RITA Reader Challenge Review

RITA Reader Challenge: Enclave by Ann Aguirre

B

Title: Enclave
Author: Ann Aguirre
Publication Info: Feiwel & Friends 2011
ISBN: 978-0312650087
Genre: Young Adult

Enclave - Ann Aguirre This review was written by KristiBug. This story was nominated in the Best YA Romance category.

The summary:      


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.

And here is Kristi's review: 

Enclave quietly snuck into my head and made me think about it when I was supposed to be working. Just like the 'freaks' who kept popping up to eat some flesh, I kept thinking about Deuce and Fade at random times and what was going to happen to them next.

The world building in Enclave was quite well done. It gave just enough small details to keep you interested in the world below, and also what happened 'topside'. I thought it was brave of the author to completely change the setting halfway through the novel. Just when I’m getting used to the tunnels and characters…. BAM. However, I really liked the first half of the world and thought the last half could have used more description. Maybe I just liked the “New York Subway” feeling in the first half?

I really liked Deuce. She was in control, knew what she wanted, and wasn't afraid to go after things. I also liked Fade, although holy cow, he was a bit emotional! The little bits of detail from his past kept intriguing me. The new characters introduced half-way through created a love triangle of sorts, obviously continued into the sequel that comes out in September, but needed a leap of faith to get past the introduction of Stalker. I felt he was thrown in  just to create some tension and get one of those popular love triangles going. 🙂

If you like dystoptican, apacolyptic zombie novels then this is a must-read for you. The world building was incredibly fascinating. However, I'm rating this book 4 stars, or a B rating. In this genre, I keep comparing Enclave to Divergent, Hunger Games, or even Hollowland which I liked more. I liked it but I didn't 'love it'. I will definitely be checking out the sequel “Outpost” in September. I hope it would keep a lot of the setting the same and delve into the details of where they ended up.


This book is available from Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo | All Romance eBooks.

Comments are Closed

  1. infinitieh says:

    I did consider this book as my favorite YA read of 2011.  I, too, liked the NYCTA subway scenes, more so than topside or upstate.

    I didn’t think of a love triangle, maybe a love quadrangle.  However, they were too busy trying to survive than getting emotionally involved.

  2. Oh man, I really strongly disliked this book. I couldn’t in any way support a book that decided to form a love triangle around the former leader of a gang of rapists:

    http://sparkle-project.blogspo…

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