Book Review: Enclave by Ann Aguirre

Enclave by Ann AguirreTitle: Enclave
Series: Razorland, Book 1
Author: Ann Aguirre
Genre: Dystopian, Young Adult
Source: review copy provided by publisher
Published:  April 12, 2011 by Feiwel & Friends
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, in the ruins of a city whose population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs. As the two are guided by Fade’s long-ago memories, they face dangers, and feelings, unlike any they’ve ever known.


Why I Read this Book: As soon as I heard Ann Aguirre had a YA novel coming out, a dystopian one at that, I knew I had to read it. True, I’ve only read one of her books so far but that one book got me hooked!

What I Liked: The world building was a-maz-ing. Enclave had a cinematic feel to it; it read like a movie playing in my mind. It’s told in 1st person narrative from Deuce's POV yet I wasn’t overwhelmed with over-processed thoughts. She’s a strong, fierce and loyal young woman trying to survive in a dark, gritty and bleak post-apocalyptic world. And although romance isn’t a big factor in Enclave, there is a bit of a love triangle. I love the tension that comes along with most love triangles.

At first, when I first found out there was a title change and a cover change, I wasn’t 100% on board. Razorland sounded so cool and I loved the cover with Deuce and Fade. But after reading the book, I totally get how Enclave is a more suitable title. I’m glad Razorland was kept as the title of the series. I still prefer the original cover but I understand wanting it to be a gender neutral cover. And the final cover is creepy!

What I Didn’t Like: I’m sad that I don’t have the next book in my hands right this very second. Seriously, what’s not to like?

Overall Impression: I welcome Ann Aguirre to the world of YA with open arms. If Enclave turns out to be your first read by this author, you’ll have found yourself a new author. If you are an ‘adult’ reader, you should check out her novels, including the ones under the pseudonym Ava Gray and Ellen Conner. Cancel any plans because you’ll be staying up all night, if need be, to finish Enclave. It definitely earned a spot on my top ten reads of this year. I see that some people have compared Enclave to The Hunger Games (which I have not read yet). I truly believe that this book, Enclave, will be the one people will start comparing other YA dystopian novels to. It’s going to be a hard one to beat.

Side note: The ARC came with an audio sample, which I thought was really neat. It contained the first 2 chapters of the book in audio format (I thought the narrator’s voice was too bubbly) and there’s also a phone interview with Ann Aguirre.

 

Brianna’s Rating:
5 Frogs


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About Brianna: Supermom by day, naughty reader by night. Addicted to chocolate, Twitter, her iPad, her Kindle, and 99¢ Kindle deals. You can follow Brianna on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Instagram.

15 comments:

  1. You have just pushed this book to the top of the must buy list.

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  2. Great Review and loved fade and deuce.Found a new author too

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  3. hmmm I have been meaning to by this

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  4. I can not wait for this book!!!

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  5. I'm not a fan of YA but I keep hearing nothing but great things about this book. I'm very tempted to pick it up.


    Stephanie
    Paranormal Haven

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  6. I'm so glad everyone is getting around to reading Enclave. I read it last year and it's one of my favorites. It is a lot like THG but yet so different.
    I am dying to read Outpost!!

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  7. Looking forward to reading this! I love dystopian, and it sounds really exciting. Thanks for the review, and glad you enjoyed it!

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  8. I really wanna read this one! First dystopian, second it's Aguirre :=)

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  9. I've heard only good things about this book. I'm looking forward to reading it. I didn't know there was a different title and cover. I actually have to agree that gender neutral covers get the young boys reading.

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  10. Ha, I was going to buy it as an audio book! Thanks a lot for mentioning about your impression of the narrator's voice. It is sooooo frustrating that there is no choice in picking individual narrator for each listener!

    I listen sometimes ;),

    ~ Sorilla

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  11. Ohhhh 5 frogs!! I need to read this soon!!

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  12. I liked this one too! I thought Ann Aguirre did an excellent job and you are right, I've found a new author.

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  13. I love this book!!! Thanks for the recommendation. You and 3 other book blogger friends are never wrong. hehe.

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  14. I got this one in my last BN purchase...I just haven't read it yet...have a BOATLOAD of books out of the library right now.

    On a side note...you haven't read The Hunger Games yet?!

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  15. Jamie - Nope, I haven't read the Hunger Games trilogy yet. I have all 3 books on my shelf waiting for me though.

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