Zombies, a new Victorian dystopian world, steampunk, and romance? Why yes please! Dearly, Departed was a book I’d been anticipating for months--how could I not after reading the premise? I’m proud to announce that it did not disappoint me. Lia Habel crafted a world that will knock you off your feet. It’s action-packed from the first page and leaves you stunned until the last. The characters were fantastically multi-dimensional. The striking reality of how our world came to be in the state is what grabbed me-- it wasn’t the least bit unrealistic, and I liked how much thought was put into the background of the story. My only mild complaint? There are many shifts in POVs between characters and while there is no problem with that, it is written in first person POV-- so my opinion might have been that Dearly, Departed might have worked even better as third person with all the shifts. But maybe that’s just me. Other than that, I really had no other problems. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I liked how well Pam developed as a character- how much she grew into a fighter throughout the story. Nora was lovable and her and Bram’s building romance wasn’t cheesy or overdone. In fact, it was so adorable and a nice blend with the story. No love triangles! No angst! I love that too! I would most definitely recommend Dearly, Departed. 4.5 stars!
