Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

WARNING. Zombies ahead. *laughs*
   
                                                     

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?
In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.

Goodreads
Series: Gone With The Respiration #1
Published September 29th 2011 by Doubleday Children's Books


Dearly, Departed was my very first zombie (baby) read. And boy, I was not disappointed! It was one of the books that even if I was still reading the prologue, I already have the notion that I’m gonna rate it 5 stars a hundred stars. Original, soul-stirringly beautiful and heart-renderingly hilarious, Dearly, Departed made me look at zombies with new eyes.

*These eyes exactly*

It's not surprising because the author, Lia Habel (she's gorgeous, by the way), is a zombie advocate. It was an insta-cover love for me. I mean, dude, stare and be enthralled with that beauty. If you're not liking it, I'mma send a bad zombie horde to you this very moment XD. The inside was more beautiful. I laughed, I cried and I fell in love (not necessarily in that order) with zombies. I know, I know. You're probably screaming "JOHANNA, THEY'RE Z-O-M-B-I-E-S. HOW CAN WE LOVE THEM WHEN THEY'RE RIPPING OFF BODY PARTS?" but worry not. This book can change your views. I MEAN IT.

The world building is precise and flawless. It explains how the world became apocalyptic long time ago and how the Lazarus virus, the prion that makes zombies, affects humanity. Plus, the three things that are closest to my heart, Steampunk, Dystopian and Neo-Victorian era. Elegant dresses, neoclassic traditions and the somehow balanced figure of technology and refinement of the Victorian history are the major points in the book that gained those stars. 

Onto the characters..hmmm *rubs hand* Due to my absolutely endearing habit of wholly accepting good characters, I have made a love list.

• Captain Abraham R. Griswold aka. Bram- A charming capable soldier that captured my heart, my soul and half of my body since I'm hesitant to touch decayed flesh. Humorous and gentlemanly, you have to watch out for him.
• Nora Dearly- Kick-ass and a devoted friend, Nora's interaction with any zombies, good or bad, made me yell "GO NORA! GO!GO!GO!" She's very hilarious too and her rooftop scene had me going, "Woah. That is seriously awesome!" And Nora is also "special" Despite being a "royalty" Nora is not a snob and knows how to handle guns.Bram, honey, it's no wonder you're in love with this girl.
• Pamela Roe- Nora's bestfriend and the zombie hunting Queen, I hated her at first because she was really whiny when Nora was kidnapped and started these depressive thoughts in her POV that had me shuddering. But when faced with the zombies and Michael (her I-thought-love interest) , she turned into a fighter and that's when I looked up to the lady.
• Chas, Tom, Coalhouse and Ren- Bram's EPIC team. Chas was the makeover bestfriend and a "loving" girlfriend to Tom. Coalhouse was Tom's victim and I'm gonna quote a very funny scene between the two of them.

"You killed me! That’s not something you can ever apologize for!”
“Well, then, I’m not sorry.”
“You son of a—”
“Hey, you leave her out of this."

 Ren was the bookish -yeah, bookish- cultured zombie who loves machines more than girls. Got a question for him. 

*Hah! Answer that, Ren, answer that! XD*

• Dr. Victor Dearly- Nora's dad and the fact that he was such a loving father is enough. He cares for everyone-well, anyone who's on his side- and is a brilliant doctor who discovered the Lazarus prion.

The romance between Nora and Bram followed the restraint of the era and the courtship is very sweet and touching. Your heart will definitely swell with awe-inspiring emotions from these two. There was this one heartbreaking scene that *sniffs* I won't spoil* sniffs* .You have to read it yourself. The acceptance of a zombie and human love is clearly disturbing but it was overshadowed by the fact that these two are really fascinated with each other. Not to mention they're in all ways compatible except for their alive and undead difference.

One thing I hated about the book is the multiple narration. Well, it's probably because I can't get enough of Bram's POV or whatever but I do believe it was the downfall of the novel. Good thing the plot was impressive enough so it was saved from the fires of Johanna's hate. 

Vastly entertaining and a must read, Dearly, Departed takes the lead of my very high standards if you want me to read a zombie book. Do know, I never watch those horrifying movies without 2 or 3 warm bodies around me. I am that awesome and cowardly : D

PS. If you're my Twitter follower and happened to read all my tweets regarding Dearly, Departed, you'll understand how I think this book is the greatest zombie book ever. And how I went crazy over Bram too. A zombie in my harem? Hah! That's unheard of, hm? ;) 

Zombie love and peace out, guys!

“Real ladies can give orders, real gentlemen can take them, and real zombies don’t eat brains.” 

“The fact that she made this beeline for me both warmed my soul and made me want to turn around, walk out the door, and find a cliff to fling myself off of.” 

 “I ran this through my "girl talk" translator and said, "I could eat him, if either of you'd like. Seems like it might be the easiest thing to do. -Bram to Nora & Pamela” 

Masque Of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

WARNING.  Mild spoilers at the distance. And cats. 

 Everything is in ruins.
A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.
So what does Araby Worth have to live for?
Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up... and tantalizing ways to forget it all.
But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club.
And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

Goodreads
Series: Masque of the Red Death #1
Published April 24th 2012 by Harper Collins

The Masque of the Red Death contains a world in it that I never dared to imagine. Diseases as potent as fear and desperation were highlighted in this bleak and artistically gloomy book. Apparently, ever since I was a child (or spawn XD) I was always fascinated by balls, corsets and all those ostentatious finery. So I was expecting that I would thoroughly love the book plus the males, of course. Sadly, relating so much to Araby wasn’t enough to keep me grounded enough. Even if I can feel the heroine’s own sentiment and yes, I respected her because of the “vow”, there’s still something that lacked Masque. Definitely not the world building, hell, I’d give a thousand awards for Bethany Griffin for that feat alone but because it was so overshadowed by the dark desperation and grotesqueness caused by the plagues. And things like this aren’t exactly for me. I had enough of heavy depression to last me a lifetime, thank you. Oh, but I’m no hypocrite. I pictured myself doing what Araby does if I’m her. I like it when everything is fair. I salute the girl for her ways after her brother’s death. Except the drugs part. Unceremoniously passing out behind a curtain is cute but the “bed scene” with Will? I love that. Sincerely.

In the Steampunk aspects, it deserves a shining perfect score. But there are also foolish aspects with Araby that deserves a what- the- hell-did-you-just-agree-to-his-whims-that-easily reaction. Seriously, if I were her, I’d put up even the littlest resistance. Too bad I wasn’t her. I learn to love the characters especially (Hear! Hear! This is the first time I love someone besides the hottie) Elise and Henry, Will’s lil bro and sis. They are so straight-forward, adorable and honest. I would let your betrayal stunt slip away, Will. I understand it if your siblings are this irresistible. And Elliot, oh dear Elliot, I’m pulling my hair here. I can’t decide if you’re a to-be-avoided foreign object or a totally-huggable guy. The romance is killing me. I’m so frustrated who to choose. But I’m a lil biased with Will, the tattoo guy so…  

*pats Will’s back that soon turned to shameless rubbing*  

Oops, I gotta keep my hands to myself. The love triangle is very, very cunning. Indeed, I was taken aback. I knew there was one traitor but I didn’t expect it would be him. I was hurt. Ya know, I was rooting for him and all that I hate the other guy like how I hate cheese crap but then again, it was understandable (I think)

                                                               *EXACTLY*

The author’s writing style was like a sort of oasis after that “plague” called City of Bones (SOON!) It was engaging and the visualization is something I have to praise about the book. I loved it because I can smoothly read without frowning or wanting to bang my head to the comp desk. Oh well, I can survive the death of a few brains cells or so after that horror of COB. Eherm…so overall to you Poe fans out there if you’re dissatisfied by the shortness of his original work like the author, check out Masque of the Red Death. By the way, after seeing the acknowledgements, I was disoriented for a minute, freaking out because, hey, IS THAT REALLY ALL? So probably I need another Masque fix. It was one hell of a ride in a black cart and I like it. 

                                         *That was the ending???!!!

P.S. This is a one day read and review. To make it up for my slacking. Apologies for any missing point/s. 

He kisses me. Very gently, on the cheek.How tragic it is that my mask is off, and he’s just kissing my cheek.

          "Elliott loved her.” I stop breathing. After everything, how can this be what makes me cry?