Review: Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland
Overview:
Rating: 2.5 out of 5.
I hate to admit it, but I did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed Dread Nation. While there were interesting developments, such as the implementation of a second narrator, the messy structure of the story and the biased language of the author in regards to Asian immigrants were real let downs.
Content Warning:
Deathless Divide contains enslavement, racism, sexism, violence, gore, body horror, torture, death of friends/family members, and animal abuse
Book Description:
Deathless Divide is Justina Ireland’s sequel to Dread Nation, and it picks up right where the previous book left off. Jane, Katherine, and a few others have escaped to the nearby town of Nicodemus after Summerland is overrun by shamblers, but not without suffering losses of their own. As quickly as they arrive, it becomes apparent that Nicodemus will soon fall to the same herd of the undead. Try as they might to protect everyone, the town’s in more danger than anyone realizes. Jane and Katherine become separated, and Jane must eventually decide what’s most important to her: her friends or seeking revenge from the person who put them all in danger in the first place.
On the Added Narration:
My favorite part of Deathless Divide was the addition of Katherine’s narration. At first, I had my doubts — whenever a series or duology goes from a single narrative to a multi-narrative story, my automatic assumption is that the main character is going to die *glares at the Divergent Series.* However, it was a real treat to get to experience major events (and Jane’s reaction to them) from someone other than Jane. Not to mention that Ireland did a decent job at making Katherine’s voice, euphemisms and all, uniquely her own.
On the Book as a Sequel [Spoilers]:
Let me start by saying that, as far as sequels go, this book had a lot to live up to. I loved Dread Nation, so my expectations were set pretty high. Ultimately, though, Deathless Divide failed to meet said expectations. Largely, this is due to the manner in which the book is structured. Unlike the first book, which took place maybe over the course of a month or two, Deathless Divide has a major ellipsis of almost two years in the middle of the story. Consequently, we miss out on the SIGNIFICANT moments of character development. Jane, especially, is a radically different person after the fall of Nicodemus, but we don’t understand much about why she’s changed outside of a BRIEF dialogue between her and Katherine after the fact. It’s also communicated to us, through a single sentence, that Katherine barely escaped being forced into marriage during that time? UGH! I just wanted so much more than expo facto recaps.
It should be noted that there were some new elements in Deathless Divide that I did enjoy:
Katherine becomes a narrator in addition to Jane (more on that below).
The characters’ don’t have as thick of plot armor in this one. They are made to face the harsh realities of the world they live in, making the whole world feel much more dangerous and gut-wrenching.
There is way more action-packed zombie fighting.
The villain is unexpected and multi-dimensional.
On the Representation of Asian Immigrants:
I would be remiss if I did not express my disappointment in Ireland’s description of Asian immigrants. During the chapter in which Katherine arrives in San Francisco, Justina uses harmful stereotypes to vilify Chinese settlers while also implying that they are not real POC. The story then quickly moves on and there is no further representation of Asian characters to provide a counter perspective. It’s a super yucky moment of bias within the text and, honestly, a huge let down on the part of Ireland.
To learn more about the harmful stereotypes faced by Asians/Asian Americans and how to combat them, click here.