First published 2018
Jane McKeene arrives at Miss Preston's School of Combat in Baltimore with one goal. She wants to complete her training and return home to Kentucky. The school teaches Negro girls like Jane to kill zombies and serve as bodyguards for wealthy families. The dead started walking during the Civil War battles at Gettysburg and Chancellorsville, ending the conflict and reshaping America. Now laws force certain children into combat schools to learn zombie fighting skills. Jane studies both weapons and manners to become an Attendant. She ignores the political talk about restoring America to its former state. Then families start disappearing around Baltimore County. Jane discovers she has walked into a conspiracy. Powerful enemies want her dead. She must fight for her survival while navigating a world where the living pose more danger than the undead.
Genres: 20th-century, american, adventure, action, 21st-century, 19th-century, alternate-history, african-american-historical-fiction
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, survival
Setting: Baltimore, Gettysburg, Kentucky
Period: Civil War
455 pages · Hardcover · Balzer + Bray
Content warnings: racism, violence