Title: Dread Nation
Author: Justina Ireland
Series: Dread Nation #1
Publication Date: April 3, 2018
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Format: Kindle
Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations.
But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.
I bought this shortly after it came out, and for some reason, it took me until now to read it … and I have no excuses?
There sort of seems to be a theme in the past six-ish months of me putting off reading books and ending up absolutely loving them, and if there’s not a lesson in that somewhere, then … I don’t even know. Don’t be like me, guys. Read the dang books.
Dread Nation is a mix of zombie horror and social commentary. The main character, Jane, is a thrilling mixture of proud and sarcastic, written in a voicy way that had me falling for her from the very start. I just devoured this book. But not in a zombie way. I promise.
I actually have no sticking points for this book. How often does that happen?! And that’s twice within one month for me now. What is 2020 doing to me? I’m just not sure what more I can say other than read this book. I loved it that much, and I’m not even a zombie book sort of girl.
❧ This is an alternate history set in the Civil War era … but with zombies. And wow does that pose some interesting problems.
The setting itself is really interesting to see, because it’s part factual history and part what if. Think of all the things we’ve accomplished since the 1860s. Now just … vanish them all. Poof. That’s the world Jane is living in, because amazingly, advancements sort of peter off when smart people are either dying or fighting for their lives.
There was a lot of racism and classism in this book, both of which I appreciated for their authenticity, but also which made the book an emotionally tough read.
Because wow does it get my blood boiling when people suffer injustices. At one point, I really started hating this character, and couldn’t stop myself from shouting, “I hope a zombie eats your face!” And then … they did. So, I’m pretty much a book god now, and you should all worship me by sending me all the best books.
One: the dead will take everything you love. You have to end them before they can end you. That’s exactly what I aim to do.
And two: the person poking the dead ain’t always the one paying for it. In fact, most times, it’s the ones minding their own business who suffer.
That’s a problem I still don’t have an answer for yet.
❧ This is a bleaky, dreary, often hopeless world, and yet, I was drawn right into it.
First, I should admit that I don’t tend to like zombie things. Zombies creep me out, and I get really squicky with blood and guts. Here, though, it was handled with a bit of grace. I mean, sure, heads are still being chopped off on occasion, but the focus wasn’t on the gore, it was on the people. Because yeah, these zombies were people once, and Jane often reflects on that.
We get a glimpse at the cozy life of a girl in a prestigious school in the city to the barren frontier out in the West, and the way zombies impact both places is slightly different.
I was actually really glad that the book didn’t remain in one place, because this gave the reader a much fuller picture of the world. Plus, revisionist history, but in a fun way! I enjoyed all the little nuances that came about, where you could see exactly how having a zombie apocalypse hit in the middle of the Civil War changed the trajectory of history. I loved comparing the world in the book to the real world and seeing the differences.
❧ The book is told from Jane’s point of view, and she’s belligerent, has a problem with authority, and seriously snarky. In other words, a woman after my own heart.
I knew I was going to love the voice of this book almost immediately when I started. It’s very tongue-in-cheek sarcastic, but also thoughtful and considering. Jane may have a sharp tongue, but she also has a quick wit, and it’s an endearing combination that I just could not resist.
Jane is living an extremely dangerous life (duhhh … zombies), and is regarded as little more than cattle for the white folk, but yet, she doesn’t let that get her down. She’s got spunk and determination and knows exactly how much she’s worth.
She’s pretty much everything I look for in a character. It would be so freaking easy at any point during this book for her to give up and accept her lot in life, and who could blame her? But even when things are at their most hopeless, her mind’s whirring out a way to beat the odds, and I just loved it so.
❧ I went in not knowing what really to expect plot-wise, but there was a lot of gritty action, personal growth, mystery, and underhanded plotting.
Which of course I enjoyed the plotting, because who doesn’t enjoy a good “stick it to the man” plan? Come on. But the mystery bit sort of caught me by surprise, and I really enjoyed it. Something’s not quite on the up-and-up (because of course it’s not), and Jane finds herself smack in the middle of it. I mean, sure, it’s her maybe a little her fault because she does things before she thinks, but that just makes things more exciting for us.
There’s a pervasive atmosphere of just “wait for it,” throughout this book, where even when things are going fine, it feels like there’s something perched on the horizon, waiting to pounce.
It’s not really horror. Maybe horror lite. I really enjoyed the tone it sets, though, where it feels like you’re expecting the other shoe to drop, because it always does. And yet, somehow, I didn’t guess most of what was coming, which was nice.
❧ I’m hopelessly in love with Gideon. And Jane. Actually, there’s very few characters here that I haven’t fallen for.
And really, they’re the people we’re meant to hate, and boy do they fill that role well. Someone give them an award. It’s almost impressive how easy they are to despise.
Everyone in this cast is so different, with their personalities and histories, and yet they all bring something irresistible to the table.
It’s rare when I so fully embrace a cast, but that definitely happened here. Not at first, of course. Hey, I’m not that easy to please, thank you very much. I had to be won over by some of them, gradually, but in the end, they definitely got me.
Oh, and if rep is your thing … Jane is bi, and Katherine is asexual, and neither are harped on. It’s just a fact of their characters, and I loved it. It’s not questioned or treated as some big reveal. It just is. This is who they are, and I’m all for that presentation.
He crosses his arms, and I feel his regard more than see it. “You barge into a man’s room in the wee hours of the night, where he pulls a gun on you and tells you to leave, and now you wonder if you might ask some questions?”
“You did put the gun away.”
Chat With Me
Tell me, guys, what’s your zombie plan?! Totally just curious and not looking for ideas or anything.
Follow Me
Great review! I really want o read this one!
(www.evelynreads.com)
I sooo highly recommend it. 😀
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Oof, “Read the dang books.” are the words to live by because I was planning on listening to this book this month but it disappeared from Storytel :c Magnificent review, though! Made me really regret my bad timing!
My zombie plan? I’m shit at running, hell of a picky eater, and have zero outside skills so… die, I guess? Lol, my only advantage is — everything comes last to Poland.
Aww bummer. I can totally relate to the bad timing thing. They’re so worth reading, though! I can’t recommend them enough.
Oh, shucks, you’re lucky then. I have all those things, and I live in America, where everyone would panic and die faster, thus increasing the zombie hoard. I don’t stand a chance. xD
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