Brad About Books: Enclave by Ann Aguirre

ENCLAVE
Published: April 12, 2011
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (Macmillan)
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 259 pages
Source: Won in a giveaway from YT Book Club
Series: Razorland, #1

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 Deuce 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.

First, I want to thank Bunny, Lindsay and Sam for hosting the YT Book Club giveaway! Thanks guys!

I had very high expectations for ENCLAVE and was ultimately disappointed. The writing style felt choppy, and I was confused at some parts, but this book had tons of action scenes too.

The premise for this novel was very interesting. I'm a huge fan of dystopian/post-apocolyptic novels, so when the YT Book Club chose this as their September 2012 book club pick, I knew I had to read this book. But I just didn't really care for some parts in this book.

The writing style was the biggest problem for me. I couldn't really connect and see the story playing out in my head, and not only that, the writing felt out of place. Even when action was flying off the pages, I still wasn't always connected to the story. And I honestly have no idea why.

Speaking of action, I must say that ENCLAVE doesn't fail to bring action to the table (particular one scene with zombies, tunnels, and an abandoned car). Aguirre puts her characters in such tough situations, it seems almost as if they're impossible to get out of it. And with zombies in the book, the action keeps going and going. Not only is our main character, Deuce, a kick-butt heroine, she's super tough and isn't afraid to stab a zombie in the darkest of times.

Fade is a totally different story; I have no idea what's going on with Fade. He's very mysterious and quiet, and then all of a sudden, he breaks out of his shell. I don't know how to explain him and his motives, but I am curious to see where Ann Aguirre takes his character development to next.

And the ending, in my opinion, was sort of a cop-out. No spoilers here, but I felt like there should be more to this story. I even flipped through my copy just to make sure that pages weren't missing! The ending isn't really a cliffhanger; just a "that's seriously how it ends?" kind of endings. And I didn't like that one bit.

But still, the action does make up for a lot of things in ENCLAVE. I'm telling you, Ann Aguirre is an expert at writing those edge-on-your-seat scenes!

Overall, I was disappointed with ENCLAVE, but I am interested to see where Aguirre goes with the story, especially after that ending.

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