I was fortunate enough to read DEARLY, BELOVED as an ARC a
few months ago (which does not reflect my review), courtesy of NetGalley. I
was so excited to read this book and devoured it in 2 days.
Taking place more than 100 years in the future, in a town
called New London, DEARLY, BELOVED picks up a few months after DEARLY, DEPARTED
(which, if you haven’t read yet, I highly recommend, especially before reading
the sequel!) Tensions are higher than
ever between humans and the undead. There
are two distinct political factions: The Murder, a group of humans against all
zombies, and The Changed, a zombie group fed up with humans and their
unwillingness for accepting. Nora Dearly’s
father is still hard at work on a cure for the Laz, the virus that swept
through the nation and decimated a huge chunk of the population. Those who turn quickly after being infected,
and seek help, are able to function pretty well. Point in case: Bram Griswold, a captain for
Company Z, a mostly zombie filled military unit aimed to help protect the
citizens of New London.
Back cover love: Bram!
I really enjoy the love story between Nora and Bram. In DEARLY, DEPARTED, (book 1) Nora,
understandably, is initially repulsed by Bram.
But his charm wins her over.
Their love story is one to root for, even though you know the
possibility of it truly working out is impossible, even though Nora is immune
to the Laz. As Bram explains to Nora,
every zombie will eventually succumb to their disease. At some point, he will cease being the
chivalrous, dreamy (weird to say that about a zombie!) Bram and be something
completely else. The thoughts are heartbreaking.
Another part I really enjoyed about DEARLY, BELOVED was the multiple
point of views. While I love reading
from the 2 main characters points of view, I do enjoying reading through the
thoughts and emotions of the other characters.
Pamela, Nora’s best friend, is much more fleshed-out in this book. She’s grown so much and I really enjoyed
seeing her character development.
Michael is more upset than ever about what happened to him by the end of
DEARLY, DEPARTED, so In this book, he’s out for revenge at all costs. He’s one not to like or trust.
There was also more of the mysterious Patient Zero in this
installment of the series. As the first
patient to contract the Laz, many are after him, especially those who wish to
use him as a weapon for their own heinous causes. It’s up to Company Z to protect him, and all
others, from the groups who wish to capture him.
My favorite character development had to be Vespertine
Mink. Sure, she’s spoiled and probably
couldn’t survive a zombie attack, but she doesn’t pretend to be anything but
who she really is. And there’s a family
revelation she makes in DEARLY, BELOVED that I didn’t see coming and through me
for a loop!
One of my favorite chapters of the book was Vespertine’s,
when Renfield Merriweather (probably my favorite character in this series)
visits her home. Now, Vespertine is not
one to like zombies outright, as she hasn’t always had positive experiences
around them, but Ren’s heart and charm just may (I hope!) warm her over ;-)
Overall, I thought DEARLY, BELOVED was a fantastic read! I enjoyed it just as much as I did DEARLY,
DEPARTED and I’m incredibly eager to read the next book in this series. I give major kudos to author Lia Habel for
writing a great mash-up of genres (post-apocalyptic, zombie/horror, romance,
steampunk) and pull it off so well, with characters that I thoroughly enjoy reading
(even Micheal, although he’s a total jerk.)
If I could ask Ms. Habel anything, it’d be: What are the chances of a
Vespertine and Renfield short story? As much as I adore the love story between
Nora and Bram, there’s just something about the spunk of Vespertine matched
with the old-world, gentlemanly charm of Ren that captures my complete
attention. I would love to read more
about them!
No comments:
Post a Comment