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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
This book is humorous, action-packed, and packs all the feels! Highly, highly recommend this book and I cannot wait for the next book to come out!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was...fine. I liked the unique premise, and it started out strong, but kind of fizzled/dragged on a bit for me.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
3,5/ 5
I agree with other readers, who’ve said that the book was a bit too long. Some parts were dragging, one evening felt like days but when I thought it had only been some days or weeks, 2 months had passed in that story.
I really liked the letters at the beginning of every chapter, even though they not always related with the content of the chapter. It gave a bit more depth to Jane, her mother and their living. I don’t know how to explain it ... but when I started reading it, they way the chapters were titled plus the letters, it gave me a movie or gaming feeling. :‘)
Overall I liked the idea of the story (and how they designed the book! It’s gorgeous!) and it’s setting. These combat schools were really interesting to me, especially when I learned what their inspiration was. I never knew that the USA used to have special institutes for native children.
There weren’t too many plottwists in the story, maybe I didn’t recognise them as big twists... I don’t know. Most of them weren’t that shocking, reading them it felt more like a „hm/ aha“-nod. The reveal about their sexuality wasn’t that surprising or shocking either but I think that’s mostly because I’d spoiled myself and already knew...
I agree with other readers, who’ve said that the book was a bit too long. Some parts were dragging, one evening felt like days but when I thought it had only been some days or weeks, 2 months had passed in that story.
I really liked the letters at the beginning of every chapter, even though they not always related with the content of the chapter. It gave a bit more depth to Jane, her mother and their living. I don’t know how to explain it ... but when I started reading it, they way the chapters were titled plus the letters, it gave me a movie or gaming feeling. :‘)
Overall I liked the idea of the story (and how they designed the book! It’s gorgeous!) and it’s setting. These combat schools were really interesting to me, especially when I learned what their inspiration was. I never knew that the USA used to have special institutes for native children.
There weren’t too many plottwists in the story, maybe I didn’t recognise them as big twists... I don’t know. Most of them weren’t that shocking, reading them it felt more like a „hm/ aha“-nod. The reveal about their sexuality wasn’t that surprising or shocking either but I think that’s mostly because I’d spoiled myself and already knew...
“The day I came squealing and squalling into the world was the first time someone tried to kill me. I guess it should have been obvious to everyone right then that I wasn't going to have a normal life.”
The first page starts on this engrossing note, and it just gets better from there. Jane is a heroine who is easy to root for as she navigates a world full of bigotry and zombies. The cover of this book is what first drew me to it, and while Jane looks super badass there, she's even more badass in the book. Katherine, her beautiful and talented schoolmate, is also ace which is awesome surprise LGBTQ representation! They go from petty school enemies to forced allies as Jane involves Kate in her schemes to overthrow all the bad white dudes and escape with their lives.
“See, the problem in this world ain't sinners, or even the dead. It is men who will step on anyone who stands in the way of their pursuit of power. Luckily there will always be people like me to stop them.”
There are moments in the middle of the story where Jane's situation is really hard to read, but definitely push through to see her vengeance! The snippets of letters between Jane and her momma that start every chapter are particularly heart-wrenching. There are a bunch of twists and turns that I did not expect in this one. I've never read something that blends genres like this, and I highly recommend reading it!
I loved the premise more than the story. This definitely reads as YA, although the main character, Jane, is more engaged than some YA protagonists. She's no Mary Sue!
What I enjoyed: the relationship between Jane and Katherine. Honestly, they had chemistry. And I the way Jane initially went on and on about how beautiful Katherine is, I really thought she was crushing. Jane's relationships with Jackson and Gideon were flat and boring in comparison.
What annoyed me: the discussion around corsets. The smallest bit of research would reveal that corsets are not restrictive in the way Ireland described them. It took me out of the story and made me question the care Ireland put into her research. For a historical fiction book, Dread Nation is definitely very history-lite.
Which brings me to what frustrated me: the history. In many ways, this story did not feel rooted in the time period it's supposed to be set in. I think there could have been a lot more depth and interesting historical exploration. That's what I love about historical fiction - especially when it attempts to tell alternative histories.
Overall, an easy, quick read, but does not deliver on the history and lacks an interesting plot.
What I enjoyed: the relationship between Jane and Katherine. Honestly, they had chemistry. And I the way Jane initially went on and on about how beautiful Katherine is, I really thought she was crushing. Jane's relationships with Jackson and Gideon were flat and boring in comparison.
What annoyed me: the discussion around corsets. The smallest bit of research would reveal that corsets are not restrictive in the way Ireland described them. It took me out of the story and made me question the care Ireland put into her research. For a historical fiction book, Dread Nation is definitely very history-lite.
Which brings me to what frustrated me: the history. In many ways, this story did not feel rooted in the time period it's supposed to be set in. I think there could have been a lot more depth and interesting historical exploration. That's what I love about historical fiction - especially when it attempts to tell alternative histories.
Overall, an easy, quick read, but does not deliver on the history and lacks an interesting plot.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I don’t read about zombies that often but when I do, I find it refreshing (against the rest of my TBR).
A+ narration by Bahni Turpin. This kept my attention the entire time.
I really loved how Ireland did information reveals. Straightforward and clever.
Is this just me or could this plot be turned into a stage play or a musical?
4.25/5
A+ narration by Bahni Turpin. This kept my attention the entire time.
I really loved how Ireland did information reveals. Straightforward and clever.
Is this just me or could this plot be turned into a stage play or a musical?
4.25/5