Review: Dearly, Departed

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



It is 2195 in New Victoria. New Victoria is a post-apocalyptic nation that has modeled itself on the manners and fashions of the “original” Victorian era.

Nora Dearly is just through her year of mourning her father’s passing. She lives with her aunt, whom she isn’t terribly fond of, goes to school with her best friend, and scholarship student, Pamela Roe. And has an obsession with watching war documentaries.

One day, a stranger approaches her and tells her she is in danger. Unbeknownst to Nora, she’s been targeted for kidnapping. But the good guys get her first. So who are the good guys? They are a military group that has been infected by the Lazarus virus and who hold Nora’s father in the highest esteem and will do anything to protect her.

This was a fantastically fun roller coaster ride!

I absolutely LOVED the juxtaposition of the New Victorian era based on the original Victorian era. How the writer eschewed the more “modern” options for just about everything in favor of a slightly modernized version of the antique. Futuristic Steam-Punk! It was great!

I have to say I was cringing at the possibility of “Zombie-Love”…wasn’t sure if I could deal with it and all it implied…thankfully, the author handled that with gentility and grace! I loved when Bram knocked on Chas’s door and found Tom in bed with her and Bram explained that love between zombies equated to snuggling and basically being there for each other. Bram and Nora were rather chaste which really helped keep my skeeve level down. And having been skeeved out by many a zombie book, this one was refreshing in comparison! Having said that though, Bram was definitely swoon-worthy!

I loved all the characters! I had such high hopes for Pamma and Alister, but she put him right where he belonged! The banter between the characters was so witty and laugh-out-loud funny! Lots of action scenes here which I think would translate to the “big screen” beautifully. Overall, I can’t praise this book enough! And I can’t wait to see what Lia Habel does in the next installment. I hope she can maintain bar she has set for herself!




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