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wogslandwriter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
It's a zombie book set in the 19th century and centered around an old west caravan trip. There is violence and killing. The gore is particularly explicit, but it's definitely there.sparklefarm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
- Parts 1 and 2 feel like separate books. I think they should have been.
- The audiobook narrator for Katherine's POV (I'm sorry!!)
- Lots of repetitive language/phrases.
- Twists were not as twisty - a bit more predictable than the first book.
Things I liked:
- Having a Katherine POV - it made me understand and like the character more.
- Various LGBT reps!
- The ending! I thought things were wrapped up nicely, but not too neatly, which was right on point.
I don't think YA Hannah would have had qualms at all about this book. 5 stars from her 😂
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
romiress's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder
Moderate: Slavery
outtoexist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Abandonment
wordsareworlds's review against another edition
- 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
2.75
I enjoyed the plot overall. Both the threat of the primary villain and Jane's emotional journey were poignant and moving. I've seen complaints that the book has anti-science or anti-vaccine rhetoric, but completely disagree. There is no separating the events in this book from the horrific history of forced medical experimentation on Black people in America. Ireland gives the villain nuance, but his actions are absolutely inexcusable and I think it is disingenuous to make the comparison to current anti-vaccination rhetoric.
The book alternates PoVs between Jane and Katherine, and it was wonderful to see through Kate's eyes. Her voice is distinct, and she faces her own struggles that are just as compelling as Jane's. They spend the vast majority of the book separated, but they're never far from each other's thoughts or hearts, and their bond is one of the best parts of the book.
Unfortunately, in comparison to Dread Nation, the pacing of this felt off to me. The first part dragged in the reading, even though so much happened. There is a significant time jump just at a major turning point, and while it made sense on one hand to push the characters forward, it also meant almost all of Katherine's growth happened off-page and was recounted in small mentions. The ending felt rushed - there is a large disconnect at the conclusion of the book that I would have loved to get more details about, rather than a couple of pages covering several weeks. There were also a couple of large plot points that were dropped without resolution. I was especially confused about
I was excited by the queer rep in the first book, and Ireland stays true to that in the second. In addition to Jane and Kate, there are several queer side characters and it is an easily accepted part of the world that I appreciated very much.
There is a slightly wider range of characters from other non-white races in this book, but most of that representation was poorly handled. Ireland wanted to highlight that anti-Black racism is not a problem confined to white people, and that history is also neglected when discussing white supremacy in America. However, part of how she decided to exemplify those racial tensions is through erasing the history of both Native and Chinese people, and villainizing them without even the nuance offered to the main villain of the duology. Several Native tribes are mentioned in passing, but never seen. Redfern gets more page time here, but with as little characterization as in the first book. The Chinese people in San Francisco are a mafia-style window dressing, with the only speaking character an unnamed immigration official. The Latinx rep seemed better, but we get only the briefest moment with them as well.
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts