulnerable part of an attacker's face. I liked the explanations as to why the zombies crave fluids and proteins (their bodies are drying out and their own body tissues don't rebuild on their own), as well as the fact that the author thought through the sicknesses and the "cures." I also appreciated that there were attempts to explain why Victorian attitudes and customs were adopted again after hundreds of years, as in the rebuilding period after catastrophic world events, Nora's ancestors viewed that era as a model of civil behavior, order, and prosperity. While you have to accept a certain amount of implausibility when you read any steampunk novel (okay, and any zombie novel, too), most of them don't even try explore why the world might be the way it is.
I really loved how the author advanced technology in a way that also blended it with a punky, Neo-Victorian sensibility. In New Victoria, citizens are fitted with ID chips upon birth, they use pearly styluses with their digital diaries, there are flat screens mounted inside carriages, people use the Aethernet, and the world has been shaped by terraforming and holographic technologies. There are also polite nods to historical fact, including St. Cyprian's School for Girls, observing a mourning period, coins in puddings, bustled gowns of "emerald faille with a fashionable ruffled hem that whispered upon the grass," Elysian Fields, yellow journalism, various names of import including Alencar and Evola, the propriety of calling cards and visiting customs, taxidermy, china dolls, and so on and so forth. A lot of steampunk or novels with 19th century settings aren't very well-researched, but this one does a fantastic job of imagining a possible future steeped in historical detail. One of my favorite touches was the ladies' parasols with miniature electric gas lamps, whose color indicated her marriageability, including green for "a woman who wasn't keen on men at all, but whose head could be turned by the sight of a pretty skirt."
I'm also prone to get a little fussed over Victorian novels that have a faulty ear for the language--but somehow the author manages to combine surprisingly funny, modern dialogue with more formal speech and mannerisms in a convincing and winning way.
...I found little bottles of shampoo and soap and a toothbrush and the like, as well as a tiny brown glass vial of perfumed oil. It smelled of violets and chocolate.
Yeah, like I needed the zombies to find me any more delicious. That'd be like a cow wearing eau de gravy.
So why is this book rated in a more middling fashion? It has a few major flaws, and unfortunately the flaws are a serious impediment to the story. There are a number of characters who are too broadly drawn, including the improbably named Vespertine Mink, as well as the rather cartoonish villain; the zombie action also slows down considerably as the book wears on. The biggest issue, however, is the inclusion of FIVE first-person narratives, which severely detracted from the flow of the novel and pulls the reader in too many different directions. Focusing the book on just Nora and Bram would have tightened things up considerably, and we would not lose so much of the urgency of the action, especially since the additional POVs add nothing of particular value to the story. I mourn the missed opportunity for fixing these issues during the editing process, because this could so very easily have been a truly excellent book.
The parts of the book that were good were really entertaining, however, so I'd say that if you're interested in steampunk, it's definitely worth a read if you can borrow a copy, as long as you keep your expectations in check. I'm hoping that the next installment of this series will find a much more streamlined story that won't alienate readers with a distracting and unnecessary framework--because this is an author with a lot of fantastic ideas who deserves an audience. Fingers crossed that Dearly, Beloved will be everything that Dearly, Departed almost achieved.
This review also appears in The Midnight Garden. An advance copy was provided by the publisher.
In the year 2195, Nora Dearly is just coming out of a period of mourning for her father, who was a noted scientist, when her home is attacked by living corpses. She's rescued by Captain Bram Griswold, a dashing young man who turns out to be not quite alive himself. There's a difference between Bram's brand of zombie, however, who have technically died but have retained their memories and personality, and those who are just mindless, violent cannibals.
There are a number of well-plotted action sequences, mostly involving escaping from the bad, flesh-eating zombies called Greys--there's a particularly fantastic one involving a parasol being jammed into a, ahem, vulnerable part of an attacker's face. I liked the explanations as to why the zombies crave fluids and proteins (their bodies are drying out and their own body tissues don't rebuild on their own), as well as the fact that the author thought through the sicknesses and the "cures." I also appreciated that there were attempts to explain why Victorian attitudes and customs were adopted again after hundreds of years, as in the rebuilding period after catastrophic world events, Nora's ancestors viewed that era as a model of civil behavior, order, and prosperity. While you have to accept a certain amount of implausibility when you read any steampunk novel (okay, and any zombie novel, too), most of them don't even try explore why the world might be the way it is.
I really loved how the author advanced technology in a way that also blended it with a punky, Neo-Victorian sensibility. In New Victoria, citizens are fitted with ID chips upon birth, they use pearly styluses with their digital diaries, there are flat screens mounted inside carriages, people use the Aethernet, and the world has been shaped by terraforming and holographic technologies. There are also polite nods to historical fact, including St. Cyprian's School for Girls, observing a mourning period, coins in puddings, bustled gowns of "emerald faille with a fashionable ruffled hem that whispered upon the grass," Elysian Fields, yellow journalism, various names of import including Alencar and Evola, the propriety of calling cards and visiting customs, taxidermy, china dolls, and so on and so forth. A lot of steampunk or novels with 19th century settings aren't very well-researched, but this one does a fantastic job of imagining a possible future steeped in historical detail. One of my favorite touches was the ladies' parasols with miniature electric gas lamps, whose color indicated her marriageability, including green for "a woman who wasn't keen on men at all, but whose head could be turned by the sight of a pretty skirt."
I'm also prone to get a little fussed over Victorian novels that have a faulty ear for the language--but somehow the author manages to combine surprisingly funny, modern dialogue with more formal speech and mannerisms in a convincing and winning way.
...I found little bottles of shampoo and soap and a toothbrush and the like, as well as a tiny brown glass vial of perfumed oil. It smelled of violets and chocolate.
Yeah, like I needed the zombies to find me any more delicious. That'd be like a cow wearing eau de gravy.
So why is this book rated in a more middling fashion? It has a few major flaws, and unfortunately the flaws are a serious impediment to the story. There are a number of characters who are too broadly drawn, including the improbably named Vespertine Mink, as well as the rather cartoonish villain; the zombie action also slows down considerably as the book wears on. The biggest issue, however, is the inclusion of FIVE first-person narratives, which severely detracted from the flow of the novel and pulls the reader in too many different directions. Focusing the book on just Nora and Bram would have tightened things up considerably, and we would not lose so much of the urgency of the action, especially since the additional POVs add nothing of particular value to the story. I mourn the missed opportunity for fixing these issues during the editing process, because this could so very easily have been a truly excellent book.
The parts of the book that were good were really entertaining, however, so I'd say that if you're interested in steampunk, it's definitely worth a read if you can borrow a copy, as long as you keep your expectations in check. I'm hoping that the next installment of this series will find a much more streamlined story that won't alienate readers with a distracting and unnecessary framework--because this is an author with a lot of fantastic ideas who deserves an audience. Fingers crossed that Dearly, Beloved will be everything that Dearly, Departed almost achieved.
This review also appears in The Midnight Garden. An advance copy was provided by the publisher.
June 28, 2019
I've read like 35%, and I simply cannot continue. I had to DNF! I had this book on my e-reader for ages, and maybe if I had started to read it earlier, I might have liked it. But now, I could not force myself to continue even one more page. And I seriously need to clean my e-reader, I'm going to erase all books I had there for more than two years and did not read so far.
October 20, 2011
A steampunk novel that lost its steam
What a frustrating book! I so wanted to love it. It had so many good elements to it. However, somehow, the book lost its way and could not find its way back again!
The GOOD
Bram Griswold
Zombie, soldier, and overall nice guy. He was the source of many of my favorite lines in the book. He was charming, respectful, and he was the guy that all parents dreamed that their loving daughter would find… minus the fact that he was a zombie.
Nora Dearly
An unconventional girl in an unconventional world. She was a tough, high-spirited, quick to learn, quick to sass girl that charmed me enough to make me want to cheer for her. I loved her loyalty to her friends and her sassy mouth.
The "other" zombies
You might notice that the “good” in this book is showing a pattern. It was the characters. All the characters..good or bad…were well written and convincing. I liked the zombies even the “bad” zombies. However, here, I’m talking about the zombie characters, their personalities, not the fact that they were zombies. In truth, their zombieness is irrelevant in this book. Let me explain (look down at the bad for my explanation).
The BAD
The Zombies
Yes, yes, I know. Zombies again. So the zombies are good and bad? Yes. But how the hell do I explain this. Ok. So, the zombie character was great but the fact that the zombies were really zombies wasn’t. The author didn’t really do the entire zombie thing like she could have. I’m not asking for more ripping, shredding, blood and guts but just more of a “OH #@$#%” instead of “Oh cool, they are zombies” type of attitude.
In the beginning, the author did it right. For example, one of my favorite lines from the beginning of the book…
"They were men. They looked like men, at least -human- but like people who had been dead for months, years, in all stages of decay- flesh hanging limply off limbs, bones exposed..."
Sounds like a zombie right? However, later, when other people first run into these same so-called zombies, their descriptions are far less remarkable, even borderline boring. It almost seemed like the author forgot she started with a zombie book.
The Ever Changing POV's
Oh my god. This is what killed this book. Forget zombies. They are harmless compared to the horrible POV switches in this book. What is worse, it wasn’t needed. The author could have left all but Bram and Nora’s story out. That is it.
The World
This is just too much of a good thing. Dystopian, Steampunk, Horror, YA. I swear the author wrote the character’s story and filled in everything afterwards. It did start off good, but it was clearly a case of biting off more than you can chew.
OVERALL
I liked the characters and that is it. I won’t continue with the series.
What a frustrating book! I so wanted to love it. It had so many good elements to it. However, somehow, the book lost its way and could not find its way back again!
The GOOD
Bram Griswold
Zombie, soldier, and overall nice guy. He was the source of many of my favorite lines in the book. He was charming, respectful, and he was the guy that all parents dreamed that their loving daughter would find… minus the fact that he was a zombie.
Nora Dearly
An unconventional girl in an unconventional world. She was a tough, high-spirited, quick to learn, quick to sass girl that charmed me enough to make me want to cheer for her. I loved her loyalty to her friends and her sassy mouth.
The "other" zombies
You might notice that the “good” in this book is showing a pattern. It was the characters. All the characters..good or bad…were well written and convincing. I liked the zombies even the “bad” zombies. However, here, I’m talking about the zombie characters, their personalities, not the fact that they were zombies. In truth, their zombieness is irrelevant in this book. Let me explain (look down at the bad for my explanation).
The BAD
The Zombies
Yes, yes, I know. Zombies again. So the zombies are good and bad? Yes. But how the hell do I explain this. Ok. So, the zombie character was great but the fact that the zombies were really zombies wasn’t. The author didn’t really do the entire zombie thing like she could have. I’m not asking for more ripping, shredding, blood and guts but just more of a “OH #@$#%” instead of “Oh cool, they are zombies” type of attitude.
In the beginning, the author did it right. For example, one of my favorite lines from the beginning of the book…
"They were men. They looked like men, at least -human- but like people who had been dead for months, years, in all stages of decay- flesh hanging limply off limbs, bones exposed..."
Sounds like a zombie right? However, later, when other people first run into these same so-called zombies, their descriptions are far less remarkable, even borderline boring. It almost seemed like the author forgot she started with a zombie book.
The Ever Changing POV's
Oh my god. This is what killed this book. Forget zombies. They are harmless compared to the horrible POV switches in this book. What is worse, it wasn’t needed. The author could have left all but Bram and Nora’s story out. That is it.
The World
This is just too much of a good thing. Dystopian, Steampunk, Horror, YA. I swear the author wrote the character’s story and filled in everything afterwards. It did start off good, but it was clearly a case of biting off more than you can chew.
OVERALL
I liked the characters and that is it. I won’t continue with the series.
October 21, 2011
2.5 stars
With one hundred pages and three POVs less, plus some small changes in worlbuilding, Dearly, Departed could have been an excellent novel. As it is, parts of it are amazing, while other parts left me extremely frustrated, disappointed and angry.
If only Lia Habel decided against introducing five different POVs, one precious star in my rating would have been saved. At least two of those five contributed nothing but annoyance to the narrative. I’m sure there were far better ways of telling the same story, especially the parts concerning the villain’s actions. The two chapters told from Wolfe’s perspective felt completely out of place and they gave me the impression that the author took an easy way out. As for Pamela’s POV, it could have made a decent new installment or a spin off at some point. Having her thrown in the middle of Nora and Bram’s story made me strongly dislike her, not that she was all that likeable to begin with.
If nothing else, she made a pretty good contrast to Nora’s character. While Pamela is whiny and dull, Nora is fierce and resourceful. Contrary to the world that was built for her, Nora is not a girl who will just hide behind anyone’s back. Despite her privileged upbringing and the fact that being a delicate lady is all that’s expected of her, when zombies come, she picks up the gun and starts shooting. It’s no wonder Bram fell in love with her. I fell in love with her!
My biggest problem, however, was not with all the POVs, it was with the society of New Victoria. While I found the idea of going back to (some) old values intriguing, I simply cannot believe that such a large group of women would willingly regress two hundred years from now. Passages like:
St. Cyprian’s was meant to create ladies who floated when they walked, played a little piano, and were otherwise charming and unobtrusive. To that end, it was a sheltered environment. Television was forbidden and access to the Aethernet was strictly filtered.
and
Women were forbidden from joining the army, of course…
and
“It is through marriage that we can both improve our positions. I want to get out of this hole in the ground. I want to take my place within the best set again. Why do you not understand this?”
made me want to cry in frustration. Regardless of the circumstances, I find it very unlikely that women would allow themselves to be treated as furniture again, especially at the end of the 22nd century.
That said, there were many good parts as well. I simply adore Nora, Bram and their undead friends. I fell in love with so many of the secondary characters and I’ll read the next installment mostly because of them. I just hope some minor changes will be made.
I should probably mention that the last part made me cry a little. Hmm. Maybe I'm just getting sappy in my old age.
With one hundred pages and three POVs less, plus some small changes in worlbuilding, Dearly, Departed could have been an excellent novel. As it is, parts of it are amazing, while other parts left me extremely frustrated, disappointed and angry.
If only Lia Habel decided against introducing five different POVs, one precious star in my rating would have been saved. At least two of those five contributed nothing but annoyance to the narrative. I’m sure there were far better ways of telling the same story, especially the parts concerning the villain’s actions. The two chapters told from Wolfe’s perspective felt completely out of place and they gave me the impression that the author took an easy way out. As for Pamela’s POV, it could have made a decent new installment or a spin off at some point. Having her thrown in the middle of Nora and Bram’s story made me strongly dislike her, not that she was all that likeable to begin with.
If nothing else, she made a pretty good contrast to Nora’s character. While Pamela is whiny and dull, Nora is fierce and resourceful. Contrary to the world that was built for her, Nora is not a girl who will just hide behind anyone’s back. Despite her privileged upbringing and the fact that being a delicate lady is all that’s expected of her, when zombies come, she picks up the gun and starts shooting. It’s no wonder Bram fell in love with her. I fell in love with her!
My biggest problem, however, was not with all the POVs, it was with the society of New Victoria. While I found the idea of going back to (some) old values intriguing, I simply cannot believe that such a large group of women would willingly regress two hundred years from now. Passages like:
St. Cyprian’s was meant to create ladies who floated when they walked, played a little piano, and were otherwise charming and unobtrusive. To that end, it was a sheltered environment. Television was forbidden and access to the Aethernet was strictly filtered.
and
Women were forbidden from joining the army, of course…
and
“It is through marriage that we can both improve our positions. I want to get out of this hole in the ground. I want to take my place within the best set again. Why do you not understand this?”
made me want to cry in frustration. Regardless of the circumstances, I find it very unlikely that women would allow themselves to be treated as furniture again, especially at the end of the 22nd century.
That said, there were many good parts as well. I simply adore Nora, Bram and their undead friends. I fell in love with so many of the secondary characters and I’ll read the next installment mostly because of them. I just hope some minor changes will be made.
I should probably mention that the last part made me cry a little. Hmm. Maybe I'm just getting sappy in my old age.
October 14, 2011
Dashing zombies anybody? Dearly, Departed has quite the original zombie lore. I really enjoyed it and thought it was brilliantly done. Stephenie Meyer took vampires and made them sparkly. But Lia Habel, she took zombies(!), and made them charming! There's just no beating that!
This story takes place in a future after a volcano almost ends humanity. The new age is called New Victoria - yup, it's Victorian age with holographs and cell phones. It's pretty neat and very well thought out. Obviously there are zombies included - some bad and some... not so bad. I thoroughly enjoyed the lore that Lia created.
When I first saw Dearly, Departed, it's the cover that drew me in. It has to be my favorite cover of 2011. Then, when I read the synopsis, even though it sounded pretty neat, I was a bit wary of the "finding true love in a zombie" part. I love zombies. I've watched every zombie movie and enjoyed quite a few zombie books. But zombies are scary! They're gross; cannibals; mutilated - Ick. I was doubtful that anyone could convince me that zombies could ever be boyfriend material *puke*. So, obviously, Lia is a genius, and she did it: She somehow made her zombies cute!
The world building was fantastic. The first half of the book was used to explain this new world and how the zombies came about. If there are any holes in it, I didn't see any. It was complete and very well explained, as well as extremely creative. There were a few clichés. Private school, rich mean girl, best friend with a crush on the guy who wants Nora, but it was mostly all in the beginning and used to illustrate how it's not extremely different from the present - just a bit old fashioned. Women with dresses; travel in carriages, etc. But girls are still girls! Once the zombies arrive, though, the clichés go out the window. So all in all, I found it truly original.
The book is divided into several point of views. We have the two protagonists, Nora and Bram, but we also see a few side characters' POV - even the villain's, which is very interesting. I found all of the characters really enjoyable with distinct voices and fun personalities. It was great to be able to see Nora with the "good" zombies and then her friend Pam who was unaware of any zombies, good or evil, nor where her friend had disappeared to. We got to see both sides of the coin.
Any zombie lover should definitely pick this one up. At the very least, you'll have a gorgeous cover on your bookshelf!
This story takes place in a future after a volcano almost ends humanity. The new age is called New Victoria - yup, it's Victorian age with holographs and cell phones. It's pretty neat and very well thought out. Obviously there are zombies included - some bad and some... not so bad. I thoroughly enjoyed the lore that Lia created.
When I first saw Dearly, Departed, it's the cover that drew me in. It has to be my favorite cover of 2011. Then, when I read the synopsis, even though it sounded pretty neat, I was a bit wary of the "finding true love in a zombie" part. I love zombies. I've watched every zombie movie and enjoyed quite a few zombie books. But zombies are scary! They're gross; cannibals; mutilated - Ick. I was doubtful that anyone could convince me that zombies could ever be boyfriend material *puke*. So, obviously, Lia is a genius, and she did it: She somehow made her zombies cute!
The world building was fantastic. The first half of the book was used to explain this new world and how the zombies came about. If there are any holes in it, I didn't see any. It was complete and very well explained, as well as extremely creative. There were a few clichés. Private school, rich mean girl, best friend with a crush on the guy who wants Nora, but it was mostly all in the beginning and used to illustrate how it's not extremely different from the present - just a bit old fashioned. Women with dresses; travel in carriages, etc. But girls are still girls! Once the zombies arrive, though, the clichés go out the window. So all in all, I found it truly original.
The book is divided into several point of views. We have the two protagonists, Nora and Bram, but we also see a few side characters' POV - even the villain's, which is very interesting. I found all of the characters really enjoyable with distinct voices and fun personalities. It was great to be able to see Nora with the "good" zombies and then her friend Pam who was unaware of any zombies, good or evil, nor where her friend had disappeared to. We got to see both sides of the coin.
Any zombie lover should definitely pick this one up. At the very least, you'll have a gorgeous cover on your bookshelf!
December 8, 2011
Edit: So, I was bored a while ago and recorded an audio version of this review (with Special Guest Appearance by the birds on my balcony). .
At the risk of sounding flip about it, I have to commence this review by saying that I felt Lia Habel’s zombie/horror/post-apocalyptic/steampunk/neo-Victorian novel was rather in need of a corset.
To be fair, what appears to be a slightly scattergun approach to genre actually works. Habel melds the elements of her story together convincingly, with noticeable attention to detail and a thought out process to her world-building. However, as much credit as I must give the careful crafting of a complicated premise, the book felt somewhat bloated and loose, particularly around the midsection (no pun intended).
There is a vast amount of information in form of backstory and world history, the set up of character conflicts, and explanation of the zombie-creating disease, that, while necessary, can get rather tedious. Combined with the multiple (five!) points of view through which the story is told, there is an undeniable sprawl to the book, which occasionally threatens to get out of hand. I’ll be honest and say that at times, I had to fight the urge to start skimming, and the plot didn’t consistently hold my attention. I can see why the additional viewpoints were included, but the successful rendering of all the voices was far from equal.
The elaborate world of Dearly Departed is quite admirably drawn and it seems evident from the writing that Habel has a genuine passion for her subject matter and genre. This is not merely a case of dressing up a paranormal romance in a crinoline, shoving in a few references to cogs and automatons and calling it steampunk. Habel has also taken care to portray the finer points of Victoriana, twisting the etiquette and dialogue to suit her futuristic, hybrid world.
Whether you can buy this particular concept – that the future world has chosen to revert back to a “golden age” of refined manners and strict social codes including the restriction of female freedoms – is quite a gamble on Habel’s behalf. However, I do think that pending suspension of belief, the resultant world is interesting and rather entertaining.
While I enjoyed the majority of the characters, particularly Bram and his comrades at Z Base, be aware that this story largely romaticises zombies (though not to the point of sparkles, thankfully). While the lurching, falling-apart, rotting, brain-consuming variety are certainly a presence – there are also a less offensive type who have retained the majority of their humanity and personalities. Obviously, this is an effort to make the human-zombie love plotline palatable, but zombie purists may have a hard time accepting this version of… zombification, finding it raises more questions than answers (though these may be addressed in future books).
This was not an earth-shaking book for me, and I had a few irritations with the way the story was told, including the sheer breadth of viewpoints, which slowed the pacing. (It kind of lurched and shambled around at time, much like the Grays..) There is a lot going on: political intrigue, double-crossing, inventive zombie-slaying, burgeoning love, social commentary, uppity mean girls, tofu-eating, and plentiful gadgetry to be explained.. But at the end of the day, I found the characters and their story mostly engaging and entertaining.
In an increasingly popular and crowded genre, Dearly Departed rises boldly to the challenge of presenting something a little different, and most importantly (for me), fun.
At the risk of sounding flip about it, I have to commence this review by saying that I felt Lia Habel’s zombie/horror/post-apocalyptic/steampunk/neo-Victorian novel was rather in need of a corset.
To be fair, what appears to be a slightly scattergun approach to genre actually works. Habel melds the elements of her story together convincingly, with noticeable attention to detail and a thought out process to her world-building. However, as much credit as I must give the careful crafting of a complicated premise, the book felt somewhat bloated and loose, particularly around the midsection (no pun intended).
There is a vast amount of information in form of backstory and world history, the set up of character conflicts, and explanation of the zombie-creating disease, that, while necessary, can get rather tedious. Combined with the multiple (five!) points of view through which the story is told, there is an undeniable sprawl to the book, which occasionally threatens to get out of hand. I’ll be honest and say that at times, I had to fight the urge to start skimming, and the plot didn’t consistently hold my attention. I can see why the additional viewpoints were included, but the successful rendering of all the voices was far from equal.
The elaborate world of Dearly Departed is quite admirably drawn and it seems evident from the writing that Habel has a genuine passion for her subject matter and genre. This is not merely a case of dressing up a paranormal romance in a crinoline, shoving in a few references to cogs and automatons and calling it steampunk. Habel has also taken care to portray the finer points of Victoriana, twisting the etiquette and dialogue to suit her futuristic, hybrid world.
Whether you can buy this particular concept – that the future world has chosen to revert back to a “golden age” of refined manners and strict social codes including the restriction of female freedoms – is quite a gamble on Habel’s behalf. However, I do think that pending suspension of belief, the resultant world is interesting and rather entertaining.
While I enjoyed the majority of the characters, particularly Bram and his comrades at Z Base, be aware that this story largely romaticises zombies (though not to the point of sparkles, thankfully). While the lurching, falling-apart, rotting, brain-consuming variety are certainly a presence – there are also a less offensive type who have retained the majority of their humanity and personalities. Obviously, this is an effort to make the human-zombie love plotline palatable, but zombie purists may have a hard time accepting this version of… zombification, finding it raises more questions than answers (though these may be addressed in future books).
This was not an earth-shaking book for me, and I had a few irritations with the way the story was told, including the sheer breadth of viewpoints, which slowed the pacing. (It kind of lurched and shambled around at time, much like the Grays..) There is a lot going on: political intrigue, double-crossing, inventive zombie-slaying, burgeoning love, social commentary, uppity mean girls, tofu-eating, and plentiful gadgetry to be explained.. But at the end of the day, I found the characters and their story mostly engaging and entertaining.
In an increasingly popular and crowded genre, Dearly Departed rises boldly to the challenge of presenting something a little different, and most importantly (for me), fun.
June 24, 2018
Dieses Buch hat mich wirklich überrascht und war ganz anders, als ich erwartet hätte. Das hat mehrere Gründe:
1. Ich dachte Steampunk wäre total was für mich, habe aber festgestellt, dass das nicht unbedingt der Fall ist. Zum Glück gibt es hauptsächlich nur am Angang Elemtente davon und danach gerät das sehr in den Hintergrund.
2. In diesem Buch gibt es Zombies. Wie cool ist das denn? Irgendwie war mir dieser Aspekt, als ich das Buch gekauft habe, gar nicht bewusst. Super toll!
3. Der zweite Band wurdw nicht mehr übersetzt und der geplante dritte nie geschrieben, ABER das ist gar nicht schlimm, denn man kann dieses Buch auch gut als Einzelband lesen, finde ich.
Auf jeden Fall eine sehr positive und unterhaltsame Überraschung mit Leseempfehlung!
1. Ich dachte Steampunk wäre total was für mich, habe aber festgestellt, dass das nicht unbedingt der Fall ist. Zum Glück gibt es hauptsächlich nur am Angang Elemtente davon und danach gerät das sehr in den Hintergrund.
2. In diesem Buch gibt es Zombies. Wie cool ist das denn? Irgendwie war mir dieser Aspekt, als ich das Buch gekauft habe, gar nicht bewusst. Super toll!
3. Der zweite Band wurdw nicht mehr übersetzt und der geplante dritte nie geschrieben, ABER das ist gar nicht schlimm, denn man kann dieses Buch auch gut als Einzelband lesen, finde ich.
Auf jeden Fall eine sehr positive und unterhaltsame Überraschung mit Leseempfehlung!
May 6, 2013
I get it. Zombies are the next progression in sexy YA creatures. I can get past your boyfriend being pale and a little cold or being seriously hairy but decomposition?!
Your boyfriends nose falling off while you are making out is not something you can get over!!
Dearly,Departed is set in a post apocalyptic world where north america, Asian and it sounds like Europe (but I'm not sure) have all been destroyed. To survive the North Americans formed tribes and migrated to the equatorial regions of South America. After conquering the other tribes in a bloody civil war they set up a new civilization based on the golden age of the Victorian Era but with strong ties to modern day technology.
I call BULLSHIT!
I am sorry but lets be realistic. Asia is gone! That means there is no one left who knows how to build this technology and there are only 2 people left in America who even know how it works! And honestly I don't see that "Other Steve" from Apple giving Bill Gates a lift to safety on his SEGWAY when the world ends.
Do these two seem like the kind of guys that will lead a tribe through a post apocalyptic war for survival? Not very likely!
The most likely survivors? In my opinion, Rednecks! I watch TV. They have lots of guns stock piled, four wheeler and are not afraid to eat roadkill. My money is on them! But I am also betting that when they win the war they don't say "You know what we should base out society on? The Golden Age of Victorian Etiquette!" And why would any modern women let them? It's sexist!
Anyway back to the book. So OK say you suspend belief and go with the world building- I do understand that the author was trying to be original and she does get points for that. There is still an issue with pacing.
The first issue I suppose is a necessary one. Because there is such a vast world created there is a large amount of information dumped in the first part of the book which is quite daunting. Then as the book goes on the multiple POV get a little too much for me. Some people might like this but with 5 POV I found that just as I was starting to enjoy one characters narration it would change to another and the momentum would be lost.
I must admit that this book did have it's moments of witty dialog and good story line but at the end of the day the I couldn't get past the setting and the zombie romance, no matter how hard the author tried to make it OK it was still just icky!
Your boyfriends nose falling off while you are making out is not something you can get over!!
Dearly,Departed is set in a post apocalyptic world where north america, Asian and it sounds like Europe (but I'm not sure) have all been destroyed. To survive the North Americans formed tribes and migrated to the equatorial regions of South America. After conquering the other tribes in a bloody civil war they set up a new civilization based on the golden age of the Victorian Era but with strong ties to modern day technology.
I call BULLSHIT!
I am sorry but lets be realistic. Asia is gone! That means there is no one left who knows how to build this technology and there are only 2 people left in America who even know how it works! And honestly I don't see that "Other Steve" from Apple giving Bill Gates a lift to safety on his SEGWAY when the world ends.
Do these two seem like the kind of guys that will lead a tribe through a post apocalyptic war for survival? Not very likely!
The most likely survivors? In my opinion, Rednecks! I watch TV. They have lots of guns stock piled, four wheeler and are not afraid to eat roadkill. My money is on them! But I am also betting that when they win the war they don't say "You know what we should base out society on? The Golden Age of Victorian Etiquette!" And why would any modern women let them? It's sexist!
Anyway back to the book. So OK say you suspend belief and go with the world building- I do understand that the author was trying to be original and she does get points for that. There is still an issue with pacing.
The first issue I suppose is a necessary one. Because there is such a vast world created there is a large amount of information dumped in the first part of the book which is quite daunting. Then as the book goes on the multiple POV get a little too much for me. Some people might like this but with 5 POV I found that just as I was starting to enjoy one characters narration it would change to another and the momentum would be lost.
I must admit that this book did have it's moments of witty dialog and good story line but at the end of the day the I couldn't get past the setting and the zombie romance, no matter how hard the author tried to make it OK it was still just icky!
September 16, 2016
I first heard of Dearly, Departed - probably on Goodreads – in a context of absolutely aghast disgust. A story telling about a girl who falls in love with a zombie?! Horrors – and not in a good way. And it's true, on surface it's another one of those ideas which Should Not Work (I should create a shelf for those). Although it does occur to me that there's a fine, fine line between all those "I Loved a Vampire" PNR's and this – undead is undead. Still, undead but whole and able to heal is rather different from undead but possibly missing bits that won't grow back and liable to rot without maintenance.
But Lia Habel and her zombie hero Bram recognize this. And heaven knows her living heroine, Nora, recognizes this. That makes a difference. The well-written and interesting description combined with the gorgeous cover art made me put it on my wishlist despite any qualms (are you listening, self-published authors?), and when it became available on Netgalley I requested it with fingers crossed. With most books I request from there it's a click-and-forget proposition; I'll request almost anything that sounds interesting, and if I get I get it, if I don't I don't. But this one I wanted. So – thank you very much, Netgalley and Lia Habel. Out of the books I've read through the site there are a handful whose authors I will follow from now on, and maybe two whose digital galleys I enjoyed enough that I'll seek them out and buy them. Dearly, Departed fits both of those categories.
The world where this book (this series) takes place is beautifully built. It's our future, 2195, and there has been an ice age; needing to rebuild their society, they decided to take the best parts of the Victorian age (and, inevitably, some of the not-best) and pattern themselves on it. There has been terraforming, and mass migration and lots of adjustment – and fighting. In fact, one of my favorite things about the beginning of the book was that zombie attacks caught on film by the press are passed off as simply more brutal fighting between the Victorians (called, derisively, the royals) and the Punks – those who prefer to carry on an almost Luddite tradition as opposed to the New Victorians' new gaslit digital age. Lia Habel created a believable, enjoyable steampunk fusion of parasols and laptops, high-power weapons and crinolines.
Bram Griswold is – was – a Punk. That is, they were his people; he did not join the military until after he was dead. No one knows quite how or when or where the Laz – the zombie infection – began, but it's as is usual in zombie invasions: if you're bitten, you will die of it before long, but you might not stay dead. And in an attack on the mines where he worked Bram was bitten. Most of the victims wind up mindless and ravening: grays. Through luck, and early intervention, and (usually) not having eaten human flesh despite the body's craving, some few manage to keep their minds and their humanity intact and learn to function as if still human. And Bram did have intervention – he was saved by someone very important to the "good" zombies, as well as to Nora Dearly.
Now Nora herself is immensely valuable to all of them, both sides of this hidden zombie war. And she's also very important to the people she left behind – well, if not particularly her remaining family, a chilly aunt, then to her best friend, Pamela, who is a terrific character (and an even better friend).
I don't do horror. I tried to watch AMC's "The Walking Dead" when it premiered, having heard great things. I didn't even make it to the first zombie; the tension got me. I'm a wimp. I can't manage zombies. Which makes this all the more fascinating, in a way.
I think I can handle this denomination of zombie, though. There is a healthy dose of classic zombie horror here – not all the zombies have personalities, and in fact not all of them have working limbs, leading to what they call "Worms", which … *shudder*. The descriptions of the zombie hordes are terrifying – it's obvious why zombies are such a horror staple.
But a lot of the element of horror comes from the insight into Bram, and through him his comrades: he is a formerly healthy young man, good-looking and smart and funny, trapped in a body he himself finds appalling and which he knows will fail him in just a few years at most. The psychology of it is impressive, and fascinating, and honestly moving. I like this character; even apart from the deadness he's not the usual PNR Hero. He's a fairly ordinary kid (yes, attractive, but not devastatingly so) who has landed in a situation that would break most people.
And I like Nora. Again, attractive without making men swoon, trying to adapt to horrific circumstances. She's terrified, but neither stupid about it nor ridiculously courageous; uncomfortable and afraid of becoming comfortable among zombies; longing to be anywhere but where she is, yet strangely happy. And it's perfectly plausible.
Pamela, Nora's good friend from school, is another wonderful character. She knows Nora has gone missing, but not what the circumstances are, and meanwhile she has problems of her own as the zombies come to her neighborhood. As the zombies become her neighborhood. Like her friend, she is a clever and resourceful young woman; she is fighting the strictures, sometimes completely unreasonable given the circumstances, of her extremely proper and conventional family (and annoying brother), and is longing to fall in love herself, whatever the circumstances.
So – another book on the "This should NOT work" shelf. It does work. It really, really works. And I want more.
But Lia Habel and her zombie hero Bram recognize this. And heaven knows her living heroine, Nora, recognizes this. That makes a difference. The well-written and interesting description combined with the gorgeous cover art made me put it on my wishlist despite any qualms (are you listening, self-published authors?), and when it became available on Netgalley I requested it with fingers crossed. With most books I request from there it's a click-and-forget proposition; I'll request almost anything that sounds interesting, and if I get I get it, if I don't I don't. But this one I wanted. So – thank you very much, Netgalley and Lia Habel. Out of the books I've read through the site there are a handful whose authors I will follow from now on, and maybe two whose digital galleys I enjoyed enough that I'll seek them out and buy them. Dearly, Departed fits both of those categories.
The world where this book (this series) takes place is beautifully built. It's our future, 2195, and there has been an ice age; needing to rebuild their society, they decided to take the best parts of the Victorian age (and, inevitably, some of the not-best) and pattern themselves on it. There has been terraforming, and mass migration and lots of adjustment – and fighting. In fact, one of my favorite things about the beginning of the book was that zombie attacks caught on film by the press are passed off as simply more brutal fighting between the Victorians (called, derisively, the royals) and the Punks – those who prefer to carry on an almost Luddite tradition as opposed to the New Victorians' new gaslit digital age. Lia Habel created a believable, enjoyable steampunk fusion of parasols and laptops, high-power weapons and crinolines.
Bram Griswold is – was – a Punk. That is, they were his people; he did not join the military until after he was dead. No one knows quite how or when or where the Laz – the zombie infection – began, but it's as is usual in zombie invasions: if you're bitten, you will die of it before long, but you might not stay dead. And in an attack on the mines where he worked Bram was bitten. Most of the victims wind up mindless and ravening: grays. Through luck, and early intervention, and (usually) not having eaten human flesh despite the body's craving, some few manage to keep their minds and their humanity intact and learn to function as if still human. And Bram did have intervention – he was saved by someone very important to the "good" zombies, as well as to Nora Dearly.
Now Nora herself is immensely valuable to all of them, both sides of this hidden zombie war. And she's also very important to the people she left behind – well, if not particularly her remaining family, a chilly aunt, then to her best friend, Pamela, who is a terrific character (and an even better friend).
I don't do horror. I tried to watch AMC's "The Walking Dead" when it premiered, having heard great things. I didn't even make it to the first zombie; the tension got me. I'm a wimp. I can't manage zombies. Which makes this all the more fascinating, in a way.
I think I can handle this denomination of zombie, though. There is a healthy dose of classic zombie horror here – not all the zombies have personalities, and in fact not all of them have working limbs, leading to what they call "Worms", which … *shudder*. The descriptions of the zombie hordes are terrifying – it's obvious why zombies are such a horror staple.
But a lot of the element of horror comes from the insight into Bram, and through him his comrades: he is a formerly healthy young man, good-looking and smart and funny, trapped in a body he himself finds appalling and which he knows will fail him in just a few years at most. The psychology of it is impressive, and fascinating, and honestly moving. I like this character; even apart from the deadness he's not the usual PNR Hero. He's a fairly ordinary kid (yes, attractive, but not devastatingly so) who has landed in a situation that would break most people.
And I like Nora. Again, attractive without making men swoon, trying to adapt to horrific circumstances. She's terrified, but neither stupid about it nor ridiculously courageous; uncomfortable and afraid of becoming comfortable among zombies; longing to be anywhere but where she is, yet strangely happy. And it's perfectly plausible.
Pamela, Nora's good friend from school, is another wonderful character. She knows Nora has gone missing, but not what the circumstances are, and meanwhile she has problems of her own as the zombies come to her neighborhood. As the zombies become her neighborhood. Like her friend, she is a clever and resourceful young woman; she is fighting the strictures, sometimes completely unreasonable given the circumstances, of her extremely proper and conventional family (and annoying brother), and is longing to fall in love herself, whatever the circumstances.
So – another book on the "This should NOT work" shelf. It does work. It really, really works. And I want more.
August 16, 2017
Dearly, Departed was kindly provided to me by Netgalley for Random House Publishing Group.
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
Storyline
Dearly, Departed was quite enjoyable for me … at first. I found myself overwhelmed by the storyline because it had entirely way too much going on. I picked this up solely because it was a zombie novel (gotta love zombies) but then I was thrown into this odd dystopian society and THEN it transformed into this weird steampunk society where everything is set in ‘Victorian’ times. That was all just a bit too much for me and made it quite unbelievable and entirely too hard to follow. Suffice it to say I’m going to skip my typical summarizing of the story because it’s simply entirely way too much to summarize.
The Characters
I found each and every one of them to be an enjoyable addition to the story, but the multiple change in point of view added to the ‘entirely-too-hard-to-follow-ness’ that was going on for me. I thought it was an interesting touch when one of the POV’s was even the ‘villain’, but it didn’t work for me overall.
Bram was my favorite… he was charming, interesting, and quite funny. You could almost forget that he was a zombie.
’I gave her as long as she needed, all the while mentally designing my tombstone. R.I.P., Captain Abraham R. Griswold. He was completely useless and made girls cry.’
I think that was a part of the problem though… I didn’t want to forget he was a zombie! Zombies aren’t supposed to be mistaken for humans! I think I was missing the overall zombie-ness about him.
The Zombies
The zombie’s in ‘Dearly, Departed’ were an odd bunch. They were all infected with what is known as the Lazarus syndrome which caused people to come alive a few short hours after being pronounced dead… but they didn’t all come back the same. We had the Gray’s who are your typically moaning, limb dragging zombie-types. Then there’s a zombie army that fights the Gray’s. The members of the zombie army are zombies but they stayed fairly human, as far as personalities go… they still looked just as gruesome as normal zombies.
’I desperately wanted to roll my eyes, but we were discouraged from doing so. The muscles around the eyes are always some of the first to go.’
Overall Thoughts
Well shucks. I was so hoping to like this more but unfortunately this really didn’t work for me.
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
Storyline
Dearly, Departed was quite enjoyable for me … at first. I found myself overwhelmed by the storyline because it had entirely way too much going on. I picked this up solely because it was a zombie novel (gotta love zombies) but then I was thrown into this odd dystopian society and THEN it transformed into this weird steampunk society where everything is set in ‘Victorian’ times. That was all just a bit too much for me and made it quite unbelievable and entirely too hard to follow. Suffice it to say I’m going to skip my typical summarizing of the story because it’s simply entirely way too much to summarize.
The Characters
I found each and every one of them to be an enjoyable addition to the story, but the multiple change in point of view added to the ‘entirely-too-hard-to-follow-ness’ that was going on for me. I thought it was an interesting touch when one of the POV’s was even the ‘villain’, but it didn’t work for me overall.
Bram was my favorite… he was charming, interesting, and quite funny. You could almost forget that he was a zombie.
’I gave her as long as she needed, all the while mentally designing my tombstone. R.I.P., Captain Abraham R. Griswold. He was completely useless and made girls cry.’
I think that was a part of the problem though… I didn’t want to forget he was a zombie! Zombies aren’t supposed to be mistaken for humans! I think I was missing the overall zombie-ness about him.
The Zombies
The zombie’s in ‘Dearly, Departed’ were an odd bunch. They were all infected with what is known as the Lazarus syndrome which caused people to come alive a few short hours after being pronounced dead… but they didn’t all come back the same. We had the Gray’s who are your typically moaning, limb dragging zombie-types. Then there’s a zombie army that fights the Gray’s. The members of the zombie army are zombies but they stayed fairly human, as far as personalities go… they still looked just as gruesome as normal zombies.
’I desperately wanted to roll my eyes, but we were discouraged from doing so. The muscles around the eyes are always some of the first to go.’
Overall Thoughts
Well shucks. I was so hoping to like this more but unfortunately this really didn’t work for me.
October 29, 2011
Dearly, Departed could have been a most awesome book. It has a lot of good things going for it: a great cast of characters and an engaging story. The author has a quirky sense of humor and I did chuckle at some parts. The dialogue was entertaining as well. How could you go wrong with steampunk and zombies?
Let’s start with what I liked. I liked Nora and her best friend Pamela. These two girls were quite independent and brave. I loved that they did not just want to improve their station by marriage as was the custom in this book.
Then there’s Bram Griswold, you’ve got to love him. Bram is a born leader, a wonderful character, a loyal soldier, a zombie and Nora’s love interest (eww!!!). I also loved the camaraderie and often morbid sense of humor of Z company, the zombie armed forces. Well done.
The plot was entertaining but I did feel frustrated by the book. Perhaps it was because the author tried to pack a lot of stuff into the story. There were a few things that stopped this book from being rated higher.
The world building was confusing. Steampunk contraptions mixed with digital media, a little confusing. It didn’t make sense to me. I also did not understand why a society whose population had been decimated by major catastrophes, climate change, mass migrations, illnesses and the like would choose Victorian morals and conventions over just plain survival mode. The restrictive Victorian codes of behavior, not to mention the frilly dresses, just didn’t seem to fit.
There were too many points of view. Several reviewers have mentioned this. Even though the chapters were clearly marked, I found myself flipping back to the chapter heading just to remember who was narrating. It made for a choppy read.
There were different kinds of zombies. Yes, there were the flesh and brain eating zombies, but there were also kinder, gentler zombies that were sentient and ate tofu. Yes, tofu. For the protein.
While I was frustrated by the first half of this book, I was pleasantly surprised by the second half. Suddenly, the action picked up and I was glad I stuck with it. The second half of the book was fast paced, exciting, and full of action (and zombies). I began to enjoy this story.
There is a lot of potential in this series. I’m looking forward to reading Dearly, Beloved which is expected to be published sometime in 2012.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for a review copy of this book.
Check out my review and more on Badass Book Reviews.
Let’s start with what I liked. I liked Nora and her best friend Pamela. These two girls were quite independent and brave. I loved that they did not just want to improve their station by marriage as was the custom in this book.
Then there’s Bram Griswold, you’ve got to love him. Bram is a born leader, a wonderful character, a loyal soldier, a zombie and Nora’s love interest (eww!!!). I also loved the camaraderie and often morbid sense of humor of Z company, the zombie armed forces. Well done.
The plot was entertaining but I did feel frustrated by the book. Perhaps it was because the author tried to pack a lot of stuff into the story. There were a few things that stopped this book from being rated higher.
The world building was confusing. Steampunk contraptions mixed with digital media, a little confusing. It didn’t make sense to me. I also did not understand why a society whose population had been decimated by major catastrophes, climate change, mass migrations, illnesses and the like would choose Victorian morals and conventions over just plain survival mode. The restrictive Victorian codes of behavior, not to mention the frilly dresses, just didn’t seem to fit.
There were too many points of view. Several reviewers have mentioned this. Even though the chapters were clearly marked, I found myself flipping back to the chapter heading just to remember who was narrating. It made for a choppy read.
There were different kinds of zombies. Yes, there were the flesh and brain eating zombies, but there were also kinder, gentler zombies that were sentient and ate tofu. Yes, tofu. For the protein.
While I was frustrated by the first half of this book, I was pleasantly surprised by the second half. Suddenly, the action picked up and I was glad I stuck with it. The second half of the book was fast paced, exciting, and full of action (and zombies). I began to enjoy this story.
There is a lot of potential in this series. I’m looking forward to reading Dearly, Beloved which is expected to be published sometime in 2012.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for a review copy of this book.
Check out my review and more on Badass Book Reviews.
April 24, 2012
Rating: 4.5
A combination of steampunk, the Victorian era, and zombies, Dearly Departed is possibly one of the most unique depictions of the zombie apocalypse I've ever found. Being a huge zombie fan, I lapped up everything the book had to offer and really enjoyed the unique world building and delightful characters.
The author convincingly explains how the world came about; it's set in the future but for some reason a band of people called New Victorians have decided to uphold the traditional values to try and restore some peace and order in their world. In amongst the older manner of talking, you've got advanced technology and digital chips. The world within this novel is amazingly unique and actually quite believable, and easily transports you to another world.
The characters were very delightful and a joy to read. You've got Nora, sassy and dainty, Pamela, her strong-willed and righteous friend, and Bram, the captain zombie love interest. The other zombies were also fun to read and multi-dimensional. I'll admit, the character building was a bit limited due to having 5 different point of views within the book (not all which were essential).
I can see that many people have criticised the 5 multiple point of views, which I agree could be condensed into 2-3 to make it a more concise read with pacing. However, that was easy to overlook because I was so absorbed in the novel.
In conclusion, I've taken half a star off because of the multiple perspectives, and if it wasn't for that it would have been a perfect novel for me. Definitely recommended for those who love YA fiction, zombies, and steampunk.
Check out Happy Indulgence for more reviews!
A combination of steampunk, the Victorian era, and zombies, Dearly Departed is possibly one of the most unique depictions of the zombie apocalypse I've ever found. Being a huge zombie fan, I lapped up everything the book had to offer and really enjoyed the unique world building and delightful characters.
The author convincingly explains how the world came about; it's set in the future but for some reason a band of people called New Victorians have decided to uphold the traditional values to try and restore some peace and order in their world. In amongst the older manner of talking, you've got advanced technology and digital chips. The world within this novel is amazingly unique and actually quite believable, and easily transports you to another world.
The characters were very delightful and a joy to read. You've got Nora, sassy and dainty, Pamela, her strong-willed and righteous friend, and Bram, the captain zombie love interest. The other zombies were also fun to read and multi-dimensional. I'll admit, the character building was a bit limited due to having 5 different point of views within the book (not all which were essential).
I can see that many people have criticised the 5 multiple point of views, which I agree could be condensed into 2-3 to make it a more concise read with pacing. However, that was easy to overlook because I was so absorbed in the novel.
In conclusion, I've taken half a star off because of the multiple perspectives, and if it wasn't for that it would have been a perfect novel for me. Definitely recommended for those who love YA fiction, zombies, and steampunk.
Check out Happy Indulgence for more reviews!
November 4, 2011
First of all let me add a disclaimer that honestly Dearly, Departed isn't a really well written book. The prose is awkward at times, the world building seriously doesn't make any sense, the multiple POVs will give you a headache and the plot isn't all that particularly interesting.
So why the hell did I give it 4 stars?! LOL.
Because I love Captain Abraham Griswold aka Bram!!!!! There you have it, I have a crush on a zombie, god help me....... I was gone the minute he put on that damn military outfit and took her to church. Arghhh.
Why do I like Bram so much? He brings a lot of old world gentlemanly charm with him that's quite lost in this day and age, he's so charming and polite, he has an interesting backstory, he's sentimental, he's sensitive, he's a captain in the army and has the hot ass military uniform... swooooooon. Okay so I could go on and on and on about Bram but what about the book you ask?
The lore of the world is interesting to say the least. Humanoid Zombies who don't want to eat your brain (yet) in a steampunk Victorian world. I love how the steampunk aspect of the world is combined with modern technology! They have computer chips implanted in people to find their whereabouts and also to be used as identity, digital diaries with old Sepia photos even parasols with futuristic fabrics.
On the other hand, the Victorian world building is so outlandish it honestly doesn't quite make sense. The world doesn't feel real to me at all, why on earth would people go back to the Victorian era?! The only reason given was "it was a simpler, easier time, values and virtues were held at its highest" and all that nonsense but that's really not a good reason for an entire society to be based on such a remote period. Unlike The Forest of Hands and Teeth where due to an utter collapse of civilisation, people are FORCED to live that way - this book provides no concrete reason for people to go back to the Victorian Era. But hey it puts Bram in a Victorian Captain's Military Outfit mmmmmmmmm so I'll just overlook that point even though every scene without Bram that has references to 'ye olde Victoria' just make me wanna headdesk.
As for the characters, I really like Nora. Given all that has happen to her, the reactions make sense and she's very likeable. A unique character? Probably not but she's very likeable in her own way. Kinda like how I felt about Lissa from Vampire Academy in the first few books where she was all sugar and no spice. Okay fine Nora in one scene does take a gun and start shooting zombies left right and centre from the top of a roof but hey even nice girls would do that if threatened by impending zombie brain eating doom. I'm guessing Nora needs sometime to 'show' her real side. Perhaps in the 2nd book?
Pamela on the other hand is just a bore. 0 real personality of her own, she's like a Nora clone but not as cool. Her only saving grace was the Parasol scene but honestly that's as 'cool' as she gets. She's the best friend who secretly wants to be the main character. I honestly wanted to skip ALL of Pamela POV's.
The other zombie side characters (the ones belonging to Bram's Zombie army) are fun to read. I really like reading their interactions with one another. Chas esp is hilarious and a hoot to read! I would have like to explore the conflict between the boy zombies though but maybe she's saving that for the next book.
The protagonists in the story on the other hand are just sad. They are sad caricatures of stock standard enemy archetypes i.e. Vespertine Mink as the Queen Bee. Like cardboard cutouts, they are vapid and really not all that intimidating.
The other thing that bugged me was the writing! There's just something about the prose that reads very awkwardly and clumsily to me. At times I had to re-read several passages because of how awkward they were written. The multiple POVs also totally killed me. Sorry Lia Habel is no GRR Martin (the king of multiple POVs!). I would have preferred if it just stuck with the story of Bram and Nora. While I understand that the author had wanted to give different perspectives but honestly the other 2 major plotlines were kinda boring and I just wanted to go back to the story of Bram and Nora which was way more exciting. Perhaps it's the transitioning of the POVs which I compare it to going at 120 mph only to come to a screeching halt and start at 30 mph again. Totally not a fun experience at all.
Anyway back to Bram and Nora which I think for me was the highlight of the story. First of all there's no insta-love here (thank god) and it's a mutual crush on each other that just flourishes into a full blown romance. There are just so many interactions that were so cute, like the game Bram and Nora play to make her feel at ease in the zombie hideout, the stolen glances and the awkward pauses between them, how they always try to hold hands but in a quiet shy manner, the shy conversations they have at night, how they attended church dressed up (like in an officer and gentleman), how he shyly asks her for a dance, how they quietly have still moments, I could go on and on and on. To be honest I am hardly affected by romance but man these two made me want to giggle and squeal at every page!
Dearly, Departed is a fun read that has some pretty major flaws but also lots of fluffy stuff that makes you coming back for more. It's a lot like eating fast food, you know it's ridiculously bad for you and nutritionally unsound but as soon as you sink your teeth into that burger you can't help but feel, ahhhhhhhhhh that just hits the spot baby!
So why the hell did I give it 4 stars?! LOL.
Because I love Captain Abraham Griswold aka Bram!!!!! There you have it, I have a crush on a zombie, god help me....... I was gone the minute he put on that damn military outfit and took her to church. Arghhh.
Why do I like Bram so much? He brings a lot of old world gentlemanly charm with him that's quite lost in this day and age, he's so charming and polite, he has an interesting backstory, he's sentimental, he's sensitive, he's a captain in the army and has the hot ass military uniform... swooooooon. Okay so I could go on and on and on about Bram but what about the book you ask?
The lore of the world is interesting to say the least. Humanoid Zombies who don't want to eat your brain (yet) in a steampunk Victorian world. I love how the steampunk aspect of the world is combined with modern technology! They have computer chips implanted in people to find their whereabouts and also to be used as identity, digital diaries with old Sepia photos even parasols with futuristic fabrics.
On the other hand, the Victorian world building is so outlandish it honestly doesn't quite make sense. The world doesn't feel real to me at all, why on earth would people go back to the Victorian era?! The only reason given was "it was a simpler, easier time, values and virtues were held at its highest" and all that nonsense but that's really not a good reason for an entire society to be based on such a remote period. Unlike The Forest of Hands and Teeth where due to an utter collapse of civilisation, people are FORCED to live that way - this book provides no concrete reason for people to go back to the Victorian Era. But hey it puts Bram in a Victorian Captain's Military Outfit mmmmmmmmm so I'll just overlook that point even though every scene without Bram that has references to 'ye olde Victoria' just make me wanna headdesk.
As for the characters, I really like Nora. Given all that has happen to her, the reactions make sense and she's very likeable. A unique character? Probably not but she's very likeable in her own way. Kinda like how I felt about Lissa from Vampire Academy in the first few books where she was all sugar and no spice. Okay fine Nora in one scene does take a gun and start shooting zombies left right and centre from the top of a roof but hey even nice girls would do that if threatened by impending zombie brain eating doom. I'm guessing Nora needs sometime to 'show' her real side. Perhaps in the 2nd book?
Pamela on the other hand is just a bore. 0 real personality of her own, she's like a Nora clone but not as cool. Her only saving grace was the Parasol scene but honestly that's as 'cool' as she gets. She's the best friend who secretly wants to be the main character. I honestly wanted to skip ALL of Pamela POV's.
The other zombie side characters (the ones belonging to Bram's Zombie army) are fun to read. I really like reading their interactions with one another. Chas esp is hilarious and a hoot to read! I would have like to explore the conflict between the boy zombies though but maybe she's saving that for the next book.
The protagonists in the story on the other hand are just sad. They are sad caricatures of stock standard enemy archetypes i.e. Vespertine Mink as the Queen Bee. Like cardboard cutouts, they are vapid and really not all that intimidating.
The other thing that bugged me was the writing! There's just something about the prose that reads very awkwardly and clumsily to me. At times I had to re-read several passages because of how awkward they were written. The multiple POVs also totally killed me. Sorry Lia Habel is no GRR Martin (the king of multiple POVs!). I would have preferred if it just stuck with the story of Bram and Nora. While I understand that the author had wanted to give different perspectives but honestly the other 2 major plotlines were kinda boring and I just wanted to go back to the story of Bram and Nora which was way more exciting. Perhaps it's the transitioning of the POVs which I compare it to going at 120 mph only to come to a screeching halt and start at 30 mph again. Totally not a fun experience at all.
Anyway back to Bram and Nora which I think for me was the highlight of the story. First of all there's no insta-love here (thank god) and it's a mutual crush on each other that just flourishes into a full blown romance. There are just so many interactions that were so cute, like the game Bram and Nora play to make her feel at ease in the zombie hideout, the stolen glances and the awkward pauses between them, how they always try to hold hands but in a quiet shy manner, the shy conversations they have at night, how they attended church dressed up (like in an officer and gentleman), how he shyly asks her for a dance, how they quietly have still moments, I could go on and on and on. To be honest I am hardly affected by romance but man these two made me want to giggle and squeal at every page!
Dearly, Departed is a fun read that has some pretty major flaws but also lots of fluffy stuff that makes you coming back for more. It's a lot like eating fast food, you know it's ridiculously bad for you and nutritionally unsound but as soon as you sink your teeth into that burger you can't help but feel, ahhhhhhhhhh that just hits the spot baby!
November 3, 2014
Want to know why this book was awesome? Two words: Victorian zombies. Oh yes, you heard me right.
Victorian.
Zombies.
I think that we can all agree that that alone makes this book a must-read, but there's plenty more to love about Dearly, Departed-- starting with the amazing, multi-dimensional characters. Nora Dearly is the heroine of the story, a proper New-Victorian girl living in the year 2194. The perfect mix of spirited stubbornness and genuine loyalty to her friends, Nora's character was definitely able to stand on its own without leaning on the love-interest. (Although Bram was also amazing, and we'll get to him in just a minute!) I loved that Nora wasn't afraid to speak her mind or fight for those she cares about-- and she had a sense of humor too, which made it a lot of fun to read from her perspective!
Bram was Nora's zombie love interest, and seriously the cutest thing ever. For being a dead guy, he totally beats a lot of other living guys I've read about lately in YA, no joke. His sweet, innocent attachment to Nora and his thoughts about how he can impress her were so freaking adorable, and I also loved his loyalty and bravery as he fights to save his friends, who are dead but still human. And speaking of, Bram's friends and the rest of the Z-Camp zombie crew were all fun, quirky, and a little creepy-- definitely a great mix of characters to read about!
I've heard some other people say this too, but I'm going to repeat it because it was a refreshing change of pace: the romance was not overdone. I feel like in a lot of YA books, the romance overwhelms the rest of the story and even the characters get lost because the only thing you know about them is that they are so head-over-heels in love with each other. But Dearly, Departed had much more of a story behind it, with politics, war, rebellions, social upheaval-- all of which created plot conflict without depending solely on an unbelievable or angsty teen love story. Oh! And also-- there are NO love triangles!! Woohoo, that alone earns this book big ratings in my book!
The world building was fascinatingly dark and beautiful, if a bit overwhelming at times. Lia Habel created a completely new type of setting that was both futuristic and old-fashioned at the same time. I loved reading about New Victoria and the camp where the undead lived, and all the politics surrounding the New Victorians and the Punks really made things seem complete. I felt like there was so much detail that I could really picture the world that the story took place in.
The only major problem that I had with this book was that the narrative was somewhat choppy, due to the fact that it's told through 5 different perspectives: Nora, Bram, Nora's friend Pamela, Nora's father Victor, and evil Captain Wolfe. I liked reading from Nora, Pamela and Bram's perspectives, but I didn't care enough about Victor and Wolfe to even remember what was going on with them, so that made following the entire story kind of tricky. My recommendation, if you do decide to read this book, is to not read it on and off like I did-- there's just too much to keep track of, and if you stop and try picking it up again a bunch of times, you might have to backtrack a lot to figure out where you were. I found that when I was able to sit down for longer periods of time, I was able to get much more out of the story.
Dearly, Departed was a really fun and unique book that crossed over into several different genres. The story itself was dark and creepy, but had light-hearted humor and a cute love story to balance what would otherwise had been a bit of a grim and depressing read. The action and adventure added to the memorable characters and intricate world building. Even though this book took me forever to read, I thought it was worth it, and I know that many YA readers out there are going to really love this one!
~Cover Talk~
This is such a gorgeous cover! I love the monochrome colors, and the graveyard in the background gives the whole book a creepy, eerie feel. Also, how much do you love the outfit Nora's character is wearing?? **I want!** Finally, I think the font type for the title fits in perfectly with the Victorian theme. Altogether, this cover definitely captures the dark, Gothic mood of the book.
Lea @ LC's Adventures in Libraryland
Victorian.
Zombies.
I think that we can all agree that that alone makes this book a must-read, but there's plenty more to love about Dearly, Departed-- starting with the amazing, multi-dimensional characters. Nora Dearly is the heroine of the story, a proper New-Victorian girl living in the year 2194. The perfect mix of spirited stubbornness and genuine loyalty to her friends, Nora's character was definitely able to stand on its own without leaning on the love-interest. (Although Bram was also amazing, and we'll get to him in just a minute!) I loved that Nora wasn't afraid to speak her mind or fight for those she cares about-- and she had a sense of humor too, which made it a lot of fun to read from her perspective!
Bram was Nora's zombie love interest, and seriously the cutest thing ever. For being a dead guy, he totally beats a lot of other living guys I've read about lately in YA, no joke. His sweet, innocent attachment to Nora and his thoughts about how he can impress her were so freaking adorable, and I also loved his loyalty and bravery as he fights to save his friends, who are dead but still human. And speaking of, Bram's friends and the rest of the Z-Camp zombie crew were all fun, quirky, and a little creepy-- definitely a great mix of characters to read about!
I've heard some other people say this too, but I'm going to repeat it because it was a refreshing change of pace: the romance was not overdone. I feel like in a lot of YA books, the romance overwhelms the rest of the story and even the characters get lost because the only thing you know about them is that they are so head-over-heels in love with each other. But Dearly, Departed had much more of a story behind it, with politics, war, rebellions, social upheaval-- all of which created plot conflict without depending solely on an unbelievable or angsty teen love story. Oh! And also-- there are NO love triangles!! Woohoo, that alone earns this book big ratings in my book!
The world building was fascinatingly dark and beautiful, if a bit overwhelming at times. Lia Habel created a completely new type of setting that was both futuristic and old-fashioned at the same time. I loved reading about New Victoria and the camp where the undead lived, and all the politics surrounding the New Victorians and the Punks really made things seem complete. I felt like there was so much detail that I could really picture the world that the story took place in.
The only major problem that I had with this book was that the narrative was somewhat choppy, due to the fact that it's told through 5 different perspectives: Nora, Bram, Nora's friend Pamela, Nora's father Victor, and evil Captain Wolfe. I liked reading from Nora, Pamela and Bram's perspectives, but I didn't care enough about Victor and Wolfe to even remember what was going on with them, so that made following the entire story kind of tricky. My recommendation, if you do decide to read this book, is to not read it on and off like I did-- there's just too much to keep track of, and if you stop and try picking it up again a bunch of times, you might have to backtrack a lot to figure out where you were. I found that when I was able to sit down for longer periods of time, I was able to get much more out of the story.
Dearly, Departed was a really fun and unique book that crossed over into several different genres. The story itself was dark and creepy, but had light-hearted humor and a cute love story to balance what would otherwise had been a bit of a grim and depressing read. The action and adventure added to the memorable characters and intricate world building. Even though this book took me forever to read, I thought it was worth it, and I know that many YA readers out there are going to really love this one!
~Cover Talk~
This is such a gorgeous cover! I love the monochrome colors, and the graveyard in the background gives the whole book a creepy, eerie feel. Also, how much do you love the outfit Nora's character is wearing?? **I want!** Finally, I think the font type for the title fits in perfectly with the Victorian theme. Altogether, this cover definitely captures the dark, Gothic mood of the book.
Lea @ LC's Adventures in Libraryland
February 7, 2012
I love zombies. At first I almost didn't read this because I wasn't sure about the future Victorian era. I was a little confused at the beginning but as I kept reading I slowly began to understand the future world. I also always love different perspectives. I love seeing both sides to the story through Nora and Bram's eyes as well as Nora's best friend Pam, and of course the evil villain. It does take away the mystery but I like seeing everything that is going on and why it is going on. The zombies in this book have their own unique traits as well. Some go mad but some stay sane. They eat tofu, nom nom as Bram said LOL. Their bodies are decaying so they have regular tune ups to keep them in the best shape they can. Although there are some with missing eyes, metal plated jaws, and one zombie doctor can even remove his head, but he actually elected to do that so he wouldn't bite his partner.
I loved the romance in this book. At first, along with Nora, I was like get with a zombie ewwwwwwww lol But as I slowly got to know Bram, I fell for him along with Nora. He was so sweet and tried to be a good person. He may only have years left but he wants to spend them making a difference. This love was so wonderful because he may be rotting but she saw the beautiful person inside and loved him anyway. By the end, I myself could care less if he was dead, rotting, and whether or not his limbs would come off, I wanted Bram. It was a nice well developed love with a slow realistic build. No insta~love or love triangles which are big pet peeves for me.
The action and developments for the other characters I also enjoyed. While I admit to being a bit bored with Pam at first, she definitely surprised me as the book progressed. She was brave and a great friend to Nora. She tried to help her no matter what the dangers were to herself. The reason she bored me a little was that I mostly just couldn't get enough of Nora and Bram. When I got to a chapter that wasn't in one of their perspectives I would flip ahead and see how many more pages until I got back to them. I even got a little teary eyed at the end. I really hope somehow they find a cure for the zombies by the end of the series or my heart will be broken.
I loved the romance in this book. At first, along with Nora, I was like get with a zombie ewwwwwwww lol But as I slowly got to know Bram, I fell for him along with Nora. He was so sweet and tried to be a good person. He may only have years left but he wants to spend them making a difference. This love was so wonderful because he may be rotting but she saw the beautiful person inside and loved him anyway. By the end, I myself could care less if he was dead, rotting, and whether or not his limbs would come off, I wanted Bram. It was a nice well developed love with a slow realistic build. No insta~love or love triangles which are big pet peeves for me.
The action and developments for the other characters I also enjoyed. While I admit to being a bit bored with Pam at first, she definitely surprised me as the book progressed. She was brave and a great friend to Nora. She tried to help her no matter what the dangers were to herself. The reason she bored me a little was that I mostly just couldn't get enough of Nora and Bram. When I got to a chapter that wasn't in one of their perspectives I would flip ahead and see how many more pages until I got back to them. I even got a little teary eyed at the end. I really hope somehow they find a cure for the zombies by the end of the series or my heart will be broken.
June 18, 2016
2.5 stars
I feel very confused with this one. To start off with, I thought the world building at the beginning was very strange and felt there were many ways it could have been more special and had more depth to it. All it basically is is that the world came into an ice age so countries were lost and everyone was forced to move south and all the people thought about the Victorians and thought that was the best way to live. That's it basically. It just felt a little far fetched and peculiar that in an apocalyptic scenario people would remember everything from the Victorian period and want to go back to it.
The ideas behind the zombies were quite interesting on the other hand and I liked the mystery around Nora's father and the part with Wolfe where he was working with a Punk (people who live outside of New Victorian society) by giving away the secrets of the government Z-Comp in his way to gain redemption, I saw coming. I did try to imagine civilized zombies and how today's society would handle the ideas of loved ones reanimating as either flesh eating monsters or just like they were. To me the author illustrated the controversy of the sane living dead being part of society very well. I felt like there could have been more action towards the middle and more adventure on Nora's behalf. While reading Victorian books for some reason it always pleases me to see a high society girl get her hands dirty.
The characters were realistic and well thought of and I really liked the multiple first person POV
so that I got to see things through the eyes of different people rather than only hear the thoughts of one person. Bram has to be my favorite character he's strong, sympathetic to Nora's situation and will not take any bullshit.
While I've got to admit that I'm a bit disappointed I will read the next book and see how things turn out. I would recommend this book to those who want a different type of zombie/dystopian novel and those who would like a book to look at zombies in a more complex out of the ordinary way.
I feel very confused with this one. To start off with, I thought the world building at the beginning was very strange and felt there were many ways it could have been more special and had more depth to it. All it basically is is that the world came into an ice age so countries were lost and everyone was forced to move south and all the people thought about the Victorians and thought that was the best way to live. That's it basically. It just felt a little far fetched and peculiar that in an apocalyptic scenario people would remember everything from the Victorian period and want to go back to it.
The ideas behind the zombies were quite interesting on the other hand and I liked the mystery around Nora's father and the part with Wolfe where he was working with a Punk (people who live outside of New Victorian society) by giving away the secrets of the government Z-Comp in his way to gain redemption, I saw coming. I did try to imagine civilized zombies and how today's society would handle the ideas of loved ones reanimating as either flesh eating monsters or just like they were. To me the author illustrated the controversy of the sane living dead being part of society very well. I felt like there could have been more action towards the middle and more adventure on Nora's behalf. While reading Victorian books for some reason it always pleases me to see a high society girl get her hands dirty.
The characters were realistic and well thought of and I really liked the multiple first person POV
so that I got to see things through the eyes of different people rather than only hear the thoughts of one person. Bram has to be my favorite character he's strong, sympathetic to Nora's situation and will not take any bullshit.
While I've got to admit that I'm a bit disappointed I will read the next book and see how things turn out. I would recommend this book to those who want a different type of zombie/dystopian novel and those who would like a book to look at zombies in a more complex out of the ordinary way.
March 7, 2015
I have heard lots of chatter about this book on different topics in the GoodRead world so; I was excited to find out that my book club was reading it. When all the chatter was originally flying, I had to take a peek. I didn’t get further than the cover. I was hooked I loved it. My mind drifted immediately Abby from the television show NCIS. It reminded me of the episode where she attended a New Orleans style funeral complete with bagpipes.
I had drawn my own conclusion and could be more glad to have been more wrong. This antique victorian mixed with a steam punk futuristic background was beyond awesome.
Lia Habel told Dearly, Departed in the first person POV. However, it is told from several different perspectives and told in alternating chapters. (Much like the way I write). But don’t get me wrong it was a great read. Most people do not like books written from sever POV. I for one as long as it is well written; do not mind.
My favorite character was Bram. He is literally to die for (sad pun intended, lol!) and you can't help but fall for him. This was my first full on zombie novel and I loved it and I am sure that you will as well. LH has got herself a winner in Dearly Departed and I challenge anyone seriously to read it and not love Bram as much as any other male hero!
I had drawn my own conclusion and could be more glad to have been more wrong. This antique victorian mixed with a steam punk futuristic background was beyond awesome.
Lia Habel told Dearly, Departed in the first person POV. However, it is told from several different perspectives and told in alternating chapters. (Much like the way I write). But don’t get me wrong it was a great read. Most people do not like books written from sever POV. I for one as long as it is well written; do not mind.
My favorite character was Bram. He is literally to die for (sad pun intended, lol!) and you can't help but fall for him. This was my first full on zombie novel and I loved it and I am sure that you will as well. LH has got herself a winner in Dearly Departed and I challenge anyone seriously to read it and not love Bram as much as any other male hero!
February 13, 2016
3.5 stars | Grade: C+
This book was a first in many ways for me. It was my first book in the steampunk genre, which seems to have become all the rage. It was my first zombie and my first modern horror novel. And it was the first YA book I’ve read since being a YA myself.
I hadn’t been avoiding any of these—on the contrary: seeing review after review by my Goodreads friends has had me adding book after book that I would not normally have read or sought out. One of the reasons I’m making a point of telling you all this though is because unlike many readers who will read this review and/or the book itself, I don’t have much to compare it to—frankly, I have nothing to compare it to! But here goes …
Summary. Dearly, Departed is set in 2195 and centers around the people of New Victoria and the Punks. While they share ancestors, the two groups have been in a war with one another for generations, though at this point it’s not all-out and amounts to border skirmishes, as well as propaganda-driven ignorance and misinformation about one another.
Nora Dearly, a young woman in New Victoria, is still mourning the loss of her father a year ago. She’s home from boarding school and is greeted by the distressing news that her aunt has wasted away their fortune and one of them will have to marry advantageously to refill the family coffers. All of this gets shoved to the back of her mind though, when Nora’s life takes a dramatic turn.
Home alone one night, she is attacked by a group of flesh-eating, decomposing, and mindless zombies. Trying to fight them off, she is saved just in time by a team of soldiers—also zombies, but turns out they are the good guys.
What follows is one revelation and danger after another. She learns that being “dead” doesn’t mean what she thought it did, befriends zombies, and falls into requited love with one of them, Bram. All around her, various existential battles are being fought: Punks versus New Victorians, the living versus the dead, the good guys versus the bad ones.
Reaction. Overall, I enjoyed the book and found the middle portion very engaging. The beginning and end were fine while I was reading them, but easy to lose interest in between reads. There were several funny lines and great exchanges. I loved most all the characters and found Nora to be a surprisingly likable heroine (I have problems with a lot of the PNR ones); she also showed no signs of having been lobotomized, but instead acknowledged risks while also not freaking out at every little thing. I loved the secondary characters: they were very funny, the back-and-forth between them was entertaining, and they were well-defined; by the end, I liked some of them as much as I did the main ones
The author tries to pack a lot into one book and that was the book’s main failure in my mind. There are too many storylines being explored and too many different factions, which was a shame because on their own I found most all of them interesting. The final section feels extremely rushed and includes a huge and non-subtle information dump explaining everything.
One of the things that took a little getting used to was that the story is told in first person … from five different people’s POVs. By far, Nora and Bram get the most narration time, but we also spend significant time with the other three characters. At least the transitions were clear though, with the narrating character’s name at the beginning of every chapter. The switch was annoying when it would happen just as I was really getting into a POV. It wasn’t a deal-breaker though and I enjoyed Bram’s and Nora’s.
I have learned by now that many fantasy/paranormal romance readers have certain pet peeves, a certain type of ending being one of them (Chicagoland Vampires anyone?), so I want to include this warning: while there is not a dramatic cliffhanger like that, the ending and epilogue are most definitely a setup for the next book, with a few plotlines left dangling.
Steampunk and Zombies and YA, Oh My! Despite the issues I had with the author biting off more than she could chew, I thought this was a good introduction to these genres. It definitely piqued my interest and makes me want to move these books higher in my TBR list. I found Habel’s creation interesting and there’s no doubt she has a good imagination—I loved the Punk vs. New Victorian aspect and wanted that to be further explored.
While I haven’t read steampunk or zombies before, I love the science fiction classics, so I am familiar with world-building and etc. Though I never felt like I was back in the “regular” world, I did think that the integration was not consistent and at times confusing. Some examples are how not all the zombies were really zombie-ish (right? not an expert here), the Victorian-ness at times felt forced, and I often completely forget about this supposedly huge and defining division between the two societies.
Bottom Line. At the end of the day, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it. Were there problems? Yes, most definitely. But the romance between Nora and Bram was sweet, the secondary characters were wonderful, and the novel has an interesting storyline … well, several, which was one of the problems, but regardless: I did like Dearly, Departed. Though I will not be rushing out to buy the second book when it comes out, I am curious about what happens next in this world Habel has created.
Two of My Favorite Quotes
Originally reviewed for Fiction Vixen Book Reviews. This review is of a copy provided by the author/publisher to FVBR.
This book was a first in many ways for me. It was my first book in the steampunk genre, which seems to have become all the rage. It was my first zombie and my first modern horror novel. And it was the first YA book I’ve read since being a YA myself.
I hadn’t been avoiding any of these—on the contrary: seeing review after review by my Goodreads friends has had me adding book after book that I would not normally have read or sought out. One of the reasons I’m making a point of telling you all this though is because unlike many readers who will read this review and/or the book itself, I don’t have much to compare it to—frankly, I have nothing to compare it to! But here goes …
Summary. Dearly, Departed is set in 2195 and centers around the people of New Victoria and the Punks. While they share ancestors, the two groups have been in a war with one another for generations, though at this point it’s not all-out and amounts to border skirmishes, as well as propaganda-driven ignorance and misinformation about one another.
Nora Dearly, a young woman in New Victoria, is still mourning the loss of her father a year ago. She’s home from boarding school and is greeted by the distressing news that her aunt has wasted away their fortune and one of them will have to marry advantageously to refill the family coffers. All of this gets shoved to the back of her mind though, when Nora’s life takes a dramatic turn.
Home alone one night, she is attacked by a group of flesh-eating, decomposing, and mindless zombies. Trying to fight them off, she is saved just in time by a team of soldiers—also zombies, but turns out they are the good guys.
What follows is one revelation and danger after another. She learns that being “dead” doesn’t mean what she thought it did, befriends zombies, and falls into requited love with one of them, Bram. All around her, various existential battles are being fought: Punks versus New Victorians, the living versus the dead, the good guys versus the bad ones.
Reaction. Overall, I enjoyed the book and found the middle portion very engaging. The beginning and end were fine while I was reading them, but easy to lose interest in between reads. There were several funny lines and great exchanges. I loved most all the characters and found Nora to be a surprisingly likable heroine (I have problems with a lot of the PNR ones); she also showed no signs of having been lobotomized, but instead acknowledged risks while also not freaking out at every little thing. I loved the secondary characters: they were very funny, the back-and-forth between them was entertaining, and they were well-defined; by the end, I liked some of them as much as I did the main ones
The author tries to pack a lot into one book and that was the book’s main failure in my mind. There are too many storylines being explored and too many different factions, which was a shame because on their own I found most all of them interesting. The final section feels extremely rushed and includes a huge and non-subtle information dump explaining everything.
One of the things that took a little getting used to was that the story is told in first person … from five different people’s POVs. By far, Nora and Bram get the most narration time, but we also spend significant time with the other three characters. At least the transitions were clear though, with the narrating character’s name at the beginning of every chapter. The switch was annoying when it would happen just as I was really getting into a POV. It wasn’t a deal-breaker though and I enjoyed Bram’s and Nora’s.
I have learned by now that many fantasy/paranormal romance readers have certain pet peeves, a certain type of ending being one of them (Chicagoland Vampires anyone?), so I want to include this warning: while there is not a dramatic cliffhanger like that, the ending and epilogue are most definitely a setup for the next book, with a few plotlines left dangling.
Steampunk and Zombies and YA, Oh My! Despite the issues I had with the author biting off more than she could chew, I thought this was a good introduction to these genres. It definitely piqued my interest and makes me want to move these books higher in my TBR list. I found Habel’s creation interesting and there’s no doubt she has a good imagination—I loved the Punk vs. New Victorian aspect and wanted that to be further explored.
While I haven’t read steampunk or zombies before, I love the science fiction classics, so I am familiar with world-building and etc. Though I never felt like I was back in the “regular” world, I did think that the integration was not consistent and at times confusing. Some examples are how not all the zombies were really zombie-ish (right? not an expert here), the Victorian-ness at times felt forced, and I often completely forget about this supposedly huge and defining division between the two societies.
Bottom Line. At the end of the day, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it. Were there problems? Yes, most definitely. But the romance between Nora and Bram was sweet, the secondary characters were wonderful, and the novel has an interesting storyline … well, several, which was one of the problems, but regardless: I did like Dearly, Departed. Though I will not be rushing out to buy the second book when it comes out, I am curious about what happens next in this world Habel has created.
Two of My Favorite Quotes
“Well, I have things I need, too. I instinctively crave fluids, because I’m drying out. I crave protein because I’m damaging my body’s tissues every time I move, even though I can’t use that protein to rebuild them anymore. And the prions living in my brain crave new hosts and tell my synapses to make me a little nippy. In short, I’m newly rewired with a burning desire for a nice, warm body. You know, like every other teenage boy.”
She reached out her hand and stroked a finger along the edge of my captain’s bars. Then, in a sudden fit of propriety, she yanked her hand back as if out of an open flame and hid it beneath her blanket. “Wow.”
I vowed that I was never taking the uniform off, ever.
I bent my head, all proper-like. “I’ll wait for you in the courtyard.”
“Okay.”
Samedi eyed me on the way out. “Oh, you scoundrel. That’s dirty pool.”
I jutted a finger at him. “You just wish you had one.”
“I don’t need one!” he shot back. “I have maturity, and strength of personality! And … and the ability to hide my own head in glove compartments and lockers to see if she’s cheating on me!”
Beryl handed him a file on her way past. “You ever try that again, I’m going to drop-kick you into the next country.”
Originally reviewed for Fiction Vixen Book Reviews. This review is of a copy provided by the author/publisher to FVBR.
January 19, 2012
Sometimes I "stall out" while reading a book but intend to go back and finish...and sometimes, after a few months, I have to own up to the fact that I'm just not going to. Dearly, Departed is one of these. It started out really interesting, but lost me in the middle.
Nora Dearly lives in New Victoria, a post-apocalyptic society that has revived the customs of the Victorian era. Supposedly, this happened after a series of disasters, when many of the survivors left standing were hardcore religious conservatives who believed in strict gender roles, long skirts for women, and so on. One of my random interests is the Quiverfull movement, and I've read enough about it to know that there is, in fact, an idealization of the Victorian period in that subculture. So it's not that far-fetched to me that these survivors might have tried to recreate those times. What isn't really explained is how the religious fundamentalism fell to the wayside in the intervening years between the apocalypse and Nora's story. There are a few mentions of church in passing, but that's about it. And as much as I love, love, LOVE that there is such an adorable and non-stigmatized way for a woman to signal that she's a lesbian in New Victoria, the aforementioned fundamentalists would be a lot less open-minded. There would be a lot of potential in making New Victoria more restrictive and dystopic. Instead, it kind of feels like an excuse for pretty Victorian costumes. ;)
All that said, though, the combination of Victoriana and modern tech is fun, and so is one of the scenes where Lia Habel explains the history of the world: the scene where Nora gets carried away watching the documentary and is standing in the middle of it while it plays on the walls of the room. Just loved it. And I love that you can tell the "official" history is biased, presumably to be challenged and deconstructed later.
Unfortunately, Dearly, Departed runs out of steam after Nora is taken to the zombies' compound. The problem is that Habel abruptly splits the story into a large number of POVs that don't move the plot forward much. Multiple POVs are not necessarily the kiss of death, of course; I'm a GRRM fan and he uses them constantly. The difference is that GRRM uses them to show us things that that character, and only that character, can tell us, either because of geography or because they're privy to secrets. And he telegraphs this structure from the very beginning. In the case of Dearly, Departed, some of them don't seem necessary, and from the first several chapters you'd get the false impression that there are only two POVs. So it's jarring when that changes.
To sum up, the world-building is fascinating but has some holes in it, and the extra POVs bog down the middle of the book. I wanted to like it but it sadly lost me.
Nora Dearly lives in New Victoria, a post-apocalyptic society that has revived the customs of the Victorian era. Supposedly, this happened after a series of disasters, when many of the survivors left standing were hardcore religious conservatives who believed in strict gender roles, long skirts for women, and so on. One of my random interests is the Quiverfull movement, and I've read enough about it to know that there is, in fact, an idealization of the Victorian period in that subculture. So it's not that far-fetched to me that these survivors might have tried to recreate those times. What isn't really explained is how the religious fundamentalism fell to the wayside in the intervening years between the apocalypse and Nora's story. There are a few mentions of church in passing, but that's about it. And as much as I love, love, LOVE that there is such an adorable and non-stigmatized way for a woman to signal that she's a lesbian in New Victoria, the aforementioned fundamentalists would be a lot less open-minded. There would be a lot of potential in making New Victoria more restrictive and dystopic. Instead, it kind of feels like an excuse for pretty Victorian costumes. ;)
All that said, though, the combination of Victoriana and modern tech is fun, and so is one of the scenes where Lia Habel explains the history of the world: the scene where Nora gets carried away watching the documentary and is standing in the middle of it while it plays on the walls of the room. Just loved it. And I love that you can tell the "official" history is biased, presumably to be challenged and deconstructed later.
Unfortunately, Dearly, Departed runs out of steam after Nora is taken to the zombies' compound. The problem is that Habel abruptly splits the story into a large number of POVs that don't move the plot forward much. Multiple POVs are not necessarily the kiss of death, of course; I'm a GRRM fan and he uses them constantly. The difference is that GRRM uses them to show us things that that character, and only that character, can tell us, either because of geography or because they're privy to secrets. And he telegraphs this structure from the very beginning. In the case of Dearly, Departed, some of them don't seem necessary, and from the first several chapters you'd get the false impression that there are only two POVs. So it's jarring when that changes.
To sum up, the world-building is fascinating but has some holes in it, and the extra POVs bog down the middle of the book. I wanted to like it but it sadly lost me.
December 7, 2011
Gosh, this is going to be such a difficult review. It’s not terrible but it’s not great either.
The biggest downfall of this book, to me, was the pacing. It was agonizingly slow for the most part with little to no action. I can only attribute this to the fact that the main character, Nora, was held in a compound and not allowed to do much besides interact with the people and zombies located there. There was hardly any contact with the outside world and the real plotting and action comes later.
Another problem was the excess amount of chapters from other characters’ point of view which were hardly needed or did much to bring the story forward. It was really distracting and took quite a while for me to adjust to another character’s mindset, voice, and personality only to be thrown back into our main characters’ one. Too much. Really destroyed the pacing and flow.
I don’t know about you but I didn’t really care much the romance, not because it was bad. No. While they did have some sort of instant connection, their progress from discovery, friendship, and actual feelings was gradual and natural. All the good stuff, right? Well, he’s a zombie and I don’t find the idea of making out with a dead guy who’s rotting away to be my particular type of ideal man. He’s even described you know as… slowly decomposing. Yech. I really can’t get past that.
I totally loved the world building of this book. It was unique, thought out, developed, and refreshing. I love the Victorian era and all of the facets of it that are so familiar. So having it based off of that was fantastic! Plus for me! The whole social attitudes of the time and the mannerisms were not forgotten also. This story has that plus another layer on top of that with the addition of futuristic technology. Really cool. Everything was all so seamless and worked cohesively together. It was fun!
The characters were alright; they had minds of their own, were decently developed and won’t give you migraines from stupidity. Their interactions were amusing and often times hilarious. It really kept the book from being a melodramatic bore. I totally wasn’t a fan of the very… generic villain but, eh, I guess he’s okay.
This book was so awesome in many parts but the slow pacing and meh romance for me overshadowed everything else. There is a great amount of potential and talent here so it’s up to you if it hits the mark or not.
The biggest downfall of this book, to me, was the pacing. It was agonizingly slow for the most part with little to no action. I can only attribute this to the fact that the main character, Nora, was held in a compound and not allowed to do much besides interact with the people and zombies located there. There was hardly any contact with the outside world and the real plotting and action comes later.
Another problem was the excess amount of chapters from other characters’ point of view which were hardly needed or did much to bring the story forward. It was really distracting and took quite a while for me to adjust to another character’s mindset, voice, and personality only to be thrown back into our main characters’ one. Too much. Really destroyed the pacing and flow.
I don’t know about you but I didn’t really care much the romance, not because it was bad. No. While they did have some sort of instant connection, their progress from discovery, friendship, and actual feelings was gradual and natural. All the good stuff, right? Well, he’s a zombie and I don’t find the idea of making out with a dead guy who’s rotting away to be my particular type of ideal man. He’s even described you know as… slowly decomposing. Yech. I really can’t get past that.
I totally loved the world building of this book. It was unique, thought out, developed, and refreshing. I love the Victorian era and all of the facets of it that are so familiar. So having it based off of that was fantastic! Plus for me! The whole social attitudes of the time and the mannerisms were not forgotten also. This story has that plus another layer on top of that with the addition of futuristic technology. Really cool. Everything was all so seamless and worked cohesively together. It was fun!
The characters were alright; they had minds of their own, were decently developed and won’t give you migraines from stupidity. Their interactions were amusing and often times hilarious. It really kept the book from being a melodramatic bore. I totally wasn’t a fan of the very… generic villain but, eh, I guess he’s okay.
This book was so awesome in many parts but the slow pacing and meh romance for me overshadowed everything else. There is a great amount of potential and talent here so it’s up to you if it hits the mark or not.
December 7, 2015
3.5-4 stars
Dearly, Departed was a surprisingly fun book! I didn't expect it to have much humor, but Lia Habel's writing is chock full of laugh out loud moments, characters' inner musings and the dialogue among them enough to make me giddy. At the heart of this story are Nora and Bram, star-crossed lovers like we've never seen before. Set years into the future - 2195, to be exact - the city of New Victoria is a high-tech nation modeled on the mores and fashions of the Victoria era. Young ladies are to be proper and submissive, but Nora's own stubbornness wins out more often than not. When she's kidnapped by a group of undead soldiers, she's forced to see the world in a way she's never had to before. These men and women resemble the zombies found in old horror stories but with one key difference: they've kept their sanity (including intelligence and memory) in tact. Among them is the dashing Bram Briswold, who treats Nora not as a proper miss but as an equal. I absolutely adored these two together. They have a tenderness and affection between them that had my heart almost bursting with happiness. I was so relieved that Nora wasn't a heroine who would hold Bram's zombie-status against him. No, this is not a girl prone to dramatics. She is fierce, sometimes rash but always empathetic, and independent. In short, she's a heroine who is beyond easy to love. And Bram is really just too adorable for words. He can't help his attraction, even though he knows it's impossible, and there's really nothing better than a smitten hero. The book switches to other points of view, as well, some of which I liked and others I didn't. Nora's best friend, Pamela, has an engaging character arc, and because I'm a daddy's girl I enjoyed the relationship between Nora and her father as well. The dynamic among all the characters makes for some great (and macabre) comedy, amid the growing tension between the civilized world and the zombies. With elements of steampunk, horror, Victorian era nostalgia, and imaginative world building, you won't read another zombie apocalypse story quite like this!
This review can also be found at Love at First Page.
Dearly, Departed was a surprisingly fun book! I didn't expect it to have much humor, but Lia Habel's writing is chock full of laugh out loud moments, characters' inner musings and the dialogue among them enough to make me giddy. At the heart of this story are Nora and Bram, star-crossed lovers like we've never seen before. Set years into the future - 2195, to be exact - the city of New Victoria is a high-tech nation modeled on the mores and fashions of the Victoria era. Young ladies are to be proper and submissive, but Nora's own stubbornness wins out more often than not. When she's kidnapped by a group of undead soldiers, she's forced to see the world in a way she's never had to before. These men and women resemble the zombies found in old horror stories but with one key difference: they've kept their sanity (including intelligence and memory) in tact. Among them is the dashing Bram Briswold, who treats Nora not as a proper miss but as an equal. I absolutely adored these two together. They have a tenderness and affection between them that had my heart almost bursting with happiness. I was so relieved that Nora wasn't a heroine who would hold Bram's zombie-status against him. No, this is not a girl prone to dramatics. She is fierce, sometimes rash but always empathetic, and independent. In short, she's a heroine who is beyond easy to love. And Bram is really just too adorable for words. He can't help his attraction, even though he knows it's impossible, and there's really nothing better than a smitten hero. The book switches to other points of view, as well, some of which I liked and others I didn't. Nora's best friend, Pamela, has an engaging character arc, and because I'm a daddy's girl I enjoyed the relationship between Nora and her father as well. The dynamic among all the characters makes for some great (and macabre) comedy, amid the growing tension between the civilized world and the zombies. With elements of steampunk, horror, Victorian era nostalgia, and imaginative world building, you won't read another zombie apocalypse story quite like this!
This review can also be found at Love at First Page.
December 21, 2011
I really enjoyed this book for a ton of reasons so I'm just going to go through a few of them.
1. This book is very unique. It's dystopian, it's paranormal romance, it's zombies, it's cyberpunk, and it's got some elements of Victorian history. You really can't put it in one box which is why it's so cool.
2. It's written in 1st person POV, but with several characters. You get to see an odd romance from both perspectives which I love plus various secondary characters. Not to mention that Lia Habel is a fantastic writer and you get a very clear picture of the world she created.
3. Nora Dearly (lead character) and her best friend Pam have a friendship that you can only respect and a character ARC that leaves you cheering for them at every page. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but Pam is pretty kick-ass that's all I'm going to say.
4. I can honestly tell you that I NEVER thought I'd say this, but I'm adding a zombie named Bram to my list of fictional boyfriends. Yup, I love a zombie, what of it? ;-p
Either way, this is a fun read with lots of sweet romantic elements, but nothing that the younger end of the YA market should stay away from. I would recommend this to anyone 12 and up who thinks that zombie books are for boys.
Bottom line: I can't wait for this series to continue. Go buy this book right now!
1. This book is very unique. It's dystopian, it's paranormal romance, it's zombies, it's cyberpunk, and it's got some elements of Victorian history. You really can't put it in one box which is why it's so cool.
2. It's written in 1st person POV, but with several characters. You get to see an odd romance from both perspectives which I love plus various secondary characters. Not to mention that Lia Habel is a fantastic writer and you get a very clear picture of the world she created.
3. Nora Dearly (lead character) and her best friend Pam have a friendship that you can only respect and a character ARC that leaves you cheering for them at every page. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but Pam is pretty kick-ass that's all I'm going to say.
4. I can honestly tell you that I NEVER thought I'd say this, but I'm adding a zombie named Bram to my list of fictional boyfriends. Yup, I love a zombie, what of it? ;-p
Either way, this is a fun read with lots of sweet romantic elements, but nothing that the younger end of the YA market should stay away from. I would recommend this to anyone 12 and up who thinks that zombie books are for boys.
Bottom line: I can't wait for this series to continue. Go buy this book right now!
October 21, 2011
posted at Serendipity reviews
Zombies! I am not a big fan but when it comes to books it is different and I can read about them. Of course I never read a book where the male lead is one, but then vampires are dead in some books too, and they want your blood. Zombies are dead and want your flesh, nothing different there. With that I started this book.
The world was truly the best part. The world went to hell and survivors fled south. What used to be Central and South America now belongs to conquerors from the north. And they wanted a new society so they looked to old England and the Victorian age and liked what they read about. It is a modern time with technology and good manners. The rich and noble rule and the rest go by with what they have. It was a fascinating time and I always like a new society. And of course there are enemies too, punks, people who want to live without all the technology that ruined the old world. It is a strange new world.
But where do the zombies come in? No one knows about these, except for some. But they are out there and they want flesh, but some are still good and have not forgotten that you should not eat other people and soon hell will break loose.
The characters then, Nora our heroine of course. A young lady who wants a bit more than to marry some old guy because her aunt tells her too. She likes to look at videos of war (a very strange young lady ;), and then there is Bram, zombie captain, undead hottie and the guy she falls for. A romance between a guy who will rot away in the end and a girl who knows it. Yes I can’t see a future, can you? But romance will always conquer and when the book ends I still not know how it ever will work. But there are more books to come and I am intrigued.
But did I like it? I did, to some degrees, it was a good book and yes I enjoyed reading it but I always felt something was lacking. It could have been the shift of POVS. Nora, Bram, Nora’s friend Pamela, person I shall not mention so not to spoil things, other person I shall not mention, well you get the idea. It was a bit too much and it felt like I never truly got to know any of these characters. I did not take them to my heart, and with that I can only say that I might just have liked the world more than the characters and the story.
Zombies! I am not a big fan but when it comes to books it is different and I can read about them. Of course I never read a book where the male lead is one, but then vampires are dead in some books too, and they want your blood. Zombies are dead and want your flesh, nothing different there. With that I started this book.
The world was truly the best part. The world went to hell and survivors fled south. What used to be Central and South America now belongs to conquerors from the north. And they wanted a new society so they looked to old England and the Victorian age and liked what they read about. It is a modern time with technology and good manners. The rich and noble rule and the rest go by with what they have. It was a fascinating time and I always like a new society. And of course there are enemies too, punks, people who want to live without all the technology that ruined the old world. It is a strange new world.
But where do the zombies come in? No one knows about these, except for some. But they are out there and they want flesh, but some are still good and have not forgotten that you should not eat other people and soon hell will break loose.
The characters then, Nora our heroine of course. A young lady who wants a bit more than to marry some old guy because her aunt tells her too. She likes to look at videos of war (a very strange young lady ;), and then there is Bram, zombie captain, undead hottie and the guy she falls for. A romance between a guy who will rot away in the end and a girl who knows it. Yes I can’t see a future, can you? But romance will always conquer and when the book ends I still not know how it ever will work. But there are more books to come and I am intrigued.
But did I like it? I did, to some degrees, it was a good book and yes I enjoyed reading it but I always felt something was lacking. It could have been the shift of POVS. Nora, Bram, Nora’s friend Pamela, person I shall not mention so not to spoil things, other person I shall not mention, well you get the idea. It was a bit too much and it felt like I never truly got to know any of these characters. I did not take them to my heart, and with that I can only say that I might just have liked the world more than the characters and the story.
January 18, 2012
Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers
In the year 2195, the world has collapsed and been reborn. Basically, the story is thus:
In the early twenty-first century – some 150 years before the start of our novel – global warming has melted the ice caps, plague and famine have overwhelmed the populace, and the Americas are invaded by refugee Canadians that carry the superflu that wipes out 1 in every 4. The USA falls into a second Civil War (presumably because of the influenza plague? It’s never explained why this happens), which escalates to nuclear war and subsequent fallout. The US ceases to be…but that’s not all! A supervolcano explodes under Yellowstone Park (so we’ve got nuclear fallout AND volcanic destruction to deal with), and the survivors make their way to Central and South America, carving out some land that eventually becomes christened as New Victoria. These former American survivors are incredibly conservative alarmist types and looked to the Victorian era as a model for civility, order and prosperity.
One hundred and fifty years after the NUCLEAR WAR, the SUPERVOLCANO, the SUPER PLAGUE, and the MELTING of the polar ice caps – this is where our story begins.
A century and a half after all this catastrophic, apocalyptic devastation, the world’s ecosystem is somehow in working order and society, rife with hi-tech gadgetry, has been restored…albeit this is a society that emulates Victorian England. Nora Dearly comes from the equivalent of a titled family in the new world order, though she doesn’t have much in the way of family finances following the death of her father (and the lavish lifestyle of her aunt, who has sucked the family coffers dry). After leaving her preparatory school and gearing up for her societal debut in which she must find a wealthy husband in order to keep her family afloat, Nora finds herself in the middle of a mystery involving her late father and a handsome, charming, undead officer named Bram. And he’s a ZOMBIE. Did I mention there are now zombies?
Every DNF I encounter, I take as a personal loss. I truly, honestly try to finish every book I pick up, even if they are mediocre or underwhelming…but every so often a book comes around and I simply have to accept the inevitable. Such was my experience with Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel. There were three main issues that I couldn’t get my mind around with regard to Dearly, Departed, resulting in the unfortunate DNF.
First, there’s the problem of excess. Dearly, Departed is not just a Victorian era steampunkish novel – no, it is a hideous amalgam of some of the most popular trends in YA fiction right now. It is a post-apocalyptic, dystopian, pseudo-Victorian, purportedly steampunk, paranormal YA novel with ample romance and, oh yes, ZOMBIES. This is not exaggeration; this is the foundation of the novel. Unfortunately, none of these elements are actually executed well or convincingly. The excessive apocalypse is patently ridiculous, and apparently has no long term consequences because a mere 150 years later the world is totally fine, capable of producing sustainable crop yields and has a peachy keen ecosystem free from the nasty effects of volcanic ash or nuclear fallout (seriously, why not throw in an alien invasion in there or some kind of asteroid impact/massive solar flare while we’re at it? Maybe that’s the cause of the zombiism? Who knows!). More importantly, I couldn’t buy the New Victorian aspect at the heart of the novel. Lia Habel’s premise is that alarmists and conservatives – American alarmists and conservatives, mind you – have taken over and have decided to emulate Victorian England in aesthetic, mannerism, and societal values. WHY Victorian England? Of all the eras in all the world, why would conservative Americans choose Victorian era England as their template? The name of the series is an eye-gougingly bad play on Gone With the Wind (“Gone with the Respiration”); why then wouldn’t the new society choose to emulate the antebellum south, or puritanical New England, or any other time period more in keeping with the people, the mindset, and their history? The New Victorian aspect of the book feels shamelessly exploitative, and lacking in both integrity and logic. There’s the supposed steampunk angle for the book, too, which is entirely manufactured by the folks that have packaged and sold the novel because while there are some gaslamps around and there is the general Victorian aesthetic, there is nothing remotely steam or punk about this book. And then, hand in hand with these trends of course come the zombies – and to be honest, by the point the zombie virus came around, I’d had enough so I’m not entirely sure where the walking dead fit in or how the story progresses from that point onward.
The second major block for me was that of the jarring technology and aesthetic of Dearly, Departed. The juxtaposition of modern technology (tablet computers, holograms, digital cameras and the like) – technology that relies on electricity, namely – against the Victorian aesthetic is an interesting idea, but it never really clicks. Why would a society so technologically advanced as to create immersive holographic TV (and one that is at the very least as advanced as our own society with email, the internet, and electric powered vehicles) completely base its technological appearances and society on that of Victorian England? Too, Nora’s home seems to have both gas-powered gaslamps, but why when everything else is electric? Where does the electricity come from to power these many devices? Technology is magic in this book, and while that’s fine and dandy, it seems so haphazardly and excessively cobbled together, with no actual reason, restraint, or competency.
The third problem for me lay with the writing of the novel. Not only was the phrasing awkward and character reactions and dialogue stilted and painful (the first snippy fight between Nora and a popular girl at her school is excrutiatingly bad, ending with the *crushing* put-down: “Tell me…is Lady Mink less or more catty than you generally are? I like to be prepared for my first meetings with people – especially people who pretend to be important.” What a witty bunch, our characters.).
There’s the problem that the general speech oscillates wildly between the Victorian vernacular but then also tossing in some lovely phrases like “facepalm” and at one point, “unicorn fart”.
There’s the problem that the entire backstory of the world and the history of the apocalypse is given to readers point-blank in a history paper (that ends with “The End”, I kid you not).
There’s the problem that character perspectives shift from chapter to chapter, jumping not only from hero to heroine, but also to at least two other secondary characters. I am not a fan of the alternating hero to heroine character perspectives in a paranormal YA novel with a love story. In this particular novel, however, I think I would have preferred the dual narrative, as cliched as it is, because the other character chapters thrown into the mix are frankly bizarre, ineffective, and ultimately distancing. The romance itself felt trite and mind-numbingly familiar. Though I did not get far enough into the novel to discern the full nature of the love story between Bram and Nora, I got far enough to see it start down that oh-so-familiar path – with Bram marveling at how tiny and beautiful and fiesty Nora is, with Nora admiring his handsome countenance. I did not care to continue down the path.
For all these reasons, I must admit defeat. Dearly, Departed simply did not engage my interest and holds the spot as my first DNF of the year.
In the year 2195, the world has collapsed and been reborn. Basically, the story is thus:
In the early twenty-first century – some 150 years before the start of our novel – global warming has melted the ice caps, plague and famine have overwhelmed the populace, and the Americas are invaded by refugee Canadians that carry the superflu that wipes out 1 in every 4. The USA falls into a second Civil War (presumably because of the influenza plague? It’s never explained why this happens), which escalates to nuclear war and subsequent fallout. The US ceases to be…but that’s not all! A supervolcano explodes under Yellowstone Park (so we’ve got nuclear fallout AND volcanic destruction to deal with), and the survivors make their way to Central and South America, carving out some land that eventually becomes christened as New Victoria. These former American survivors are incredibly conservative alarmist types and looked to the Victorian era as a model for civility, order and prosperity.
One hundred and fifty years after the NUCLEAR WAR, the SUPERVOLCANO, the SUPER PLAGUE, and the MELTING of the polar ice caps – this is where our story begins.
A century and a half after all this catastrophic, apocalyptic devastation, the world’s ecosystem is somehow in working order and society, rife with hi-tech gadgetry, has been restored…albeit this is a society that emulates Victorian England. Nora Dearly comes from the equivalent of a titled family in the new world order, though she doesn’t have much in the way of family finances following the death of her father (and the lavish lifestyle of her aunt, who has sucked the family coffers dry). After leaving her preparatory school and gearing up for her societal debut in which she must find a wealthy husband in order to keep her family afloat, Nora finds herself in the middle of a mystery involving her late father and a handsome, charming, undead officer named Bram. And he’s a ZOMBIE. Did I mention there are now zombies?
Every DNF I encounter, I take as a personal loss. I truly, honestly try to finish every book I pick up, even if they are mediocre or underwhelming…but every so often a book comes around and I simply have to accept the inevitable. Such was my experience with Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel. There were three main issues that I couldn’t get my mind around with regard to Dearly, Departed, resulting in the unfortunate DNF.
First, there’s the problem of excess. Dearly, Departed is not just a Victorian era steampunkish novel – no, it is a hideous amalgam of some of the most popular trends in YA fiction right now. It is a post-apocalyptic, dystopian, pseudo-Victorian, purportedly steampunk, paranormal YA novel with ample romance and, oh yes, ZOMBIES. This is not exaggeration; this is the foundation of the novel. Unfortunately, none of these elements are actually executed well or convincingly. The excessive apocalypse is patently ridiculous, and apparently has no long term consequences because a mere 150 years later the world is totally fine, capable of producing sustainable crop yields and has a peachy keen ecosystem free from the nasty effects of volcanic ash or nuclear fallout (seriously, why not throw in an alien invasion in there or some kind of asteroid impact/massive solar flare while we’re at it? Maybe that’s the cause of the zombiism? Who knows!). More importantly, I couldn’t buy the New Victorian aspect at the heart of the novel. Lia Habel’s premise is that alarmists and conservatives – American alarmists and conservatives, mind you – have taken over and have decided to emulate Victorian England in aesthetic, mannerism, and societal values. WHY Victorian England? Of all the eras in all the world, why would conservative Americans choose Victorian era England as their template? The name of the series is an eye-gougingly bad play on Gone With the Wind (“Gone with the Respiration”); why then wouldn’t the new society choose to emulate the antebellum south, or puritanical New England, or any other time period more in keeping with the people, the mindset, and their history? The New Victorian aspect of the book feels shamelessly exploitative, and lacking in both integrity and logic. There’s the supposed steampunk angle for the book, too, which is entirely manufactured by the folks that have packaged and sold the novel because while there are some gaslamps around and there is the general Victorian aesthetic, there is nothing remotely steam or punk about this book. And then, hand in hand with these trends of course come the zombies – and to be honest, by the point the zombie virus came around, I’d had enough so I’m not entirely sure where the walking dead fit in or how the story progresses from that point onward.
The second major block for me was that of the jarring technology and aesthetic of Dearly, Departed. The juxtaposition of modern technology (tablet computers, holograms, digital cameras and the like) – technology that relies on electricity, namely – against the Victorian aesthetic is an interesting idea, but it never really clicks. Why would a society so technologically advanced as to create immersive holographic TV (and one that is at the very least as advanced as our own society with email, the internet, and electric powered vehicles) completely base its technological appearances and society on that of Victorian England? Too, Nora’s home seems to have both gas-powered gaslamps, but why when everything else is electric? Where does the electricity come from to power these many devices? Technology is magic in this book, and while that’s fine and dandy, it seems so haphazardly and excessively cobbled together, with no actual reason, restraint, or competency.
The third problem for me lay with the writing of the novel. Not only was the phrasing awkward and character reactions and dialogue stilted and painful (the first snippy fight between Nora and a popular girl at her school is excrutiatingly bad, ending with the *crushing* put-down: “Tell me…is Lady Mink less or more catty than you generally are? I like to be prepared for my first meetings with people – especially people who pretend to be important.” What a witty bunch, our characters.).
There’s the problem that the general speech oscillates wildly between the Victorian vernacular but then also tossing in some lovely phrases like “facepalm” and at one point, “unicorn fart”.
There’s the problem that the entire backstory of the world and the history of the apocalypse is given to readers point-blank in a history paper (that ends with “The End”, I kid you not).
There’s the problem that character perspectives shift from chapter to chapter, jumping not only from hero to heroine, but also to at least two other secondary characters. I am not a fan of the alternating hero to heroine character perspectives in a paranormal YA novel with a love story. In this particular novel, however, I think I would have preferred the dual narrative, as cliched as it is, because the other character chapters thrown into the mix are frankly bizarre, ineffective, and ultimately distancing. The romance itself felt trite and mind-numbingly familiar. Though I did not get far enough into the novel to discern the full nature of the love story between Bram and Nora, I got far enough to see it start down that oh-so-familiar path – with Bram marveling at how tiny and beautiful and fiesty Nora is, with Nora admiring his handsome countenance. I did not care to continue down the path.
For all these reasons, I must admit defeat. Dearly, Departed simply did not engage my interest and holds the spot as my first DNF of the year.
January 15, 2013
The first two things that caught my attention about this book were the cover art and the title. From there, I read the description, and even though zombies aren't my usual reading fare, I really wanted to give this one a shot. I loved the idea of a mash-up of steampunk, zombies, and a futuristic world trying to combat an increasing zombie population.
When I had the ARC in hand, it includes a letter from the senior editor, who talks a little bit about Lia Habel and how her YA debut came to be published. It's a true "rags to riches" type story, and I love hearing about people having their dreams come true and their lives improving. If I could rate a book just on its rise to publication, this would be a 5-star read. However, there are other far more important factors to consider.
First of all, the structure, writing style, and setting. The novel is narrated by 5 different characters. I don't mind novels set up like this at all, but it's important that they each have a unique voice. They all sounded the same to me, and I often found myself flipping backward just to find out whose head I was in. Because the characters aren't all in the same place when their chapter comes up, the novel moves around quite a bit, too. There just wasn't any sort of cohesive flow. The writing style is a bit confusing; sometimes it feels like Habel is attempting to replicate Victorian England speech, but then there is lots of modern talk in there, too. At the beginning of the book, there seemed to be more of the Victorian way of speaking within the prose narrative; in the dialogue, however, they spoke very modern. Then as the novel progressed, it all felt much more modern. There just wasn't a good balance of the two, and it kept pulling me out of the story and back into the real world. The setting is intriguing, but I never really had a clear visualization of what things looked like. I would have liked more description in terms of architecture, as one example.
I did like some of the characters, especially a feisty zombie named Chas. Other than her, I didn't really get very attached to any of the characters. This could in part be because of how many different narratives were going on. I'd have preferred her to just switch between Bram (Nora's zombie love interest) and Nora. Since this is a first in series, she could have then written from other characters' points of view in subsequent novels like in Alyxandra Harvey's YA vampire series.
At 470 pages, I felt that "Dearly Departed" was far longer than it needed to be, the action/fighting scenes were dull, and that Habel is not a very descriptive writer. I could never fully imagine her world while I read, and so this was overall a very difficult book for me to make it through. This book was a disappointment for me, so I will not be reading any further into this series.
When I had the ARC in hand, it includes a letter from the senior editor, who talks a little bit about Lia Habel and how her YA debut came to be published. It's a true "rags to riches" type story, and I love hearing about people having their dreams come true and their lives improving. If I could rate a book just on its rise to publication, this would be a 5-star read. However, there are other far more important factors to consider.
First of all, the structure, writing style, and setting. The novel is narrated by 5 different characters. I don't mind novels set up like this at all, but it's important that they each have a unique voice. They all sounded the same to me, and I often found myself flipping backward just to find out whose head I was in. Because the characters aren't all in the same place when their chapter comes up, the novel moves around quite a bit, too. There just wasn't any sort of cohesive flow. The writing style is a bit confusing; sometimes it feels like Habel is attempting to replicate Victorian England speech, but then there is lots of modern talk in there, too. At the beginning of the book, there seemed to be more of the Victorian way of speaking within the prose narrative; in the dialogue, however, they spoke very modern. Then as the novel progressed, it all felt much more modern. There just wasn't a good balance of the two, and it kept pulling me out of the story and back into the real world. The setting is intriguing, but I never really had a clear visualization of what things looked like. I would have liked more description in terms of architecture, as one example.
I did like some of the characters, especially a feisty zombie named Chas. Other than her, I didn't really get very attached to any of the characters. This could in part be because of how many different narratives were going on. I'd have preferred her to just switch between Bram (Nora's zombie love interest) and Nora. Since this is a first in series, she could have then written from other characters' points of view in subsequent novels like in Alyxandra Harvey's YA vampire series.
At 470 pages, I felt that "Dearly Departed" was far longer than it needed to be, the action/fighting scenes were dull, and that Habel is not a very descriptive writer. I could never fully imagine her world while I read, and so this was overall a very difficult book for me to make it through. This book was a disappointment for me, so I will not be reading any further into this series.
March 24, 2015
Dearly Departed has definitely taken me by surprise. Why? you ask. Well for starters. I don't really like reading stories about zombies. They freak me out and drain the living life out of me haha no pun intended, and the fact that it's totally gross reading about their flesh falling off and them walking around drooling and moaning. But, if you throw in a futuristic New Victorian/Steampunk era, with kick ass female protagonists, and zombies that still act human in every way possible, then you have solid characters and a storyline that keeps you interested. Dearly Departed definitely did that for me. I was even finding myself crushing on a zombie! Now that's the mark of a great storyteller.
The story is set in the year 2195. Long flowing skirts, corsets, parasols, proper etiquette and social standings applied in the New Victorian Era. Combine that with the modern technology and extreme medical advances, you have a society that is shunned and protected from the "goings on" in the outside world. Those who live on the fringes and work hard to survive and don't have the perks and benefits of the Victorians are labelled Punks. A world, divided. Yet something else lurks in the background and could be of catastrophic pre-portions. Unknowingly, sixteen year old Nora Dearly is thrown into this nightmare with nothing more than the pyjamas on her back and her wits about her, until she is head on confronted with headless corpses, half chewed off limbs and one hot sexy dead captain of an army of the walking dead. Yes, you are correct in presuming you should run away now and not even take a chance, but I tell you, the story will just draw you in and have you actually wanting more. The characters are well written and you find yourself feeling a part of them and their journey so far. Although, at times, the numbering characters vying for their own voice felt unnecessary but it really did mesh well together so it flowed quite nicely. What astounded me even more, was the fact that I was cheering the characters on and wanting the zombies to win and get a chance at life. I wanted Nora and Bram to have a happily ever after, even though he was dead and she wasn't. The moments they shared were endearing and so wonderful to read. I loved how Bram would do anything for her but not treat her like the "princess" they all presumed her to be because of her upbringing. In fact, she amazed them all by getting on with the reality surrounding her and being strong and determined to get the job done.
Dearly Departed is definitely a gruesome, thrilling ride that will have you raising your fists in the air in support and banging your fists into the ground at times. I really like this story and think it's well worth the read.
The story is set in the year 2195. Long flowing skirts, corsets, parasols, proper etiquette and social standings applied in the New Victorian Era. Combine that with the modern technology and extreme medical advances, you have a society that is shunned and protected from the "goings on" in the outside world. Those who live on the fringes and work hard to survive and don't have the perks and benefits of the Victorians are labelled Punks. A world, divided. Yet something else lurks in the background and could be of catastrophic pre-portions. Unknowingly, sixteen year old Nora Dearly is thrown into this nightmare with nothing more than the pyjamas on her back and her wits about her, until she is head on confronted with headless corpses, half chewed off limbs and one hot sexy dead captain of an army of the walking dead. Yes, you are correct in presuming you should run away now and not even take a chance, but I tell you, the story will just draw you in and have you actually wanting more. The characters are well written and you find yourself feeling a part of them and their journey so far. Although, at times, the numbering characters vying for their own voice felt unnecessary but it really did mesh well together so it flowed quite nicely. What astounded me even more, was the fact that I was cheering the characters on and wanting the zombies to win and get a chance at life. I wanted Nora and Bram to have a happily ever after, even though he was dead and she wasn't. The moments they shared were endearing and so wonderful to read. I loved how Bram would do anything for her but not treat her like the "princess" they all presumed her to be because of her upbringing. In fact, she amazed them all by getting on with the reality surrounding her and being strong and determined to get the job done.
Dearly Departed is definitely a gruesome, thrilling ride that will have you raising your fists in the air in support and banging your fists into the ground at times. I really like this story and think it's well worth the read.
June 11, 2016
Zombieromane gibt es ja nicht so viele und "Dark Love" ist wirklich mal eine ganz andere Geschichte. Die Geschichte spielt zwar in der Zukunft, die Gesellschaft hat sich aber zurückentwickelt und ähnelt an das Mittelalter. Dazu kommen dann die Zombies, die sich in gute und böse Zombies einteilen lassen.
Erzählt wird das Buch aus ganz verschiedenen Sichten. Die Perspektivwechsel fand ich aber super.
Besonders mochte ich, dass Lia Habel die Geschichte ohne Klischees geschrieben hat. Die Zombies sind lustig und foppen sich gegenseitig. Doch dann, wenn man fast keine Angst mehr vor Zombies hat, passiert irgendetwas ekliges :D
Die weibliche Hauptfigur findet sich nicht nach 2 Minuten damit ab, dass es Zombies gibt. Nein, sie schreit rum, hat Angst und traut ihnen natürlich nicht!
USW.
Leider wurde das Buch nach über der Hälfte etwas langatmig und auch so waren zwischendurch einige Kapitel etwas langweilig.
Erzählt wird das Buch aus ganz verschiedenen Sichten. Die Perspektivwechsel fand ich aber super.
Besonders mochte ich, dass Lia Habel die Geschichte ohne Klischees geschrieben hat. Die Zombies sind lustig und foppen sich gegenseitig. Doch dann, wenn man fast keine Angst mehr vor Zombies hat, passiert irgendetwas ekliges :D
Die weibliche Hauptfigur findet sich nicht nach 2 Minuten damit ab, dass es Zombies gibt. Nein, sie schreit rum, hat Angst und traut ihnen natürlich nicht!
USW.
Leider wurde das Buch nach über der Hälfte etwas langatmig und auch so waren zwischendurch einige Kapitel etwas langweilig.
September 28, 2011
A hilarious, spine-tingling novel, DEARLY DEPARTED has completely blown my mind. I was expecting a so-so 3-star book when I requested this on Amazon Vine. The back cover summary made it sound fairly interesting, and I figured zombies, steampunk, and some sort of dystopian-ish storyline might be the perfect change of pace from all the YA love triangles I've been drowning in. Never in my wildest dreams did I envision that this book and its characters would capture and hold my undivided attention for 400+ pages. I willingly stayed up until 3AM to read the first 300 pages, and only pure exhaustion had the ability to pull me away. But not for long! Once I woke up, I was reading again. I am amazed, and I cannot speak highly enough of Lia Habel's sheer genius.
The voice in DEARLY DEPARTED (DD) is fairly unique and takes some getting used to. While we are catapulted into the future, it would seem that society has progressed backwards in some ways, while also making advances we could only dream of living with. The United States no longer exists; Britain and numerous other countries have also perished as nature evicted humanity, forcing survivors to band together into tribes and relocate closer to the equator. Now, instead of cultures and nationalities, we have people like Nora who have reverted back to a Victorian-ish society... and then we have the Punks. You'll have to read the book to learn more about both.
I absolutely loved the contrast between Nora and Bram. I'll admit that as the novel progressed, it was sometimes difficult to differentiate between the two POVs and I think some may take issue with this. However, in the beginning, before the duo grow used to each other, this contrast--the way Bram viewed Nora--completely enamored me. While Nora sounds like a typical teenage girl, upon viewing her through Bram's eyes we see a sophisticated young woman. It doesn't sound like such a big deal, but I loved the contrast and I thought that the differences between these two cultures and characters shined beautifully in this regard. I wasn't too bothered by the similarities in voices further into the novel because I viewed it as a kind of... merging. Think about it: when one falls in love with a significant other, when that person spends almost every waking moment with his or her lover, it's almost impossible not to adopt certain behaviors, attitudes, or tones that were unique to that other person.
The humor in DD was another element that pleasantly surprised me. It wasn't a consistent occurrence; instead, random lines shocked a laugh out of me throughout the entire story. Even when shit hits the fan, I still found something to laugh about.
Another thing I loved were the characters--both primary and secondary. Each and every individual in DD is exactly that: an individual. And boy are there a lot of characters. It may take some time adjusting, but you will learn who each person is, and if you're anything like me, you'll learn to love them all. Nora and Bram are of course my favorites, but someone who completely took me by surprise was Pam. Here we have a nit-picky, semi-annoying best friend. Secretly, I was hoping zombies would kill her because she seemed so superficial.
But then something happened. As I was bemoaning my fate of having to read in Pam's POV, she transformed before my very eyes and became someone I could relate with--someone I wanted to defend. And as I kept reading, my respect for her continued to grow and grow until I realized that she transformed into a kick ass young woman. Ohh the imagery when you see her in her home and confronting her family... I loved it!
And now while I'm talking about imagery, I must say that Lia did a wonderful job with descriptions. Every so often, there was a line that jumped out and resonated with me (I posted one on my Goodreads status). These brief moments truly made my reading experience that much more enjoyable. I also loved the way Lia described the circumstances for both the characters and their environments. I could feel how desperate and desolate Pam's situation was becoming as more and more time passed. The stark contrasts in atmospheres took everything to a whole new level, and captured/displayed a uniqueness that a lot of debuting and established works lack.
What impressed me the most, however, was the way Lia handled the dialogue in this book. Each character has a unique way of speaking and interacting with those around him or her. I particularly loved the banter between Nora and Bram--it was not only hilarious, but also moving. Speeches, which I normally detest in novels, were actually interesting. Upon delving into science, I felt like I was listening in on an interesting biology lecture about proteins. When listening to a political speech, I actually felt as if a politician--or some sort of government official--was addressing me. Me, not the characters.
I don't think that's ever happened in a novel before.
There aren't many weaknesses in DD, but I thought I would mention two things: one is an issue that weakened the book in my eyes, and the other is something that may make readers initially lose interest. The story did not pick up for me until chapter 4, which is about 50 or so pages in. I thought that the Prologue in Bram's POV was excellent and caught my attention, but setting up Nora's world may bore some. Please do not give up until you at least finish Chapter 4. If, by that point, you are still not interested, fine. You'll regret it if you stop any sooner.
As for my issue... well, I was not happy with the Epilogue. Here we have a novel that was so incredibly witty, fun, dark, dire, and heroic that I would be silly not to fall in love with it. Ending DD at the last chapter left me satisfied. By including the epilogue, which focused more on the HEA-for-now (happily ever after), I felt that I stumbled into foreign territory. It did not ring true with the rest of the novel... and what purpose did it serve, aside from simply setting the scene for book 2? (and not too strongly, at that).
I can't complain too much about it because I cannot properly voice my dissatisfaction with it, but I will say that in this case, I believe the novel would have ended on a much stronger note if there was a cliffhanger. Instead, I was kind of let down, as this seemed more like an afterthought than anything else.
Aside from that minor complaint, I will proudly declare that Lia Habel is now one of my top authors. While DEARLY DEPARTED did not outshine Ann Aguirre's ENCLAVE, I feel that this is the second best book I have read in 2011. I will auto-buy any and all of her books--in fact, I just pre-ordered this particular novel from Amazon so that I could keep a HC on my bookshelf. DEARLY DEPARTED deserves all the praise and hype it gets, and then some. Cannot wait for book two, and I HIGHLY recommend this zombie novel to everyone who loves YA, Steampunk, Romance, or Dystopian novels!
The voice in DEARLY DEPARTED (DD) is fairly unique and takes some getting used to. While we are catapulted into the future, it would seem that society has progressed backwards in some ways, while also making advances we could only dream of living with. The United States no longer exists; Britain and numerous other countries have also perished as nature evicted humanity, forcing survivors to band together into tribes and relocate closer to the equator. Now, instead of cultures and nationalities, we have people like Nora who have reverted back to a Victorian-ish society... and then we have the Punks. You'll have to read the book to learn more about both.
I absolutely loved the contrast between Nora and Bram. I'll admit that as the novel progressed, it was sometimes difficult to differentiate between the two POVs and I think some may take issue with this. However, in the beginning, before the duo grow used to each other, this contrast--the way Bram viewed Nora--completely enamored me. While Nora sounds like a typical teenage girl, upon viewing her through Bram's eyes we see a sophisticated young woman. It doesn't sound like such a big deal, but I loved the contrast and I thought that the differences between these two cultures and characters shined beautifully in this regard. I wasn't too bothered by the similarities in voices further into the novel because I viewed it as a kind of... merging. Think about it: when one falls in love with a significant other, when that person spends almost every waking moment with his or her lover, it's almost impossible not to adopt certain behaviors, attitudes, or tones that were unique to that other person.
The humor in DD was another element that pleasantly surprised me. It wasn't a consistent occurrence; instead, random lines shocked a laugh out of me throughout the entire story. Even when shit hits the fan, I still found something to laugh about.
Another thing I loved were the characters--both primary and secondary. Each and every individual in DD is exactly that: an individual. And boy are there a lot of characters. It may take some time adjusting, but you will learn who each person is, and if you're anything like me, you'll learn to love them all. Nora and Bram are of course my favorites, but someone who completely took me by surprise was Pam. Here we have a nit-picky, semi-annoying best friend. Secretly, I was hoping zombies would kill her because she seemed so superficial.
But then something happened. As I was bemoaning my fate of having to read in Pam's POV, she transformed before my very eyes and became someone I could relate with--someone I wanted to defend. And as I kept reading, my respect for her continued to grow and grow until I realized that she transformed into a kick ass young woman. Ohh the imagery when you see her in her home and confronting her family... I loved it!
And now while I'm talking about imagery, I must say that Lia did a wonderful job with descriptions. Every so often, there was a line that jumped out and resonated with me (I posted one on my Goodreads status). These brief moments truly made my reading experience that much more enjoyable. I also loved the way Lia described the circumstances for both the characters and their environments. I could feel how desperate and desolate Pam's situation was becoming as more and more time passed. The stark contrasts in atmospheres took everything to a whole new level, and captured/displayed a uniqueness that a lot of debuting and established works lack.
What impressed me the most, however, was the way Lia handled the dialogue in this book. Each character has a unique way of speaking and interacting with those around him or her. I particularly loved the banter between Nora and Bram--it was not only hilarious, but also moving. Speeches, which I normally detest in novels, were actually interesting. Upon delving into science, I felt like I was listening in on an interesting biology lecture about proteins. When listening to a political speech, I actually felt as if a politician--or some sort of government official--was addressing me. Me, not the characters.
I don't think that's ever happened in a novel before.
There aren't many weaknesses in DD, but I thought I would mention two things: one is an issue that weakened the book in my eyes, and the other is something that may make readers initially lose interest. The story did not pick up for me until chapter 4, which is about 50 or so pages in. I thought that the Prologue in Bram's POV was excellent and caught my attention, but setting up Nora's world may bore some. Please do not give up until you at least finish Chapter 4. If, by that point, you are still not interested, fine. You'll regret it if you stop any sooner.
As for my issue... well, I was not happy with the Epilogue. Here we have a novel that was so incredibly witty, fun, dark, dire, and heroic that I would be silly not to fall in love with it. Ending DD at the last chapter left me satisfied. By including the epilogue, which focused more on the HEA-for-now (happily ever after), I felt that I stumbled into foreign territory. It did not ring true with the rest of the novel... and what purpose did it serve, aside from simply setting the scene for book 2? (and not too strongly, at that).
I can't complain too much about it because I cannot properly voice my dissatisfaction with it, but I will say that in this case, I believe the novel would have ended on a much stronger note if there was a cliffhanger. Instead, I was kind of let down, as this seemed more like an afterthought than anything else.
Aside from that minor complaint, I will proudly declare that Lia Habel is now one of my top authors. While DEARLY DEPARTED did not outshine Ann Aguirre's ENCLAVE, I feel that this is the second best book I have read in 2011. I will auto-buy any and all of her books--in fact, I just pre-ordered this particular novel from Amazon so that I could keep a HC on my bookshelf. DEARLY DEPARTED deserves all the praise and hype it gets, and then some. Cannot wait for book two, and I HIGHLY recommend this zombie novel to everyone who loves YA, Steampunk, Romance, or Dystopian novels!
October 7, 2011
Dearly, Departed is an unexpected display of genre-mashing at its finest. It's steampunk, but set in the future. It's a love story, but between a zombie and a human. It's action, adventure, horror, thriller, romance, war, science fiction and just about everything else you could imagine. And it's damn good too.
Nora Dearly lives safely in an underground compound with her less than loving aunt. The year long mourning period for her father has just ended and as far as she knows, her biggest problem at the moment is transitioning back into society. Little does she know that an army of zombies are out to kidnap her for reasons she'd never believe even if they told her. Caught up in the troubles of a secret branch of the military, surrounded by dead, she falls in love. With a zombie. Sounds ludicrous, but it makes so much sense within the context of the story that you'll find yourself rooting for the couple. And many of the other zombies as well.
The back story on New Victoria is very intriguing. A Victorian society rising out of the ashes of the modern world. I would absolutely love a prequel to this series that could delve deeper into the development of this new civilization.
Hell, everything about this novel is intriguing. At almost 500 pages, it's an amazingly quick read that I had great trouble putting down for more than a few minutes at a time. So much is going on in Dearly, Departed, on so many separate but intertwined levels, that there is truly something for everyone in this book. Because of it's many angles, some things are sped through and glossed over a bit more than they should be, but I have no reason to believe those less developed plot points won't be explored further in future book in the series.
Dearly, Departed is a novel to get excited about. It feels as though it's destined for the big screen and I'd be first in line for tickets. As it is, I'll be first in the preorder line for Dearly, Beloved, the next book in the series. This is an absolute must read for any YA paranormal or science fiction fan.
Nora Dearly lives safely in an underground compound with her less than loving aunt. The year long mourning period for her father has just ended and as far as she knows, her biggest problem at the moment is transitioning back into society. Little does she know that an army of zombies are out to kidnap her for reasons she'd never believe even if they told her. Caught up in the troubles of a secret branch of the military, surrounded by dead, she falls in love. With a zombie. Sounds ludicrous, but it makes so much sense within the context of the story that you'll find yourself rooting for the couple. And many of the other zombies as well.
The back story on New Victoria is very intriguing. A Victorian society rising out of the ashes of the modern world. I would absolutely love a prequel to this series that could delve deeper into the development of this new civilization.
Hell, everything about this novel is intriguing. At almost 500 pages, it's an amazingly quick read that I had great trouble putting down for more than a few minutes at a time. So much is going on in Dearly, Departed, on so many separate but intertwined levels, that there is truly something for everyone in this book. Because of it's many angles, some things are sped through and glossed over a bit more than they should be, but I have no reason to believe those less developed plot points won't be explored further in future book in the series.
Dearly, Departed is a novel to get excited about. It feels as though it's destined for the big screen and I'd be first in line for tickets. As it is, I'll be first in the preorder line for Dearly, Beloved, the next book in the series. This is an absolute must read for any YA paranormal or science fiction fan.
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