Name: Amb's review of Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
Item: Dread Nation
Rating: 5
Author: Amb

Justina Ireland

At once provocative, terrifying, and darkly subversive, Dread Nation is Justina Ireland's stunning vision of an America both foreign and familiar—a country on the brink, at the explosive crossroads where race, humanity, and survival meet. Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania—derailing the War Between the States and changing the nation forever. In this new America, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Education 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.

Dread Nation

Gloria 💖

“…the beets just haven’t grown right since you left. It seems even the garden misses your presence.”

“You shouldn’t jump to conclusions about people, Mr. Gideon. I contain multitudes.”

“I’ve never been scared of death. Everyone dies, and I don’t like wasting energy fretting about certitudes…”

“I ain’t waiting for an opportunity. I’m making one.”

“I blink. This is where I cash in my chips. No way I can outtalk Old Blunderbuss, especially now that my moment has passed. After all, he’s a professional liar. I might be good, but I ain’t no politician.”

Rebecca

A fun read with all sorts of awesome elements. Jane is an awesome protagonist and there are decent supporting characters as well. There is strong world building and its overall just a super good read

Hope Gamble

Ryan LaFerney

In Justina Ireland’s fascinating young adult novel, Dread Nation, the world is upended when the dead rise from their graves at Gettysburg all zombie-like. In order to salvage what’s left of the US, the Civil War ends in a compromise that frees the enslaved but forces them into combat schools that train them to slay the undead which are called: shamblers. Jane McKeene, a Black teen born to a white mother, and our complicated hero, is shipped off to the most prestigious of schools, Miss Preston’s, where she hones her skills. During the day she trains with other brown-skinned girls eager to be selected as an Attendant to a wealthy white family (thus sparing them from the hardship of fighting shamblers on the frontlines), and at night she haunts the countryside, taking out shamblers and saving the innocent.

When her sometimes love interest, Red Jack, asks for her help in locating his missing sister, Jane and frenemy classmate Katherine run afoul of a corrupt mayor and his clan of Survivalists, a political party made up of mostly white people looking for new ways to inflict old oppressions and subjugations on African Americans. The trio are hauled off to a fledgling town in the middle of Kansas built on secrets, lies, and horrific exploitation. All Jane wants is to get back to Baltimore and find her mother, but first she’ll have to outlast flesh-eating shamblers and racist white people.

 All the classic elements of the zombie novel are present, but Ireland has obviously created a very layered story, one that is instant classic. Dread Nation is very much about sociopolitical and historical issues as it is slaying zombies. It’s no coincidence that the novel will prompt readers to make connections with today’s racial climate, as it should.

Dread Nation is immensely readable. The action is so compelling in this fantastic alt-history zombie thriller that re-imagines post-Civil War America, it's the kind of novel that's difficult to stop reading once you start. Dread Nation's main character, Jane, is everything you want in a protagonist: courageous, clever, funny, willful, and impulsive, but also vulnerable, generous, and selfless. She has the perfect voice to guide us through the treacherous setting Ireland has created. Jane's a wonderful heroine you'll wanna cheer on.

This novel deserves to be more popular than it is. I’m excited to see where the story takes Jane next. And I'll be following Ireland's career.

Janice Hopper

Exciting tale of a U.S. where the dead rose as zombies ("shamblers") starting on the Gettysburg battlefield, but definitely NOT ending there.

The slaves have nominally been freed, but it's almost "new order same as the old order" but also with zombies. There are white supremacists who want to establish a white society with the blacks as servants. But zombies keep overrunning the towns. Girls like the protagonist, Jane, are being educated as zombie fighters at Miss Preston’s School of Combat for Negro Girls. But even there, things aren't quite what they appear. 

Jane McKeene and her friend Catherine are strong, well-drawn characters. Jane has a strong sense of right vs. wrong and isn't afraid to speak out and act when she feels it's appropriate. Sometimes somebody gets killed in the process.

This is very much the beginning of a story, rather than really being a complete story in itself. This novel does get to a stopping point, but there are many unanswered questions.

Didi Chanoch

This most recent tide of racism overwhelming much of the world has triggered many responses, on many levels. Protests, and activists and political action. And it has spurred artistic responses. In the US, black artists have created some of the most powerful. The film Get Out and the novels The Hate U Give and An Unkindness of Ghosts have all approached the US's past and present in impactful ways.

Justina Ireland's Dread Nation, released earlier this week, is an outstanding addition to this new canon. It is an alternate history YA novel, where the course of the American Civil War was disrupted by a massive zombie uprising. Now, 17 years later, much of the battle against the zombies is handled by former black slaves and their children.

Jane McKeene, the novel's protagonist, is one such child. Born just before the uprising, the black child of a white family, Jane was sent at 14 to a school for young black women where they learn to fight the undead so they can take a position as attendants of white women. Slavery was abolished as part of the settlement to end the war and fight the zombies, but reconstruction was also skipped over.

As Jane's graduation grows near, she is drawn into the events happening around the city of Baltimore, supposedly clear of zombies (called "shamblers" in the novel), where entire families seem to disappear. Investigating this will lead her to a very different and dark place.

This novel is steeped in historical truth and present resonances, as it tackles, by way of zombies and society's response to them, some of the very darkest aspects of the US' past and present. Jane is a wonderful protagonist and storyteller, and her story, told in first person narrative form interspersed with letters to her mother and also other correspondence I won't spoil, is a remarkable one.

Connor 

WOW, OKAY. This was spectacular, and it came for me in a way that I wasn't expecting alternate Civil War History Because Zombies to come for me, but Pandemic Life will do that to you. I've seen a lot of people say it has a slow start, which I guess is true? But I listened to the audiobook, and I think it's less noticeable when you do that (at least for this book; that is not always true, for sure). Justina Ireland is a fantastic storyteller, and this story is so well wrought. The characters are great, and there's enough weight and consistency that when things go well you don't feel like you've been magically wand-waved into them, and when things go bad you don't completely despair (which, I think, is a delicate line to tread, and she does it marvelously).

I'm gonna just... go start the second one. Possibly right now.

Livia

3.5/5 stars


women keeps slaying and white people keeps flopping, which is what matters at the end 🫶 is it really my fault that i rate this slightly lower because no one told me the aroace character isn't our main girl, and therefore, i have to go through jane having desire for men? which kind of annoys me? no, and you can't blame me! although her being bi is so slay

Brooke McBride

This book follows a girl named Jane who was born 2 days after a zombie apocalypse began. It takes place in the 1800s, and while slavery is abolished it brings to light many of the things black people endured during slavery and after. I highly recommend this book if you want a fast-paced book about zombies but also want to learn about black history.

Lee Duh

A fun, fast read. Great, honest, authentic characters.

Anna Bush

Really good story! Different than anything I’ve read lately and I highly enjoyed it. Story about a girl studying at a school to become an Attendant which is some what of a body guard for people against the undead who have risen up after Gettysburg. Such a good adventure story. 

Julia M

An action-packed read I ate up in one sitting! I look forward to the sequel.

Vera Sokolyanskaya

We need to draw a line when there are several books in a book series: some of them are just different volumes of the same book and some books actually have several books in the series.

The major distinction, of course, it that a book in a series has an ending, a volume of a book can finish on whatever point and be okay.

Dread Nation is really the first volume of Dread Nation. So now that you know that the ending wasn't satisfying, let's move on. 

I'm not particularly into zombie stories (the reason I watch iZombie is not zombies, it's Rob Thomas) but the book setting is very interesting - during the battle of Gettysburg, the key battle of American Civil War, suddenly zombies (called shamblers in the novel) rise and the history of the US as we know it takes a surprising turn. I'm not a big American history expert and from a bird-eye view there is no problem with this premise. Except for my curious mind always asks "WHY" and the book wasn't going there. What happened during the battle that caused normal people to turn into undead creatures? How did it spread across the globe (the book implies that Europe is overrun with zombies as well)?

The story is told from POV of POC - Jane McKeene who is attending a combat school for black people. I liked her as the main character, she is smart, brave and determined but she doesn't really grow as a character in the course of the book. Yes, she learns more about what's happening in the country, who to trust and who not to but I felt like by the end of the book she was exactly the same person. 

Can't say I got particularly attached to any of the secondary characters, Gideon and Katherine seemed all right but since they didn't have a POV, I can't say I know a lot about them.

The story itself is probably the strongest thing in the book - the plot moves through different locations, things happen, I wanted to know what happens next and I can't say that the story was predictable. I also really like the snippets of the letters in between the chapters.

Not sure whether I want to pick up the second book when it's out but I will definitely check out its reviews.

Samirah Arif

I loved everything about this! the writing style, the characters THE PLOT TWIST the representation. Everything. There's nothing else to it. Justina Ireland definitely has a talent for writing. 

Dread Nation takes place after the civil war, in a world where zombies, or shamblers as they're called here, are everywhere. The main character, Jane is intelligent and does her best to survive in a world where its impossible to survive

Tiffany Robinson

I thought this book had an interesting concept and was looking forward to reading even though I wasn't expecting to love it like I did. Jane is hands down my favorite character in this book, but all of the characters in the book had their own unique personalities so I enjoyed watching them interact. Waiting for the next book is going to be torture, because I need to know what happens next on their journey!

Jennifer

Short review: (written on September 5th 2021)

I finally gotten around reading Dread Nation after having it sitting on my tbr shelf for months. And I liked it!! It's a fast paced #ownvoices novel. The prose is emotionally engaging and rich with social commentary.

On the flipside, I didn't love this novel as much as I'd expected. While I found the messaging potent and an asset in Dread Nation, I found the horror / graphical elements a tad too much for my taste. Again, I think this is due to the fact the book features an outbreak & I'm not really in the mood of reading a lot of this during the pandemic.

Concerns aside, Dread Nation is an action-packed & diverse novel with solid storytelling that conveys the deeper reprecussions of systemic oppression & racism.

N.B. Content warnings: See this page

alice nunes

4.5
The first half of the book was perfect and I thought I was going to find a new favorite and give it 5 stars, but the second half was a bit slower and not the same, so I bumped it down a little bit.
That said, this book is SO GOOD
Honestly, I didn’t really think a historical fiction alternate universe with a sort of zombie apocalypse would be my type of book, but this had so many of the tropes/aspects that I CANT RESIST!! I love an enemy to reluctant partners, some angst, sassy and moody main characters, school setting and much much more that this book executed really well, in my opinion, making it a fast and very entertaining read.
I’m so happy I gave this book a chance, because it’s one of my favorites of the year and Jane, Katherine and Jackson already secured a spot in my heart.

Kae 

Jane Mckeene, shambler slaying warrior! 10000/10 
Without spoiling it too much, if you like historical fiction, zombies, a little bit of Gore, and strong black women taking lead, this book is for you. Would most definitely recommend. Love the twist on what seems to be Baltimore in the early ages.

Charlotte Rayfield

A wonderful wonderful book that takes real topics like slavery, racism, The Civil War, and industrial boarding schools, into a blended alternate history. Real history is not shied away from, and this book is almost true in a way, with a sprinkling of zombies. 

I’m hesitant about zombies, but this was amazing 🤩

Closer to 3.5 stars.

I was really excited to read this one, as the summary and some reviews sounded like this was right up my alley! There's a lot of great stuff here, and I think it was worth the read, but I didn't feel like I connected with the story as much as I wanted to.

The strong points: ZOMBIES!!!! The scenes with the shamblers were pretty cool. I'm not usually one to enjoy action scenes, but I definitely enjoyed these. The plot itself was an interesting concept, and I LOVED how independent and skilled at fighting Jane was. It was really fun to read about this character who has amazing instincts (sometimes even too good?) and who kicks so much ass.

While the plot and characters were really interesting, I really would've liked to see more world-building. There were certain tidbits of how this differed from the 1880s in US history, such as no more horses in the south/east, but these were peppered throughout almost as fun factoids instead of actual world-building that would have allowed the reader to become truly immersed.

Also, as much as I rooted for Jane and thought she was badass, I didn't like her as much as I wanted to. I am glad that she and Katherine worked through their differences and established a bond, but the fact that Jane called Katherine "Kate" the whole book despite her protests annoyed me. It's such a little thing, but as someone whose name is shortened all the time regardless of how I feel about it, I honestly filled with rage on Katherine's behalf every time Jane did it. (view spoiler)[I also thought the ~twist for Jane's parentage was handled clumsily and I didn't even think it was necessary? Unless I missed something, which is possible. (hide spoiler)]

Overall, I definitely wanted more. I didn't feel immersed and I didn't connect with any of the characters on a deep level, though I did have some affection for Jane and Katherine. Not totally sure how I feel about the ending either. I think it was a decent ending on paper, but the lead-up to it was kind of anti-climactic and despite the stakes seeming high on paper, I didn't actually FEEL them. idk, it just didn't do it for me.

Katie

4.5 stars. I loooooved this book.

Pros

Characters: Jane and Katherine are eeeeeverything I want in a female friendship. They go from enemies (or maybe just frenemies?) to true-blue friends by the end of the book and it is soooo good.

Setting: post-Civil War era, but with zombies. This is one of the most creative concepts I have ever heard of, and Justina Ireland paints such a vivid picture of this alternate history. We go from the politically-charged big city of Baltimore to a sleepy frontier town where everything is not what it seems, and I could see every bit of landscape while I was reading. A+

Narration: Obviously, this is only relevant because I read the audiobook, otherwise I would be saying that my own narration was fantastic, and nobody EVER wants to hear me read out loud. Bad times. Bahni Turpin, the narrator for this audiobook, was fantastic. She has lots of experience as a narrator, and it shows. She gets Jane’s inner monologue down perfectly, and all her voices for the other characters are distinct. Sometimes I couldn’t quite tell if Jane was saying something out loud or if it was part of her thoughts, but that’s an audiobook problem in general for me, not this book specifically.

Cons

Pacing: This book is separated into a part one and part two, and as many other reviews have stated, they feel totally different. Part one lays down all the foundation for the world and introduces the reader to the characters, while still having some awesome action scenes, and then part two is all action. Part two suffered a bit because it spent less time on the characters and it focused a little too much on Jane’s plotting. I would have liked to get to know a bit more about the new characters introduced in part two.

Overall, this was a fun, fast-paced, interesting novel. It’s not new information that ya girl doesn’t mess with historical fiction, but this was too cool a concept to pass up. This book does not shy away from the horrible realities of racism, so be forewarned that there are slurs and a scene of pretty intense violence aimed toward the main character, and many descriptions of zombie death, which were quite gory. If you can handle reading about these difficult topics and you’re even slightly interested in the story, I would definitely recommend!

Cat H

3.5 stars. The authors take on zombies during the civil war era was very interesting. I loved reading about how the people adapted to this situation and the maintained inequality was so hypocritical that it felt genuine to how white humans would have reacted at that time. It was a great, action packed read. I loved the main character and her friends that we followed. I hated the villains and wanted them to become zombies lol. 
Overall, the concept and journey of the characters is great. The execution is mostly good too. I just had trouble with the way the characters talked and I know this is a personal problem because stylistically it’s probably more accurate. It just took me a long time to get into their verbiage and that uncomfortableness followed me throughout the story.
Did I enjoy the action? Yes.
Will I read the second book? Not sure.

TW: racism, racial inequality, slavery, attempted rape, violence

Samantha Seeman

Dread Nation is part historical fiction, part zombie dystopian. Jane lives during the Civil War, but this story doesn’t end the same way as the history books. After brother fought brother in the great war, it was said that “God became disappointed” and punished his people by raising the dead. Now the states have suspended their differences in the name of surviving this apocalypse. The dead still roam, but it is much more manageable now. African American and Native American children are ripped from their homes and sent to combat schools in order to learn how to fight the dead. And cities are slowly being reclaimed by the leading. A Survivalist party forms and resumes power (indefinitely) at this time. It is their belief that God has a plan, and that plan includes the lesser races knowing their place, which is to serve and protect against the undead. While Jane may get into a patch of trouble here and there at school, there is no question that she is a skilled warrior, and someone to have on your side of the war. Her quick mouth and defiant nature land her in more trouble than she bargained for though when she finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy. All she wants to do is get back to Kentucky to be with her mamma but first she must survive the fight of her life.

I liked it. I did. It just. I don’t know. It was just ok. It got a bit confusing because it felt like Jane had one foot in the past and one in modern times. The language she used, and the way that she thought often did not match the time period, and would even flip flop between being in line with the times, and being much more in line with more modern ones. I also disliked how Jane always made observations about the attractiveness of the men in the story. It just took me out of the story because it felt out of place and unnecessary. The ending was left mostly open, leaving room for a sequel, which already has an (empty) Goodreads page. The gore and horror were not as bad as I was fearing it would be. I mean you would think that a zombie novel would be gruesome, and some parts were, but none of them bothered me as much as I thought they might. I don’t know, it was just ok for me. I will probably pick up the sequel when it comes out though.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I bought this book! Support your authors!

Book: Dread Nation

Author: Justina Ireland

Book Series: Dread Nation Book 1

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: main mentions liking at least one girl, asexual side character, African American leads, girl power!

Publication Date: April 3, 2018

Genre: YA Historical Fiction/Fantasy

Recommended Age: 16+ (language, gore, violence, sexual mentions)

Publisher: Balzar & Bray

Pages: 455

Amazon Link

Synopsis: 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

Review: Holy cow. I thought this book was amazing! I loved the plot and I loved how well written it was. The character development was on key as well and I fell in love with Katharine and Jane. The book was rife with representation and analogies (and sometimes flat out references) to the racism that is still deeply rooted in our country. The spin on history was fun and interesting to see, and honestly it fit in with the time period very well. I think this book will be one that sticks with me and one I will reread multiple times. 

This is the part where I talk about the “negatives” but I really don’t have one with this book. I’m heavily anticipating the second in the series and I felt really drawn to the story since it had two of my faves (the Civil War and Zombies). For the sake of fairness, I will say that some of the battle scenes were a bit short. That’s just being nitpicky at this point because this book has won/was nominated for several awards and it rightly was so.

Verdict: Give me zombies and the civil war and I will give you my first born child.

Kristen

I really loved this book. The audio was very well done. The first part was kind of boring and very, very slow. But once part two hit, I couldn't put the book down. It was action-packed adventure from the moment part two started until all the way to the end, which is exactly what I was hoping for out of this book. 

I was kind of hoping this was a standalone, but I'm still excited for the sequel. It ends in a pretty decent place, though, so I do appreciate that.

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