Review ~ Enclave by Ann Aguirre

Title: Enclave

Author: Ann Aguirre

Genre: YA/Dystopian

Rating: 5/5, Awesome Sauce Award

Synopsis:

WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE

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 she 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.

Review:

A few months ago I added Enclave to my BN.com order on a whim.  I'd heard some really great things about the book on some of the blogs that I have been following for awhile now.  I'm still trying to figure out why it took me so long to get this book read!

First, I'm going to tell you that I really thought that the author did an excellent job of creating this post-Apocalypse world.  I think that we live in a world of  "entitlement" right now and I think that Deuce's world, the not knowing if your going to see tomorrow or if the Freaks are going to attack your enclave, take all the "entitlement" out of the situation.  It made the world created in Enclave new, exciting and fresh for me.

Our main character Deuce is in my top 3 for Tough As Nails, Kick Ass Main Character Chick's.  Deuce has spent her whole life right up until her naming ceremony training to be a Huntress, so that she can protect her enclave from the Freaks that roam the tunnels in which Deuce and her enclave live.  On the day of Deuce's naming ceremony becomes a Hunter, but there are many that believe that Deuce should have been a breeder like her mother and say that she's a Hunter with a Breeder's heart.

Then Deuce is partnered up with Fade.  The more I read about Fade the more he sort of reminded me of James Dean.  Especially during his time with Deuce's enclave.  Fade comes from Topside and a virtually unknown past, which made him a threat to many members of the enclave.  So Fade doesn't have many friends and trusts almost no one.

The Freaks!  OMG!  Just creepy sounding "villains!"  What's worse is that they seem to be getting smarter, which makes killing them that much harder.

The more time that Deuce and Fade spend together the more a budding romance takes place.  Then there is a situation and the two them end up Topside.  That's when things get interesting.  New characters come into play.  A love triangle starts to form and things get CRAZY!

For me personally, I thought that the action was White Hot!  Once it started coming it never really let up and intensified as the book progressed.  It makes me REALLY excited to read the next book in the series...To bad we have to wait so long!