Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

23 reviews

beccaand's review

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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Slavery, Death, Gore, and Racism

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Body horror, and Sexism

Minor: Child death and Child abuse

gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review

adventurous challenging dark 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? No

4.5

As someone who does not often read horror, actually I try to actively avoid it at times, this book came as a surprise love. I could hardly put it down after I started. It also helped me get out of my beginnings of a reading slump with how quick paced and and action grabbing it is.

I love love love the main character Jane with all of her attitude. It is not often that I read a book with a character that makes decisions or acts in a way that has me going "Yeeeeeeeah I would have done that too.". She is someone that I liked reading as she plans and strategies her way through the story. It's always great to read these sorts of characters but with Jane's passion and gentle side to those people who deserve it, made her a really compelling character.
I especially liked her relationship with Katherine. I loved seeing it slowly grow and the two slowly trusting one another and getting to know each other. Katherine is also a nice balance to Jane when reading. She is the well behaved and level headed of the two, and normally the rule follower.

As for the storyline itself, I didn't find it overly scary for a horror book. It has the undead and they do pop up through out the story, but it is not at the forefront of the plot. Instead the story is focused on the racism and the society of the late 1800's. The undead are used as a tool to further highlights these main focuses.
I cannot wait for to read the second book. I have lingering questions about characters and what will happen to them in the next book.

Did MR Gideon get out? Will the Duchess and her girls, Red Jack, and Lily follow Jane and Katherine to California or are they going their own way?

I recommend giving this book a read. If you are not a huge horror fan and/or a scaredy cat like me, I think this is a good read to dip your toe into the genre and see if it is for you or not.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs

Moderate: Slavery, Sexism, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, and Violence

Minor: Child abuse, Colonisation, War, Child death, Trafficking, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Domestic abuse

wogslandwriter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny 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? Yes

5.0

This book is an amazing alternative history story about the racial and class divides of America, the complicated nature of being a mixed black person, and who counts as Black. It's an important perspective beautifully wrapped in zombie fights and pretty 19th century dresses. The characters are lovable but complicated, making them all the better. Jane is a fantastically unreliable narrator, which I love. Piecing together the pieces of her relationships of those around her just from the heavily biased perspective she gives us, is a treat.

I also love the surprise of Summerland and the extreme setting shift that comes with it. Summerland allows Dread Nation to be both a western and a Victorian drama, which are two of my favorite things.

All told the book is an exciting and enjoyable read with phenomenal characters and an interesting plot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Trafficking, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, and Kidnapping

Minor: Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Child abuse, and Slavery

The details of zombie deaths and how the zombies look are not skimped on. They are described in sometimes gruesome detail.

For child death, there is graphic description of the death and consumption by zombies of one of Jane's childhood friends. Jane and her friend are also kidnapped and shipped on a train to the west where they are put to work in slave-like conditions.

There is also violence and racist rhetoric against our main cast of black characters. There is discussion of the conditions of the enslaved prior to the zombie uprising and a large portion of the anti-black rhetoric from characters is based in Christian religion.

mydearwatsonbooks's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Grief

Minor: Abortion and Child death

Slut-shaming, attempted murder of a child

anaguana's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Torture, War, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Colonisation, Death, and Gun violence

Minor: Alcohol, Sexism, and Sexual content

laurenleigh's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Dread Nation was a last minute pick to fulfill some lingering 2021 reading challenge prompts, but I ended up thoroughly enjoying it! This is why I do these challenges. In this YA historical fiction, the Civil War ended because zombies rose up on the battle of Gettysburg. I found this sci-fi alternate history take fascinating. It makes me think about how slavery “came back from the dead” in the forms of Jim Crow laws, segregation, and forced labor as criminal punishment. Black Americans still had to fight to survive, with or without a zombie apocalypse. The novel clearly has some deeper meanings to explore, but even on just the surface level, this was an enjoyable, action-packed read. I love when an author can keep up the quick pace of a fight scene while also taking the time to fully explain all the details of what’s going on. The characters were all very well-formed and distinct, especially our heroine Jane. I absolutely adore her! Bahni Turpin’s narration did a fantastic job of capturing all the accents of course. I am interested to read the sequel, mainly just to spend more time with these characters!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, Gun violence, Torture, and Slavery

Moderate: Violence, War, Gore, and Murder

Minor: Child death

kaylamoran's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This was okay.  It was entertaining enough, but I found that I didn't really care about any of the characters very much.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Violence

alicelalicon's review against another edition

adventurous funny 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, Hate crime, Blood, Cannibalism, Child death, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexism, Slavery, and Torture

daydreamermoonwalker's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

A historical fiction mixed with a zombie thriller, with a diverse and interesting cast. Black main characters, with bi and aroace rep. One of the best books I've read so far this year! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Torture, and Violence

beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Slavery, and Xenophobia

Minor: Genocide