Review: Dread Nation

Title: Dread Nation

Author: Justina Ireland

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Publication Date: April 3, 2018

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Summary

Jane was born right before the dead rose at the battle of Gettysburg, changing the course of the Civil War. Now, instead of fighting about slavery, Americans are fighting for their lives. In order to cope with the new threat of the dead, the Native and Negro Reeducation Act requires that all Native and African Americans attend schools to learn how to fight the living dead.

But while Jane is attending Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, she gets swept in politics and carted off to the middle of Kansas, where the protections are few and far between. And in this new city, progress isn’t quite what it seems. Will Jane be able to fight her way out to make it back to her Kentucky home? Or, will her home even be there when she finally figures out how to escape?

Dread Nation: Review

Filled with racial tension, commentary, and a interesting twist on an important part of history, Dread Nation is sure to check almost everyone’s boxes. I mean, it has zombies, historical references, and some badass female characters. What more do you need in a YA fantasy novel?

This was my alternate history choice for the Read Harder challenge, and I couldn’t be more happy with my choice. Not only does Ireland create a fantastic adventure story that’s difficult to put down, but she also creates social commentary that makes you think. In this history, people are insisting that fighting against the dead makes everyone equal, but as Jane finds out, this definitely isn’t the case. There’s still a social hierarchy based on skin color, as seen between Jane and Katherine.

One of my absolute favorite aspects of this book was evolution of Katherine. At first, she’s just an annoying side character, but as we go through the story, she gets more depth. There are a lot of important conversations between her and Jane that just add to the story tenfold.

Thought-provoking and action packed, you’ll definitely want the next book once you finish this one!

5/5 stars