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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
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:
Yes
Zombies began rising from the ground during the American Civil War changing the States forever.
In the new United States, the safety of the American people is guaranteed by the Native and Negro Reeducation Act; a law that requires Black and Native children to go to boarding schools to be trained to kill zombies.
Jane McKeene has only ever known this America and so like other Black children she attends Miss Preston's School of Combat in Baltimore, training to be an effective zombie killer.
Near the end of her schooling, Jane ended up in a middle of a conspiracy surrounded by enemies and not too many friends.
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TW: Racism
I absolutely adored this book. I had to take a break because it got a little heavy, which makes sense because of when it was set in the U.S.
I guess I thought there would be more subtle racism-- which there was-- but there also was a lot of outright racism Jane had to deal with.
The worldbuilding was fascinating and I really liked the twists in it.
I also liked how Jane told the story.
She was unreliable and yet was fairly honest with her views and what she thought of things going on and was reflective when she realized she was wrong.
It's a good story and I definitely would recommend it.
In the new United States, the safety of the American people is guaranteed by the Native and Negro Reeducation Act; a law that requires Black and Native children to go to boarding schools to be trained to kill zombies.
Jane McKeene has only ever known this America and so like other Black children she attends Miss Preston's School of Combat in Baltimore, training to be an effective zombie killer.
Near the end of her schooling, Jane ended up in a middle of a conspiracy surrounded by enemies and not too many friends.
--------------------
TW: Racism
I absolutely adored this book. I had to take a break because it got a little heavy, which makes sense because of when it was set in the U.S.
I guess I thought there would be more subtle racism-- which there was-- but there also was a lot of outright racism Jane had to deal with.
The worldbuilding was fascinating and I really liked the twists in it.
I also liked how Jane told the story.
She was unreliable and yet was fairly honest with her views and what she thought of things going on and was reflective when she realized she was wrong.
It's a good story and I definitely would recommend it.
An alternative/speculative fiction story set about 18 years after Gettysburg. A plague hits right during the Civil War causing the dead to rise and zombie their way across the country, destroying cities, and turning more people into zombies. By this time, former slaves have been basically re-enslaved to be trained to fight and kill the zombies in order to protect white people.
Jane McKeene is training to become an Attendant, like a zombie buster bodyguard for a white woman. But she is really badass, the daughter of a plantation owner's wife. I loved her character - she's smart, tough, well educated, and knows how to play the game to survive.
It's an interesting take on that period of time, with North and South realizing they need to unite to save themselves from zombies. Also could be a commentary on the failure of the actual Reconstruction and the continuation of enslavement in other forms. The first person narration makes it real. Jane has to fight not only zombies, but the Survivalists, who want to create new cities with semi-military rule.
Jane McKeene is training to become an Attendant, like a zombie buster bodyguard for a white woman. But she is really badass, the daughter of a plantation owner's wife. I loved her character - she's smart, tough, well educated, and knows how to play the game to survive.
It's an interesting take on that period of time, with North and South realizing they need to unite to save themselves from zombies. Also could be a commentary on the failure of the actual Reconstruction and the continuation of enslavement in other forms. The first person narration makes it real. Jane has to fight not only zombies, but the Survivalists, who want to create new cities with semi-military rule.
I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love it. I would actually rate it a 3.5.
This novel offers a great character voice and an intriguing world: a version of Reconstruction-era America in which the Civil War has ended prematurely due to a sudden zombie uprising. Unfortunately, the plot is fairly uneven, and the tone is all over the place. There's no dramatic weight to any of the undead action or its high body count -- which is a completely valid approach to the genre, but that sort of romp doesn't sit well with the realistically cruel racism aimed at the black heroine throughout the story. I like enough about this book that I will probably read the forthcoming sequel, but I hope that one does a better job of reconciling its various aspects.
[Content warning for historical racism and corporal punishment.]
[Content warning for historical racism and corporal punishment.]
If you're sensitive to racial trauma, I would say to be cautious reading this book. The main character gets near every slur under the sun thrown at her, is beaten, and constantly dehumanized by the people around her.
1. I will say that this book is less focused on the zombies, or "shamblers" as they are called, and more on the racial tension during the civil war era.
2. This book, you can feel that the main character has spirit. You can feel that the weight of constantly being discriminated against by idiots is ever present in the MC's head. You can feel the long term effects of society coddling bigotry but not growth. You can feel the anger of the MC, the injustice of it all, this book makes you feel something.
I hope there is a second book, so that more characters can be fleshed out and I can be sucked deeper into this riveting story.
1. I will say that this book is less focused on the zombies, or "shamblers" as they are called, and more on the racial tension during the civil war era.
2. This book, you can feel that the main character has spirit. You can feel that the weight of constantly being discriminated against by idiots is ever present in the MC's head. You can feel the long term effects of society coddling bigotry but not growth. You can feel the anger of the MC, the injustice of it all, this book makes you feel something.
I hope there is a second book, so that more characters can be fleshed out and I can be sucked deeper into this riveting story.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
sad
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Torture
Moderate: Violence
Minor: War
A hair slow to start, but this zombie alternative history of the Civil War reconstruction era picks up pretty quickly. Jane boasts mad skills at killing zombies, but isn't doing so well at her manners and etiquette, skills she'll need as an Attendant. She's training to become a protector for a white woman in a world where a violent zombie plague disrupted the already deadly atmosphere of the Civil War. The consequences of this plague include a failure to resolve the slavery issue, which initially seems like one of the alternative parts to this history, but the more I read the more I wondered if that isn't kind of the point. Technically slavery becomes illegal, but many communities are figuring out ways to replicate the old hierarchies, pretty much like what really happened but with zombies.
I found a lot to like here: complex characters with flaws, fierce women fighters, a powerful look at what it was like to pass as white, and a nice roast of the idea that skin color or ethnicity matters in the midst of zombies trying to kill everyone. The villains were a bit caricature-ish, a trifecta of evil and idiotic white men (a mayor, a sheriff, and a preacher), but not necessarily unrealistic. The zombies allow for Jane's sarcastic tone to shine through, and the whole thing is a great balance of humor, history, and dark realities.
I found a lot to like here: complex characters with flaws, fierce women fighters, a powerful look at what it was like to pass as white, and a nice roast of the idea that skin color or ethnicity matters in the midst of zombies trying to kill everyone. The villains were a bit caricature-ish, a trifecta of evil and idiotic white men (a mayor, a sheriff, and a preacher), but not necessarily unrealistic. The zombies allow for Jane's sarcastic tone to shine through, and the whole thing is a great balance of humor, history, and dark realities.