A Darkness Strange and Lovely

Gr 9 Up—In this zombie thriller set in 19th-century Paris, 17-year-old Eleanor Fitt is left behind in Philadelphia to take care of her mentally fragile mother while the three "Spirit-Hunters" she met in Something Strange and Deadly (HarperCollins, 2012) move on to their next job of protecting Paris from the reanimated dead. However, when hellhounds and the yellow eyes of a dangerous necromancer appear to her, Eleanor quickly boards a steamer to find the Spirit-Hunters, knowing she can't fight Marcus on her own. Along the way she meets a demon named Oliver and begins to discover the depths of her own power. Upon arriving in Paris, these experiences clash with the Spirit-Hunters' adamant stance that all magic is dark and corrupting. While they battle reanimated corpses, Eleanor must also battle within herself to either embrace or deny her burgeoning powers. Eleanor is a strong female protagonist forgoing corsets, fighting dark forces, and finding her own way in the world. At the same time, she battles insecurities about her looks, her family, and her crush. Her sassy dialogue will further endear her to teens. Dennard describes amputations, mutilations, and corpses with stomach-churning realism. In addition, she does a great job of reminding readers what happened in the first book without boring those who have read it recently. Darkness is enjoyable as a stand-alone, but will especially thrill fans of Something Strange and Deadly.—Sunnie Lovelace, Wallingford Public Library, CT