A Darkness Strange and Lovely
Series: Something Strange and Deadly #2
Author: Susan Dennard
Published June 24th 2014 by HarperTeen

Goodreads Synopsis
Perfect for fans of Libba Bray's The Diviners and Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices series, this spellbinding sequel to Something Strange and Deadly delivers a mix of supernatural forces and intense romance, set against the enchanting backdrop of nineteenth-century Paris.

With her brother dead and her mother insane, Eleanor Fitt is alone. Even the Spirit-Hunters—Joseph, Jie, and the handsome Daniel—have fled to Paris. So when Eleanor hears the vicious barking of hounds and sees haunting yellow eyes, she fears that the Dead, and the necromancer Marcus, are after her.

To escape, Eleanor boards a steamer bound for France. There she meets Oliver, a young man who claims to have known her brother. But Oliver harbors a dangerous secret involving necromancy and black magic that entices Eleanor beyond words. If she can resist him, she'll be fine. But when she arrives in Paris, she finds that the Dead have taken over, and there's a whole new evil lurking. And she is forced to make a deadly decision that will go against everything the Spirit-Hunters stand for.

In Paris, there's a price for this darkness strange and lovely, and it may have Eleanor paying with her life.
Goodreads

Review
After finishing book 1, Something Strange and Deadly, I was so happy I had copies of the next two books, because I needed to read them ASAP. As you can see, I read this book all in one day, it was that good. Following her brother's death, and her mother's mental break, Miss Eleanor Fitt is seemingly all alone. Even her friends in the Spirit Hunters have left her, heading to Paris, and she is more than determined than ever to find out the truth, and do what she can to stop the evil Necromancer, Marcus. So, Eleanor boards a steamer ship bound for France, and meets the mysterious Oliver, who claims he knew her brother. Oliver seems to have his own dark powers, which are calling to Eleanor's necromancer skills, which both terrify and entice her. When she reaches Paris, she needs to work together with her friends in the Spirit Hunters, and Daniel Sherridan, once more, to stop Marcus from raising the dead in another city.

Eleanor was as amazing a character in this book as she had been in the previous one. She seems even more determined to stop Marcus, what with what happened to her family in the last book, and doesn't like being treated like a burden, or someone who is weak. When her and Daniel meet once again, the sparks are still flying, and Daniel is as brash as he had been. All of the Spirit Hunters seem to want to keep her away from them, and not use her intelligence or skills to help, like they had before. Oliver was a wonderful new introduction, and though it may be assumed he would be a love interest for Eleanor, he isn't, but is someone who is there for her as a friend, which she sorely needs.

Being in Paris, and the world building of the city was a nice change from Philadelphia. We were fully immersed in the city, with it being described perfectly, and it was almost as if you were actually there witnessing events, rather than just reading about them. Everything about Sooz's writing is perfection, and you need to get a start on her books if you haven't already.