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Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

--Staff Picks

Dread Nation

Justina Ireland
Published: 2018
Age Range: 14+
Genre: Horror, Historical Fiction, Action Adventure, Fantasy
Awards: Locus Award for Young Adult Books (2019)

At Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane McKeen is training to become an Attendant. When she graduates, she will become someone who serves the upper class with proper etiquette, but also with the skills to take down the dead who have risen on the battlefields of the Civil War. But soon more problems arise when entire families in Baltimore start to vanish without a trace. Headstrong Jane will have to balance being a proper lady, defending against the undead monsters who are spreading across the new United States, and also fighting a corrupt higher power who is clearly trying to hide something more sinister.

This book was the perfect mix of engaging action, a creepy adversary, and really well developed and interesting characters. A great YA book especially if you’re interested in diversifying the narratives you are reading.