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halieghkai's review against another edition
5.0
Dread Nation journeys into the volatile, colonial era where the Oppressed are the Heroes in defeating the 'undead' on battlefields (a reinstitution of the plantation system). Justina Ireland portrays parallels of real-life, historical events —The Wall, Colourism, Racism, Misogyny, all under the unnerving Supremacy— there are so much dots that connect to reality that on several occasions, you'll forget its a zombie-apocalyptic book and not another newspaper article of disappointment.
“It seems strange that in these very fraught times folks would be more concerned about hardworking people trying to find a better life than the monsters that actually want to eat them.” — Jane McKeene
Jane McKeene has to be my latest favorite heroines of all time. An inspiring force of nature that will have you gripping your seat belts while confiding into all the rocky routes she'll take you along with the other characters she cares deeply for. Each person in this book has a distraught root they grew from and it challenges us to see compassion in and embrace them. There wasn't a dull moment in this book, the dialogues were golden (I've learned a plethora of new words lol) in these dusty scenarios that Justina Ireland painted effortlessly. But the heart of this book educates you about History that some of us may not know much of especially the Native American boarding schools in America which was the foundation the story was based upon. Reading Dread Nation is an utmost adventure you won't want to experience personally but learn something of importance from.
“It seems strange that in these very fraught times folks would be more concerned about hardworking people trying to find a better life than the monsters that actually want to eat them.” — Jane McKeene
Jane McKeene has to be my latest favorite heroines of all time. An inspiring force of nature that will have you gripping your seat belts while confiding into all the rocky routes she'll take you along with the other characters she cares deeply for. Each person in this book has a distraught root they grew from and it challenges us to see compassion in and embrace them. There wasn't a dull moment in this book, the dialogues were golden (I've learned a plethora of new words lol) in these dusty scenarios that Justina Ireland painted effortlessly. But the heart of this book educates you about History that some of us may not know much of especially the Native American boarding schools in America which was the foundation the story was based upon. Reading Dread Nation is an utmost adventure you won't want to experience personally but learn something of importance from.
kivt's review against another edition
2.0
i wanted to like this. i kept waiting for the author to do something interesting with the origins of the zombie myth and the setting of her story, but she didn’t. it turns out zombie stories are boring even when they aren’t white supremacist dog whistling. too bad.
gspear's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
3.25
ajudeholbert87's review against another edition
5.0
I actually put this book down about a year ago. A co-worker convinced me to pick it back up and finish it. I’m so glad I did, because Ireland’s book recaptured me. I hope there is a part 2, and maybe a movie!
msrcreation's review against another edition
2.5
I wanted to like this so badly. It sounded amazing. But it just missed the mark for me. Black queer girls fighting zombies is how this book was described to me and the queer relationship I was expecting was barely there. Though I did love the bi and ace representation I think I went into this expecting more of a queer relationship. Also for a book about zombies we barely see zombies. It sucks because I loved the zombie scenes we do get but there was just a small hand full of those scenes. It made the story a bit boring and I kept forgetting it was supposed to be about zombies. I wanted more action there. Especially to see more of Janes skill with fighting. There was tons I really liked about the main character and some of the side characters. They really were the best part of the story. I think I went into this with completely different expectations and just ended up disappointed in the end.
musen_henning's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Violence, War, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, Torture, Physical abuse, and Slavery
Minor: Child death, Cannibalism, and Cursing
alex_johnson_2021's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
stardust_heidi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
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
5.0
I love nothing more than a strong, sassy as fuck FMC who has no patience for men in power.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Physical abuse, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Gore, Gun violence, Confinement, Racism, Misogyny, and Violence
bookph1le's review against another edition
4.0
Now this, this is a book to get excited about. That's especially significant for me, since I have very low tolerance for YA these days after being a devoted YA reader for some years. I just got to a point where I was burned one too many times by trite, derivative junk that was pushed out solely to jump on the latest hot trend. I have no idea if zombie YA is on trend right now, but even if it is, I was thrilled to read a book that doesn't feel like so much badly done YA drivel.
This book has things to say, important things. Even though it's set in an alternative US in which zombies rose during the Civil War, putting an abrupt end to that particular conflict without resolving *any* of the issues surrounding it, this book has a TON of relevance to the real, current America, and I know that's no accident. This book is smartly written and it makes many, many hard-hitting points about race relations in the US, about how people of color are mistreated, and about how blind most white people are to their privilege.
Plus, it has one of the most spirited, wonderful female characters I've read in some time. Jane is by no means perfect, which is what makes her a perfect character. She has rough edges, does bad things, and isn't always a nice person, but she is a complicated human being with whom I could sympathize. I really liked that she made no bones about who she was or what she had to do to navigate her circumstances. She was smart and insightful and a joy to read about.
Now, I gave it four stars because there were a couple of trope-y features (Hello, love triangle--or was it a love square?), and some plot points that stretched credulity for me--particularly when it came to the scheme Jane cooked up for Katherine. I couldn't for the life of me see how that would work. However, the writing is so strong and I found Jane such an engaging character that I wasn't as bothered by this as I might have been.
All in all, my reaction to this book was very enthusiastic, and I very much look forward to the next installment.
This book has things to say, important things. Even though it's set in an alternative US in which zombies rose during the Civil War, putting an abrupt end to that particular conflict without resolving *any* of the issues surrounding it, this book has a TON of relevance to the real, current America, and I know that's no accident. This book is smartly written and it makes many, many hard-hitting points about race relations in the US, about how people of color are mistreated, and about how blind most white people are to their privilege.
Plus, it has one of the most spirited, wonderful female characters I've read in some time. Jane is by no means perfect, which is what makes her a perfect character. She has rough edges, does bad things, and isn't always a nice person, but she is a complicated human being with whom I could sympathize. I really liked that she made no bones about who she was or what she had to do to navigate her circumstances. She was smart and insightful and a joy to read about.
Now, I gave it four stars because there were a couple of trope-y features (Hello, love triangle--or was it a love square?), and some plot points that stretched credulity for me--particularly when it came to the scheme Jane cooked up for Katherine. I couldn't for the life of me see how that would work. However, the writing is so strong and I found Jane such an engaging character that I wasn't as bothered by this as I might have been.
All in all, my reaction to this book was very enthusiastic, and I very much look forward to the next installment.