Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

103 reviews

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

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

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

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Grief

Minor: Child death and Abortion

Slut-shaming, attempted murder of a child

5nazzyf0x's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War

bronwyn's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Death and Slavery

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, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, and War

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

Minor: Sexism, Sexual content, and Alcohol

annika_cloud's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, and War

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

Moderate: Gore, Violence, Murder, and War

Minor: Child death

kengiedamali's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Torture, and Violence

jenniferwong's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Violence

lalesbianlune's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Violence

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Sexual harassment