Review is based on the ARC I won here on Goodreads.

I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of steampunk and I've always been drawn to zombie movies more than books so I wasn't sure how I was going to like this. Turns out I liked it. A Lot. Lia Habel does a great job with the world building and with chapters given to different POVs we get a very good picture of it. Unfortunately my only real issue with this book is those chapters done from Pamela's POV. I don't know if I just didn't connect with her character or that more than a few of her chapters were more info dump than action so I was bored. All I can say is that any time I put the book down and wandered away it was always during her POV...shrug...One thing I never thought I would say, that Lia Habel now has me saying, is "I Love a Zombie". I lovelovelove Bram. I don't care if he's dead and he's not all super sexy and sparkly. Nora and Bram's relationship developes smoothly and honestly even though it happens during a stressful time and considering it's a story about zombies, it's also believable. These are two young people who fall in love even though they know exactly what they're facing in the future due to Bram's condition. Of course I can't forget the amazing secondary characters....Chas is my personal favorite but Coalhouse, Tom, Renfield and Dr. Samedi are all fun. I'm not sure how many books we'll get and I'm not sure if we'll be able to get a true HEA out of it, but I know I'll be following along no matter what.

Consider Lia Habel’s Dearly Departed to be the anti-Twilight. Like Bella’s Edward, Nora’s Bram is undead. Unlike the sparkly Edward Cullen, however, Abraham Griswold is a rotting corpse infected with the Laz – a disease that reanimates a dead body and turns the person into a zombie. And, unlike Bella Swan, Nora Dearly has spunk and a mind of her own.

Dearly Departed is set in 2195. Disasters have reduced the Earth’s population to various settlements in Central and South America. One settlement, a wealthy one, has chosen the Victorian era as the perfect time period in the past, and the inhabitants follow Victorian protocols. The Victorians are in a running war with a poorer group of people called Punks. Into this mix comes the Laz, and undead Punks and Victorians who have managed to keep their minds unite to battle it out with the mindless undead.

Beauty Nora Dearly’s father was an important Victorian researcher trying to find a vaccine for the Laz. Handsome Abraham Griswold was a Punk soldier before he died and got the Laz. Cue the star-crossed teen-aged lovers!

At one point, one of the zombies is reading some books from the past. In what is clearly a poke at Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, he says, “In all of these books the girls are throwing themselves at the romantic heroes – romantic heroes who are dead, who drink human blood.…Vampires are just zombies with good PR! That could be us in a few years!”

Dearly Departed (the first book in a trilogy) is almost 500 pages long. I would have enjoyed it more if it was 100 pages shorter. It definitely dragged for me toward the end, once the novelty of the situations had worn off. Also, I did have a little trouble getting over the ick factor of making out with a zombie. Still, Dearly Departed is a light amusing read. If you like paranormal romance with a touch of steampunk and lolita, I recommend it.

Is there a negative star option?

More reviews at Rondo of a Possible World: YA Book Reviews

This book basically combined every single fantasy that I have accumulated over the year and just smushed it together in one fabulous story. You have your Steampunk, your humor, your witty dialogue, your kickass protagonists and evil antaganists, Victorian-era in the future (come on, that's pretty awesome), and last but not least: ZOMBIES. All of it tied up with a pretty ribbon and a drop-dead (no pun intended) gorgeous cover.

Dearly, Departed takes place in your rich and fabulous late 22nd century where the beautiful Victorian era sparks once more. Point of view is sectioned into five richly developed characters (Nora, Bram, Victor, Pamela, and Wolfe) that tell the story from their prospective. Not only do you see the world through their eyes but as the reader you begin to piece together fragments of the story thus far. Not only that but you have Nora, your spunky, high-class lass who can get and gun and use it too! Take that society! Independent women for the win!

While I was reading, some of the explanations felt quick and thrown at me to a point where there was just too much to accumulate. But the father I progressed with the story, the disoriented fog cleared and I was able to stick to a nice and smooth track.

Now for the romance part of the book, I can definitely tell you that the roller coaster ride that is Nora and Bram's relationship was enjoyable to watch. There is no love at first sight with them which was great. Upon meeting Bram, Nora literally flipped a shit when learning that he was the walking dead. And it was hilarious to read. And eventually the two worked from that point.

The more time that they spent together I couldn't help to think of Beauty and the Beast in a way. I don't know if I was the only one who made this connection but if anyone else did, *mental-high-fives*

If you're a fan of action, romance, undead with a funny bone that is still in commission, and guns, well Lia Habel's Dearly, Departed should be the next on your reading list!

*pulls on zombie-proof vest* Yeah. I’m a little nervous to post this one...

Dearly, Departed sounded like exactly my kind of story. Genre-bending fun is usually my cup of tea, so a story that combines my favorite genres – dystopia and steampunk – and spices that up with a zombie romance? Sign me up and hand me the t-shirt!
And yet, and yet, and yet…

BEYOND HERE, THERE BE SPOILERS (little ones)- YOU DONE BEEN WARNED. ;)

You’d think with a cast of characters this extensive, I’d find somebody to connect with, a reason to *care* about the story…but I didn’t. Bram was fantastic – how could a Bing-Crosby-crooning gentleman of a zombie NOT be fantastic – but I spent the book waiting for him to start sparkling, if you know what I mean. He was just a smidgen too perfect.

As for Nora, well, let’s be clear about one thing: she might have been the main female character, but she was NOT the protagonist of this story. Instead, she was always on the verge of doing something interesting, but never actually doing it: she learns some fighting skills, but doesn’t use them. She is apparently a wonderful shot, but when the big battle arrives, she doesn’t use a gun. Even now, I couldn’t tell you Nora’s motivation or driving need, because frankly, she didn’t have one. She did not change, evolve, or do much of anything as a character other than fall in love with a cute dead guy. Oh, and taste yummy, naturally. *deja vu*

As for the other characters, well, Pamela morphed from being a worrywart of a perfectly proper young lady into a zombie-slaying warrior princess, only to drop off the radar just as I was starting to like her. The other characters with their own POV scenes, Wolfe and Victor, didn’t need them and I found being in their heads annoying. Call me crazy, but I think when a story requires scenes from the viewpoint of minor characters just to move the plot along, it’s a good sign that the main characters aren’t worthy of their roles.

The plot was interesting, but frustratingly episodic, a trait emphasized by the POV switching. I repeatedly found myself thinking, “Okay, interesting worldbuilding/cool tech/that’s an unusual take on zombies…but what’s the point of this scene?” It worked in a more or less logical way, but lacked overall focus. In other words, A led to B led to C, but A and C didn’t always connect to one another.

One thing I did like, however, was the concept of a story built on mortality rather than immortality. In a YA market saturated with “forever (and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever) love” this romance stood out because of the inherent limits: Bram is a zombie, and they don’t last long. Nora is human. They do NOT have a “forever” and I actually found that really refreshing.

Overall, this was a G-rated YA romance with PG violence, blood, and zombie guts. I mostly enjoyed reading it, but I won’t be re-reading it, and the jury’s still out on whether I continue with the series. Good for those who like a low level of sensuality in their romance, and an imaginative (if not especially believable) steampunk world, but probably not for those who prefer complex, complicated characters.

This was ok - I liked how it handled the zombies, and Pam's storyline was great... if only she had been the main character! Of course, with the 590 points of view chapters, I guess no know character is supposed to be the _main_? Which, I think, is the main problem. Overall, not a horrible read.

Originally posted at: Girls on YA Books

~Review:
Zombie book number two....my reaction...HOLY FREAKING MOTHER OF PEARLS!!!!!! This book is so different from the first zombie book I read: Die For Me. While Die For Me is still a zombie book...it is better classified as a revenant book. Yes, they are zombies but not the flesh-eating-corpse-looking-mindless zombies that you normally imagine when you hear the word..."zombie". Now with Dearly, Departed....that is exactly what you get and exactly what I wanted...but 100x better!

I don't even know where to begin on the list of things that made this book so good. First off, I guess, would have to be what the book is. Ya, like, its genre. It is a dystopian, steampunk, paranoramal romance, action, thriller...all wrapped up into one! Woah. I know! It blew my mind too. This book being all that was said above..made it absolutely amazing! I am forever in love with the Victorian Age. Zombies with manners...ya mind blown twice already I know! ;D Yes, some of those zombies aren't so bad they have manners! They have normal thoughts. feelings, emotions. This book just continued to blow my mind. Page after page, after wonderful page!

I loved everything from each character: zombie and human, the witty humor between those characters, the awesome butt-kicking zombie lore, the cool gadgets and goodness..everything! I especially loved the different POV's as vast as they were. Yupp! Not just Nora's POV, not Nora and Bram's POV but also Victor's, Pamelah's, and Wolfe's!!! I loved getting to see the world throught there eyes!! This book was well thought out and ingeniously writin out!

Dearly, Departed was oh-so unique, captivating and just plain out awesome. This is a book I will never forget and look forward to reading over and over. While it gave me goose-bumps at some parts it also gave me butterflies with Bram and Norah's unique love. You understood the new world and how it came to be without being dragged through a boring and long history. She made it simple. sweet. but yet understandable and in a neatly disguised way not a BAM! Let me give you a run down of all that happened. I enjoyed how the history of the New Victorian era came to be. I am soo excited to read the second book! Both cover's are absolutely gorgeous! I am now a great fan of both zombies and Lia Habel. Can't wait to see what she has in store!! :D Wonderfully amazing!! I really loved this book! ..Can you tell? ;)

~Rating:

4.5 of 5 stars!

Definitely a teen book, and I wish I hadn't read the epilogue.

Nora started out as something of a rebel, then became a little limp-wristed when first at Z base. By the end of the book she was back to being pretty awesome, but then the epilogue made it feel like she is a typical teenager, where EVERYTHING is the most important thing ever and literally the end of the world. I had almost the opposite feelings about Pam - didn't like her at the start, then she grew a backbone and was pretty kick-ass for a while, then regressed to her proper upbringing when confronted with Bram and Nora.

Bram was pretty great throughout. I enjoyed the chapters from his POV, and the rest of the zombie characters were enjoyable as well.

Won't be seeking out the second one, but a good pick for younger readers.

I had one huge issue with the book. The book is written in first person AND there are shifting narrators (5 of them, if I recall correctly) throughout the book. Shifting narrators don't bother me when they are in the third person, but the first person writing made it a bit jarring to switch from character to character.

Outside of that I liked the book - story and character wise it was solid and I'm planning to pick up the second book to see what happens next.

Habel's self-aware zombies were a little less awkward to me than the zombies in [b:My Life As a White Trash Zombie|9640626|My Life As a White Trash Zombie (White Trash Zombie, #1)|Diana Rowland|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1326145463s/9640626.jpg|14528049], though I'm not sure exactly why I feel that way.

Très bon début, très prenant, histoire sympa et contexte original, bien écrit, mais ça s'essouffle vers le milieu, et j'ai eu de la peine à partir de 400 pages, pas parce que ce n'était pas bien, mais ça devenait très long. La fin, particulièrement, a été très longue à venir. Je n'ai pas détesté ma lecture, bien loin de là, mais le terminer a été laborieux tout de même.