Dread Nation

The central premise here was great, but the plot meandered at times and it felt like the author had come up with a great concept, then had trouble with what to do with it.

Skillfully written and likeable characters, although I feel like I'd be more of a Katherine than a Jane. I enjoyed that the author trusted the reader enough to reveal the backstory of Jane and the world generally slowly, rather than infodumping it all at once.

The plot twists and secrets weren't very surprising and didn't all make sense.

The letter excerpts at the end of each chapter were clever and moved the plot.

I have a long reading list at the moment, but will probably read the sequel. This was clearly written with a sequel in mind, so I'd like to see how things conclude. Would be interesting if parts of the sequel are told from other perspectives.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Really well-written novel. It was such an invigorating experience reading a story where the protagonist looks at the world from a similar POV as my own: that of a black girl's. It's so rare to read fantasy/supernatural novels where the main character is black, that I've become accustomed to reading YA fiction in a white voice and perspective that's not my own. It's sad, really, to have read so many books in my favorite genre and to have not once come across a single fictional character who sees the world through eyes the same as mine. Any black characters that I have encountered while reading a massive amount of YA literature have always been cardboard side characters or the best friend, but never the main character with a personality and a strong will that beckoned for them to have a story of their own.

When I first started reading "Dread Nation", it kind of reminded me of those other popular supernatural historical spinoff novels like "Pride, Prejudice, & Zombies" and "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter". Towards the end, though, the book took on a decidedly western feel akin to the films Django Unchained (2012) and Gang of Roses (2003) - but with zombies. I definitely did not expect the story to turn into a revenge tale halfway through. But really, that only made me like Jane's character all the more; she's got grit in her craw and isn't afraid to show it. Jane's a bisexual badass with a dark past, a pair of sharp sickles, and a fiery temper to match. For majority of the novel, Jane is trapped at an oppressive Kansas settlement called Summerland. Summerland is a horrible place in the middle of nowhere that's run by racist, power-hungry white men dead set on clinging to the institution of plantation life in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. Despite the Post-Civil War era setting, Jane along with other free black men and women that attended combat schools are captured and forced to kill shamblers (the undead) at Summerland where they are still treated like slaves.

Despite knowing that the year is 1880 and blatant racism was a common everyday occurrence, I still cringed a lot at the racial slurs that were said and felt angry whenever Jane was unjustly punished. But mostly I admired Jane for her courage and fighting spirit to live through her circumstances. Besides hating Summerland and its oppressors, I disliked the unclear direction of the romantic relationships. Granted, the novel doesn't need any romance to stand on its own; it has so much going for it - what with the gory fighting scenes and the protagonist's sarcastic inner monologue - that romance isn't necessary to keep the story rolling. But I absolutely hate it when an author teases or hints at the prospect of romance between characters only to let the readers down. In the case of "Dread Nation", there were many prospective love interests for Jane that the author failed to follow through with. So, semi-spoilers from here on out.

From the beginning, the red-haired and light-skinned Jackson a.k.a Red Jack is portrayed as a womanizer and old flame that left Jane a bit jaded. Although she makes it clear to him that things are over between the two of them, there are still moments throughout the story where it seems like old feelings might ignite. And Jackson still treats her special by giving her gifts and smooth-talking her whenever he needs help. Jane tries to act like she just wants a somewhat friendly relationship with him, but ultimately has moments of weakness and her fondness for Jackson shows. It seems like she's attracted to him for his looks, but also admires Jackson's loyalty and love for his baby sister Lily... which makes me wonder if things are really over between them.

On the other hand, there's the fellow Indian Attendant Daniel Redfern who's always frowning at Jane. When Mr. Redfern was introduced, the author described him to look like most love interests: tall, dark, & handsome. He even enters Jane's life with a bang; he kills an undead that's attacking Jane with one shot from his rifle, saving her. His taciturn attitude and constant frowning whenever he looked at Jane had me thinking he was going to be the Mr. Darcy to her Elizabeth Bennett... but, nah. What I thought was going to be the beginning of a hate to love relationship similar to the romance of "Pride & Prejudice", just didn't happen. And when it seemed that he was actually a bad guy - by aiding her captors in shipping her, Jackson, & Katherine to the hell that is Summerland - I saw that ship I wanted so badly to set sail pretty much crash into a rock and sink into a watery grave. However, Daniel does redeem himself later on in the story when it's revealed he left behind Jane's sickles for her and aided Jackson in escaping death. Since Mr. Redfern and Jane don't get many scenes together for them to become anything more than acquaintances, it's pretty clear - much to my dismay - that they're not gonna be my next OTP zombie-slaying duo. It seemed like Jane and Redfern had the most in common, which makes it sad that they didn't become an item - at least not yet. I have small hopes for them in the books to come, but hopes none the less.

Lastly, there's the white Professor Gideon Carr a.k.a the tinkerer who's all brains and no brawn. An unlikely love interest for Jane, he makes an impression on her with his scientific intellect, fake limp, and compassion for creating a world where all races are treated equally. Compared to Jackson and Mr. Redfern - both of whom she was initially attracted to for their good looks - Gideon is kind of homely. It seems like Jane finds Gideon's inventor's mind most appealing and although she tries her best not to catch feelings for him, she's not altogether successful. If I had to guess which guy - if any of them - Justina Ireland is going to pick to be the lucky beau of Jane, my guess is that it'll be Gideon. But honestly, it's pretty ambiguous at this point who has Jane's heart. Hell, even Jane's fellow Attendant and former rival - now best friend - Katherine is a potential love interest; Jane often remarks on Kate's beauty with either jealousy or admiration throughout the book. Personally, I really like the idea of Jane remaining solo and just having a partnership with Kate. In any case, I think the story would still be plenty interesting with just the wholesome content of friendship. The only thing that's certain is that I'll definitely be reading the sequel.

You might expect the dead are rising from the battlefields of the American Civil War to change everything, but Justina Ireland uses Dread Nation to explore how minorities continue to be exploited. Jane is a pupil at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, receiving tuition in both scrambler killing and etiquette. If she graduates with flying colours, she will be able to take employment as an Attendant, protecting rich white women from unwanted attention, both from the undead and suitors.

Yes, despite the war between the living ending, black people are still don't have their freedom. The Native and Negro Reeducation Act is based on a very real programme where America forcibly sent Native American children to special schools in order to be "civilised".

I loved Dread Nation, so much. I have no idea why a UK publisher hasn't picked it up. It transplants the horrors of the slave trade into a post-apocalyptic scenario. Jane may seem to have it good but her position is precarious, she must rely on the whims of the white people in power. The action goes from Baltimore to the frontier out west, where there is no place for the pleasantries of polite society and the rules are quite different.

Jane is the illegitimate daughter of a plantation owner's wife and was lucky to survive. Each chapter starts with correspondence between Jane and her mother, along with flashbacks as Jane remembers her past, painting a picture of who her mother was. I liked their complicated relationship and there is a revelation that puts it all into context.

I'd shy away from calling them friends, but her schoolmate Katherine is her rival for the top positions. She is paled skinned and could easily pass as white. Later on, her ability to pass helps to highlight the discrimination based on nothing more but skin colour.

The Survivalists take the place of Confederates, the very definition of white supremecists, they believe they survived because they are white and the black population's purpose is to serve them. They want to rebuild America in their own image, using people of colour to get there. Jane and Katherine are expected to politely listen to so-called scientific lectures on how they are less than human. You will fume right by their side.

I want to avoid going into too much detail on the plot because I was not expecting it to go where it does, but I loved every page. It is gripping, entertaining, thought-provoking and heart-breaking.

When  the bodies of the dead come back and attack people, the fighting in the Civil War stops. What doesn't stop is the racism that was inherent in the United States. Now, 20 years after the shamblers first appeared, black children are taken and trained for combat duty.The system replicates the hierarchy of slavery.  "Better" girls are trained in elite schools to be bodyguards to wealthy white women. They guard them from shamblers and serve as chaperones as the white ladies socialize.  Other girls end up working in the fields clearing shamblers as they approach towns.  Those people don't have a long life span.For me the story got most interesting when Jane and some companions are sent west to a planned community run by a pastor and his son, the sheriff.  Everything is set up for the safety and protection of white families but it is all run on the forced labor of black people.  The white overseers are so terrified of their black charges that they deliberately undermine their ability to fight shamblers by not giving them adequate weapons thus weakening the defenses of the whole town.  They won't listen to the advice and expertise of black women until it is literally life or death.This book didn't interest me as a zombie/horror story.  It was at its best when showing off the absurdities of racism.  From phrenology to tell who is white and who is black to medical experimentation on unwilling black people to unequal distribution of assets this book highlights many aspects of systemic racism by placing them in a fantasy setting where people should be more interested in working together for survival than upholding an arbitrary hierarchy.This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story