Original Title: Strange and Ever After
Year Published: 2014
Published by: HarperTeen
Number of Pages: 416
First Sentence: “I was not supposed to be here.“
Goodreads Rating: 4/5
Plot:
It has been a tumultuous time for Eleanor Fitt since life as she knew it in Philadelphia came abruptly to an end. Although the Spirit-Hunters Joseph, Jie, and Daniel have helped her survive, Eleanor has lost just about everything.
And now, Jie is missing taken by the evil necromancer Marcus. Eleanor is determined not only to get her back but to finally end this nightmare. To do so, she must navigate the hot desert streets of nineteenth-century Egypt amid the rising Dead, her unresolved feelings for Daniel, and her volatile relationships with Joseph and Oliver, her demon. And it won’t be easy. Because Allison, her friend from Philadelphia, has tagged along, becoming strangely entangled in Eleanor’s mission.
It will take all of Eleanor’s powers of black magic, and all of Daniel’s and Joseph’s trust, to succeed. But there will be a price.
My thoughts:
I read the two first books in this trilogy pretty quickly, but then I hit a reading slump and it took me ages to actually pick up the third book. It didn’t help that I managed to get the ending of the book spoiled. Knowing what was going to happen kept me from picking it up. In the end I figured I better get it over with, and the book is really good so it was worth it.
I do find that Eleanor has gotten more spoiled and self-centered throughout the books. It’s more “woe is me” than gritting her teeth and working to set things right. She does get called out on it by the other characters though so I assume it is a deliberate thing by Dennard. At the same time, I really like Eleanor. I have a feeling I would be pretty much “woe is me” if what happened to her happened to me. So I can sympathise but it does get slightly annoying. However, it is mostly through the first half of the book, then she buckles down and does her best to save the world.
Pretty much all the characters from the previous books (the living ones that is) return for this book. It was really nice, although some turned out to hide some pretty big secrets. It felt like we came full circle, and it really feels like you get to say your goodbyes to the characters.
The plot was pretty fun and very action-packed. Actually, the action hardly let up. It was go go go from the start til the end. But it was pretty much perfectly balanced so it never got boring or too much. Instead, it was an almost perfectly paced book and a pleasure to read. The ending however, left me a little stunned. It is the author’s prerogative to write whatever ending he/she wants, but this was not the ending I wanted. Yes, it wasn’t a totally outlandish ending, it just wasn’t where I wanted the story to end. Still, it was a really good book and an ending that worked for the story.
Do I recommend it?
Yes, I do.
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