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Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel (Review #100)

It's my 100th post! Never thought I'd get here but I'm so glad I did.  Books mean a lot to me and I hope I continue venturing into unknown worlds and situations for one hundred more books. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me and enjoyed/hated books alongside me and have endured my many gushes and rants! NOW LET'S GET INTO IT!

"Love conquers all, so they say. But can't Cupid's arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead - or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria - a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country's political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible - until she's nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she's suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting "The Laz," a fatal virus that raises the dead - and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble... and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there's no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire."

Review:
Man, did this book sound cheesy. I don't remember why I put it on my reading list but, I've read it, nonetheless. I was bemused by the Victorian style of the age mixed with futuristic technology. I also enjoyed Pamela, a truly caring friend, and person all around, regardless of her absent social status. However, as with all fairly thick novels, there comes downfalls such as the almost turtle-like pace. It was difficult for me to sit through the first half of the book simply because it was all background information for I, the reader, to understand what's happening. Granted, It was necessary, but regardless, it was boring. Also, another pitfall, was the romance. Of course it's cliché for a girl to fall in love with someone who wasn't technically alive, and their relationship, for me, was titillating at best. I felt like their light banter was enjoyable, but there was really no progression. They kind of just became a couple in the blink of an eye. As for the plot (aside from the mediocre romance), it was all just a bit much. There was just a lot of mumbo-jumbo going on, it was all just a bit much. And to top it off, there is to be a sequel, I'd bet, because the story ended in a not-so-surprising cliff hanger. This book just didn't do anything for me. I would say I was disappointed but, I feel like this is just an outdated topic. I'm looking for more than just a romance and an "unlikely" pairing. PS: those quotations mean I'm being sarcastic. For God's sake, they're not unlikely anymore - it's borderline cliché!


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