Just ask Nora Dearly, the young lady of means who was nearly kidnapped by a band of sinister zombies but valiantly rescued by a dashing young man . . . of the dead variety. Nora and her savior, the young zombie soldier Bram Griswold, fell hopelessly in love. But others feel only fear and loathing for the reanimated dead. Now, as tensions grow between pro- and anti-zombie factions, battle lines are being drawn in the streets. And though Bram is no longer in the New Victorian army, he and his ex-commando zombie comrades are determined to help keep the peace. That means taking a dangerous stand between The Changed, a radical group of sentient zombies fighting for survival, and The Murder, a masked squad of urban guerrillas hellbent on destroying the living dead. But zombies aren’t the only ones in danger: Their living allies are also in The Murder’s crosshairs, and for one vengeful zealot, Nora Dearly is the number one target. As paranoia, prejudice, and terrorist attacks threaten to plunge the city into full-scale war, Nora’s scientist father and his team continue their desperate race to unlock the secrets of “The Laz” and find a cure. But their efforts may be doomed when a mysterious zombie appears bearing an entirely new strain of the virus—and the nation of New Victoria braces for a new wave of the apocalypse. Lia Habel’s spellbinding, suspenseful sequel to Dearly, Departed takes her imaginative mash-up of period romance, futuristic thriller, and zombie drama to a whole new level of innovative and irresistible storytelling. (Goodreads summary)
That’s the question that has New Victorian society fiercely divided ever since the mysterious plague known as “The Laz” hit the city of New London and turned thousands into walking corpses. But while some of these zombies are mindless monsters, hungry for human flesh, others can still think, speak, reason, and control their ravenous new appetites.
Disclaimer: If you haven’t read Dearly, Departed this review could seem a bit spoilery. Perhaps wait to read the review until after you read the novel. =)
Lia Habel has achieved new levels of awesome in this second installment of the Dearly, Departed series. I adored this book not just because of its Cyber-Punkiness or its New Victorian setting or the fact that Miss Habel has somehow made zombies realistic and loveable but because of the way she weaves a story. Her books have a certain “sit back and savor” feel, which I love. They blow your mind and then pat you on the head and say, “See? Wasn’t that fun?”
First awesome? THE PLOT! I’m gonna come clean right now and tell you, I almost never like book 2 in a series as much as book 1. It’s usually not as tightenly done. It’s usually drama for the sake of drama. Not so in Dearly, Beloved. It is exquisitely woven. The twists were just right. Everything made sense within the world Habel’s created while at the same time introducing new character/plot arcs. The conclusion was exactly what it should have been. In other words, Dearly, Beloved drives the story forward instead of sitting around twiddling its thumbs waiting for book 3. Well done, Miss Habel. Well done.
Another selling point for this fantastic read: legitimate, multiple POVs. I say legitimate because this series doesn’t just give you one or two perspectives, it gives you several and, in this case, it really works. The POVs heightened the excitement and kept the pacing perfect. I loved getting the villain’s perspective and some of the newer characters as well. There were also some unexpected perspectives which were incredibly intriguing. I’ll confess, the first half of the book I kept wishing for more of Bram’s POV. However, the second half totally delivered and I set the book down feeling completely giddy over where the story leaves off.
I adore the love story of this series. It’s not what you’d expect and it’s not super lusty. My heart is happy when I read it because Bram and Nora genuinely care about and respect each other. Bram adores Nora and wants to protect her, but he doesn’t hold her back or try to stifle her. He loves her feistiness. She admires his strength and his mind and who he is as a person. It’s a romance I want to cheer for because they aren’t just trying to rip each others clothes off all the time. It’s refreshing.
And finally, my favorite aspect of Dearly, Beloved, and the series in general, is definitely the characters. Nora is still fun and quirky. She’s still headstrong and determined, yet this time she’s stuck in the constraints of her corseted society so she’s feeling a bit confined. You can imagine how well that went over. Nora isn’t really the sit back and do nothing sort. Bram is still snarky and genuinely good. He’s courageous and trustworthy and can make me laugh out loud, sigh “awwwwwww,” and yell “that’s right buddy, you go kick some butt.” Pamela is different than I expected. I loved her in Dearly, Departed but was struggling to enjoy her character in this novel…until Lopez was re-introduced, whom I hope we see a lot more of 
, I really didn’t know what to think about her.
To put it simply, Habel has created a beautiful sequel. Utterly captivating and entirely perfect advancement to the series.
Author: Lia Habel
Title: Dearly, Beloved
Series: Gone With the Respiration (Book #2)
Published: September 25th 2012 by Del Rey
Format: Hardcover, 496 pages; ebook
Website: www.liahabel.com
Source: e-ARC provided via NetGalley
My rating: 
Happy Reading!
I really enjoyed the first book and can’t wait to check this one out ! So excited.
Awesome! Hope you love it! =)
YAY!! I LOVED Dearly Departed and it’s so so awesome that Dearly Beloved takes it to the next level:)
You’re right, the plot and the characters really were the best parts of the other book, but what I loved most is how Lia Habel made me love zombies, gave them heart. That was such a risk but it paid off big time:)
Dearly Beloved seems to have lots of political and social intrigue, lots of different sociopolitical factions and fanaticism which is a great theme that applies everywhere.
How cool is it that a zombie novel can also be so deep:)
Great review:)
Yes, definitely deep and, go-figure, realistic with war/political drama! Loved it! Thanks for commenting! =)
Not only does it touch on politics and everything, but a zombie is HOT!! How did she manage that?!!
What I also like is the kind of melding of genres Lia Hable did – very unique and works perfectly in the story for the plot.
Absolutely agree! =)
Since I haven’t read book 1 I didn’t want to spoil myself. I skipped down to the 5 star rating 😉 I was just talking to someone else who said they didn’t love book 2, so I’m glad to see you did! It gives me hope that the sequel won’t be a flop! I hate to read book 1 and love it only for book 2 to be a flop!! 😀
Yay! Well, hopefully you will think it’s great too! =) I absolutely loved it, but that’s the great thing about books. We can like what we like and others can like what they like and we can all be happy. 😉
I haven’t finished the first book yet so I didn’t read your review. I just check the rating. I’m so glad that you thought it was pretty good because I’m already looking forward to it.
Awesome! Hope you’ll share your thoughts when you’re done! =)
5 stars!! I will stop back to read once I finish the first book.
looking forward to it!
Thanks for your thoughts! This looks like a great series and I can’t wait to start reading it soon!
Yay! Hope you love it like I have! =)
THIS: “They blow your mind and then pat you on the head and say, “See? Wasn’t that fun?””
I completely agree. I also loved the multiple viewpoints because they provided a panoramic view of everything that was going on in the whol city and outside of it. But there was much more to it then that. Laura’s POV seemed a bit gratuitous to me because I felt like the others had a lot to add and she was only there to show what was going on on her side.
Fantastic review!
YAY! Thanks so much!
Great review
I loved the first and cant wait for this. Lia has such a way with words that just brings you into the story.
Thanks so much! =) I know. Just love her stories! I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Great Review. I look forward to seeing how this book goes and I kinda want Pamma to have her own story.
Thanks! I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with Pamma as well! =)
Dearly, Departed was one of my all time favorite books and I’m dying to read the sequel!! I’m SO glad to hear that you loved it and that it didn’t fall into the second book syndrome of not quite living up to the first! I want it, I want it, I want it!!! Thanks so much for the awesome review!
Well, go get it, girl! =) Hope you love it!
I haven’t read this series yet, but I want it soo much! From your review, I think I really envy Nora. She’s strong and determined.
Yes, very. Love Nora! I hope you’ll be able to give it try soon! =)
I haven’t read this series but I love the synopsis. Zombie love. <3 😀 I really enjoy multiple POVs and it's great that the villain's perspective is included, I feel like it adds a lot more dimension to characters. The characters in this book sound awesome and Nora seems like someone I could love reading about. Great review!
Terrific! Thanks for commenting! Hope you’ll give it a try soon! =)
I’m glad you enjoyed it because that means I most likely will, too. I’m looking forward to reading this.
Yay! Hope you love it!
Thanks for such a great review. I love reading unique story lines, and this sounds interesting and entertaining to me! The idea of a lovable zombie who is heroic and saves the damsel in distress sounds good!
It is very unique! Hope you love it! =)
i want this book so much !!!
already bought dearly departed and i love it ^^
YAY! I recommend buying it…immediately! =) Happy reading!
I haven’t read Dearly, Departed yet but I’ve wanted to for such a long time and it’s on my to read stack so hoepfully I’ll get to it soon. I’ve been all for good zombies ever since I read Revenants series by Amy Plum these sound just as good plus they got the whole steampunk thing going for them
super fun! Hope you’ll let me know what you think when you’re finished!
Wow Heather, I love your review! I’ve never read a book with that many POVs before, so I’m excited to try it. I have yet to read the first book, so I plan on reading them together, and you review has really made my expectations higher!
Awww, thanks! Hope you love them like we do! =)