This is the second full-length novel in the Something Strange and Deadly series. The Spirit Hunters have left Philadelphia and Eleanor is thrust into a new life without anyone but herself to depend on. So much has changed for her, and yet Eleanor proves herself to be as strong as ever as she faces it all alone. There are some other new characters in this book, ones that I hope come back to play bigger roles in the next book.

 

While this was a good read, I didn't absolutely love it as much as I had anticipated after the first book. Some time has passed since the end of the first book and the beginning of this one. A lot has happened in that time with Eleanor and her mother and that time clearly changed a lot for Eleanor. I almost feel as if a lot of that time was a series of defining moments for her, moments that we as readers missed, missing some development and change to Eleanor's character.

 

Because of that missing time, I felt like I didn't really know Eleanor any more, at least not as well as in the first book. So much about her has changed. She is as headstrong as ever, which I love about her, but she is very different. Her relationship with Ollie, a new character that was initially close to her brother, was a bit odd. There were a lot of inferences and innuendos there that made you wonder about the nature of his relationship with her brother, but it was part of the mystery of his character that was never clearly explained. He blew hot and cold with Eleanor, often seemingly expecting her to know things about the world of magic that she couldn't possibly know, blaming her when she acted in ways he didn't like.

 

This is a book about choices and being torn. Ollie is from the world of her brother, who lived his life in ways that went against everything Eleanor believed in, that the Spirit Hunters believed in. The Spirit Hunters viewed that world as dark and evil and eschewed everything that came from that side of magic. Eleanor's feelings for Daniel are as strong as ever, despite his rejection. And the Daniel she sees again in Paris isn't the Daniel she fell in love with. It is a new world for her and one in which she is torn.

 

That conflict between who she is and who the Hunters want her to be is a big one. I think that the Hunter's reactions to her were a part of why this book lost a little of the glow for me. There was so much self-righteousness on their parts, the feeling that their way was the only way. While I understand their feelings, I hated that they refused to consider Eleanor's reasons and the circumstances behind her choices. They dismissed her without ever listening to her and that drove me insane!

 

My Recommendation: All in all, this was a good read, despite a bit of disconnection with Eleanor. It definitely moved the story forward and added so many new layers to the ongoing saga with the Dead!

tl;dr - | ✭✭✭✩✩ | This book had a little bit of sequel-syndrome. I enjoyed it, especially the Parisian setting, but overall it wasn't as entertaining to me as the first book. I will definitely continue to the third book, though! Worth a read if you loved the first and want to continue the series. 

Description - With her brother dead and her mother in an insane asylum, not to mention the Spirit Hunters leaving for Paris, Eleanor is feeling very alone. Knowing Marcus is out in the world and coming for her, Eleanor makes the decision to follow the Spirit Hunters to Paris. On the steamer she meets the mysterious Oliver who claims to have been friends with her brother. Unsure whether she can trust him, she decides to keep him close and enlist in his aid to help her track down the spirit hunters when she arrives in Paris. Once they arrive, however, they learn the dead are taking over the city. Eleanor must make a decision, one that could affect her relationship with the Spirit Hunters forever. 

So, Eleanor is back. Oh my sweet, sassy Eleanor. The story opens up a few months after the events of the first book (i think?). Her mother has gone crazy with the news that Eleanor's brother died, and Marcus has begun sending threatening message to Eleanor. Knowing she is no longer safe, she flees to Paris to look for the insufferable Daniel, Jie, and Joseph. Hurray for more books set in Paris! This makes me happy, always. 

So, I was really quite wary of Oliver. I didn't know if we could trust him, I didn't know if I liked him, and I certainly didn't like how he would pop up at the worst moments ever (ahem outside the Louvre ahem). And that may have been part of my problem with this book... Oliver became a huge part of it and not really liking him made it frustrating at times. Otherwise I really enjoyed the story - Paris, the mystery behind the dead rising so much in the city, Daniel's... self improvements. One thing that did bother me about Eleanor in this book was how she would constantly face something dark and sinister, but then decide she didn't want to deal with it right then. She would deal with it later. Which of course, causes all kinds of problem. And was really frustrating. Oh, you're blacking out and having memory problems? Nahh, don't tell anyone. Just deal with that later. 

So it was moments like that, plus Eleanor's descent into.... well. I guess darkness, that was frustrating. Her sass became a negative thing in this book at times, and it was sometimes hard to watch her downward spiral. I read this about a month ago, so unfortunately i am having a hard time remembering other specifics as to why I wasn't as impressed with the book. I remember enjoying it, but not liking it as much as the first book. It was still an enjoyable read though.

 

  When it comes to personal reader's hype it's hard to deal with alot of emotions from jubilation to disappointment. A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard made me run through alot of emotions. Not all good and not all bad.
The writing of course of superb that I quickly zoomed through this book. Sadly, this felt like a meal that left me hungry.
Picking up months later, Eleanor has to run when Marcus the necromancer one of the foes whose started the chaos from before,starts to hunt her. Along the way to meet up with the Spirit Hunters in Pairs, she meets a demon that was attached to her brother- but Oliver is hiding something but she's forced to trust him when he helps her save.
Now in Paris things aren't looking up and chaos is just steps away from destroying the city.

I had high hopes for this book and while it showed Eleanor dealing with new things and her new powers. I understood her changes. It just lacked heart of the characters. That was what made book 1 and the novelle. This also made the world building or lack there of an okay thing because the characters carried everything.

You're introduced to new characters and while Ollie was an okay addition I wanted Joseph, Jie, and of course Daniel and have the team back together. This didn't truly happen. Everyone was thrown into different paths and later just left out, that they felt like small side characters with anger and trust issues and this story struggled without them.
I would have loved that everyone helped Eleanor deal and figure out her new powers as they deal with this new threats. Eleanor is stuck hiding from everyone and running around with characters who I didn't feel were needed or would make an impact to the story.

Eleanor was the one I was most disappointed in as she wasn't the heroine who I loved in book 1 but someone changed into someone I didn't know, hiding truths and she became flat.

Still the mystery and the bits of world building were what truly saved this book and while I haven't given up on this series by a long shot. I think book 3 has alot of making up for.

 

What a fabulous sequel!!!

There's a ton of action, mystery, and suspense. I love the historical fiction setting and the supernatural elements of zombies, magic, and necromancy. There's a super creepy feel to this story and you never know who to trust. I loved all of the developments with the magical aspects and the new character that we are introduced to named Oliver! Eleanor has to really fight the war of good and evil in the real world, but also within her self. Her character grows so much! This is a wild ride, and I could not stop reading! It's very fast-paced with new revelations around every corner. The story mostly centers around this one mystery and it was so fun to find all of the clues and figure out what was going on! A WONDERFUL sequel and I cannot wait for the next book :D