Scan barcode
dembury's review against another edition
5.0
Dang, this really is such a phenomenal world Ireland has created! I adore the blend of history and zombie, and the main characters (Jane and Kate) are a BLAST to read. They're both so well fleshed-out and their dynamic together is phenomenal - I would have either of them on my zombie-fighting team in a heartbeat. This book loses nothing on the reread, but just allows the reader to appreciate all the details, humor, and action all the more.
sammytheweirdo0's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
lbarsk's review against another edition
4.0
Listen, for a book about ZOMBIES to hold the attention of someone who HATES ZOMBIES as much as I do, it's gotta be a pretty dang good book. And Dread Nation certainly was!
I love the way that Ireland has imagined an alternate post-Civil-War America, and how she writes that the problems of racism, sexism, colonialism, and classism would only be MAGNIFIED by a zombie apocalypse instead of diminished. The main character is clever, sarcastic, and fun to read; the secondary characters are strongly written and the antagonists are love-to-hate-them evil. Overall it was a totally enjoyable read.
I think this gets a 4 instead of a 5 for me because of some dangling plot threads, and a few places where the pacing felt a tad weird. But really, mad props to Justina Ireland for this book -- a masterpiece of worldbuilding, to be sure, and an engaging YA historical fiction/dystopia.
I love the way that Ireland has imagined an alternate post-Civil-War America, and how she writes that the problems of racism, sexism, colonialism, and classism would only be MAGNIFIED by a zombie apocalypse instead of diminished. The main character is clever, sarcastic, and fun to read; the secondary characters are strongly written and the antagonists are love-to-hate-them evil. Overall it was a totally enjoyable read.
I think this gets a 4 instead of a 5 for me because of some dangling plot threads, and a few places where the pacing felt a tad weird. But really, mad props to Justina Ireland for this book -- a masterpiece of worldbuilding, to be sure, and an engaging YA historical fiction/dystopia.
tatyanavogt's review against another edition
5.0
Love everything about this! Zombies, bad-ass black women and an interesting commentary on the awful history of the United states but with a fun fictional twist.
magikspells's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t read a lot of alternate history but maybe I should. I really enjoyed this, it has everything, badass women who are flawed but enjoyable characters, mystery, action, plus an openly ace character.
saraliz15's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
thegrandmafriend's review against another edition
It just didn't spark anything I was not compelled to keep reading
coffeeandbooked's review against another edition
4.0
The main character is extremely stubborn and strong-willed. I really like this in the main character of a book. I really like the plot of this book, and even though some elements were kind of familiar from other YA books. I think it was done in an interesting way and carried out really well by the Author.
I really like the friendship which developed between Jane and Kate. I felt the author focused more on this friendship than the ex-romance between two other characters. The story revolved around two female characters, they rescued themselves from the situation they had found themselves in and didn't need any of the male characters. I like this in a book as I don't personally feel like this is done often enough.
I liked Justina's writing style and I think this book tackles some very important issues that are still extremely relevant today.
I really like the friendship which developed between Jane and Kate. I felt the author focused more on this friendship than the ex-romance between two other characters. The story revolved around two female characters, they rescued themselves from the situation they had found themselves in and didn't need any of the male characters. I like this in a book as I don't personally feel like this is done often enough.
I liked Justina's writing style and I think this book tackles some very important issues that are still extremely relevant today.