Review: Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

Dearly, Departed 
by Lia Habel

Release Date: October 8, 2011
Publisher: Del Rey
Pages: 470
Genre: YA Dystopian/Zombies
Source: Library
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository
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Love can never die.

Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

I love zombies. At first I almost didn't read this because I wasn't sure about the future Victorian era. I was a little confused at the beginning but as I kept reading I slowly began to understand the future world. I also always love different perspectives. I love seeing both sides to the story through Nora and Bram's eyes as well as Nora's best friend Pam, and of course the evil villain. It does take away the mystery but I like seeing everything that is going on and why it is going on. The zombies in this book have their own unique traits as well. Some go mad but some stay sane. They eat tofu, nom nom as Bram said LOL. Their bodies are decaying so they have regular tune ups to keep them in the best shape they can. Although there are some with missing eyes, metal plated jaws, and one zombie doctor can even remove his head, but he actually elected to do that so he wouldn't bite his partner. 

I loved the romance in this book. At first, along with Nora, I was like get with a zombie ewwwwwwww lol But as I slowly got to know Bram, I fell for him along with Nora. He was so sweet and tried to be a good person. He may only have years left but he wants to spend them making a difference. This love was so wonderful because he may be rotting but she saw the beautiful person inside and loved him anyway. By the end, I myself could care less if he was dead, rotting, and whether or not his limbs would come off, I wanted Bram. It was a nice well developed love with a slow realistic build. No insta~love or love triangles which are big pet peeves for me.

The action and developments for the other characters I also enjoyed. While I admit to being a bit bored with Pam at first, she definitely surprised me as the book progressed. She was brave and a great friend to Nora. She tried to help her no matter what the dangers were to herself. The reason she bored me a little was that I mostly just couldn't get enough of Nora and Bram. When I got to a chapter that wasn't in one of their perspectives I would flip ahead and see how many more pages until I got back to them. I even got a little teary eyed at the end. I really hope somehow they find a cure for the zombies by the end of the series or my heart will be broken. 

I really sucked at this whole "I am very attracted to you and would like to demonstrate this to you via attention and creative uses of my disposable income" thing.

"This time I let myself fully enjoy it-the fact that I had already come to care for her and that she obviously cared for me. The fact that I could touch her and she wouldn't rebuff me. The fact that she sought me out. It was the simplest, purest thing I've ever experienced."

Rating: 5/5 Stars!