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A review by roganshannon
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
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? It's complicated
5.0
Representation: Black bisexual MC, many BIPOC supporting cast
Jane McKeene has grown up knowing only a world where the dead walk the world during the Civil War, America forever changed. For survival in this new world, it all falls on the shoulders of a few. Reeducation laws were passed to require certain indigenous and Black children to attend combat schools to learn how to put down the dead, so white people don’t have to do all the dirty work. But there are also some special opportunities for better life, such as training to become an Attendant, someone who’s well-trained in both combat and etiquette to protect the rich. Jane’s in Attendant training, because even being the Black daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman can let her escape society and its rules. Though it’s not the life she wants, she’s set on returning home to her family. She doesn’t pay attention to the politics of these cities she’s in, until families start going missing and she suddenly gets caught up in a big conspiracy. She’s fighting for her life, and not just against the dead.
Rating: 5/5 Even though I thought the concept was cool, I put off reading this because I got really tired of all the zombie stories that were coming out. It just felt like a lot of slight modifications of the same story again and again. My best friend loaned me this book, and wow, I’m glad I finally read it! This really thinks about how the course of history would be drastically shifted if the dead rose during the ongoing war. Can you imagine? Killing someone only to have them get up again and keep going, mindless this time. All the historical events, such as the reeducation acts, were kept but repurposed which is so fascinating to me! I think Ireland did a great job of describing all the historical details, including the technology available at the time. This book is certainly one to check trigger warnings for, and I want to mention that this book uses historical terms for Black and indigenous people. It also shows up in the synopsis on GoodReads, so just a heads up you will see those terms.
Jane McKeene has grown up knowing only a world where the dead walk the world during the Civil War, America forever changed. For survival in this new world, it all falls on the shoulders of a few. Reeducation laws were passed to require certain indigenous and Black children to attend combat schools to learn how to put down the dead, so white people don’t have to do all the dirty work. But there are also some special opportunities for better life, such as training to become an Attendant, someone who’s well-trained in both combat and etiquette to protect the rich. Jane’s in Attendant training, because even being the Black daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman can let her escape society and its rules. Though it’s not the life she wants, she’s set on returning home to her family. She doesn’t pay attention to the politics of these cities she’s in, until families start going missing and she suddenly gets caught up in a big conspiracy. She’s fighting for her life, and not just against the dead.
Rating: 5/5 Even though I thought the concept was cool, I put off reading this because I got really tired of all the zombie stories that were coming out. It just felt like a lot of slight modifications of the same story again and again. My best friend loaned me this book, and wow, I’m glad I finally read it! This really thinks about how the course of history would be drastically shifted if the dead rose during the ongoing war. Can you imagine? Killing someone only to have them get up again and keep going, mindless this time. All the historical events, such as the reeducation acts, were kept but repurposed which is so fascinating to me! I think Ireland did a great job of describing all the historical details, including the technology available at the time. This book is certainly one to check trigger warnings for, and I want to mention that this book uses historical terms for Black and indigenous people. It also shows up in the synopsis on GoodReads, so just a heads up you will see those terms.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs