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A review by treeandme
Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland
3.0
*I was provided with an ARC of this book by the publisher, in exchange for my honest opinion.
I absolutely loved Dread Nation and I was so excited to pick this up, unfortunately though, I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I was going to. I found that this book dragged a bit, in a way that Dread Nation never did. There was a lot of travelling right from the start and for most of the novel and it got quite tedious after a short while. I'm not a big fan of books with a lot travelling in them anyway, so this issue might not bother others as it bothered me. But I don't think that I'm exaggerating by saying that most of the novel was just them travelling.
The world building wasn't necessarily bad in comparison to Dread Nation, but it had lost some of the shock value and wonder of experiencing something for the first time. I just didn't feel as taken with the world. We did get to encounter a broader set of people as they travelled though, which was nice. Furthermore, we got to learn more about how people in different parts were fairing against the dead and the harsh conditions, with mention of Spanish and Chinese influence in certain places. It also looked at how even with cities falling to the dead, people still think that there are places of safety and happiness, only to be disappointed each time. The dead aren't the only threat out there, especially to black people and this harsh reality shocks Katherine.
Something that I did appreciate, is that this time, the author split the chapters between Jane and Katherine. I really like Katherine and so I welcomed this change and see why it was necessary in terms of the plot. Again, I still like these two characters, but I just didn't feel as strongly for them as I did before. I can't quite put my finger on why that is, but it was disappointing. One thing that remained as amazing as before though, was the relationship between Jane and Katherine. I've tremendously enjoyed watching their relationship change over time, and it really was tested in this book. That friendship is probably what I will remember most about this series.
This remains one of the most original series that I've ever read, both in the subject matter and in the cast of characters. The characters varied in both colour and also sexuality, there were those who were gay, bisexual, and a character who I believe was asexual. And the story is just so creative and intriguing, I just think that it struggled with where to go after Dread Nation. All in all, this was a massively unique series and I'll always value it for that, even if this book fell a little short of my expectations.
I absolutely loved Dread Nation and I was so excited to pick this up, unfortunately though, I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I was going to. I found that this book dragged a bit, in a way that Dread Nation never did. There was a lot of travelling right from the start and for most of the novel and it got quite tedious after a short while. I'm not a big fan of books with a lot travelling in them anyway, so this issue might not bother others as it bothered me. But I don't think that I'm exaggerating by saying that most of the novel was just them travelling.
The world building wasn't necessarily bad in comparison to Dread Nation, but it had lost some of the shock value and wonder of experiencing something for the first time. I just didn't feel as taken with the world. We did get to encounter a broader set of people as they travelled though, which was nice. Furthermore, we got to learn more about how people in different parts were fairing against the dead and the harsh conditions, with mention of Spanish and Chinese influence in certain places. It also looked at how even with cities falling to the dead, people still think that there are places of safety and happiness, only to be disappointed each time. The dead aren't the only threat out there, especially to black people and this harsh reality shocks Katherine.
Something that I did appreciate, is that this time, the author split the chapters between Jane and Katherine. I really like Katherine and so I welcomed this change and see why it was necessary in terms of the plot. Again, I still like these two characters, but I just didn't feel as strongly for them as I did before. I can't quite put my finger on why that is, but it was disappointing. One thing that remained as amazing as before though, was the relationship between Jane and Katherine. I've tremendously enjoyed watching their relationship change over time, and it really was tested in this book. That friendship is probably what I will remember most about this series.
This remains one of the most original series that I've ever read, both in the subject matter and in the cast of characters. The characters varied in both colour and also sexuality, there were those who were gay, bisexual, and a character who I believe was asexual. And the story is just so creative and intriguing, I just think that it struggled with where to go after Dread Nation. All in all, this was a massively unique series and I'll always value it for that, even if this book fell a little short of my expectations.