Reflections

Dearly, Beloved picks up shortly after the end of Dearly, Departed, so if you haven’t read the first installment of this amazingly well constructed post-ice age apocalypse, neo-Victorian, steampunk, zombie series start with the predecessor. I read the two books back to back and this second novel is just as strong and engaging as the first. Both are fast-paced with lots of intricate sub-plots, numerous quirky characters, and multiple points of view.

Zombies aren’t bad here, or at least they don’t have to be if they reanimate soon enough to prevent brain damage, but they do have animal instincts so they have to use their civilized sensibilities to control their newly developed blood lust. Not everyone in this aristocratically stratified society believes dead humans should have the same rights as live humans though, so trouble is brewing. Nora and her zombie boyfriend Bram are trying to right wrongs and keep the world from erupting into widespread violence while navigating the mostly blissful waters of first love. If that sounds like a challenging way to start a relationship, Nora was bored with her proper social circle and as independent and strong-willed as Nora is it’s doubtful she could lose her heart to anyone but a punk-world zombie. Fans of the first book will not be disappointed.

I read an advanced review copy of this book.