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A review by sueodd
Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
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!