Review & Giveaway: Strange & Ever After by Susan Dennard

Strange and Ever After (Something Strange and Deadly #3)
by Susan Dennard
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: July 22nd 2014

Synopsis:

In the conclusion to the trilogy that Publishers Weekly called “a roaring—and addictive—gothic world,” Eleanor Fitt must control her growing power, face her feelings for Daniel, and confront the evil necromancer Marcus...all before it’s too late.

He took her brother, he took her mother, and now, Marcus has taken her good friend Jie. With more determination than ever to bring this sinister man to justice, Eleanor heads to the hot desert streets of nineteenth-century Egypt in hopes of ending this nightmare. But in addition to her increasingly tense relationships with Daniel, Joseph, and her demon, Oliver, Eleanor must also deal with her former friend, Allison, who has curiously entangled herself in Eleanor’s mission.

With the rising dead chomping at her every move and Jie’s life hanging in the balance, Eleanor is convinced that her black magic will see her through to the bitter end. But there will be a price. Though she and the Spirit Hunters have weathered every battle thus far, there will be consequences to suffer this time—the effects of which will be irreversible. And when it’s over, only some will be able to live a strange and ever after.

Susan Dennard will leave readers breathless and forever changed in the concluding pages of this riveting ride.

Warning: If you have not read Something Strange & Deadly, A Darkness Strange & Lovely and A Dawn Most Wicked then proceed with caution as there may be spoilers below!

From Philadelphia to Paris, Marseilles to Egypt, the Something Strange & Deadly series has been a whirlwind of magic, mayhem and the walking dead. Add in the perfect amount of romance and you have a rollercoaster ride that keeps you turning the page until the very last word! I originally read the first two books - and the novella, as they came out but I wanted to reread them altogether so when reading the final book in the trilogy everything was fresh in my mind. And oh what a wonderful thing that was! Reading them back to back totally immersed me in Ms Dennard's beautiful writing and made me feel like I was there, with Eleanor, Daniel, Oliver, Allison, Joseph and Jie. Even Marcus/Elijah... and that's saying something!

After facing the Dead in Philadelphia and Paris the Spirit Hunters are heading to Marseilles, with Allison Wilcox in tow after she arrives with news for Eleanor and refuses to leave. From then on it's a never-ending, fast paced journey to finally stop Marcus once and forever. There are tender moments between Daniel & Eleanor and also Eleanor & Oliver as she finally begins to see who he is. I was hooked and didn't stop reading until I turned the last page, there were mummies, Pharaohs, the Pyramids of Giza and all manner of creepy reanimated creatures and it was good to finally discover what the Black Pullet actually was. Not everything in Eleanor's life is good though, there are some gut-wrenching moments in this book where you know what's coming and you're powerless to do anything about it. More than one character makes a huge personal sacrifice which just about broke my heart and I'm not ashamed to say I finished reading with tears in my eyes.

From the very beginning Eleanor Fitt has been one of my favorite characters, I have alternately either wanted to slap her or hug her. She's stubborn, strong-minded, rebellious and vulnerable all at the same time and will stick in my mind for a long time. This series has been one of my favorites, one that I will more than likely reread and recommend! If you like your steampunk, zombie romance novels with a slightly darker outlook then the Something Strange & Deadly books are perfect, I absolutely love Ms Dennard's writing and I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of Truthwitch!

Follow the FFBC Strange And Ever After Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

I am a writer, reader, lover of animals, and eater of cookies. I used to be a marine biologist, but now I write novels. And not novels about fish either, but novels about kick-butt heroines and swoon-worthy rogues (I reallylike swoon-worthy rogues).

I live in the Midwest with my husband and two dogs (Asimov and Princess Leia), and you can learn more about my crazy thoughts and crippling cookie-addiction on my blog or twitter.

My debut, SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY is now available from HarperTeen along with the prequel, A DAWN MOST WICKED, and the sequel A DARKNESS STRANGE & LOVELY.

Look for STRANGE & EVER AFTER in summer 2014 and TRUTHWITCH in fall 2015!

Note: I am on Goodreads to READ. So, if you want to discuss books and the joys of literature, add me as a friend!

Win (1) hardback copy of Strange and Ever After (US Only)

Win (1) E-book of Strange and Ever After (INT)

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Book Haul #73

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews where we can share what new books we've picked up this past week be they bought, borrowed or downloaded. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

Another great week on the buying front, one pre-order which I've been waiting for what feels like forever and a special edition hardcover of one of my favorite books. I think my postman thinks I'm sick or something as he hasn't had to stagger up the path under the weight of a dozen parcels! To make up for the lack of buying books it was library week this week so a nice big stack of books appeared on Thursday, lots of great reading for Easter.

Bought

Dreams of Gods & Monsters | Fahrenheit 451

Borrowed

The Other Life | Daughter of the Blood | Black City

Dearly Beloved | Happy Ever After | Dreams & Shadows

Dark Hear Surrender | Exit Kingdom | Boy Snow Bird

The Ninth Circle | Jasmyn | Bird Box

Unchosen - Michele Vail

Unchosen (Reaper Diaries #2) - Michele Vail
Publisher - A Freeman Publications
Release date - Kindle edition October 29th 2013
Find - Goodreads/AmazonUS(Kindle)

'I thought the worst of my reaper training was behind me… turns out I was wrong. Dead wrong.

Molly Bartolucci has done a lot of growing up but after being accused of using illegal magic at her school for necromancers, reaper-in-training Molly is treading lightly. As the destined leader of Anubis’s Chosen, she needs to study hard, train harder, and stay out of trouble.

Uh, right.

It doesn’t help that she’s feeling more than academic about her melt-your-bones hot reaping instructor, Rath. And if her relationship drama isn’t enough to drive her over the edge, she has to deal with mother issues, nosy little sisters, suspicious friends, and an unnamed force stalking her at school.

Then her family is attacked, and her bio-dad ends up comatose in the hospital. Now, Molly has to uncover who’s trying to hurt her loved ones—and all without the help of Anubis.' - Goodreads

I read Undeadly earlier this year and loved it so when the chance came to review the sequel, Unchosen, as part of a blog tour came up I couldn't refuse. Of course, my review was meant to go up during the week of no Internet service but I really wanted to share my thoughts even though I missed out on my tour stop! 

Molly has put the events of the first book behind her and is now concentrating on her training, especially as there's to be a competition to discover who the Champion of Anubis is. Molly is not impressed by this considering she was told by Anubis himself  that she is the Champion and the fact that her main competition is Clarissa, her arch-enemy at the Academy. No sooner than Molly starts to relax then mayhem ensues, Anubis has somehow disappeared and is not answering any of her summons, her relationship with Rath is becoming more & more confusing by the day, the mother she never really knew makes a re-appearance but most alarming of all someone is making this personal and attacking her family.

Having loved the first book I found Unchosen a little bit slower, there was still some action and I got used to the entries from Molly's journal at the end of each chapter which added a lot of information that would maybe not have worked if it was included as dialogue in the actual story. I really liked that Molly's circle of friends were included more in this one and her ghoul, Henry, cemented his place as one of my favorite characters in the series, along with Molly herself and Rath. I love how Molly is not another helpless female character relying on the main male character to solve her problems, she may be a bit hopeless now & then which is completely understandable considering how much her life has changed recently but she does have a habit of leaping before looking! If you like YA paranormal fantasy then you can't really go wrong with The Reaper Diaries, both are nice solid reads with action, romance and a great story including zombies, necromancy, ghosts and Egyptian gods - definitely not your average paranormal storyline. And as for that ending, well I can't wait to get my hands on book three, Unbroken and see exactly how all this is going to be resolved.

I was provided with an electronic copy of Unchosen in return for an honest, unbiased review. Many thanks to the publishers, Michele and the FFBC!

Vamps Vs. Zombies Giveaway Hop!

My Shelf Confessions are having a month long vampires vs. zombies event, including a giveaway hop! I thought I'd take part as later this month The Returned by Jason Mott comes out, about people returning from the dead, and I'll be reviewing the book & its three prequels next week.

All you have to do is choose either a copy of The Returned or an alternative vampire/zombie novel and leave me a comment stating what book you would like (you can change your mind later) and a way of getting in touch with you if you are the lucky winner (either an email address or Twitter), that's it!

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Check out the list below for lots more chances to win, thanks for entering and good luck!

Waiting On Wednesday #29

Waiting On Wednesday, where we put the spotlight on upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating, is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week's choice is -

Fire & Ash (Benny Imura #4) - Jonathan Maberry @Twitter
ISBN UK - 9781471117954 
          US - 9781442439924
Publisher - UK Simon & Schuster Childrens Book
                  US  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Expected release date - UK/US - September 26th 2013
Find - Book Depository/Goodreads

Proceed with caution, here be spoilers!

'Benny Imura and his friends have made it to Sanctuary, they've found the jet and they've discovered that civilization is struggling to regain its foothold in the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse. Scientists are on the verge of finding a cure for the zombie plague. It should be time for celebration, but it's not. Benny's best friend, Chong, has been infected by an arrow dipped in the flesh of a zombie and he hovers between life and death and Dr McReady, a researcher who may have the critical formula for a cure, has gone missing. So Benny convinces Captain Ledger to mount a search and rescue mission to find the doctor and help Chong. But with the Reapers still pursuing their plan to turn all zombies into super-fast shock troops even if they can save Chong, can they save themselves? In the fourth book of the thrilling and emotionally charged Rot & Ruin series, the battle to end all battles is about to begin...' - Goodreads

I was a relative latecomer to the Benny Imura series but in my quest for good zombie stories someone recommended Jonathan Maberry and I requested the first book, Rot & Ruin, at the library. I was hooked! I've now read all three books available plus the prequel & shorts that fit between each book, check the reading order here! I'm so excited to see what happens next to Benny & co!

What's your WoW this week?

Mortality - Kellie Sheridan

Mortality (Hitchhiker Strain #1) - Kellie Sheridan

Buy - Amazon UK Amazon US

After surviving a deadly plague outbreak, sixteen-year-old Savannah thought she had lived through the very worst of human history. There was no way to know that the miracle vaccine would put everyone at risk for a fate worse than un-death.

Now, two very different kinds of infected walk the Earth, intent on nothing but feeding and destroying what little remains of civilization. When the inoculated are bitten, infection means watching on in silent horror as self-control disappears and the idea of feasting on loved ones becomes increasingly hard to ignore.

Starving and forced to live inside of the abandoned high school, all Savannah wants is the chance to fight back. When a strange boy arrives with a plan to set everything right, she gets her chance. Meeting Cole changes everything. Mere survival will never be enough. - Goodreads

I love zombies! Rather strangely though I don't appear to read many zombie novels, the last one was an anthology of zombie stories, The Living Dead ed. by John Joseph Adams back in 2009! I do however watch everything zombie on the big/small screen, most recently In The Flesh which was on BBC3 here in the UK and was a new take on zombies. Imagine my excitement when I started Mortality only to discover that it too is a fresh take on zombies!

Whilst the traditional zombies are still the majority there is a new breed, the living zombie, infected but still alive, knowing exactly what is happening but powerless to stop yourself attacking. The story switches between two sets of main characters, Savannah & Cole and Zarah & Liam along with the usual cast of supporting characters.

The story opens with Savannah mooning over her best (male) friend Alex who has a girlfriend and my first thought was 'oh no, another love triangle' which always makes me want to stop reading. Happily though the story does not go this way! Savannah and her friends are living in a large compound (the local high school) training to fight zombies and trying to survive. The action starts when they go on a supply run and things don't go as planned, this is also where Cole comes in having been watching out for anyone from their group. Savannah is an incredibly strong character, independent, stubborn, almost fearless and a typical teenager - considering she has lost her entire family she is so much more together than I ever would be. Cole though remains almost an enigma through the entire book, by the end we still don't know much more about him than we did at the start and whether it was intentional or not there's just something 'shifty' about him which sets you on guard. 

Although there are two sets of main characters Zarah & Liam's story is more like a side story until towards the end, I loved reading Zarah's point of view though and she was so different to Savannah that it was a joy to read the shifting PoV's instead of it being jarring. I related more to Zarah and as much as I liked Savannah, she & Liam were my favorite characters. Without being too spoiler-y (I know that's not a word!) the cover sums up the entire book perfectly and I can't wait to see what Duality looks like.

There was romance in this zombie story but it wasn't the be all and end all, it added to the storyline and made certain things even the more heartbreaking. The end, even though you knew what was coming, was shattering and I love how Kellie didn't hold back in this part of the storyline. My only complaint is that it ended! I'm now desperate to read Duality and can't believe I have to wait until December... In the meantime I'm off to buy End Dayz, the prequel to the series to keep me going until I find another zombie story that I love as much as Mortality.

Thank you to Kellie for providing me with an e-copy of Mortality!

Blog Tour - Mortality by Kellie Sheridan

My first blog tour! Kellie contacted me, asked if I'd like to take part and as I'd  added Mortality to my wishlist over on Goodreads at the end of last year I jumped at the chance! Today's post is a guest post from Kellie about the books that influenced her to write her own Zombie epic and in the next couple of days I'll be posting a review of Mortality. I'm reading it just now and loving it!

Mortality (Hitchhiker Strain #1) - Kellie Sheridan

Sales Links - Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Barnes&Noble Kobo iTunes

Links to Kellie on the web -

Website - Snarky Books
Twitter - @Kellie_Sheridan
Goodreads - Kellie Sheridan 

Books That Inspired Mortality - Kellie Sheridan

After devouring the first two seasons of The Walking Dead as my introduction to all things zombie, things were looking pretty grim. I love the show, but for all its great character moments, I wanted MORE. I wanted to get inside the heads of the survivors to understand their struggles and what kept them going, so I started reading books about the zombie apocalypse. That’s when I fell completely in love!

Books about the zombie apocalypse offer a level beyond that which you get in horror flicks, making it impossible not to get entirely too invested in the world and the characters. Here are a few of my favorites that were just SO good, they made me want to start writing a zombie survival story of my own.

1. World War Z by Max Brooks

The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.

While not as character driven as the other books on this list, this book is still so many different kinds of awesome. This book focuses more on the political ramifications of the zombie apocalypse as well as the science behind the infection. It was important to me to keep Mortality’s zombies grounded in a (twisted) version of science, so in a lot of ways this book did a lot to help me shape my own undead villains. Plus, Max Brooks is basically the king of zombie fiction.

If you’ve haven’t read this book yet, I highly recommend you pick it up before the movie’s release. World War Z the movie looks like it’s going a more traditional route than the book does, possibly skewering the story completely. Ick.

2. The First Days by Rhiannon Frater

Katie is driving to work one beautiful day when a dead man jumps into her car and tries to eat her.  That same morning, Jenni opens a bedroom door to find her husband devouring their toddler son.

Fate puts Jenni and Katie—total strangers—together in a pickup, fleeing the suddenly zombie-filled streets of the Texas city in which they live. Before the sun has set, they have become more than just friends and allies—they are bonded as tightly as any two people who have been to war together.

The first in an awesome trilogy, The First Days might be my favorite ever zombie book. The two main characters are both women, and both awesome. Katie and Jenni look out for each other above all else, and it’s impossible not to root for them. Throughout the whole series Rhiannon Frater does a flawless job of exploring the emotional impact a global outbreak of the walking dead could have on the survivors, which brings something really unique to the table.

What I took away from the novel was the spark of an idea for Savannah’s character. I wanted to create a character that definitely didn’t need a guy to survive the zombie apocalypse, who was a fighter in her own right. Eventually, I ended up with Savannah.

3. Married with Zombies by Jesse Petersen

Meet Sarah and David. Once upon a time they met and fell in love. But now they're on the verge of divorce and going to couples' counseling. On a routine trip to their counselor, they notice a few odd things - the lack of cars on the highway, the missing security guard, and the fact that their counselor, Dr. Kelly, is ripping out her previous client's throat.

This book is just too funny! It’s definitely not your typical zombie story, but that’s what makes it such a fresh read. It’s about a couple who is in marriage counseling with the zombie apocalypse happens. Sarah and David have a lot of issues to work through, and it’s kind of hilarious watching them snipe at each other while killing the undead. Married with Zombies is definitely more about relationships than it is killing and gore, and the whole story has a very tongue-in-cheek feel.

I knew my own book was going to be more about survival than about finding the funny moments in un-life, but it was a great reminder not to take my own story too seriously. For me, it had more to do with dealing with teenagers and the way they see the world, even when it’s falling apart around them. Sometimes everything seems like the end of the world, but sometimes you’re staring tragedy in the face and fighting down a strange urge to laugh, because sometimes that’s the best way to let it all out.

Other books by Kellie

End Dayz (Hitchhiker Strain #0.5)

Thanks for the great post Kellie, some amazing books inspired you!