The idea behind this book is all I've ever wanted | Witch Hunter

Witch Hunter (The Witch Hunter #1) by Virginia Boecker

Published:  September 1st 2015 by Hodder & Stoughton (first published June 2nd by Little Brown Books for Young Readers)
Genre: young adult, fantasy, alternate history

Goodreads summary: The magic and suspense of Graceling meet the political intrigue and unrest of Game of Thrones in this riveting fantasy debut.

Your greatest enemy isn't what you fight, but what you fear.

Elizabeth Grey is one of the king's best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. But when she's accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to burn at the stake.

Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can break the deadly curse that's been laid upon him.

But Nicholas and his followers know nothing of Elizabeth's witch hunting past--if they find out, the stake will be the least of her worries. And as she's thrust into the magical world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and one all-too-handsome healer, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate.

Virginia Boecker weaves a riveting tale of magic, betrayal, and sacrifice in this unforgettable fantasy debut.

REVIEW

To sum it up, I loved it. I read it in two days when I was in a reading slump and then I got a book hangover. I remember reading mixed reviews about this one, so I was hesitant to pick this up but it was SO. GOOD.

WHY I LOVED THIS BOOK TO THE MOON AND BACK AND WANT THE WORLD TO READ IT

* It's alternate history set in a 16th England. Witches are supposed to be bad and everything and are burnt. Because of that, the world is a dark place and no one is safe. There was a plague started by wizards that killed half the country. Because there are wizards, there is an Inquisition (I've always wanted to write that kind of book so I'm happy)! So of course, there is an underground organization of wizards to fight against all the system (and they're called the Reformists so it's a TRUE alternate history).

* The main character, Elizabeth Grey, is a witch hunter (hence the title). As soon as the first chapter, we got to see her fight the wizards. She's strong and has a hard time trusting people. Because of the time period, even if she lived in the palace, she got through big issues and I liked that (well not really) because it was realistic. We didn't actually see what happened but it was there.

* The plot involves a curse that needs to be broken. It is a fast-paced plot, set in the dark for the most part, it was an enjoyable story to read about. The characters go to parties with supernatural beings.

* I was scared there would be a love triangle, because in the beginning of the novel, there was an overprotective best friend. But because of the choices Elizabeth made, the love triangle didn't exist.

* There is an untrustworthy ghost character! He was so funny and had a relationship with a living character. There are also characters like a seer-child. There are also pirates and the characters travel by ship!

* I didn't see the plot twist coming. It's true that some things were weird but… I hadn't realised. That ending was kick-ass, selfless and a little creepy. Can I have the next book, please?

BUT IT STILL HAD SOME ISSUES

* I wanted a little more world-building. Like more on: why witches, more witch hunter-y scenes, etc.

* When I realized what the romance would be, I was a little disappointed because I didn't buy it? She just fell in love with the guy who saved her life, of course… Still, the author wrote swoony-worthy scenes with these two characters so it was okay.

Overall, I love that kind of books, with witches and alternate history and everything. It's been a while since I read one like that so my heart was pleased. I really enjoyed the main character who was tough and had hard choices to make. I didn't really like the romance, but I'm sure it will be better in the next book. Basically you need to read it and love it! 

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Have you read books like this one (I'd love some recommendations)?

An emotional rollercoaster that felt like home | Lady Midnight

Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare

Published: March 8th 2016 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Genre: young adult, urban fantasy

Goodreads: The Shadowhunters of Los Angeles star in the first novel in Cassandra Clare’s newest series, The Dark Artifices, a sequel to the internationally bestselling Mortal Instruments series. Lady Midnight is a Shadowhunters novel.

It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.

Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…

Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?

Glitz, glamours, and Shadowhunters abound in this heartrending opening to Cassandra Clare’s Dark Artifices series.

REVIEW

I'm feeling very emotional about this book, and I'm typing this three days later. I wasn't completely sure I would love it as much as I did, because it's been three years since we got a Shadowhunter novel. I was thinking that maybe I had grew out of it, but fortunately, I didn't, which made me so happy, since it's because of those books I started reading in English.

First off, Cassandra Clare grew so much as a writer since City of Bones. I'm planning on re-reading it this year, but from what I remember, I don't think I'll enjoy it as much as I did this one. I remember that it took me a whole month to get through City of Lost Souls, because it was painfully slow... I was so done with that series because it was really long, but City of Heavenly Fire was truly amazing, so it made up for it! Anyways, I've been excited for this book for years and I just checked... I added it to my 'tbr' on Goodreads the day I joined the website. So yeah, I was dying for it and it was really worth it. It made me laugh, it made me cry and more importantly, it felt like home. 

Because I already read nine books in this world, it was really easy to get into it. Nevertheless, Cassandra Clare still managed to add new elements into her world, like the Scholomance or the Shadow Market. I also really enjoyed that there was this "kind of a secret society", it was really mysterious and made me eager. I also really enjoyed that we saw a little more faeries than in the other books, but I still crave more of them.

The strongest part of this novel were its characters. I remember that in The Mortal Instruments, the characters were annoying and made to be perfect... But here, it wasn't the case at all! If Clary and Jace were made to be amazing Shadowhunters in TMI, Emma and Julian worked so hard to be great Shadowhunters... Emma was actually so careless... It's a good thing she had Julian to watch her back! Emma was sassy and tough, I really enjoyed reading about her and she's blonde, it's the plus size for me, lmao. I thought that Julian changed a lot from usual male leads Clare wrote, he was so much more gentle and had a strong sense of family... But at the same time he could be ruthless. And he paints so yay! I had totally figured it out about his studio though, but it was still really cute.

I really enjoyed reading about the Blackthorn's siblings, because since I got all excited three years ago, I knew their main characteristics and they felt so realistic. Especially Ty. I'm really emotional about him because... My little brother is a lot like him, so I could relate so much and I just wanted to cry. It was so funny that they all loved crime mystery and just wanted to solve it. And their dynamics were great! Cristina was a mystery I was trying to solve and I really liked her, she was another character to balance Emma's fire. I feel like Clare took a lot of time to craft realistic and important secondary characters, which I really appreciated.

Moreover, we got some cameos into this book, which made my little fangirl heart happy (because Jem <3). At the beginning, someone mentioned Simon's ex-band, TMI which of course stood for the Mortal Instruments and oh the feels. We didn't see every main character of the previous series, but we still learnt what was going on in their lives, that's all I wanted, I don't really want them to take too much screen time.

I found the plot to be very strong, I was hooked from cover to cover (even if technically I read it as an e-book... I'm waiting for my copy to arrive) and I didn't find that it dragged a lot, which had scared me because of the length of this novel. This plot was about solving murders and I liked that the Shadowhunters actually used mundane technology, it felt so much more realistic! I also really appreciated all the subplots, because I was interested in all of them. It was full of twists and turns and some of them left me gasping, because I wasn't expecting it. At all.

The romance was amazingly written, like usual and I was rooting for the characters so much. Of course, we're only in the first book so it can't actually last right now but it was painful, because Clare makes us hope. *sobs* These characters are so made for each other and I'm not buying this b******t. Nope. But I'm excited to understand more about it. Nevertheless: why Emma? why??

It also contained a LGBT romance and I wasn't expecting it for this character because I thought it would be between Helen and Aline, but obviously they're not here. Please I need Helen and a happy Blackthorn reunion *cries*

Basically, the ending was really painful to read about and now I just want the second book. I found the epilogue a little predictable, but that's just my opinion. It was just enough to make me eager for the rest of the story, even though I totally wanted to read the next book just because of the romance, because I need these characters together. At least there won't be a love triangle, right?

Overall, I think Cassandra Clare grew a lot as a writer and if you weren't a big fan of the Mortal Instruments, you could actually really enjoy this one. Did I love it as much as the Infernal Devices? I cannot say until I've read the whole trilogy sadly. Still, it balanced suspense, romance and action perfectly and it was so gripping! I just need the next book NOW.

Have you read my whole review (if you did, you deserve a cookie!)? Have you read this book yet? Your thoughts? Do you love the Shadow world? Do you want to read this series?

An interesting magic system but characters I couldn't connect with | Touch of Power

Touch of Power (Healer #1) by Maria V. Snyder

Published: December 20th 2011 by Mira
Genre: Young adult, High fantasy

Goodreads summary: Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honoured for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince, the leader of a campaign against her people.

As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for.

REVIEW

Finally, I've read a book by this author, which is so exciting, because I have so much more to discover from her.

I really enjoyed reading about this world, I found the plague to be an original element. It was great to have healers in the magic system -they weren't the only ones but still- especially because I felt them to be so realistic, since when they healed someone, they suffered in their place, but recovered faster. Moreover, we learnt about how they came to be at the end of the book and what was all about with the plague. Nevertheless, I would have liked to read about a more diverse setting, because it seemed to be forest and caves <b>ALL. THE. TIME.</b> Maybe the world will expand in the rest of the series, we'll see.

Plot-wise, I never got bored, even if it involved a lot of journeying, which I found a bit strange, since I'm bored most of the time in that kind of plot, but it wasn't the case here, because it was full of twists and turns. When the characters stopped in certain locations, it would make secondary plot lines move, it was so nicely done. The last third of the novel was really different because of the situation the main character was into, I really liked it because again, it allowed a change of scenery and kept the plot interesting.

The characters were fine, but I didn't particularly cared for any of them. They felt a bit flat to me, but maybe some character development will help me with this in the second book. However, the family dynamics between the characters was well written and I loved when they talked of "Poppa Bear", it was so funny! I didn't like Kerrick, because he was such a jerk in the beginning and tortured Avry, I was sooooo mad about it. Okay, this book was set in a harsh world and involved serious topics, but still. I wouldn't have forgiven him, had I been Avry. He might grew on me in the second book, since he's less of a cold-hearted jerk. The secondary characters were full of humour and I liked them more, but I wanted more backstory on some of them.

I really enjoyed that the characters were older than in regular YA novels (apparently, Goodreads says it's young adult, so I'll believe), because their actions seemed more realistic. This book was easy to read, so it could be a young adult novel, but I'm not completely sure because of some of the topics involved. I think it was labelled wrong, but I don't know if I would have picked it up if it had been labelled as 'adult', which is pretty stupid, but I only read young adult books these days.

I was pretty 'meh' about the romance, because of what I said above. Moreover, another character wanted to get Avry and used his powers to mess with her emotions, please tell me it won't turn into a love triangle or I'll yell. It was a hate turned love kind of romance, but it didn't work that much for me, and I rolled my eyes a few times because I found some of the dialogues cheesy.

I really enjoyed the ending, which was fast-paced and full of surprises. It made me so eager to read the second book, which I'll get to next month!

Have you read this book? What do you think of Maria V. Snyder's books? Do you have favourites? Do you think Touch of Power should be labelled young adult? New adult?

An amazing world that made me fangirl so hard | Truthwitch

Truthwitch (The Witchlands #1) by Susan Dennard

Published: January 14th 2016 by Tor (first published January 5th 2016)

Format: Paperback

Genre: YA high fantasy

Goodreads summary: On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery”, a magical skill that sets them apart from others.

In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.

Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

REVIEW

*crack knuckles* LET'S DO THIS!

If you didn't know, Truthwitch was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. It got a lot of promotion, especially on Twitter, which built a lot of hype and because of that, I became more hesitant to pick it up. Don't get me wrong, it's great so many people talked about it before it was released, but it got SO CONFUSING. I was tired of hearing about it and then everyone changed their Twitter's pic to the cover. The book wasn't even out yet. I just wanted it to STOP because it could have prevented me from reading it. Sorry to say it, but I'm not kidding. After reading it, I can say it deserved all the hype and promo. But slow it down next year, please.

FIRST PAGES

At the beginning of the story, I'll admit, I was a bit confused on what was going on, because the first chapter throws the reader in intense events straight away. Still, because of that, it gripped my attention from the first page.  From cover to cover, I was really invested in the story, which is why I managed to finish it rather quickly.

PLOT

The plot was rather complex and appeared later on in the story, because at first, the two girls were trying to get away because of the Bloodwitch. But well… Later on, something happened, that was so much bigger and then… The whole world hunt Safi (and Iseult!) down, which made a crazy adventure! The whole book was full of twists and turns, which made it a very entertaining read, I wasn't bored a single moment! Moreover, it contained everything a good high fantasy needs, which means politics, court, ships, magic and adventure.

WORLD

Truthwitch was set in a rich and complex world I have a lot of admiration for. However, it's a good thing that I knew a little about it before I went into it, because I could have been confused otherwise. The magic system was really interesting, based of elements but with more than the four we know. Moreover, there were different type of witchery among the different elements : for example, a Windwitch isn't the same as an Airwitch. This book also involved a lot of different countries, I'm excited to discover new ones in the next book tbh. I really enjoyed reading about Iseult's tribe, even if it wasn't a funny moment in the book, I found it really interesting to read about that, it changed from "regular" Empires. But do you know what was the best about the world?

WARRIOR MONKS

When I read about that, I was fangirling SO. HARD. I love those. Like I want to write about that kind of thing someday, because it is the coolest.

 Oh and also it involved ships, so obviously I'm sold (I feel like I'm always saying the same things, but who cares?)

And have I talked about the Puppeteer yet? Because I was like: OMG necromancy is back, I'm so on board with that!

THE CHARACTERS

Well, tbh I didn't feel a big connection to them, because the points of view were switching quite often. But, I really enjoyed them. There is a large and diverse cast of characters, you'll definitely find a favourite in the lot. I'm not sure which character is my favourite yet, because I need to know more about the characters, especially secondary characters, before I make a decision.

Nevertheless, I wasn't a big fan of Aeduan. He had a really interesting backstory, but I'm not swooning all over him... Yet? I don't know but sometimes, I felt like his chapters didn't add a lot to the story. I'm sure he'll have a bigger part in the next book, but he was just "introduced" in this book, in my opinion. 

THE RELATIONSHIPS

Okay first, the most important relationship in the book is Safi and Iseult's. And this, guys, is AMAZING. Most of the time, the romance is more important than friendship. Here? It wasn't happening like that. Like they said a lot: Threadfamily before the rest. That's all, okay? I'm really happy to read about characters that value friendship a lot, especially when they've known there love interest for two seconds.

But, the romance between Safi and Merik was shippable. At first, I though the way they were attracted to each other straight away was a little weird. However, it IS a slow burn romance, and it is worth it. Those characters have a lot of chemistry with each other, and they care for one another, even if they tried to say the contrary, haha. I can't wait to see them again together but… I'm scared, because remember Eleanor and Daniel? DO YOU?????

THE ENDING

SO MANY THINGS HAPPENED. I managed to keep track of everything that happened, but wow it was fast-paced, full of action and revelations. It didn't really finished on a cliff-hanger, but I'm so excited to get back into this world soon.

Overall, this book wasn't perfect. But it was the best book I've read since the beginning of the year, I was so invested in the story and like you saw in my review… I'm fangirling. A lot. And I wrote the review one week after finishing the book so I should have calmed down. But I haven't.

Other:

• Review of Something Strange and Deadly
• Review of A Darkness Strange and Lovely
• Review of Strange and Ever After

Have you read this book? Did you think there was too much promo/hype? Who was your favourite character?

Strange and Ever After | Book review

Title: Strange and Ever After (Something Strange and Deadly #3)

Author: Susan Dennard

Published: July 22nd 2014 by HarperTeen

Goodreads summary: 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.

REVIEW

One of my favourite aspects of these books was the traveling parts. With Something Strange and Deadly, we started the story in Philadelphia, then went to Le Havre and Paris in A Darkness Strange and Lovely, finally went to Marseille and Egypt in this book. There was no way I could have been bored because there was this perpetual change of scenery, we went to so many places.

I felt like we didn’t see the Dead that much because this book focused more on necromancy and Eleanor trying to control it. We also got a really interesting take on Egyptian mythology, which was linked to necromancy, a change from the demi-gods trope. The artefacts were a little creepy tbh. Moreover, choosing to kink everything with Egypt was a great idea because at that time, people were so fascinated with Egypt, which you can see with the party in Cairo.

I really enjoyed the characters; they grew a lot since the first book, especially El, of course. Her relationship with Oliver improved a lot in this book; he became a lot more like a brother to her than just a tool. The romance we all waited since the first book finally happened and the characters looked so right together!

This book was action-packed; the situation started at the end of Something Strange and Deadly was resolved, with some betrayals. The ending made me feel so emotional, I was like: WHY SUSAN WHY? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO US THE CHARACTERS? Sadly, I expected it; I hoped I was wrong but nooooo. It still hurts so much…

The last chapter was full of hope for the characters so I’m making my peace with event. The characters will be able to complete part of their dream, hopefully.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

A Darkness Strange and Lovely | Book review

Title: A Darkness Strange and Lovely (Something Strange and Deadly #2)

Author: Susan Dennard

Published: July 23rd 2013 by HarperTeen

Goodreads summary: With her brother dead and her mother on the verge of insanity, Eleanor Fitt is utterly alone. Even the Spirit-Hunters - Joseph, Jie and the handsome, enigmatic Daniel - have fled to Paris. So when Eleanor begins to hear the vicious barking of hounds and see images of haunting yellow eyes, she fears the worst - that the Dead, and the necromancer Marcus, are coming for her.

To escape and search out the Spirit-Hunters, Eleanor boards a steamer bound for France. There she meets Oliver, a young man who claims to have known her brother. Though friendly, Oliver entices Eleanor with necromancy and black magic, yet as long as she can resist his powerful temptation, she'll be fine. But when she arrives in Paris, she finds that the Dead have taken over the city...and there's a whole new evil lurking. With the body count rising, Eleanor 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.

REVIEW

This book had the same tropes that usual second books in trilogy, but it was done beautifully. I wasn’t bored a single moment, because the author took us to other parts of the world, we didn’t stay in Philadelphia. At the beginning of the book, Eleanor is truly a misfit (lol), she’s all alone because her mother is an asylum, her friends turned on her, the Spirit-Hunters have left and of course, there is the matter of her hand.

Eleanor is forced to leave town when Marcus comes after her and sail on a boat to France, because the Spirit Hunters are now in Paris. There, she meets new friends like Laure and form new alliances with the mysterious Oliver, who knows a lot more about her brother than he let on. Moreover, Eleanor is hunted down by creatures of the underworld, the Hell Hounds. I loved that Eleanor was on the ship, because it’s one of my favourite tropes in books. There was a scene of dream on the boat that was such like in Anastasia.

France was an amazing setting, because for once, I actually felt that the author did her research right. I live in Paris, so I get mad easily about French settings, haha. There was only one grammatical error in Susan Dennard’s French: it’s not “Le Cupidon Belle” but “Le Beau Cupidon”. Anyways, the French was correct for the rest of the book, and there was a lot of research about Paris, because the author mentioned Haussmann. Moreover, other cities were mentioned, like Le Havre where Americans sailed, or Marseille, from where Laure came from.

This book was a moment of deceptions for Eleanor, because a lot of people she considered friends turned their back to her. The author explained a lot more of the necromancy, because of the plot. Demons were also introduced, I really enjoyed that aspect. However, I had figured out who the bad guy was really early in the book. I noticed that the author doesn’t flinch when she has to wound a beloved character.

I enjoyed this book slightly less than the first one, but it was already SO GOOD. The next one seems full of promises; I’m really looking forward to it.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

Something Strange and Deadly | Book review

Title: Something Strange and Deadly (Something Strange and Deadly #1)

Author: Susan Dennard

Published: July 24th 2012 by HarperTeen

Goodreads summary: Philadelphia 1876. The Dead are rising. A zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor Fitt. Whoever controls the Dead Army has her brother. She avoids her mother's choice of husband for the lab of Spirit Hunters, including the maddeningly stubborn yet handsome Daniel. The situation threatens her reputation, and the lives of everyone in the city.

REVIEW

I was hesitant to dive into this book because ZOMBIES. Honestly, I’m a total chicken that doesn’t like to venture outside her comfort zone, but it was 19^th century, so I literally had to give it a try. Actually, this book has become one of my favourites, I feel guilty for not having read it sooner.

This book is set in 1876 during the International Exhibition of Philadelphia. Actually, I had no idea there was one in Philadelphia at that time, but I’m such a history nerd I want to know more about it now. I saw a YouTube video where Susan said she read documents from that period to immerse herself into it and honestly it worked so well. I could feel like I was there. Moreover, it wasn’t exactly easy for Eleanor to sneak away, which doesn’t appear in a lot of novels set in this time period, it’s something I really enjoyed, because it felt more realistic. I think the author really understood the social conventions of this time period and reproduced them well. I don’t know about you, but I had never read a book set in Philadelphia, I thought it was very original.

The zombies are never called zombies; they are referred to as “the Dead” or “the Hungry”, depending the time of creature. I enjoyed these paranormal creatures because they are raised by necromancers, which is pretty cool. Apparently, necromancy runs in the blood. The voodoo was also mentioned; in fact I pictured Joseph as Dr Facilier from the Princess and the Frog, but a lot nicer. Because of the Dead, it was a creepy read. It had a lighter tone in the beginning of the book but it became dark really soon.

I got friends on the other side ♪♫

The characters were well-written and diverse, for one part because Jie is Chinese and Joseph is Creole (so is Dr Facilier I’m sure), but also because of their social status: Eleanor was from the aristocracy, but it wasn’t the case of the Spirit Hunters. Eleanor was really brave, because she was nothing special but still did everything to save her brother. However, she’s very impulsive and makes stupid decisions because of that. She also loves food, so that’s always enjoyable. Daniel was an interesting character, because he has a past as a criminal and he’s an inventor. Jie was such a character I wasn’t expecting, she is so brave and kick-ass. She’s a bald Chinese girl who dresses like a man, because she doesn’t want to be forced into other’s ideas of the place of the women. Also, like she said, if she was dressed as a girl, she would have been put into a brothel. Joseph’s accent was soooooooo realistic, I’m really happy with that!

I really enjoyed the plot; we were put straight into the action.

"Dead!” a woman screamed. “It’s the Dead!”

That was the first sentence, which immediately held my attention; I was sucked right into the story because of it. Even if the plot was resolving a lot on the investigation, it also focused on the society, because Eleanor was part of it and attended to a lot of events. I guessed a part of the plot twist, but there were part of the ending I wasn’t expecting, I was just gaping and had to read a sentence four times before processing it at some point.

Something Strange and Deadly was an engaging read I was unable to put down, I read late into the night and then all day, because I had to know how it would end. If you loved the Infernal Devices, this book is for you!