I really enjoyed this book. To be honest, I thought I was going through a dry-spell with novels. Lately I've just been having difficulty getting into books. But Something Strange and Deadly made me realize that I'm not in a dry spell at all! I just hadn't found something I liked enough to stick with. Thankfully, this book really kicked my reader's block (?) to the curb. 
 Something Strange and Deadly is a fun, high energy novel with a main character that I personally really liked. Eleanor Fitt is funny, witty, independent, and totally proactive. She thinks for her self, she doesn't take no for an answer, and she learns how to fight Undead with surprising grit and ease. I lost count of how many she clobbered with a parasol or even just her fists. Go girl! Eleanor has quite a few issues to deal with: the death of her father, her family's impending financial ruin, and a mother who's trying to marry her off to a man she barely knows, to name a few. And, you know, Undead running around her city is kind of a problem, too. Despite all of that, Eleanor's constant, primary goal is to find her lost brother. Her quest to do so leads her to the Spirit Hunters - a band of people hired to kill off the Undead plaguing the city of Philadelphia. 
 I thought the Spirit Hunters were just as enjoyable to follow as Eleanor. Joseph is debonair, Jie is a badass, and Daniel is a great, sarcastic compliment to Eleanor. There are mild steampunk elements in this story, like machinery and inventions the Spirit Hunters utilize to battle the Undead. I liked that they didn't just hack up the Undead. Instead, the Spirit Hunters create and use various devices to wipe them out in mass numbers, not just one by one. Pretty cool. Overall, I really think Susan Dennard does a solid job of making each character unique and useful. One of the things I liked most about the characters was the quiet, side-romance that takes place. The romance is evident and it adds tension, but it doesn't distract Eleanor from focusing on finding, and possibly saving, her brother Elijah. 
 I thought this was a great read! I've never read fiction with paranormal/steampunk elements before, but this novel has me thinking I should branch out more often. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the other books in this series!