4.5 stars

CW: racism, gore, torture

I’m generally not a fan of zombies or media with zombies. I find that it’s an excuse for excess gore, and squeamish as I am, that’s a strong no for me. But the premise intrigued me, so I gave it a try.

I’m glad I did.

This is a unique twist on zombies, and on historical fiction. The history included seems to be well-researched, and it covers all sorts of details, from major to minute.

Jane is a confident protagonist, a skilled liar, and at times an unreliable narrator. She’s half-black and bi, and generally just an intriguing character. I’d like to see more like her in YA.

Katherine is a white-passing black girl and aro ace, which I was really happy about. She has what I think is significant character growth; in the beginning she’s kind of petty and rather unlikable, but she grows to be ... not kinder, exactly, but more understanding and definitely more tolerable.

There’s no romance in this book, something I find incredibly refreshing. Sure, it mentions passing attractions Jane has toward this guy or that girl, but despite that, zero romance or hint of one. This allows Jane and Katherine’s budding friendship to shine, and I love that. They go from rivals to genuine friends, and I’m so here for that. More girl friendships 2018.

In my experience, many YA historical fiction stories feature girls breaking societal norms of their time. That’s cool and all, but it can get rather old rather quickly. In this story, all 450 pages are action-packed. In addition to the zombies and impending apocalypse, there’s a complex second plot thread that kept the story going between fighting zombie hordes. It was thoroughly enjoyable.

This was a surprisingly good historical fiction novel, and the first of Justina’s books I’ve read. I sped through this, and I hope the sequel is released next year because I’d like more of this story in my life. Very much recommended, even if you don’t like zombies.