UPDATE: 9/11/23 - Reread and loved it all over again!
CW: lots of blood and gore
Well that was utterly amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
The setting UPDATE: 9/11/23 - Reread and loved it all over again!
CW: lots of blood and gore
Well that was utterly amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
The setting was nothing short of incredible with sumptuous writing to help immerse us into 1920s Shanghai. Everything felt so vivid in my mind and it's hard to believe that this is a debut novel. I loved all the characters and appreciated the diversity, although there were a fair number to keep a track of on both sides of the gang feud. The fascinating political backdrop was a blend of real and imagined and I loved the references to Romeo and Juliet that were woven throughout the story. I thought it was a clever reimagining that incorporated the themes of the original play beautifully. I only just finished and am still a little bit stunned by this lush and complex story and by the spectacular ending. I genuinely loved it....more
Well I really enjoyed this book. It is seriously begging to be made into an action blockbusteCW: (view spoiler)[sexism, extreme racism (hide spoiler)]
Well I really enjoyed this book. It is seriously begging to be made into an action blockbuster movie.
The book is set in an alternate post Civil War USA where slavery is no longer legal but racism is still running rampant, along with hordes of zombies. I think Jane is an excellent main protagonist and I really love the relationship she has with Kate (That’s not my name, it’s Katherine). It’s so great to see strong friendships develop between intelligent and confident women. Jane has such a no-nonsense approach to survival and her action scenes are epic. The zombies whilst well written and ever present are not the real monsters in this book. It’s in the holiest of places that you will find the demons in this book.
I am going to leave this review here and let Justina Ireland’s own words tell you her thoughts about her brilliant book:
“Dread Nation is a book about the American Dream, and how that dream only truly exists for a small subset of the country. It’s about who gets to lay claim to their humanity, and who is seen as little more than a tool that can be used to achieve the goals of others. It’s about loving a place that doesn’t love you back, no matter how much you might be willing to bleed and die for it. It’s about understanding that, maybe, the things we’re told and the things other people believe aren’t enough to keep us safe. We can follow the rules and do the right thing, but at the end of the day life isn’t fair for anyone. And for some of us, an equal chance was never even an option.” - Justina Ireland in Black Girl Nerds Source: https://blackgirlnerds.com/zombies-an...
Come for the zombies, stay for Jane! A must read....more
CW: (view spoiler)[Horrific levels of violence, drug use and drug addiction, rape, suicide, self harm, genocide... basically all the possible categoriCW: (view spoiler)[Horrific levels of violence, drug use and drug addiction, rape, suicide, self harm, genocide... basically all the possible categories of content warning. All. Of. Them. (hide spoiler)]
I'm still reeling 2 weeks later.
It's like a journey. A horrific, wonderful, traumatic journey.
I only want to make a few points because it is impossible to write everything I thought and felt.
Firstly, Rin is incredible. I love her. She is powerful and vulnerable at the same time. She feels everything on a level I haven't seen captured in a book before. Everything that seems like it should break her only contributes to the vital strength that pours from her by the end of the book. Her magic is more visceral reaction than honed skill and I look forward to seeing how she continues to master her powers.
Secondly, how amazing is this world! One with echoes of reality underlying the imagined. The Poppy War is a military fantasy that loosely mirrors the wars fought by China during the 20th century. These were bloody times and the book does not shy away from highlighting this dark period in history. I cautioned a student at the school I work in that she was in for some truly dark reading (I mentioned "babies and fruit ninja" to her as an example of the levels of violence in the book). It really goes there Readers.
Readers may struggle with how jarring the first and the second half are but that's part of what I loved about the book. You get taken in one direction and there is a degree of safety and security as you recognise some familiar tropes and story arcs but then WHAM! it's a 180 into the depths of hell. Loved it.
I could keep going but I think this is definitely one that Readers need to experience themselves.
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