Review: Dearly, Beloved

Dearly, Beloved

By Lia Habel

Published: September 25, 2012

My review:

In this sequel to Dearly, Departed, Nora and her friends and family deal with the threat of a new strain of the Laz, a group of zombies that call themselves the Changed, and anti-Zombie attacks from a secret group of masked vigilantes. 

I liked Dearly, Beloved but it doesn't quite live up to the first book. Like Dearly, Departed, the story is told in multiple points of view including that of a new character, Laura, whom I wasn't a big fan of because she was kind of weak. I was also disappointed with the behavior of a returning character. I think what really didn't work was the multiple storylines that didn't tie well together in the end. I think if one plot thread had been removed (particularly the Changed or the one with Aunt Gene), it would have been better. There were just too many things to focus on and some story lines were not as fully developed because of it.

What I did like were the characters I loved from the first book-namely Nora and Bram. Their relationship grows as they think about what the future holds for them and those they love. Pamela is also growing as a character as she deals with her family issues and PTSD. I missed some of the camaraderie between Bram and his friends from book one but it was still nice to read about them. I also started to appreciate Vespertine Mink more in this book. She isn't just a mean girl and she has some positive qualities. 

Overall I think this book was entertaining and I enjoyed it though I wish that it had been a stronger sequel. I am looking forward to book 3 to see what happens next.

Note: I received an ARC for review courtesy of NetGalley and Amazon Vine.