#DEATHLESS DIVIDE

[aroaessidhe]

Not formally doing aro week posts this year, but since it's aro week and also Black history month here's a couple books by Black authors with aro characters!

note that most of these are side characters or one of a full cast!

The Beast of Okeme - two aro MCs, QPR

Dread Nation / Deathless Divide - major character (POV in book 2) is aroace coded

So Many Beginnings - one of the main characters is aroacespec coded

The Last Session - one of the main cast is aro, in a QPR

The Midnight Bargain - a major side character is aroace

The City We Became- one of the main cast is lightly aroace coded (note: character is Indian, not Black, also it comes up in book 2)

Blood Like Magic - a side character is demiromantic

[semper-legens]

73. Deathless Divide, by Justina Ireland

Owned?: No, library Page count: 561 My summary: Jane McKeene and Katherine Deveraux barely escaped Summertown with their lives. The scientist's vaccine didn't work, the dead overtook their new haven, and now they're back on the road again. But what new dangers lurk way out West? On a mission of revenge, hated and feared for her newfound reputation, is Jane losing all the parts of herself that mattered? And will Katherine ever find a place that she can settle and feel at home? My rating: 4/5 My commentary:

Remember this? It's been a while since I last read Dread Nation, a story of an 1880s America overrun by the undead and the black girls taught to fight and defend society, but it stuck in my head. And I discovered that not only was there a sequel, but the sequel was in fact extremely accessible to me. And so, I ordered it. I had worried that the length of time since my last readthrough of the prior book would hamper any potential enjoyment of this one - but, to my glee, I found much of it coming back to me as I cracked on with it. And, of course, the book itself did a good job of reminding me of what I might have forgotten, which is always great to see in a sequel. It did not disappoint, and I'm gonna tell you why under the cut!

Unlike the previous book, which was solely narrated by Jane, this book alternates chapters between Jane and Katherine, which I liked - Katherine in this book rises from major secondary character to full-blown deuteragonist. Still, let's talk about Jane first. Remember what I was saying last time, about how your protagonist doesn't have to be a saint? I feel like Jane in this book is a good reflection of that. Per the first book, she was always blunt, practical, and no-nonsense, but after the fall of the town they were in, losing her lover, and surviving a shambler bite, Jane becomes 'the Devil's Bride', a legendary bounty hunter with a twisted sense of justice. She makes no secret of the fact that she prefers to deliver her bounties dead, and they aren't exactly in the best condition before she dispatches them. She drives people away because of her all-encompassing need for revenge. And yet, we as the audience have been with her for one and a half books at this point. We've grown to know and love her, and to understand what she's been through and why she becomes the person that she becomes in this book. So while her actions are less than ethical, we understand why she is doing them, and as such, she retains our sympathies. Which is a hard line to walk! It was entirely possible that Jane could have tipped over into being unlikeable here, but she doesn't, she keeps her charm and her wit and her charisma even when she's hit rock bottom. It's some neat writing.

Meanwhile, Katherine gets narration for the first time here, and I really liked seeing her perspective. She interested me in the first book - a girl who can pass as white, who is nonetheless in danger from the racism endemic to this setting. She's prim and proper, but that's partially her training as an Attendant and partially a sort of respectability politics - she can be seen as being respectable, unlike Jane whose dark skin leads her to be dismissed by white society, and so she uses politeness and 'decency' as a shield. It's her armour, the same way that Jane's blunt and abrasive personality is her armour. Katherine walks a fine balance between trying to temper Jane's harshness and trying not to let herself go the same way, keep hold of all she knows herself to be in the face of immense trials. She reveals a bit more about herself; she's from New Orleans, the daughter of a sex worker who wanted nothing more than to be out of that environment. Now she's a killer of the undead, but she wants a quiet, settled life. In the turmoil that is the zombie-ridden US, who can blame her? She makes a perfect foil for Jane, just as stubborn and pig-headed but in a different direction, and she's very easy to love.

This setting continues to be intriguing. We see how racist myths perpetuate despite all common sense to the contrary - Jane often remarks that white people love to say that black people are immune to the zombie virus, a clear echo of the 'black people have higher pain tolerance' myth of the real world. There's a very credible sense of survival being scratched out on the margins, of the desperation as our heroes run from town to town trying to stay ahead of the hoardes. And the consequences for any missteps are severe. Jackson (spoiler!) dies on the road, and while Jane's shambler bite doesn't lead to her death thanks to the vaccine, she does lose an arm and struggles for the rest of the book to accommodate the injury. She isn't helpless, but there's still a realistic fallout from it. Characters come and go, alliances are formed and broken, and midway through the book there is a very effective year-and-a-half timeskip so we can see what time and tide have done to these girls. One thing I thought was a particularly nice touch was that the intro to Jane's chapters in the first half were always a Shakespeare quote, whereas Katherine quotes from scripture. In the second half, both use quotes from in-universe survival guides to the West. It's a neat little device that subtly shows their shifting attitudes and priorities. But in all, really enjoyed this book, and if there's any more I'd love to see it.

Next, a man out of time learns to adjust - with some help, of course.

[hi-imgrapes]

Can we get a round of applause for Justina Ireland?

In her book Deathless Divide, she not only tackled the ignorance and immorality of racial discrimination in her alternate history/fiction, but gave the reader a masc bisexual amputee black woman protag AND a femme aroace black woman protag who suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. She also sprinkled mentions of other queer characters in her story as well, and most of the cast is bipoc. SHE RAISED THE STANDARDS FOR REPRESENTATION FOR EVERYONE. ROUND OF FUCKING APPLAUSE.

[melanielocke]

Book recommendations - Complete series

The results of the poll I put up are so far inconclusive (pretty much every category got the same amount of votes), so I'm probably going to do all of them but I'm going to start with complete series. As a note, for now I'm trying to not repeat books, so at the end I'll mention books I have already covered that also fit the criteria.

I almost always buy books before the series is complete. I'm not sure why, though I do find it more convenient to not have to buy a six book series in one go because that can get expensive even if they're all out in paperback. Not to mention getting matching editions can be a struggle. There's also the issue that books might nog get sequels if not enough people buy the first book.

But sometimes it's nice to be able to read all the books in a series after each other. You can go into book two still remembering what happened in book 1, something I regularly struggle with. I went into Chain of Iron not remembering what was going on with James and Cordelia and why they were getting married and had to look up a lot. And you won't have to wait 1-2 years for the sequel after reading a book that ended on a serious cliffhanger. For that reason, I have put together this list of complete series that I would recommend. There are a little more books in this picture than usual, mainly because they're all complete series.

All of them are duology's or trilogy's, interestingly enough I couldn't find many series that are longer and I feel like duology's especially have been popular lately.

I'm starting with Black Wings Beating by Alex London

This is a trilogy set in Uztar, a land that worships birds of prey and falconers, and follows twins Brysen and Kylee. Brysen wants nothing more than to be a great falconer, but is not particularly talented at it, whereas Kylee, who does have the gift to speak the hollow tongue of the birds, would rather escape falconry forever. When Brysen's boyfriend gets in trouble, he needs a ghost eagle to get out, something he'd promised a debtor he'd get, and so Brysen sets out to the mountains to capture a ghost eagle, whereas Kylee follows him to keep him safe. This is a very underrated series, which is sad because it's very good. An interesting and unique magic system that relates to the language of birds of prey, a heavy focus on the complicated sibling relationship between twins who grew up in an abusive household, two queer main characters. Brysen is gay and Kylee is ace/aro. Brysen is kind of a dumbass who regularly needs to be saved from himself but I loved him regardless, whereas Kylee is very protective of him and mainly goes along because she wants to keep him safe.

Also by this author: Proxy duology (YA); Battle Dragons series (MG), neither of which I read

Next up is Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

This is an alternate history duology with the premise of the American civil war ending in a zombie apocalypse. The solution to this problem? Training Black and Indigenous people to fight the zombies. Jane McKeene is a Black girl going to school to become an attendant, a personal bodyguard for rich ladies, which is a better option than fighting in the frontlines. But people are going missing, and Jane finds herself caught up in a conspiracy by people looking to return America to former glory days. I think this series was an interesting take on zombies. It's been a while since I read this one, so I don't remember the details as well, but I do remember Katherine being one of my favorites in this series. She's also on the cover of the second book, which is on the picture, and I thought her and Jane's friendship was one of the most interesting developments, especially since they dislike each other at first. One of the main villains was also really interesting and really unexpected, I won't give too much away about this character but it was very well done. It's also a queer book series, with Jane being bi and Katherine ace/aro. It's fast paced, especially in the second book, and there's lots of action, making this an easy series to get through.

Also by this author: Dread Nation was her big breakthrough, but she's published several relatively unknown YA books before that, which I haven't read, including Vengeance Bound and a Promise of Shadows. Her most recent book is a Rust in the Root, which I haven't read yet but is on my wishlist.

Then I have the Girls of Paper and Fire series by Natasha Ngan

Somehow with this series I ended up having three different editions. I didn't even realize I'd ordered the last one in paperback, but the hardcover was so expensive I'd just left it this way. Could look better on my book shelf, but it could also be a lot worse. Sometimes publishers publish a regular UK edition paperback and then for the next book it ends up being a very big UK paperback much like the one I have for this series and it looks terrible.

This series is sapphic fantasy trilogy set in an Asia inspired world ruled by demons. Demons in this case are antropomorphic animals, also known as the Moon caste. In between are the Steel caste which are humans with animal traits and the lowest and most vulnerable caste are the Paper caste, which are humans. Each year, eight human girls are chosen to serve the king as Paper Girls, which are essentially concubines. This year, there are nine, and the ninth is Lei, a wide eyed country girl who lives in a village with her father and is taken away to the palace. There, she falls in love with one of the other Paper Girls and ends up caught in a rebellion against the king and the caste system. This book deals with heavy topics, including sexual assault, and I do not remember 100% if there is rape on page but I think there might be, so be careful with that. The first book is mainly set in the palace, but the second and third explore the rest of this world a bit more, and I think the world building was very well done, and the world building is very complex, with lots of issues with some people on the rebellion side too rather than just king bad rebellion good. The love interest especially ends up being rather morally grey at times.

Other books by this author: The Elites and The Memory Keepers were both published before this series, neither of which I read

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia is a dystopian duology set on the latine inspired island nation of Medio.

This world is divided between the inner and outer parts of the island with a wall seperating them. The outer parts are barely habitable due to the salt on the land, but the wall keeps them out of the inner part, whereas the inner part is wealthiest. The upper class of Medio has a tradition that all men, who are in power, have two wives to support them. A primera is more intellectual, she keeps track of the household, servants and supports her husband in politics. The segunda is more emotional and sexual. She is the one who has sex with the man and has his children and raises them, but Segunda's are also taught to be charming, to play with other people's emotions and soothe the husband etc. The main character, Dani, was born on the outer side of the island, but her parents fought very hard to get her a better life. They got her a forged upper class pedigree and got her enrolled in a school for Medio girls to train them in one of the two wife roles, in Dani's case as a Primera. At the beginning of the book, she marries the son of an important politician, and is approached by a rebel organization to spy for them, leaving her with a difficult choice. What I thought was very interesting about Dani as a character is that she's so conflicted about her role in this world. Her first instinct is to cling to the privilege her upper class position grants her, after all, her parents sacrificed so much to give her that, but she also has the chance to fight for a better Medio for everyone, and has to make a choice. Along the way, she grows closer to her husband's Segunda Carmen, a girl she used to hate in school, and falls in love with her. I won't give too much away about book 2, except that in book 2 Carmen is the protagonist, which worked really well in this duology and I liked her POV a lot, perhaps even better than Dani's.

Other books by this author: Paola Santiago series, a middle grade published by Rick Riordan's imprint.

Upcoming: Lucha of the Night Forest, a YA fantasy coming 3-2023

Crier's War by Nina Varela

This is a duology in which humans made a race of automatae that look exactly like humans but better looking, smarter etc. And eventually, the automatons took over from humans. This duology is told from the alternating POV of Crier and Ayla. Ayla is a human girl who lost her family to the Automae and wants revenge. And she intends to get it by killing Crier. Crier is the daughter of the Sovereign, which in the case of Automae means she was constructed by his wishes since Automae are made and not born. Crier was to follow in his footsteps and become the new Governor, but her father might not be as good a person as she always believed, and her betrothed Kinok is definitely not someone she trusts. And then she meets Ayla. This book is an enemies to lover between Crier and Ayla, except that it is really one sided enemies. Ayla wants to kill Crier at first, but Crier is kind of a useless gay from the beginning, which I think creates a hilarious dynamic. There's lots of twists and turns in this series, especially with Crier finding out more about her origin and about her fiancé Kinok's plans for this world, but also Ayla's family's origin and their role in the creation of the Automae.

Upcoming by this author: Juniper Harvey and the Vanishing Kingdom, a middle grade fantasy

The last duology I'll be discussing is A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, which seems like a very stereotypical YA fantasy title, but is the first book in a very good fantasy duology set in a west Africa inspired world (the author is from Ghana specifically).

Ziran is a prosperous city in the desert surrounded by many poor and war stricken areas. Malik has fled from his home with his two sisters to go to Ziran and start a new life, but his younger sister Nadia is abducted by a vengeful spirit in exchange for passage into the city. Desperate, Malik strikes a deal with the spirit to get his sister back - if he kills princess Karina. And so he enters the city's Solstasia competition to get close to her.

Princess Karina is far from ready to take on any royal responsibilities, but when her mother, the Sultana, is assassinated, Karina has to take the throne. Far from ready for this role, Karina decides that instead she's going to bring back her mother from the dead. She finds an ancient spell to help her. The only problem, she needs the heart of a king. So during the upcoming Solstasia competition, she offers her hand in marriage to the victor.

During the first book, Karina and Malik meet a couple of times and have their own plot, but their stories also intertwine a lot, and during this whole time they are essentially trying to kill each other without the other having any clue, making this an interesting take on enemies to lovers. Nor do either of time really want to kill the other, it's more of a necessity for their respective goals in saving family members, which I guess is understandable? I loved Malik immediately. He's sensitive, anxious, traumatized, and will do anything for his sisters. Karina took a little more time since she's a little unlikeable at first but she's really one of those characters who grows on you.

The plot of this book is also very good and there are some well thought out plot twists that I didn't see coming and interesting world building that deals with topics such as immigration. The second book especially is rather long and it's not a very fast paced series, which is often the case with more world building heavy stories so that has to be your thing.

Other books by the author: Serwa Boateng's guide to Vampire Hunting, which is the first in a middle grade series published with Rick Riordan presents

Complete series I've covered in previous recommendation posts: This Poison Heart & This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron

Let me know if you've read any of those, and it's still possible to vote on the poll for which category books I'll cover next.

@alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer @life-through-the-eyes-of @astriefer @justanormaldemon @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised @amchara @all-for-the-fanfiction @imsoftforthomastair @ddepressedbookworm @queenlilith43 @wagner-fell @cant-think-of-anything @laylax13s @tessherongraystairs @boredfangirl16 @artist-in-soul @bottomdelioncourt @ikissedsmithparker

[reviewsthatburn]

There's something very satisfying about sitting down to read a series that's complete, ready and waiting for you to crack open and devour it. Finishing a series also requires readers to have supported each book along the way as they came out. Well, these duologies, trilogies, and series by authors of color are finished, available to be read entire. We've previously reviewed every entry on this list and included links to those thoughts for anyone who wants a bit more detail. While it's entirely possible that these authors may publish associated stories in the future (either sequels or just set in the same story universe), what's available now feels complete. Each entry includes the synopsis from the first book in the series.

Full post at link, book titles in tags.

[brightbeautifulthings]

If I let loose the tenuous hold I have on my feelings, there will be blood. And it won't be mine.

Justina Ireland, Deathless Divide

[daniellesreadingnook]

I am still reading “Beautiful Creatures.” This is what I’m gonna finish next.

I am gonna start on “Deathless Divide” and “A Twisted Tale Anthology” as well.

Wish me luck!

[lizabethstucker]

Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland

4.5 out of 5

Dread Nation 2

After the fall of Summerland, Jane McKeene and Katherine Deveraux escort a wagon of survivors to Nicodemus, Kansas. They and Jackson Keats fight off shamblers during the trip to the black-run town, observing how the undead appear to be getting larger and smarter with their tactics.

Jane has no intentions of staying in Kansas, her plans to continue to California to search for her mother and Aunt Aggie, the woman who essentially raised her, is still her primary focus. But events interfere with her plans, from survival to revenge to dealing with grief and guilt.

Starts immediately after the end of "Dread Nation". Immediately engrossing, with the added benefit of alternating chapters giving us more insight into Katherine. I was iffy about her in the first book, but this time I find myself enjoying her more and more. We're given a much better look at her backstory and her methods of dealing with anxiety and self-doubt with the use of her corset.

Jane is still as prickly as ever, certain events that happen in the story making her try desperately to harden her heart to protect herself. She believes she is alone, friendless, but Jane has more friends and allies than even she can imagine.

Prepare to have your heart twisted and broken, patched and twisted again. Ireland has given us strong black characters, inclusivity, bisexual characters such as Jane, and a chunky read. Comparing it to the first book? Not quite as strong, but that might be due to the size. It literally could've been divided into two books, considering how the different sections were separated by over a year. Just my opinion. Still a great read.

CONTENT WARNING: child endangerment, child death, zombies, violence, and brutality.

[blackfemmecharacterdependency]

This is excellent casting @libraryofpenguins It has a couple of the ones I had on mine. 🥰

Dread Nation/Deathless Divide fancast

Lovie Simone as Jane McKeene, Hayley Law as Katherine Deveraux, Jacob Latimore as Jackson (Red Jack), and Martin Sensmeier as Redfern

Chloe Coleman as Lilly, Coco Jones as Sue, Madison Bailey as Callie, and Persia White as Jane’s Mother

Andrew Garfield as Gideon, and Carlacia Grant as Ida

[lwcaexii]

Did I ever share our cover of Cake Bake Betty's 1916? With @todawoda 's wonderful vocals, I'm so proud of them!

[aroaessidhe]

Aro books by authors of colour!

ARO WEEK 2023

DEATHLESS DIVIDE / historical zombie fantasy / aroace MC (dual pov, she’s a side character in book 1)

THE LAST SESSION / contemporary/dnd-fantasy graphic novel / one of the MCs is aro

SAL & GABI BREAK THE UNIVERSE / contemporary sci-fi / aro probably-ace MC, mentioned briefly but he talks all the time how annoying it is when people assume he & gabi are dating

NOT YOUR BACKUP (sidekick squad #3) / YA superhero sci-fi / aroace-spec questioning MC

SO MANY BEGINNINGS / historical little women retelling / while it’s not super explicit, Jo is probably aroacespec, her ‘relationship’ reads as a QPR

KAIKEYI /  adult historical fantasy/retelling / aroace MC  

THE BRUISING OF QILWA / adult fantasy novella / MC is aroace

ELATSOE / contemporary fantasy/paranormal / aro-coded ace MC

COME DRINK WITH ME (TALES OF THE THREAD) / adult historical fantasy / short story series centred around platonic relationships from an aro perspective

see also:  It Sounds Like This, Summer Bird Blue, If It Makes You Happy, Take Me To Your Nerdy Leader

*as a note, some of these only briefly explore aromanticism, and/or explore the ace part of the aroace character more. If you want more details on how much things are explored, see my database!  

[brotherhoodoftheblade]

So, a little good news for the new year: I’ve started writing again since January 1st and have managed to write a bit every day so far (let’s hope that’ll continue this year!! *crosses fingers*). I’ve been struggling to feel motivated to write the last few years, so I really want to get back into the habit of writing regularly again.😊

But anyway, I’ve been working on some scenes from The Deathless Divide, so here’s a little (mostly spoiler-free) excerpt: 

“I am -” Percy began, but an odd little squeaking noise came out of nowhere, cutting him off.

John’s brow knit at the nearness of the sound. 

“The devil is that?” he muttered under his breath, glancing sharply about them in expectation of vermin. He saw nothing but mud and melting snow. The sound came again – this time a series of squeaks – and he looked over to see Percy cooing down into his cloak pocket.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did we wake you?”

A tiny furry head popped out of Percy’s pocket and John started. “What is that?”

“It’s a cat, John,” Percy said, dryly amused. “What does it look like?”

He retrieved the creature from his pocket, and the little thing curled neatly in the palm of Percy’s hand. It had a tiny knitted cloak of its own tied on to it, and John regarded it curiously despite himself. Could Percy knit? Somehow he could easily picture Percy as the sort of man who’d knit clothing for an animal, recalling with an odd ache the childlike glee Percy had shown at the sight of Doctor Gilbert Rigby’s gentlemanly-attired pug dog at the artists’ exhibition they’d attended together so long ago.

“A small rodent,” John replied flippantly, gingerly reaching out toward the little bundle of light grey fluff. It raised its head, revealing big blue eyes and a tiny pink nose, and bared its toothless gums at him in a hiss.

“Now now, darling, be nice,” Percy chastised with a chuckle, petting the little fiend lightly with a fingertip. It meowed in a satisfied manner after a bit of this and rested its head back on his palm, shivering a bit. Percy bent his head to give the creature a peck on top of its head.

“Where did you get it?” John asked, watching as Percy bundled the kitten back up and carefully returned it to his pocket. He hadn’t even known Percy liked cats, and had never much cared for them himself.

“I found her outside when she was no more than a few days old, she was abandoned,” Percy replied, taking out his handkerchief and tucking it along the pocket’s opening to keep the cold out. The kitten meowed insistently and Percy rubbed the pocket soothingly. “Do not tell me you’re hungry again already? She’s a stomach the size of a walnut, I swear. I am afraid I must take my leave before she starts crying in earnest.”

~*~

Saw these pics and was like, “Yes, Percy would absolutely adopt an abandoned kitten even though he’s never especially liked cats and then quickly end up falling in love with it and turn into a doting mother.” 😂 (x)

[jolieeason]

March 2024 Wrap-Up

Here is what I read, posted, won, received, and bought in March. Let me know if you have read any of these books and what you thought of them. Books I Read: Books Reviewed: A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen—review here The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin—review here Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk—review here A Smoking Bun by Ellie Alexander—review here Bye, Baby by Carola…

[wayfind-er]

Praise to Zeus

O' mighty Zeus, divine Father of the deathless Gods and evanescent Mortals, I praise you.

Friend of Strangers and Refugees; Merciful God of the Sky. He who leads the Fates, giver of wealth and good things, and protector of our homes, I praise you.

From the fertile rain to the crackle of lightning you reign over, to the golden sword you wield, and the gentle wind you bring, I praise you, O' divine King Zeus.

Image #1: Jupiter Enthroned, Heinrich Friedrich Füger, Image #2: Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Divider by @/vibeswithrenai I don't worship or work with Zeus, so my praise might be a bit awkward. However, I've wanted to do more to honor him in my practice, and this is the first step.

[disabled-dragoon]

The Disability Library

I love books, I love literature, and I love this blog, but it's only been recently that I've really been given the option to explore disabled literature, and I hate that. When I was a kid, all I wanted was to be able to read about characters like me, and now as an adult, all I want is to be able to read a book that takes us seriously.

And so, friends, Romans, countrymen, I present, a special disability and chronic illness booklist, compiled by myself and through the contributions of wonderful members from this site!

As always, if there are any at all that you want me to add, please just say. I'm always looking for more!

Edit 20/10/2023: You can now suggest books using the google form at the bottom!

Updated: 31/08/2023

Articles and Chapters

The Drifting Language of Architectural Accessibility in Victor Hugo's Notre-Dame de Paris, Essaka Joshua, 2012

Early Modern Literature and Disability Studies, Allison P. Hobgood, David Houston Wood, 2017

How Do You Develop Whole Object Relations as an Adult?, Elinor Greenburg, 2019

Making Do with What You Don't Have: Disabled Black Motherhood in Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents, Anna Hinton, 2018

Necropolitics, Achille Mbeme, 2003 OR Necropolitics, Achille Mbeme, 2019

Wasted Lives: Modernity and Its Outcasts, Zygmunt Bauman, 2004

Witchcraft and deformity in early modern English Literature, Scott Eaton, 2020

Books

Fiction:

Misc:

10 Things I Can See From Here, Carrie Mac

A-F:

A Curse So Dark and Lonely, (Series), Brigid Kemmerer

Akata Witch, (Series), Nnedi Okorafor

A Mango-Shaped Space, Wendy Mass

Ancillary Justice, (Series), Ann Leckie

An Unkindness of Ghosts, Rivers Solomon

An Unseen Attraction, (Series), K. J. Charles

A Shot in the Dark, Victoria Lee

A Snicker of Magic, Natalie Lloyd

A Song of Ice and Fire, (series), George R. R. Martin

A Spindle Splintered, (Series), Alix E. Harrow

A Time to Dance, Padma Venkatraman

Bath Haus, P. J. Vernon

Beasts of Prey, (Series), Ayana Gray

The Bedlam Stacks, (Series), Natasha Pulley

Black Bird, Blue Road, Sofiya Pasternack

Black Sun, (Series), Rebecca Roanhorse

Blood Price, (Series), Tanya Huff

Borderline, (Series), Mishell Baker

Breath, Donna Jo Napoli

The Broken Kingdoms, (Series), N.K. Jemisin

Brute, Kim Fielding

Cafe con Lychee, Emery Lee

Carry the Ocean, (Series), Heidi Cullinan

Challenger Deep, Neal Shusterman

Cinder, (Series), Marissa Meyer

Clean, Amy Reed

Connection Error, (Series), Annabeth Albert

Cosima Unfortunate Steals A Star, Laura Noakes

Crazy, Benjamin Lebert

Crooked Kingdom, (Series), Leigh Bardugo

Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots, (Series), Cat Sebastian

Daniel, Deconstructed, James Ramos

Dead in the Garden, (Series), Dahlia Donovan

Dear Fang, With Love, Rufi Thorpe

Deathless Divide, (Series), Justina Ireland

The Degenerates, J. Albert Mann

The Doctor's Discretion, E.E. Ottoman

Earth Girl, (Series), Janet Edwards

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, Emily R. Austin

The Extraordinaries, (Series), T. J. Klune

The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict, (Series), Trenton Lee Stewart

Fight + Flight, Jules Machias

The Final Girl Support Group, Grady Hendrix

Finding My Voice, (Series), Aoife Dooley

The First Thing About You, Chaz Hayden

Follow My Leader, James B. Garfield

Forever Is Now, Mariama J. Lockington

Fortune Favours the Dead, (Series), Stephen Spotswood

Fresh, Margot Wood

H-0:

Harmony, London Price

Harrow the Ninth, (series), Tamsyn Muir

Hench, (Series), Natalia Zina Walschots

Highly Illogical Behaviour, John Corey Whaley

Honey Girl, Morgan Rogers

How to Become a Planet, Nicole Melleby

How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager, (Series), D. N. Bryn

How to Sell Your Blood & Fall in Love, (Series), D. N. Bryn

Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites, Joy Demorra

I Am Not Alone, Francisco X. Stork

The Immeasurable Depth of You, Maria Ingrande Mora

In the Ring, Sierra Isley

Into The Drowning Deep, (Series), Mira Grant

Iron Widow, (Series), Xiran Jay Zhao

Izzy at the End of the World, K. A. Reynolds

Jodie's Journey, Colin Thiele

Just by Looking at Him, Ryan O'Connell

Kissing Doorknobs, Terry Spencer Hesser

Lakelore, Anna-Marie McLemore

Learning Curves, (Series), Ceillie Simkiss

Let's Call It a Doomsday, Katie Henry

The Library of the Dead, (Series), TL Huchu

The Lion Hunter, (Series), Elizabeth Wein

Lirael, (Series), Garth Nix

Long Macchiatos and Monsters, Alison Evans

Love from A to Z, (Series), S.K. Ali

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses, Kristen O'Neal

Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro

The Never Tilting World, (Series), Rin Chupeco

The No-Girlfriend Rule, Christen Randall

Nona the Ninth, (series), Tamsyn Muir

Noor, Nnedi Okorafor

Odder Still, (Series), D. N. Bryn

Once Stolen, (Series), D. N. Bryn

One For All, Lillie Lainoff

On the Edge of Gone, Corinne Duyvis

Origami Striptease, Peggy Munson

Our Bloody Pearl, (Series), D. N. Bryn

Out of My Mind, Sharon M. Draper

P-T:

Parable of the Sower, (Series), Octavia E. Butler

Parable of the Talents, (Series), Octavia E. Butler

Percy Jackson & the Olympians, (series), Rick Riordan

Pomegranate, Helen Elaine Lee

The Prey of Gods, Nicky Drayden

The Pursuit Of..., (Series), Courtney Milan

The Queen's Thief, (Series), Megan Whalen Turner

The Quiet and the Loud, Helena Fox

The Raging Quiet, Sheryl Jordan

The Reanimator's Heart, (Series), Kara Jorgensen

The Remaking of Corbin Wale, Joan Parrish

Roll with It, (Series), Jamie Sumner

Russian Doll, (Series), Cristelle Comby

The Second Mango, (Series), Shira Glassman

Scar of the Bamboo Leaf, Sieni A.M

Shaman, (Series), Noah Gordon

Sick Kids in Love, Hannah Moskowitz

The Silent Boy, Lois Lowry

Six of Crows, (Series) Leigh Bardugo

Sizzle Reel, Carlyn Greenwald

The Spare Man, Mary Robinette Kowal

The Stagsblood Prince, (Series), Gideon E. Wood

Stake Sauce, Arc 1: The Secret Ingredient is Love. No, Really, (Series), RoAnna Sylver

Stars in Your Eyes, Kacen Callender [Expected release: Oct 2023]

The Storm Runner, (Series), J. C. Cervantes

Stronger Still, (Series), D. N. Bryn

Sweetblood, Pete Hautman

Tarnished Are the Stars, Rosiee Thor

The Theft of Sunlight, (Series), Intisar Khanani

Throwaway Girls, Andrea Contos

Top Ten, Katie Cotugno

Torch, Lyn Miller-Lachmann

Treasure, Rebekah Weatherspoon

Turtles All the Way Down, John Green

U-Z:

Unlicensed Delivery, Will Soulsby-McCreath Expected release October 2023

Verona Comics, Jennifer Dugan

Vorkosigan Saga, (Series), Lois McMaster Bujold

We Are the Ants, (Series), Shaun David Hutchinson

The Weight of Our Sky, Hanna Alkaf

Whip, Stir and Serve, Caitlyn Frost and Henry Drake

The Whispering Dark, Kelly Andrew

Wicked Sweet, Chelsea M. Cameron

Wonder, (Series), R. J. Palacio

Wrong to Need You, (Series), Alisha Rai

Ziggy, Stardust and Me, James Brandon

Graphic Novels:

A Quick & Easy Guide to Sex & Disability, (Non-Fiction), A. Andrews

Constellations, Kate Glasheen

Dancing After TEN: a graphic memoir, (memoir) (Non-Fiction), Vivian Chong, Georgia Webber

Everything Is an Emergency: An OCD Story in Words Pictures, (memoir) (Non-Fiction), Jason Adam Katzenstein

Frankie's World: A Graphic Novel, (Series), Aoife Dooley

The Golden Hour, Niki Smith

Nimona, N. D. Stevenson

The Third Person, (memoir) (Non-Fiction), Emma Grove

Magazines and Anthologies:

Artificial Divide, (Anthology), Robert Kingett, Randy Lacey

Beneath Ceaseless Skies #175: Grandmother-nai-Leylit's Cloth of Winds, (Article), R. B. Lemburg

Defying Doomsday, (Anthology), edited by Tsana Dolichva and Holly Kench

Josee, the Tiger and the Fish, (short story) (anthology), Seiko Tanabe

Nothing Without Us, edited by Cait Gordon and Talia C. Johnson

Nothing Without Us Too, edited by Cait Gordon and Talia C. Johnson

Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens, (Anthology), edited by Marieke Nijkamp

Uncanny #24: Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction, (Anthology), edited by: Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, Dominik Parisien et al.

Uncanny #30: Disabled People Destroy Fantasy, (Anthology), edited by: Nicolette Barischoff, Lisa M. Bradley, Katharine Duckett

We Shall Be Monsters, edited by Derek Newman-Stille

Manga:

Perfect World, (Series), Rie Aruga

The Sky is Blue with a Single Cloud, (Short Stories), Kuniko Tsurita

Non-Fiction:

Academic Ableism: Disability and Higher Education, Jay Timothy Dolmage

A Disability History of the United States, Kim E, Nielsen

The Architecture of Disability: Buildings, Cities, and Landscapes beyond Access, David Gissen

Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman's Fight to End Ableism, Elsa Sjunneson

Black Disability Politics, Sami Schalk

Borderline, Narcissistic, and Schizoid Adaptations: The Pursuit of Love, Admiration, and Safety, Dr. Elinor Greenburg

Brilliant Imperfection: Grappling with Cure, Eli Clare

The Cambridge Companion to Literature and Disability, Barker, Clare and Stuart Murray, editors.

The Capacity Contract: Intellectual Disability and the Question of Citizenship, Stacy Clifford Simplican

Capitalism and Disability, Martha Russel

Care work: Dreaming Disability Justice, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Catatonia, Shutdown and Breakdown in Autism: A Psycho-Ecological Approach, Dr Amitta Shah

The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays, Esme Weijun Wang

Crip Kinship, Shayda Kafai

Crip Up the Kitchen: Tools, Tips and Recipes for the Disabled Cook, Jules Sherred

Culture – Theory – Disability: Encounters between Disability Studies and Cultural Studies, Anne Waldschmidt, Hanjo Berressem, Moritz Ingwersen

Decarcerating Disability: Deinstitutionalization and Prison Abolition, Liat Ben-Moshe

Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally, Emily Ladau

Dirty River: A Queer Femme of Color Dreaming Her Way Home, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Disability Pride: Dispatches from a Post-ADA World, Ben Mattlin

Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories From the Twenty-First Century, Alice Wong

Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability and Making Space, Amanda Leduc

Every Cripple a Superhero, Christoph Keller

Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness and Liberation, Eli Clare

Feminist Queer Crip, Alison Kafer

The Future Is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes, and Mourning Songs, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Growing Up Disabled in Australia, Carly Findlay

It's Just Nerves: Notes on a Disability, Kelly Davio

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot

Language Deprivation & Deaf Mental Health, Neil S. Glickman, Wyatte C. Hall

The Minority Body: A Theory of Disability, Elizabeth Barnes

My Body and Other Crumbling Empires: Lessons for Healing in a World That Is Sick, Lyndsey Medford

No Right to Be Idle: The Invention of Disability, 1840s-1930s, Sarah F. Rose

Nothing About Us Without Us: Disability Oppression and Empowerment, James I. Charlton

The Pedagogy of Pathologization Dis/abled Girls of Color in the School-prison Nexus, Subini Ancy Annamma

Physical Disability in British Romantic Literature, Essaka Joshua

QDA: A Queer Disability Anthology, Raymond Luczak, Editor.

The Right to Maim: Debility, Capacity, Disability, Jasbir K. Puar

Sitting Pretty, (memoir), Rebecca Taussig

Sounds Like Home: Growing Up Black & Deaf in the South, Mary Herring Wright

Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness: How to Stay Sane and Live One Step Ahead of Your Symptoms, Ilana Jacqueline

The Things We Don't Say: An Anthology of Chronic Illness Truths, Julie Morgenlender

Uncanny Bodies: Superhero Comics and Disability, Scott T. Smith, José Alaniz 

Uncomfortable Labels: My Life as a Gay Autistic Trans Woman, (memoir), Laura Kate Dale

Unmasking Autism, Devon Price

The War on Disabled People: Capitalism, Welfare and the Making of a Human Catastrophe, Ellen Clifford

We've Got This: Essays by Disabled Parents, Eliza Hull

Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life, (memoir) (essays) Alice Wong

Picture Books:

A Day With No Words, Tiffany Hammond, Kate Cosgrove-

A Friend for Henry, Jenn Bailey, Mika Song

Ali and the Sea Stars, Ali Stroker, Gillian Reid

All Are Welcome, Alexandra Penfold, Suzanne Kaufman

All the Way to the Top, Annette Bay Pimentel, Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, Nabi Ali

Can Bears Ski?, Raymond Antrobus, Polly Dunbar

Different -- A Great Thing to Be!, Heather Alvis, Sarah Mensinga

Everyone Belongs, Heather Alvis, Sarah Mensinga

I Talk Like a River, Jordan Scott, Sydney Smith

Jubilee: The First Therapy Horse and an Olympic Dream, K. T. Johnson, Anabella Ortiz

Just Ask!, Sonia Sotomayor, Rafael López

Kami and the Yaks, Andrea Stenn Stryer, Bert Dodson

My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay, Cari Best, Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship, Jessica Kensky, Patrick Downes, Scott Magoon

Sam's Super Seats, Keah Brown, Sharee Miller

Small Knight and the Anxiety Monster, Manka Kasha

We Move Together, Kelly Fritsch, Anne McGuire, Eduardo Trejos

We're Different, We're the Same, and We're All Wonderful!, Bobbi Jane Kates, Joe Mathieu

What Happened to You?, James Catchpole, Karen George

The World Needs More Purple People, Kristen Bell, Benjamin Hart, Daniel Wiseman

You Are Enough: A Book About Inclusion, Margaret O'Hair, Sofia Sanchez, Sofia Cardoso

You Are Loved: A Book About Families, Margaret O'Hair, Sofia Sanchez, Sofia Cardoso

The You Kind of Kind, Nina West, Hayden Evans

Zoom!, Robert Munsch, Michael Martchenko

Plays:

Peeling, Kate O'Reilly

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With an extra special thank you to @parafoxicalk @craftybookworms @lunod @galaxyaroace @shub-s @trans-axolotl @suspicious-whumping-egg @ya-world-challenge @fictionalgirlsworld @rubyjewelqueen @some-weird-queer-writer @jacensolodjo @cherry-sys @dralthon @thebibliosphere @brynwrites @aj-grimoire @shade-and-sun @ceanothusspinosus @edhelwen1 @waltzofthewifi @spiderleggedhorse @sleepneverheardofher @highladyluck @oftheides @thecouragetobekind @nopoodles @lupadracolis @elusivemellifluence @creativiteaa @moonflowero1 @the-bi-library @chronically-chaotic-cryptid for your absolutely fantastic contributions!

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Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland

"He is trying to protect me, in the simple way men are always trying to protect women: by stealing away their freedom."

Year Read: 2022

Rating: 4/5

About: There are spoilers ahead for Dread Nation. After the fall of Summerland, Jane, Katherine and the remaining survivors are forced to flee to a nearby town called Nicodemus. They've been warned that it isn't as safe as it appears though, and it isn't long before the threats they faced in Summerland are on their doorstep. All Jane wanted was to get to California to find her mother, but revenge is almost as tempting. Trigger warnings: character death (on-page, graphic), body horror, amputation, violence, guns, racism (countered).

Thoughts: Historical novels aren't really my jam even with zombies in them, so I had some trouble getting into Dread Nation. In an unexpected twist, I enjoyed Deathless Divide a lot more. The pacing is better overall, the plots are more compelling, and the characters are just as vibrant and nuanced. It feels like both Jane and Katherine have really grown into themselves in this book, and I love the contrast and the friendship between them. Not a lot of novels are so heavily focused on a friendship (rather than a romance, or sometimes even family) as the main relationship, and Jane and Katherine's is the heart of Deathless Divide. They make each other better and have each other's backs, whether the threat is outward or internal.

Things lag a bit in the middle when they first arrive at Nicodemus, and there's a little too much buildup there before things take off in a major way. I'm usually against splitting up characters (because it takes hundreds of pages to bring them back together), but in this case I think it's necessary for the development. I enjoyed seeing more of the unique America that Ireland has shaped through an ever-present zombie plague and, as always, the way race plays a role in all of it. It's well-plotted with a couple of unexpected turns, and overall makes for an exciting ride. I'd recommend it even for people who weren't quite sure about the first book.