DREAD NATION by Justina Ireland

Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations.

But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.

 Opening line:
"The day I came squealing and squalling into the world was the first time someone tried to kill me."

I loved this story!
I loved the alternate reality of the Civil War.  How the blacks weren't neccassairly slaves but were used to fight the zombies, or "shamblers" as they were called. The blacks were also used as bait to bring out the shamblers so they could be killed. 
Jane is tough and sassy and funny and smart. She doesn't take crap from anyone, but knows when to keep her head down until she can escape.
And I LOVED listening to it! Bahni Turpin has the best voice for this story!

There is swearing and fighting and zombies.

DISCLAIMER: I would not recommend this book to everyone. 

TELL THE WIND AND FIRE by Sarah Rees Brennan

 In a city divided between opulent luxury in the Light and fierce privations in the Dark, a determined young woman survives by guarding her secrets.

Lucie Manette was born in the Dark half of the city, but careful manipulations won her a home in the Light, celebrity status, and a rich, loving boyfriend. Now she just wants to keep her head down, but her boyfriend has a dark secret of his own—one involving an apparent stranger who is destitute and despised.

Lucie alone knows of the deadly connection the young men share, and even as the knarah Reeowledge leads her to make a grave mistake, she can trust no one with the truth.

Blood and secrets alike spill out when revolution erupts. With both halves of the city burning, and mercy nowhere to be found, can Lucie save either boy—or herself?

Celebrated author Sarah Rees Brennan tells a magical tale of romance and revolution, love and loss.


Opening line:
"It was the best of times until it was the worst of times."

I should have realized from the opening line that this book would be similar to one of my favorite Dicken's stories: Tale of Two Cities. That might be why I loved this story. Or maybe it's the storytelling, how the author wove love and war in between each other. Or maybe it's because of the main character, Lucie, and her journey to understand herself, her enemies and her destiny.

This story is literally light and dark battling each other. Lucie is from the Dark City, but because she freed her father from the "cages" the politicians in the Light City decided to hold her up as an example of someone from the other side choosing correctly. She always does what everyone tells her; she believes this is the only way to keep her loved ones safe. But what about her own soul? That is the Lucie's theme throughout the story. When is lying okay? And killing? And revenge?

About half way through the book, Lucie realizes she doesn't really know the people she loves. She will not trade secrets and therefore, doesn't know what hides behind her loved ones masks.

I did skim some of the info/backstory dumping but found it was part of the secrets.
i felt the ending was over too quickly but not sure how it would end otherwise.

For the sensitive reader: war, death, killings, kissing

Thanks to netgalley for the read!

VEINS OF GOLD by Charlie H. Holmberg Happy Book Birthday!

Desperate to save her siblings from poverty, a young woman discovers magic fueled by gold . . . and a love for the man who wields it.

Abandoned by their father for the gold rush, Gentry and her siblings labor to survive alone in the inhospitable west. When bizarre natural disasters begin wreaking havoc on the land, Gentry discovers a world of magic. Desperate for help, she accepts aid from a mysterious stranger.

Winn not only sees the magic, but controls its hunger by feeding it gold—the very thing Gentry’s father left to acquire. But the earth’s unrest only grows worse, and Gentry’s fear leads her to a terrible choice: marry a wealthy man she does not love, or trust in Winn’s unpredictable power to save her family.



Opening line:
"To the ears of Gentry's father, gold cried louder than his children did."

Charlie is an exceptionally talented writer. She can write about ANYTHING and it will be amazing and unique.
This latest story is set in the Gold Rush Era. Gentry lives in Dry Creek, Utah with her brother, sister and father. In the opening chapter, her dad announces he is going to join a company in California to mine for gold. He lives his three children to figure out how to live on a meager living of a few dollars, a horse and a garden.
While Gentry tries to keep her siblings fed, she meets an interesting fella, Winn, and sees many interesting things: magical creatures, geysers and seagulls...lots of seagulls.
There are many and varied disasters that set Gentry on journey to learn about the magic in the earth and around her. Magic that centered around gold and the earth.
I loved the story. I was a little surprised to find the setting in Utah County, but it was fun too! Charliet writes a good alternate history story!