Reviews with content warning for Racism - Dread Nation

A strong-willed heroine (Jane), her ex-fling (Jackson), and her former nemesis turned friend (Katherine) battle the undead (“shamblers”) in an alternate version of the Reconstruction era. This had political intrigue and great plot twists. Such a good read.

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greenochki's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark inspiring 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

4.0

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warlocksarecool21's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Overall I thought this was a fun book that talks about important topics of institutionalized racism and slavery. Using the idea of zombies, or shamblers, was interesting way to move the story forward and explore these themes. I thought the story did a good job with explaining how religion and pseudoscience were used to perpetuate racism, especially towards Black people. There were times where I wanted a bit more emotional depth regarding these topics, meaning I wished the author had more internal reflection on Jane’s part about the things she saw and experienced (and thus giving the reader space to ruminate on them) instead of just telling us how she felt. I think this style makes these themes more digestible for younger readers, so possibly that was the author’s intentions.

The rest of Jane’s characterization was kind of like what I described above as well. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a fun and lively character and I think her narration is really engaging but I wanted more in regard to her development. I felt like she always knew what to do or say, and while there were times of conflict or danger of the book, I feel that we don’t see the whole range of how those things affected her. While I wanted a higher degree of nuance, there were a few twists I didn’t see coming and I thought the action scenes were fun. I’m hoping the next book will be stronger.

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unequivocallyerica's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

I really enjoyed reading this book. I have been an avid reader for a little over a year and this has been the first book where I've actually seen myself in the characters. The book was a little daunting at first because of the number of pages, but as soon a I started reading the pages flew by. I will say that some of the surprises were predictable but I was anxiously waiting for the characters to find out. There are some minor things that happen that don't get addressed. Its still a great book and I can't wait to read the second book in the series and hopefully get some answers to some of my question.

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