It’s never too late to rise up! Book Review: Dread Nation

Hey guys, I know that I’ve been slacking on the reviews but please don’t hate me, my two lovebugs have taken over my life with all their activities, but I promise going forward one review a week.

So I read Dread Nation a few months ago and everyone on my Instagram have been begging for a review. So to be honest Dread Nation is a book I wouldn’t normally read but the bold cover of a woman standing against the American flag with a look of purpose on her face attracted me. Once I read the first few pages I couldn’t put it down. Every page was well-written and every word kept me wanting more so thanks to author Justina Ireland for winning me over to YA once again.

Dread Nation is a provocative story of a headstrong, clever young woman born in a new America where the dead are beginning to rise again and Blacks, as well as Natives, are free, yet still living in a state of slavery.

In this new America, Blacks and Natives are sent to special combat schools to protect the upper class of society from being eaten by the dead. Originally from Kentucky, Jane attends one of the elite combat schools in Baltimore and quickly learns that the East is plagued with loads of politics, conspiracies and zombies.

As Jane prepares to graduate from Ms. Preston’s school she gets caught up in a huge conspiracy and is sent, against her will, to a New American county and forced to live as a Prisoner, while protecting the city from shamblers aka zombies. She quickly learns that this post she’s been given is a joke because the Blacks aren’t even given proper weapons to face and kill the zombies.

As Jane’s life in this city begins to take root it’s clear that in order to find her family and escape, she has to take matters into her own hands. I love the way Jane is prepared fight not only physically but also by making her voice heard in a period where she is Black and a woman, basically the lowest of society.

I really appreciated Jane’s ability to go from past to present giving an idea of what her life looked like before as she recounts her mother and experiences that have allowed her to have such a thick skin.

Black Female Friendships for the win

Jane’s relationship with Katherine, a girl she met at combat school, is perhaps my favourite part of the book because their relationship began very rocky but turned out to be something so beautiful by the end of the book. Although they are so very different they create a strong bond that helps them combat their circumstances.

I’ve been reading a whole lot of YA, my new obsession, and this book is definitely a great read. I loved the writing and I could practically see this world in my mind but my only hang-up is that so many questions were left unanswered, then I wonder if this because Justina Ireland is going to write a part two? In any case, this book had me looking over my shoulders for weeks wondering if shamblers were hiding in the bushes.