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A review by wordsareworlds
Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This book left me with a lot of complicated feelings. There were parts of it I adored and was completely rivited by, and others that left a sour taste in my mouth. Ireland has written an excellent Western tale centering Black Americans, whose history has been all but completely erased in the story of the Old West. It is much darker in tone than Dread Nation, and tells a more complicated story for both Jane and Katherine.
I enjoyed the plot overall. Both the threat of the primary villain and Jane's emotional journey were poignant and moving. I've seen complaints that the book has anti-science or anti-vaccine rhetoric, but completely disagree. There is no separating the events in this book from the horrific history of forced medical experimentation on Black people in America. Ireland gives the villain nuance, but his actions are absolutely inexcusable and I think it is disingenuous to make the comparison to current anti-vaccination rhetoric.
The book alternates PoVs between Jane and Katherine, and it was wonderful to see through Kate's eyes. Her voice is distinct, and she faces her own struggles that are just as compelling as Jane's. They spend the vast majority of the book separated, but they're never far from each other's thoughts or hearts, and their bond is one of the best parts of the book.
Unfortunately, in comparison to Dread Nation, the pacing of this felt off to me. The first part dragged in the reading, even though so much happened. There is a significant time jump just at a major turning point, and while it made sense on one hand to push the characters forward, it also meant almost all of Katherine's growth happened off-page and was recounted in small mentions. The ending felt rushed - there is a large disconnect at the conclusion of the book that I would have loved to get more details about, rather than a couple of pages covering several weeks. There were also a couple of large plot points that were dropped without resolution. I was especially confused about the concern over Lily - neither Jane nor Katherine actually have a conversation with her in part 2, despite the references to her being haunted, "pointed glances" when Jane asks after her, and Jane specifically saying they need to talk
I was excited by the queer rep in the first book, and Ireland stays true to that in the second. In addition to Jane and Kate, there are several queer side characters and it is an easily accepted part of the world that I appreciated very much.
There is a slightly wider range of characters from other non-white races in this book, but most of that representation was poorly handled. Ireland wanted to highlight that anti-Black racism is not a problem confined to white people, and that history is also neglected when discussing white supremacy in America. However, part of how she decided to exemplify those racial tensions is through erasing the history of both Native and Chinese people, and villainizing them without even the nuance offered to the main villain of the duology. Several Native tribes are mentioned in passing, but never seen. Redfern gets more page time here, but with as little characterization as in the first book. The Chinese people in San Francisco are a mafia-style window dressing, with the only speaking character an unnamed immigration official. The Latinx rep seemed better, but we get only the briefest moment with them as well.
I enjoyed the plot overall. Both the threat of the primary villain and Jane's emotional journey were poignant and moving. I've seen complaints that the book has anti-science or anti-vaccine rhetoric, but completely disagree. There is no separating the events in this book from the horrific history of forced medical experimentation on Black people in America. Ireland gives the villain nuance, but his actions are absolutely inexcusable and I think it is disingenuous to make the comparison to current anti-vaccination rhetoric.
The book alternates PoVs between Jane and Katherine, and it was wonderful to see through Kate's eyes. Her voice is distinct, and she faces her own struggles that are just as compelling as Jane's. They spend the vast majority of the book separated, but they're never far from each other's thoughts or hearts, and their bond is one of the best parts of the book.
Unfortunately, in comparison to Dread Nation, the pacing of this felt off to me. The first part dragged in the reading, even though so much happened. There is a significant time jump just at a major turning point, and while it made sense on one hand to push the characters forward, it also meant almost all of Katherine's growth happened off-page and was recounted in small mentions. The ending felt rushed - there is a large disconnect at the conclusion of the book that I would have loved to get more details about, rather than a couple of pages covering several weeks. There were also a couple of large plot points that were dropped without resolution. I was especially confused about
I was excited by the queer rep in the first book, and Ireland stays true to that in the second. In addition to Jane and Kate, there are several queer side characters and it is an easily accepted part of the world that I appreciated very much.
There is a slightly wider range of characters from other non-white races in this book, but most of that representation was poorly handled. Ireland wanted to highlight that anti-Black racism is not a problem confined to white people, and that history is also neglected when discussing white supremacy in America. However, part of how she decided to exemplify those racial tensions is through erasing the history of both Native and Chinese people, and villainizing them without even the nuance offered to the main villain of the duology. Several Native tribes are mentioned in passing, but never seen. Redfern gets more page time here, but with as little characterization as in the first book. The Chinese people in San Francisco are a mafia-style window dressing, with the only speaking character an unnamed immigration official. The Latinx rep seemed better, but we get only the briefest moment with them as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Racism, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts