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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really enjoyed this book. It was fast, but challenging, making me thing about old ideas in new ways. The characters were amazing, the story takes a few chapters to get going, but once I got to part 2, I had finished the book by the end of the day.
I devoured this book. (Pun intended.) I started in on a lunch break and by my lunch break the following day I was done. I found it through a podcast, Nightlight. I adored everything about it. The writing is impeccable, the characters well rounded, the world building excellent. It was easy to read, which is to say I love the author's writing style. I also was desperate to know what happened next at every turn. I cannot wait to read everything I can get my hand's on from Justina Ireland.
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Dread Nation was an interesting story. The combination of early American “history” and a zombie story were a great blend. When a story is combined with “history” it seems to give the unbelievable part of the story more merit. This is the first book I have read that has combined these two genres. The story was unsettling, not only because of the zombies but also because of the raw racism throughout the book. Even though slavery was abolished, African Americans and Native Americans were treated as inferior and used as the white people’s personal protection from zombies. A plus in this story is that the main character, Jane, is a strong, black female.
Dread Nation was finalist for the Andre Norton Award in 2019, the Bram Stoker Awards in 2019, the Lodestar Awards in 2019, and won the 2019 Locus Award. This book would make a great book discussion for a book group. There are three major themes in Dread Nation: racism, corruption, and strength. The story takes place after the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, but racism is still alive and well in this America. Black and Native Americans are sent to school to learn to defend white people from shamblers (zombies) when they turn of age. The special schools teach them combat and proper etiquette for being hired by rich white Americans for their protection. Corruption in this story is within the government/elected officials. The main culprit is Mayor Carr. The Survivalist Party pushes the agenda that the best way to protect society is by using Black and Native Americans to defend the white citizens. The main character, Jane, is a great example of strength. She is a black girl, who is training to become a shambler fighter. Jane is smart, daring, and able to overcome obstacles.
Additional Citations:
Justina Ireland Awards. (2020, April 9). Retrieved June 22, 2020, from http://www.sfadb.com/Justina_Ireland
Dread Nation was finalist for the Andre Norton Award in 2019, the Bram Stoker Awards in 2019, the Lodestar Awards in 2019, and won the 2019 Locus Award. This book would make a great book discussion for a book group. There are three major themes in Dread Nation: racism, corruption, and strength. The story takes place after the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, but racism is still alive and well in this America. Black and Native Americans are sent to school to learn to defend white people from shamblers (zombies) when they turn of age. The special schools teach them combat and proper etiquette for being hired by rich white Americans for their protection. Corruption in this story is within the government/elected officials. The main culprit is Mayor Carr. The Survivalist Party pushes the agenda that the best way to protect society is by using Black and Native Americans to defend the white citizens. The main character, Jane, is a great example of strength. She is a black girl, who is training to become a shambler fighter. Jane is smart, daring, and able to overcome obstacles.
Additional Citations:
Justina Ireland Awards. (2020, April 9). Retrieved June 22, 2020, from http://www.sfadb.com/Justina_Ireland
Incredibly written and captivating, Dread Nation is impossible to put down and has amazingly crafted characters that are hard to forget.
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I am a massive fan of this book. I do not typically enjoy the horror genre, but I do love good historical fiction. I have been taking time to read many more stories in which the main characters are black women, and this book did not disappoint me.
Justina Ireland has taken The Walking Dead and set it in the Civil War era, which was an exciting take. Discussions of racial strife, misogyny, and misogynoir/colorism drive this story forward. The book could be considered slow only at the start (within the first 40 pages), but it picks right up immediately after that.
Jane, our protagonist, has what I love about prominent characters, which is unlikable. That is mainly because she is described humanely. A lot of people like to think that their favorite book characters are perfect, and I love it when characters show us that they have moments where we are not going to like them. It makes it feel more natural. But while Jane has moments when she can be annoying with how she goes about things, she acknowledges that those are things that she needs to work on, which I admire.
Whenever people ask me what books I recommend, this is one of the first that level my lips
Justina Ireland has taken The Walking Dead and set it in the Civil War era, which was an exciting take. Discussions of racial strife, misogyny, and misogynoir/colorism drive this story forward. The book could be considered slow only at the start (within the first 40 pages), but it picks right up immediately after that.
Jane, our protagonist, has what I love about prominent characters, which is unlikable. That is mainly because she is described humanely. A lot of people like to think that their favorite book characters are perfect, and I love it when characters show us that they have moments where we are not going to like them. It makes it feel more natural. But while Jane has moments when she can be annoying with how she goes about things, she acknowledges that those are things that she needs to work on, which I admire.
Whenever people ask me what books I recommend, this is one of the first that level my lips
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated