Dread Nation

Justina Ireland

In an alternate post–Civil War America, the dead have risen, and the nation’s survival depends on young people trained to fight them. Jane McKeene, a sharp and determined Black teenager, is preparing at a combat school to become an Attendant—skilled in both weaponry and the social graces required to protect wealthy families. When she is drawn into a dangerous assignment beyond the school’s walls, Jane encounters threats that challenge not only her fighting abilities but also the rigid racial and class order shaping her world. Blending historical fiction, horror, and social commentary, this propulsive novel explores survival, identity, inequality, and the cost of freedom.

Justina Ireland

In a reimagined America ravaged by the undead, Jane McKeene and Katherine Deveraux find themselves separated and struggling to survive in a country fractured by war, prejudice, and the restless dead. As each young woman faces new dangers on her own, their paths remain bound by a shared determination to protect their communities and claim control over their futures. Blending historical fiction, horror, and adventure, this thrilling sequel explores friendship, resistance, racism, and the cost of freedom against a vividly imagined post–Civil War backdrop.