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. 

OUTPOST (Razorland #2) by Ann Aguirre

Deuce’s whole world has changed.

Down below, she was considered an adult. Now, topside in a town called Salvation, she’s a brat in need of training in the eyes of the townsfolk. She doesn't fit in with the other girls: Deuce only knows how to fight.

To make matters worse, her Hunter partner, Fade, keeps Deuce at a distance. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore. Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out.

Deuce signs up to serve in the summer patrols—those who make sure the planters can work the fields without danger. It should be routine, but things have been changing on the surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks have grown smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it may take a girl like Deuce to turn back the tide.

Hardcover, 317 pages

Published September 4th 2012 by Feiwel & Friends

First line:
"I woke to the cold kiss of steel on my throat."

I'm not sure why I picked this series up. I'm not really a zombie person. I haven't really enjoyed the zombie books or movies. I think I'm drawn to the worlds in Ms. Aguirre's stories and how each place functions and survives, their rules and order.
Deuce was born underground in tunnels. It was a harsh environment. In order to survive you had to be able to literally look death in the face. You had to be able to kill. Deuce became a Huntress at fifteen. Her job was to patrol for Freaks (zombies) and kill them.
Something happened and Deuce and her hunting partner, Fade, had to leave the Enclave and go Topside. They had obstacles and adventures and almost died and were saved and in OUPOST, they live in a town called Salvation.
In Salvation you don't have to fight to live. Everyone has a house and plenty of food. Behind their wood walls, they feel safe from the Muties (zombies). Deuce tries to fit in. She's given dresses to wear and her foster mom, Momma Oaks, braids her hair. And Deuce is expected to go to school. But Deuce isn't cut out to be a girlie girl or sit quietly in a school room. She is trained to fight and that is what she wants to do. BUT their are townspeople who think Deuce is trouble and bringing sin and punishment on their town. 
Deuce grows and changes and becomes better throughout the story, especially in matters of the heart. She has a lot of hard choices to make too but she stays true to her character. There was some parts that she kept going over and over how she's an outcast and she's trying to fit in; it got a little annoying but nothing major.
Fade and Stalker are interesting characters and it was intriguing to read about them and their choices.
And the zombies! Interesting, interesting. I really can't wait to see how this series ends with HORDE this October.

Rating: PG 15
V: fighting zombies, blood and gore, brutal killings
L: No
S: lots of kissing

Liked:
World building
Duece
Momma Oaks
A good second book in trilogy

Disliked:
Constantly reminding reader of her being outcast


4 STARS

Enclave by Ann Aguirre

In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.

As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.

Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first Deuce thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.

As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known.

First line:
"I was born during the second holocaust." 

Another intriguing dystopia
Deuce lives in a time overrun by fear and zombies (did not know this story had zombies). Deuce has trained all her life to be a Huntress. Finally, at age 15, she earns her name and her right to protect her enclave. But being a huntress is not what she thought. Killing zombies or 'freaks' is one thing, but to kill other humans because they are weak and can't help the enclave is another. 
Deuce is paired with a loner called Fade and her whole world shifts as they fight together and break rules together.
Deuce learns the hard truth about her place in society, the lies and the what is real. Not until she goes 'topside' does she fully understand what is behind the elders lies. 
I enjoyed so many aspects of this book. I couldn't put it down even though in my head I thought, great, another dystopian. 
The naming ritual was unique. I also loved how Deuce described her world and I had to try and figure out what the objects were according to my world. 
I had no idea this was a trilogy. Ms. Aguirre doesn't leave us on a cliff at the end of the book. I can read the next one or not without feeling like I'm missing something. I will read the next one, I think.


Rating: PG 13
V: Yes but not Halo gory. Death, fighting
L: No
S: kissing

Liked: 
Naming ritual
Deuce
Fade's story
Worldbulding

Disliked:
Having to wait to read more!



41/2 STARS