Review: Strange and Ever After (Something Strange and Deadly #3) by Susan Dennard
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Series: Something Strange and Deadly #3
Author: Susan Dennard
Published June 23rd 2015 by HarperTeen
Goodreads Synopsis
Perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices series, this is the explosive conclusion to Susan Dennard's trilogy, which started with Something Strange and Deadly and continued with A Darkness Strange and Lovely. With supernatural forces, epic romance, and a mysterious Egyptian city, Eleanor and her team are set for an adventure they will never forget.
It has been a tumultuous time for Eleanor Fitt since life as she knew it in Philadelphia came abruptly to an end. Although the Spirit-Hunters—Joseph, Jie, and Daniel—have helped her survive, Eleanor has lost just about everything.
And now, Jie is missing—taken by the evil necromancer Marcus. Eleanor is determined not only to get her back but to finally end this nightmare. To do so, she must navigate the hot desert streets of nineteenth-century Egypt amid the rising Dead, her unresolved feelings for Daniel, and her volatile relationships with Joseph and Oliver, her demon. And it won't be easy. Because Allison, her friend from Philadelphia, has tagged along, becoming strangely entangled in Eleanor's mission.
It will take all of Eleanor's powers of black magic, and all of Daniel's and Joseph's trust, to succeed. But there will be a price.
Goodreads
Review
This book was everything I wanted in the finale to this series. I wanted to savour the book so much, and one of the things I remember the most while reading this was how much I didn't want the book to end, but I knew I needed to get to the ending, and my god, did that ending kill me!
In Strange and Ever After, our gang of heroes are still searching for the Necromancer at the heart of the zombie uprising, Marcus. Jie has been kidnapped, and they are heading to Egypt to stop Marcus from gaining even more power. Eleanor is struggling with her abilities, and is trying to control them because she knows how important they will be when it comes to defeating Marcus. The other Spirit Hunters disagree, especially Daniel who wants to protect Eleanor as much as possible. They relationship definitely develops, for the better, and I just love these two together. From the first meeting in Something Strange and Deadly, I wanted them together, because the chemistry was just off the charts.
Eleanor really comes into her own in this final instalment. A character I've always loved, she now has come to terms with her 'strangeness' and is using it, rather than hiding away from her power. She uses her snark and her intelligence to help her get out of sticky situations, though sometimes I wanted to throttle her for getting into those situations to begin with. She's much more mature than the naive Miss Fitt we met on the first pages of Something Strange and Deadly.
Again, the change of scenery and secondary characters showed the amount of planning and research Sooz did while writing these books, and I've never been to Egypt, but this has made me want to go even more. Everything was done for a reason, and the plot was definitely tying everything up for the ending. Like I said, the ending killed me, and I don't want to give anything away, but I think it was the right thing, with hindsight. At the time, I was angry, but nothing was done in this book that wasn't necessary, and definitely not that. Sooz is such an amazing author, and I'm eternally grateful I discover these books - I just now wish there were UK publishers for them.
Dates Read:
September 18-22, 2016
Rating
5 Stars
September 18-22, 2016
Rating
5 Stars
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