A review by warlocksarecool21
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

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. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings