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jennifermreads's review against another edition
5.0
Months later I am awed by this book. Never occurred to me that zombies and romance would be in the same book and I would like it!
toastymaloney's review against another edition
3.0
The story starts with a girl. She's had a difficult past year, due to the loss of her father. She lives in a world that is in the not too distant future and is post apocalyptic.
The world she lives in is like this: the ancestors decided to adopt the old Victorian ways. Ladies wear dresses and lots of petticoats; gentlemen wear waistcoats and carry handkerchiefs. Everyone addresses each other with formality. And it seems to work.
Except there are those who don't think it works very well. The Punks. They fight along the civilized borders. And it seems the fighting is getting worse. Much more harsh than in the past.
So back to the girl I mentioned. Her name is Nora Dearly. Her father worked on lots of medical things for the government that was hush hush. He died, and she was devastated. Her best friend helps her through so much.
While at home one evening, Nora is kidnapped. Her kidnappers look wrong. She fights with everything she has to stop them. And the book goes on to tell of her adventures, as well as a couple of other characters. Including Bram, the young captain who also happens to be a zombie, Victor, who is Nora's father and also is a zombie, and also others. :)
The world she lives in is like this: the ancestors decided to adopt the old Victorian ways. Ladies wear dresses and lots of petticoats; gentlemen wear waistcoats and carry handkerchiefs. Everyone addresses each other with formality. And it seems to work.
Except there are those who don't think it works very well. The Punks. They fight along the civilized borders. And it seems the fighting is getting worse. Much more harsh than in the past.
So back to the girl I mentioned. Her name is Nora Dearly. Her father worked on lots of medical things for the government that was hush hush. He died, and she was devastated. Her best friend helps her through so much.
While at home one evening, Nora is kidnapped. Her kidnappers look wrong. She fights with everything she has to stop them. And the book goes on to tell of her adventures, as well as a couple of other characters. Including Bram, the young captain who also happens to be a zombie, Victor, who is Nora's father and also is a zombie, and also others. :)
sueodd's review against another edition
4.0
Yes, this is still formulaic YA female paranormal romance. We have our heroine with special power, we have our supernatural love interest, we even have a minor love triangle. However, this book effectively combines Victorian, Modern, Steampunk, and Zombies.
The fight-for-our-heroine's life is actually broader than just Nora. The author has created an interesting world, set in a post-apocalyptic future where various natural disasters have sent the surviving humans towards the equator. The society in which Nora lives bases itself on Victorian-era moral and etiquette standards, yet has modern technology. The conflict with the neighboring society, the "Punks" (terrible name), arose when people within New Victoria disagreed with some of the stricter aspects of the new Victorian society such as the rigid class structure. The dissidents eventually split off, forming a new society. Steampunk enters the mix in the Punk society, which has abandoned the modern technology used in New Victoria.
Our heroine is a plucky, intelligent teen who is part of the upper class yet seems more interested in academic achievement (and target practice) that maintaining her position and reputation in society. Her best friend, Pamela, is from the middle class. There is a deep sadness in Nora, after the loss of her father a year ago.
And then we have Zombies. The author writes from several POVs, including Bram, a zombie soldier who died when he was 16. The twist here is that some zombies retain their personality and intelligence, depending on how quickly they reanimate. The sentient zombies have been trained to fight the mindless zombie hordes. I've actually been waiting for this twist. The romanticized vampire has completely taken over the genre, and I was wondering if someone would do the same with zombies.
Well done, Ms. Habel, well done!
Side note: lots of people complaining about the multiple POVs in their reviews. These people should never read George R.R. Martin or Tad Williams. Their heads might explode!
The fight-for-our-heroine's life is actually broader than just Nora. The author has created an interesting world, set in a post-apocalyptic future where various natural disasters have sent the surviving humans towards the equator. The society in which Nora lives bases itself on Victorian-era moral and etiquette standards, yet has modern technology. The conflict with the neighboring society, the "Punks" (terrible name), arose when people within New Victoria disagreed with some of the stricter aspects of the new Victorian society such as the rigid class structure. The dissidents eventually split off, forming a new society. Steampunk enters the mix in the Punk society, which has abandoned the modern technology used in New Victoria.
Our heroine is a plucky, intelligent teen who is part of the upper class yet seems more interested in academic achievement (and target practice) that maintaining her position and reputation in society. Her best friend, Pamela, is from the middle class. There is a deep sadness in Nora, after the loss of her father a year ago.
And then we have Zombies. The author writes from several POVs, including Bram, a zombie soldier who died when he was 16. The twist here is that some zombies retain their personality and intelligence, depending on how quickly they reanimate. The sentient zombies have been trained to fight the mindless zombie hordes. I've actually been waiting for this twist. The romanticized vampire has completely taken over the genre, and I was wondering if someone would do the same with zombies.
Well done, Ms. Habel, well done!
Side note: lots of people complaining about the multiple POVs in their reviews. These people should never read George R.R. Martin or Tad Williams. Their heads might explode!
arinnroberson's review against another edition
3.0
I thought it was an interesting idea. That it was well written, with good characters, but I didn't enjoy how the women were treated and how the main character Nora never really did anything. All-in-all it was a quick enjoyable read with a few flaws.
tracey_stewart's review against another edition
4.0
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.
fitzsbeloved's review against another edition
4.0
Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel is a neo-Victorian, or Steampunk novel about, well, zombies.
Nora Dearly is living with her aunt after both her mother and father passed away. Where the novel starts, she and her best friend, Pamela, are coming home from their school.
On her way home, Nora encounters this myterious man with white eyes. He tells her that she is in danger and should leave with him. Like the good little girl she is, she tells him he is nuts and calls for help.
A few days later, a horde of zombies invade her house. To her rescue comes the mysterious men and his army of...zombies. They defeat the evil zombies and take her to their military base. It is here that Senor Miserioso reveals himself as Abraham "Bram" Griswold.
To Nora, he is gorgeous, perfect. Well, save for the fact that he's dead (Oh, but who pays attention to detail?)!
First and formost, the most irritating thing about this book is that is has five points-of-view. Five! That's a whole hand's worth! Out of these five, only two, maybe three, were needed.
The three that make sense being Nora, Bram, and (maybe) Pamela. The only reason I say Pamela was because I liked seeing what was going on in town. It was the only parts of the story I remember that it is a steampunk novel, as I quickly forget it is a Victorian era while reading about Nora and Bram with their guns.
The other two would be spoiler-y if I were to say.
Now, somewhere along the lines, zombies became sexy. Well, one did, anyway. In the story, Bram was the only zombie who wasn't torn or broken. He looked human (as was described). I felt this to be a little hard to believe, especially since he is in the army. A GENERAL in the army, no less. He could at least be missing an ear or something.
I really liked the main character, Nora. Unlike most of today's heroins, her tough persona is believable. The stands up for herself, and doesn't take shit from anyone (not even a zombie!).
The writing was incredible. There was one typo I found towards the end, but other than that, it was just beautiful.
This was my first steampunk novel, and it SO wasn't a let down. I can't wait until I can get my hands on the second!
Nora Dearly is living with her aunt after both her mother and father passed away. Where the novel starts, she and her best friend, Pamela, are coming home from their school.
On her way home, Nora encounters this myterious man with white eyes. He tells her that she is in danger and should leave with him. Like the good little girl she is, she tells him he is nuts and calls for help.
A few days later, a horde of zombies invade her house. To her rescue comes the mysterious men and his army of...zombies. They defeat the evil zombies and take her to their military base. It is here that Senor Miserioso reveals himself as Abraham "Bram" Griswold.
To Nora, he is gorgeous, perfect. Well, save for the fact that he's dead (Oh, but who pays attention to detail?)!
First and formost, the most irritating thing about this book is that is has five points-of-view. Five! That's a whole hand's worth! Out of these five, only two, maybe three, were needed.
The three that make sense being Nora, Bram, and (maybe) Pamela. The only reason I say Pamela was because I liked seeing what was going on in town. It was the only parts of the story I remember that it is a steampunk novel, as I quickly forget it is a Victorian era while reading about Nora and Bram with their guns.
The other two would be spoiler-y if I were to say.
Now, somewhere along the lines, zombies became sexy. Well, one did, anyway. In the story, Bram was the only zombie who wasn't torn or broken. He looked human (as was described). I felt this to be a little hard to believe, especially since he is in the army. A GENERAL in the army, no less. He could at least be missing an ear or something.
I really liked the main character, Nora. Unlike most of today's heroins, her tough persona is believable. The stands up for herself, and doesn't take shit from anyone (not even a zombie!).
The writing was incredible. There was one typo I found towards the end, but other than that, it was just beautiful.
This was my first steampunk novel, and it SO wasn't a let down. I can't wait until I can get my hands on the second!
hlizmarie's review against another edition
3.0
Such an entertaining read! I loved Nora's spunk and Bram certainly sounds fantastic for a zombie. The storyline is unique and engaging. The supporting characters are colorful and well drawn. I'm going to jump right into the next one!
shelfaddiction's review against another edition
2.0
Steampunk, dystopian-ish, post apocalyptic, Zombie book with futuristic technology and a twist of Victorian society (gas lamps, corsets and all). What a mash up. To the authors credit, I've never read any thing like this. I feel like there was a ton of potential with this story, but unfortunately I thought there was a lot of room for improvement.
My major gripe would be the 5 different POVs. That really bothered me for some reason. Maybe because the 5 voices weren't different enough for me. I found myself going back a few pages here or there to check out the header of the chapter, indicating whose narrating, My second issue is the slow pace of the book. It took me a long time to get through this book, something like 14 days. I would pick it up, read a half chapter or so, then put it down. I hate when it takes me that long to complete a book. I didn't want to give up because I was hoping that at any moment the book would pick up pace, sadly it didn't happen. I was expecting a lot more.
I'm not even sure I liked the fact that there were romantic feelings between Bram and Nora. In my opinion, it just didn't fit. it seemed sort of gross to be honest. A girl falls for a boy whose body is literally falling apart? Held together with glue and serums?...Yuck. On top of that his body won't even last in that state more than 5 years or so....again, nasty. Friends, yes. Boyfriend/Girlfriend, no. I do understand that the author was trying to convey that it's okay to be with someone different than you, and I agree with that. But I still didn't like the Zombie/Human thing.
The action consisted mostly of good Zombies vs bad Zombies. Zombies with most of their mental facilities vs the Zombies who are for the most part no longer "there". Villains that weren't all that either. Yes, they were evil, but I didn't really grasp the motivation behind their actions. It seems all a bit contrived. One man wants a cure or vaccine against the “The Laz” virus as retribution for his family being infected. The second terrorist wants it to weld some type of control over the government. Then we find out there's sort of a double cross with the two villains. I just didn't like it.
The good things amount to the lovely cover art and the general premise of the story. I also must give the author credit for her world building. I do feel that I could entirely see the world in which was being taken over by those infected with "The Laz". She was very descriptive and lyrical at times.
I feel that this book could have been great, but it wasn't executed well. There are worst books out there, but this wasn't very good either. I have the second book, but honestly after hearing that Dearly Beloved has 6 POVs, I won't bother.
My major gripe would be the 5 different POVs. That really bothered me for some reason. Maybe because the 5 voices weren't different enough for me. I found myself going back a few pages here or there to check out the header of the chapter, indicating whose narrating, My second issue is the slow pace of the book. It took me a long time to get through this book, something like 14 days. I would pick it up, read a half chapter or so, then put it down. I hate when it takes me that long to complete a book. I didn't want to give up because I was hoping that at any moment the book would pick up pace, sadly it didn't happen. I was expecting a lot more.
I'm not even sure I liked the fact that there were romantic feelings between Bram and Nora. In my opinion, it just didn't fit. it seemed sort of gross to be honest. A girl falls for a boy whose body is literally falling apart? Held together with glue and serums?...Yuck. On top of that his body won't even last in that state more than 5 years or so....again, nasty. Friends, yes. Boyfriend/Girlfriend, no. I do understand that the author was trying to convey that it's okay to be with someone different than you, and I agree with that. But I still didn't like the Zombie/Human thing.
The action consisted mostly of good Zombies vs bad Zombies. Zombies with most of their mental facilities vs the Zombies who are for the most part no longer "there". Villains that weren't all that either. Yes, they were evil, but I didn't really grasp the motivation behind their actions. It seems all a bit contrived. One man wants a cure or vaccine against the “The Laz” virus as retribution for his family being infected. The second terrorist wants it to weld some type of control over the government. Then we find out there's sort of a double cross with the two villains. I just didn't like it.
The good things amount to the lovely cover art and the general premise of the story. I also must give the author credit for her world building. I do feel that I could entirely see the world in which was being taken over by those infected with "The Laz". She was very descriptive and lyrical at times.
I feel that this book could have been great, but it wasn't executed well. There are worst books out there, but this wasn't very good either. I have the second book, but honestly after hearing that Dearly Beloved has 6 POVs, I won't bother.
stygianvixen's review against another edition
2.0
The concept was awesome and I thought I would enjoy the novel. Unfortunately I felt like it was executed poorly and although I liked the gadgets and world building I didn't like the flow or the characters which for me is probably the most important part next to the story which I found boring.