Title: Enclave
Series: Razorland,
#1
Author: Ann
Aguirre
Publisher: Feiwel
& Friends
Publication Date: April
12, 2011
Genres: YA,
Dystopian
Reviewed by: Angie
Edwards
My rating: 4/5
SUMMARY
New York City has been decimated by war and
plague, and most of civilization has migrated to underground enclaves, where
life expectancy is no more than the early 20's. When Deuce turns 15, she takes
on her role as a Huntress, and is paired with Fade, a teenage Hunter who lived
Topside as a young boy. When she and Fade discover that the neighboring enclave
has been decimated by the tunnel monsters - or Freaks - who seem to be growing
more organized, the elders refuse to listen to warnings. And when Deuce and
Fade are exiled from the enclave, the girl born in darkness must survive in
daylight - guided by Fade's long-ago memories - in the ruins of a city whose
population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs.
REVIEW
You
know how I’m always complaining the post-apocalyptic themed books I’m reading
are all starting to sound the same? Well, I think I finally found the one
that’s not giving me any ammo for a hissy fit. Enclave is friggin’ fantastic! I loved it! It has one or two minor
inconsistencies – hence the four-star rating – but overall it is vastly
different from most other post-apocalyptic reads. “Vastly” might be a tiny bit
of an exaggeration, but still...
I was
hooked the minute the underground monstrosities made their appearance (you know
how much I love my horror reads, right?). There are quite a few creepy monsters
in this story that freaked me out good; aptly called Freaks (or Eaters or
Muties – they have different names). And of course there’s also the Burrowers;
benign beings that fascinated me. But mostly I was captivated by the whole idea
of underground living, and unlike other such books in this genre, the author
takes her time welcoming the reader into the world of this sewer society where,
as a citizen of the College enclave, you can only be one of three things: a
hunter, a breeder, or a builder. The world-building was done so terrifically
that by the time Deuce and Fade were exiled from the enclave and went Topside
(above ground), I actually missed being inside this commune in the sewers that
was Deuce’s home up until then. Being above ground turned out to be just as
frightening and dangerous as facing creatures from the dark tunnels.
Deuce
is exactly the type of protagonist to which I measure other female leads in YA
as her character embodies all the characteristics which I consider the makings
of the ideal female protagonist. This girl kicks serious behind like nobody’s
business. She’s the quintessential
example of a fighter; adapting to her surroundings and doing whatever necessary
to survive, without losing her girlishness. Emotionally, she’s a warrior. This
is what I admired about her character: steely determination balanced with
realistic expectations. She hid her vulnerability well and only shared her
fears and worries in bite-sized portions with the reader, instead of going off
on lengthy tangents about her doubts and reservations.
The
plot moves at a rapid pace and the suspense and action intensifies with each
chapter. No love-triangle...well, at least not at first. That only happens near
the end. But still. No insta love and hardly any angst. That, of course, made
me a contented reader. The only element I at first rolled my eyes at was when
Deuce passed out from an injury and had a sort of epiphany / clairvoyant
episode, if I can call it that. Normally I would have an issue with characters
getting prophetic dreams or visions out of nowhere. This time around, though,
it didn’t bug me as much as it usually would. Somehow the author made it work,
and Deuce’s vision (dream?) about Silk she had near the end fitted into the
storyline perfectly. Not all authors can pull this off without it feeling out
of place, but Aguirre did it effortlessly and made it seem like the next
logical step for the plot’s development.
This is
the first Ann Aguirre book I’ve read, and she is indisputably a skilled writer.
Her flawless ability to transport the reader to a nebulous future ravaged by
manufactured plagues and biological weapons is simply remarkable. With so many
dystopian novels out there competing to be read, Enclave is a shining beacon in its originality with every aspect
that composes the storyline. It narrowly follows the basic dystopian-genre formula,
but the storyline and setting is fresh, gripping, and innovative. I would love
to see Enclave be made into a movie as
it is an action-packed read with just the right amount of romance. I highly
recommend this first book in the Razorland series to all fans of this genre
looking for a unique and compelling read and to those who enjoyed Sarah J. Maas’s
Throne of Glass.
READ more REVIEWS
Enclave by Ann Aguirre has over 3100 reviews
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ABOUT the AUTHOR
Ann Aguirre is a New
York Times & USA Today bestselling author with a degree in English
Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a
voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order.
She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in
sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. She likes all kinds
of books, emo music, action movies and Doctor Who. She writes all kind of
fiction in multiple genres, both YA and for adults.
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