I loved Dread Nation. Loved, loved, utterly adored. And yet somehow, I loved Deathless Divide even more. So that has to tell you some stuff right off the bat! Now, in the interest of not spoiling anything for either book, I shall do my best to do a vague-ish review that still makes you want to pick up this incredible duology, because tbh you need it in your life.
The Awesomeness:
- • The author gives us a reminder of what happened in Dread Nation! This automatically makes her a damn hero, yeah? It's done in a great way too- not at all an info dump, but the perfect amount to catch us up while still staying relevant to the current story. I need a finger-kissing-chef GIF right here because... perfection.
- • More. Jane. McKeene. Good grief, there isn't a better character in any series I've read lately. And I have read about some awesome characters, this is saying a lot! She's flawed beyond measure, but also has so much heart and fierceness and just feels so incredibly authentic. Everything about her personality is well developed, and she feels like your actual friend more than a character. You know, a friend you often want to throttle, and therein lies the charm, IMO.
"Jane is the proverbial bull in the china shop, and while she is highly effective against the dead she is terrible at navigating the intricacies of human interaction."
- • Oh look, Katherine joins the band! Katherine has a POV in this one, and she is over here giving my girl Jane a real run for her money as my favorite character ever. Katherine, at first glance, is the antithesis of Jane. But the truth is, she's so much more complex. And while I don't want to say much due to spoilers, I will say that I am pretty much as in love with her as I am with Jane.
- • The world-building gets more developed and I am beyond here for it. Sometimes a book/show (I am looking at you, The Walking Dead) focuses on the one little strip they're inhabiting, but this book is so not like that! There's so much more out there, and the author and the characters know it and reference it.
- • Huge plot twists and unexpected directions! Like, you think you might know where a nineteenth century zombie book is headed, but frankly you have no idea. I shan't say anymore because hi, that is the point of reading, and you must.
- • Amazing side characters! Like honestly if the two freaking incredible main characters weren't enough, we are blessed with a veritable gaggle of fabulous side characters to fall in love with. Which of course, makes the stakes even higher throughout the book!
- • My emotions were emoting. Holy feels, all over the place! There's sorrow, no doubt, but also hope and love and laughter. Obviously, it's a dark book, please don't misunderstand. There is a lot of crap going on- I mean, it's the aftermath of the Civil War after all, and things are going extra bad because zombies. And many of our characters are black women who have to deal with a ton of racist, misogynist asshats. Obviously, black women deal with that now as well, unfortunately, but these women have to fight zombies while doing it which is a lot. But, for all the awfulness, there are rays of light. The author does an incredible job balancing the emotional flow of the book.
Bottom Line: If you don't start and/or finish this series, you're missing out. On phenomenal characters, an exciting (and important) story, and old-timey zombies, which if you ask me is the Trifecta of Awesome™