The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
margaret's review against another edition
4.5
Rating: 4.5 stars
“How can we make the world a better place if we are always at odds with one another for every single kind of reason under the sun?”
Going into this book, I had a few predictions and expectations about what was going to happen. Pretty much zero of that ended up being correct. Justina Ireland managed to take me completely by surprise in a way that was worlds better than I could ever have imagined.
Deathless Divide expands the world of Dread Nation, allowing us to look beyond small Southern towns and see how the shambler epidemic impacts other parts of the world. It struck me while reading that, even though it takes place in the past, this is really a post-apocalyptic novel. The characters are all doing their best to survive in the world that’s trying to kill them at every turn, and you can’t help but sympathize even when that means making some horrible choices.
In this book, we get POV chapters from Katherine Deveraux, who turned from a character that I quite liked to an all-time favorite, because we love bossy, badass aro-ace historical girls (looking at you, Felicity Montague). And Jane…ah, Jane McKeene.
Jane is one of those characters that has crawled into my heart and made a home there, not because she’s perfect, but because she’s deeply flawed and yet understandable at the same time. I already loved her in Dread Nation, but with the combination of the new challenges she had to face and seeing her from Katherine’s outside POV, my love for her multiplied. Finishing this book felt like saying goodbye to a close friend.
Even though the pacing of this book wasn’t perfect, with some parts feeling dragged out longer than they needed to go, I still absolutely loved this book. It was a long wait, but so worth it. With incredible worldbuilding, fast-paced action, and some of the best characters I’ve read, this has definitely cemented itself as a favorite series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Gore
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
More...