Something Strange and Deadly Read Along: Week 1 Questions

My first read- along! I'm so excited to do this and find out what others think of the book so far. If you haven't already noticed, on my sidebar it says I'm participating in this!

Questions:

Character impressions: Clarence
What are your first impressions of Clarence? Does he seem like a trustworthy person, or is he hiding ulterior motives behind good looks?

My first impressions are that he seems like a quiet and polite person, but all the same, charming. When I first met him, I didn't think he would be an important character, really. He seemed to just blend into the background, even if all the ladies thought him handsome. However, I have realized that he is going to play an important part in this story and I'm looking forward to see how well he plays it.
I also didn't think him trustworthy but I usually never find someone trustworthy when I first meet them, espicially when the character does something suspicious. But, I don't think he has anything against Eleanor, yet.
Character impressions: Eleanor Fitt
What are your first impressions of Eleanor? It seems like her mother always wants to put her family’s reputation above all else. How do you think Eleanor feels about this?

My impression of her at first is...well, this won't make much sense so I will do a little explaining, but I found her annoying. Yes, annoying. She just seemed like such a terrible main character to me and I most definetly did not like her at first. She seemed like just a normal person who was afraid of zombies. I was hoping for a character who enjoys killing zombies, not being scared of them. But, as I read on, I found I she was actually growing on me. I think what I loved the most about her is that she really, really cares about her family. I just found it touching and sincere.
I ,of course, think that Eleanor would not like being treated less than your family's reputation since I don't think anyone should be happy that your mother always put your family's reputation above all else!
Character impressions: Daniel
Daniel is quite brash with Eleanor when they first meet in the Spirit-Hunter’s lab. Do you see potential for a friendship? For a romance?

I would definetly say that Daniel is rude and doesn't enjoy Eleanor's company from when they first met but, I am guessing that Eleanor is going to grow on him and he will start liking her.
I think it is possible that there will be romance between Daniel and Eleanor since, for some reason, ladies like annoyingly rude guys. I have absolutley no idea why...but it always seems to happen.
1. Mrs. Fitt decides to hold a seance as a last minute fill-in for the party’s entertainment. How would you feel about this if you were a guest at the party? Do you think that’s wise with the Dead running around?

Well, of course not! I would be terrified even if zombies weren't already roming around the planet! I have no idea what Mrs. Fitt was thinking, but I think it was incredibly stupid on her part to hold a seance at a party.
2. Eleanor lives with only her mother and the live-in help since her father passed away and her brother is in New York and possibly taken by the Dead. I feel like the absent family member – especially a parent – is a theme I see a lot in YA novels. Why do you think that is? What aspect does this add to the story?

I think the reason why YA novels seem to make one parent dissapear is to add more character to the character's home life. I mean, if you think about it, would you want one big happy family in a novel? Why of course not! You want to add some mysterious elements to the story or make it more exciting, make your readers wonder what happened to the parent. It will, overall, draw in more attention. So, yes right now I'm very curious to see what has happened to her father.
3. We first see the steampunk feel when Eleanor wanders into the Centennial Exhibition to find the Spirit-Hunters. What do you think of machines and science fighting the zombies and paranormal?

I think the author is doing a wonderful job of including all the important things: making you have feelings for the characters, details, and the plot is surprisely pretty good. I love how the Spirit-Hunters are trying to destroy the zombies. The author is leaving no gloriously, gory details out, which I love. Yep, I love gory details. It makes me cringe but, it helps me better picture the scene, even if it is a gory one. I, myself, do enjoy a good zombie book and this book is so far living up to my expectations!
4. What do you think really happened to Elijah? Do you think he was captured by the Dead, or are there more secrets hidden behind his disappearance?

I actually have no idea what to expect about Elijah's disappearance. Which is quite a nice touch to the story since I will be totally taken by surprise when I find out what is behind Elijah's disappearance! I really, really hope that the author will leave some clues behind, and I'm sure she will to make the story more interesting!