Scan barcode
A review by lbarsk
Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland
4.0
4.5 actually because, well... this was GREAT. An engaging sequel to a really gripping first book, with lots of intrigue and a total shift in plot a little over halfway through that I thought was really well pulled-off. Ireland has a skill for making even briefly-appearing side characters feel real, and she’s deft with emotions too. A couple things wrapped up in a way that felt really fast, hence the 4.5 stars, but this was an excellent way to close the story for Jane and Katherine. Wow!
ETA: also wtf how could I forget THE QUEERNESS !! The first book had ~*~queer vibes but they actually become real in this sequel. Kate is, in modern parlance, aro-ace and she wears a binder (we have no choice but to stan) and Jane, in modern parlance, is bi or pan. And other side characters are gay and lesbian. HELL YES!
ETA also: I’d love to read reactions to especially the book’s second half by someone who isn’t white. Racial politics have always been front and center here, but the first book mostly speaks to white oppression of Black Americans, while this book also incorporates tensions between Black folks, Native Americans and Indigenous peoples, and Asian immigrants to the West Coast.
ETA: also wtf how could I forget THE QUEERNESS !! The first book had ~*~queer vibes but they actually become real in this sequel. Kate is, in modern parlance, aro-ace and she wears a binder (we have no choice but to stan) and Jane, in modern parlance, is bi or pan. And other side characters are gay and lesbian. HELL YES!
ETA also: I’d love to read reactions to especially the book’s second half by someone who isn’t white. Racial politics have always been front and center here, but the first book mostly speaks to white oppression of Black Americans, while this book also incorporates tensions between Black folks, Native Americans and Indigenous peoples, and Asian immigrants to the West Coast.