This book came out months ago, and I have been meaning to buy it for ages, but have never gotten around to it. Finally, I put my foot down and forced myself to buy it. I have made few better decisions in my life. This book was totally awesome and I beyond loved it! I simply could not get enough and was literally up all night just because I was desperate to finish it. The characters and plot were incredible, and I was very impressed.
THE HERO
ABRAHAM GRISWOLD
For a dead guy, he is damn sexy. Actually, screw that. For any guy, anywhere, anytime, he is damn sexy. Seriously. I have no idea how he can be so hot, but he is. I absolutely love Bram. So very, very much. He's freaking amazing, and if you could see me right now I'm doing major fangirling and not ashamed of it in the least. Bram is sweet and protective while at the same time tough. He knows what's what and isn't afraid to stand up for himself or his friends. He's an awesome charter with real substance, and I love him.
THE HEROINE
NORA DEARLY
I really, really, really loved Nora. She's extremely brave and admirable. I don't know if I could go through all the things that she does and still be sane! But somehow she does, and that's she amazing. I love how she really pushes through everything even when her world is turned on its head. Everything changes for her, but instead of trying to stubbornly hold on she keeps pushing forward.
THE BEST FRIEND
PAMELA DOT
Pam starts off kind of boring, but she really grows as the story progresses. Instead of melting when Nora disappears, she uses that opportunity to find out what she's really made of. I love how she finds out who she is and steps into an awesome role.
THE OTHER ROYALS
ISAMBARD DOT
He starts off as a total jerk, but later on I actually came to admire him. He goes through a lot and gets changed because of it, but it's done so realistically that it's believable. I ended up actually liking him and hope to see more of him.
MICHAEL ALLISTER
He seemed really sweet at first, and gave Pam the attention she wanted. He treated her very well and made her think he cared about her, and then turns cruel and shows his ugly self. I did not like him at all.
THE OTHER WALKING DEAD
TOM
Tom was hilarious! I absolutely adored him! he provided awesome comic relief, which was great. I thought he was a beautifully developed character and if we see more of him, I will most assuredly be happy.
COALHOUSE
Coalhouse was interesting. He seems kind of immature during most of the book, but he takes an action at the end that's both shocking and sweet and made me think better of him. I do want to hear more about him, and I'm pretty sure I will.
RENFIELD
Ren was so awesome! He's really smart, for one thing. Also, he's really smart. For some reason, I also picture him to be hot. No idea why, but hey, it works. I think that I would be really enthused if I got to read an entire book about him and I'm not even sure why, but whatever.
CHAS
Basically, she was freaking awesome. I totally loved her! She had a fantastic attitude and it was impossible not to admire her.
THE PLOT
The plot was awesome! So much action, so much romance. I simply could not put it down! I say that a lot, but I mean it every time.
Seriously, the plot was really original. Part steampunk, part dystopian, part horror, part paranormal romance. I've never read anything even remotely like it. It was totally unique and it was executed so beautifully!
I love zombies, but I don't read nearly enough zombie books. I'm glad that I chose this to be one of them! It only made my love for zombies grow and I was completely in love with Lia's concept of zombies only a few pages after their appearance. It's so unique and different.
This book had a lot of charm! I know that not everyone loves every book and I am totally okay with that, but this is one of those books that I seriously do not understand how everyone cannot love it! Of course, everyone won't, and that's cool. Still, it's really worth a chance at least.
The plot of this book kept me intrigued and interested. I beyond adored it and it really could not have been better!
THE ROMANCE
The romance develops sweetly, slowly, but potently. There's real power and love behind it. Nora and Bram have such awesome chemistry, and as much as I love Bram, I also love him and Nora together and I wouldn't want to tear them apart for anything. They absolutely belong together and it should never be any other way. Ever. They are so sweet together, and perfect. The romance feels real and I adored the development.
THE WRITING
Lia has absolutely gorgeous writing. I'm so jealous! The story is told from first-person POV, mostly by Bram and Nora, but with a healthy amount from Pam and a few chapters told in the POV of other characters who I will not name. I loved the chapters told from Bram's and Nora's POV above all! Pam's chapters were boring at first but quickly got interesting and captured my heart. The others aren't so interesting, but are necessary to understand what's going on, and I appreciate that. Lia's beautiful writing definitely helps my appreciation.
THE ENDING
Dearly, Departed ends on a sad note. It seems like at first they might get a happy ending, but Nora quickly realizes that that's not the way it's going to be. Instead, the battle's really only begun. There's so much more that's going to happen in the next book, but this book ended on the perfect note. It wraps everything up prettily, but leaves enough open for another book, and basically is just perfect.
WRAPUP
I love Lia Habel! I will probably read all of her future books, including the upcoming Dearly, Beloved especially. I am so thrilled! Dearly, departed was an absolutely incredible book and one of my all-time favorite reads easily.
FINE.
*****FINAL RATING: 4.70 STARS*****
