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tpasta's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Sexual harassment
panic_at_the_bookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of historicak dystopian settings with zombies.
The writing style was easy to read and the plot was interesting enough throughout the book causing this book to become a page turner for me.
The whole story constantly kept me wondering who the biggest monster is: the zombies or human beings? I never knew how to trust as a character. Some seemed nice while they were fully capable of stabbing others in the back.
Apart from that I also like how even shamblers (as they are called in the book) evolve, making things even more tense and scary.
I am looking forward to reading the second book!
The writing style was easy to read and the plot was interesting enough throughout the book causing this book to become a page turner for me.
The whole story constantly kept me wondering who the biggest monster is: the zombies or human beings? I never knew how to trust as a character. Some seemed nice while they were fully capable of stabbing others in the back.
Apart from that I also like how even shamblers (as they are called in the book) evolve, making things even more tense and scary.
I am looking forward to reading the second book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Slavery
littlepepperguy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
tense
fast-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? N/A
4.75
Riveting from start to finish. The main character is complex, interesting and wildly wildly intelligent. Def the best portrayal of a smart character I've seen in books. I find that a lot of times authors just want to tell you the character is smart and not show bc a character can only be as smart as an author but Jane was def a shining example of what to do. A couple of characters are casually queer. And you can see in real time affection between characters blossom. Loved this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Slavery and Xenophobia
ms_sarah621's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a fast-paced, fun read. Jane is a strong-willed and independent character. Most of the women are, but Jane really displays these qualities. Jane faces so much throughout this story. There is action (fighting zombies), enemies to friends, sexism, racism, abuse of power, and overcoming the impossible. There is rarely a dull moment in the story. There is fighting, plotting, or finding out new information. This is a young adult book, and that is my main reason for 4 stars. I am out growing the genre. It comes off as childish and repetitive in the language at times. However, it’s still a fun read, and I would recommend it to most people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation
pinkalpaca's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny and Slavery
tina94's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Slavery, Murder, and War
residential schoolsbookishkellyn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A strong-willed heroine (Jane), her ex-fling (Jackson), and her former nemesis turned friend (Katherine) battle the undead (“shamblers”) in an alternate version of the Reconstruction era. This had political intrigue and great plot twists. Such a good read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racial slurs, Slavery, Religious bigotry, and War
greenochki's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Slavery and War
warlocksarecool21's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Overall I thought this was a fun book that talks about important topics of institutionalized racism and slavery. Using the idea of zombies, or shamblers, was interesting way to move the story forward and explore these themes. I thought the story did a good job with explaining how religion and pseudoscience were used to perpetuate racism, especially towards Black people. There were times where I wanted a bit more emotional depth regarding these topics, meaning I wished the author had more internal reflection on Jane’s part about the things she saw and experienced (and thus giving the reader space to ruminate on them) instead of just telling us how she felt. I think this style makes these themes more digestible for younger readers, so possibly that was the author’s intentions.
The rest of Jane’s characterization was kind of like what I described above as well. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a fun and lively character and I think her narration is really engaging but I wanted more in regard to her development. I felt like she always knew what to do or say, and while there were times of conflict or danger of the book, I feel that we don’t see the whole range of how those things affected her. While I wanted a higher degree of nuance, there were a few twists I didn’t see coming and I thought the action scenes were fun. I’m hoping the next book will be stronger.
The rest of Jane’s characterization was kind of like what I described above as well. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a fun and lively character and I think her narration is really engaging but I wanted more in regard to her development. I felt like she always knew what to do or say, and while there were times of conflict or danger of the book, I feel that we don’t see the whole range of how those things affected her. While I wanted a higher degree of nuance, there were a few twists I didn’t see coming and I thought the action scenes were fun. I’m hoping the next book will be stronger.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Slavery
onalark's review
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Sexism, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: War