Week 3 of the Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard Read Along hosted by Books Addicts Guide is here!

The questions and my answers for Chapters 15-21 are below. My answers are here for week one’s Q&A and here for week two’s Q&A. Be sure to check back next week for the final round of Q&A. If you’d like to participate, check Books Addicts Guide for more information!

Week 3 Q&A:

1. We’ve watched Eleanor chase after the Dead and after Daniel without hesitation. Do you perceive Eleanor as brave or foolish to act with little thought to consequence?
Acting with little thought to consequence is foolish, without question. Risking your own safety to save someone (you care for dearly) from death without hesitation is brave… but there is a time and place for everything and being brave doesn’t mean you all of a sudden aren’t illogical. I think we all struggle with doing the right thing at the wrong time. It sounds silly until you’re put in a situation where doing the right thing could actually be the best thing if held off. Knowing when to take a stand is brave. Eleanor is straddling the same line the rest of us are.

2. Eleanor gets a letter from Elijah to tell her to stop searching for him – that it’s a bad idea and it’s hurting him rather than helping him. Is Eleanor in denial that her brother is working with the necromancer? Or do you think the necromancer is threatening Elijah now that he knows Eleanor is searching for him?
The letter from Elijah really threw me! I think the necromancer is threatening Elijah and/or acting on Elijah’s behalf with the letter. I don’t want to speculate more because there are only so many pages left, so I just want to get to them as soon as possible (right after I answer these questions) and find out what’s really happening!

3. We find out the history of Daniel Sheridan in these chapters and that he has quite an interesting connection to the Fitt family that Eleanor never knew about. Were you surprised to find out Daniel’s history in Philadelphia? If you were Eleanor, how would you have taken the news?
I was not surprised to find out Daniel’s history in Philadelphia. I knew at least one of the three Spirit Hunters had to have some history in the town. If I were Eleanor, I probably would have reacted the same way.

4. We also find out the real story of the Wilcoxes and that both Clarence and his father have a major connection to the Fitts also. We’re clearly getting closer to solving some of the mysteries that have been building up in the story. What do you make of this connection? How do you think this will affect the climax of the book?
Wasn’t that exciting getting revelation after revelation?! The connection to the Wilcoxes and the Fitts (and dirty politics) is realistic… and scary because of that. It was very well planned out and executed. Motives are clearer now, sides are clear, we can see all of the hearts behind the political curtain, dead, err, heartless and all. It all makes sense. And if I’m correct, this leads perfectly into the message that we will be reminded of again in the climax… there is always a choice. Will you break the chains your family has created or live in the prison of self because you are expected to? The tension between these two families is not over once this book is over. I believe the tension will take us far into book two. Only time will tell.

Extras
Favorite Quotes:
Page 199
They were red rimmed, like angry wounds.

Page 200
“I refuse to be killed.”

Page 236
I still had a chance. A choice.

Page 238
How could I dream when I knew I could act instead?

Page 263
This must be how mice feel when they run from the hawk.

Page 268
…and I latched on to reality before insanity could paralyze me anymore.

To buy Something Strange & Deadly by Susan Dennard, click here.