We’ve reached the final discussion question for the Something Strange & Deadly Book Club. In case you missed it, week one’s discussion is here and weeks two and three are here. All right, here we go…

A Darkness Strange & Lovely Discussion Question #4

“‘Eleanor, you have a choice,’ [Jie] said softly. ‘You always have a choice’” (p. 166, Something Strange & Deadly)

How do you think this quote from book 1 continues to apply to A Darkness Strange and Lovely? Particularly with regards to Eleanor’s own magic—both its presence and how she uses it. Do you think she actually has a choice throughout the book? And if so, do you agree with or understand her decisions or actions? What about the actions of other characters?

This is such a great question…so much so that I am going to be as brief as possible because I could go on and on about how we always have a choice. Which I believe we do.

This fact carries over from the moment A Darkness Strange & Lovely begins. Eleanor can choose to go to Paris or choose to stay in Philadelphia. Eleanor can choose to let Oliver into her life or she can choose to mind her business and ask him to please mind his. Eleanor can choose to practice necromancy or choose to get her way in a more physically demanding and debatably more rewarding manner. Eleanor can choose to conform to the Parisian lifestyle like Daniel has, or she can choose to stay true to herself. Eleanor can choose to trust the people she meets in Paris right away or she can choose to follow the Spirit Hunters’ steps as she slowly builds relationships.

Every move you make is a choice. Even life and death. Even fear we sometimes hand over all control to. Even surrendering is a choice. But most people don’t want to be seen as weak, don’t want to hand over their power, accept a challenge they aren’t sure they’ll win, accept that their way might not be the best way, accept defeat and take it as a lesson learned, accept the decision they’ve made – the road they’ve come down, etc… so they claim they didn’t have a choice.

The bottom line is, Eleanor has the ability to talk and chooses to use that ability just like the majority of us do. Talking is a choice. She also has the power to say whatever she wants, again, just like the rest of us. Spells or no spells, it’s her call. Even the bad calls. Consequences may come out of certain choices you make and this doesn’t negate the fact that you chose to go down that road. Eleanor chose to acknowledge the existence of the necromancy in her blood, in her being. She then chose when to use her magic and when not to use it throughout the book and I’d say she had a very good handle on her magic.

I was actually very surprised with how well she managed to handle her necromancy. At some moments, it seemed like she would completely give into necromancy but she chose to stand strong against it, even if only for the Spirit Hunters. Still, her moments of selflessness and sacrifice went a long way. Her magic came through big time when she chose to use it at the end of the book. Really, I understood all of the moments Eleanor chose to use her magic and agreed with the majority of these decisions. As for the others, the only thing that really stands out for me is Oliver’s choice to keep Eleanor in the dark about what he knew for so long. It would have served everyone some good had he been more upfront. Otherwise, I understand and mostly agree with the decisions these characters made in Paris and I’m completely satisfied with that because I don’t want to agree with every character. That would be boring! So bravo Dennard for making such incredibly complex characters! I loved them all.

Fun Extra:

Listen to the playlist for A Darkness Strange & Lovely. Susan says “Bones” by MSMR could be the theme song to Eleanor’s series! You can also read more about why Susan picked each song here.

Book Review:

A Darkness Strange & Lovely by Susan Dennard
Release Date: July 23, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genres: Young Adult Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller, Horror-Zombies, Steampunk
ISBN: 978-0062083296
Source: Bought
Add it to Goodreads

We all knew the follow up to Something Strange & Deadly would be great but Susan Dennard went far beyond what I could have ever anticipated for A Darkness Strange & Lovely. I love when series start off strong and don’t falter. Because this was so phenomenal, I don’t think it’s too early to say that the third and final book will be just as magnificent.

Following Eleanor and familiar characters was so much fun. I especially loved the tug of war between Eleanor and Daniel. Call it a power struggle, miscommunication, whatever you like, they each missed their opportunity to bring the other closer a number of times. Watching the trust break between the two and seeing how each of them reacted…even before that really, the tension between these two made me want to sit down and watch them with a bowl of popcorn. At the same time, I felt so uncomfortable even reading scenes between these two because it was such a personal conflict, the emotions so raw and rough. Eleanor and Daniel were hurting. There was so much left unresolved before Daniel left for Paris when Eleanor was still in Philadelphia. In a short matter of time, Paris changed Daniel enough for Eleanor to notice when she made the trip across the pond. Needless to say, watching these characters grow as individuals, as a duo, and as a team against the supernatural was enough exhilaration to last me a lifetime.

New character, Oliver was also so much fun to read. I love his voice! He was so well developed and I’d be wrong if I didn’t mention how my eyes lit up every time he came into a scene. There’s just something about Oliver that really intrigues me and I can’t get enough of it! Many other new characters played an incredible hand in the mystery laid before the Spirit Hunters. Dennard laid out the pieces to this puzzle beautifully throughout this book. Even more mystery than before provided for a number of exciting red herrings and moments where the stakes are raised just when you think it can’t get anymore twisted. Might I add that the stakes are more complex than before because there is so much information being revealed and so much to take into account. Your head will be spinning whether or not you’re trying to figure it out as you go, it’s that intense of a ride. I loved it.

Talk about a page turner. The pacing was absolutely perfect. With book clubs and read-a-longs, I read as I go so my notes are fresh in my mind and boy oh boy was it difficult to take my time with this! Especially since I already began reading shortly before the book club was announced. If you want to test your patience, participate in a book club. I also want to mention that just like in her debut, Dennard has the perfect amount of zombies and action, the perfect amount of tension between characters, and the perfect setting. Did I say the perfect setting, because Paris in 1876 was really the icing on the cake. All that to say, if you enjoyed Something Strange & Deadly, you are in for a treat reading A Darkness Strange & Lovely.

Something Strange & Deadly and its follow up, A Darkness Strange & Lovely by Susan Dennard are available now.