Title: Enclave
Author: Ann Aguirre
Series: Enclave #1
Genre: Teen Fantasy
Rating: 4/5 stars
The Overview: 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.
The Review:
Several months ago, I made the decision to read everything Ann Aguirre had on the market because I loved her Sirantha Jax series so much (so for all of you who visit The Obsessive Bookseller regularly, I’m sorry for being so repetitive, haha). I was particularly excited to pick up this series because I’d had it on my reading list even before I became fond of the author. I am glad to report that Enclave was every bit as enjoyable as her other books.
The characters were realistic and relatable (as usual) and the world building was totally immersive. I can say with confidence that I’ve never read anything quite like this book… It completely takes you into a new world filled with horrifying situations that would have me crying in a corner. What I liked about the protagonist, Deuce, is that she was every bit as frightened as I was but managed to draw on her inner strength to face it anyway. I appreciated her ability to adapt to each new situation and think for herself in a society that encourages the opposite.
Overall, the book was fast-paced, creepy as hell, and retained everything I’ve come to love and appreciate about this author. I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes next!
Recommended Reading: this book is perfect for fans of the post-apocalyptic genre – especially those who love zombie stories (for the record, I think good for a couple years in all things zombie). This book is also one that I would feel confident recommending to both men and women, which is a rare find in the heavily “romanced” teen section these days.
Other books you might like:
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- The Bane by Keary Taylor
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- Pure by Julianna Baggott
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- Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne
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- Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Mayberry
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- Partials by Dan Wells
The Obsessive Bookseller 
I’ve seen this book mentioned a lot, but it kind of was lost in flood of zombie books. A realistic, well-developed heroine makes me want to pick it up. That’s my favorite kind of book :)
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Mine too! And I would have to say character development is probably Aguirre’s biggest strength. I hope you like it if you decide to read it. :-)
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I love it when a book is nothing like I have read before :) Great review – Short, sweet and to the point! I can’t say i am a huge Zombie fan, but if the author is a great writer and the story line is good, I’ll definitely give it a shot!
Chanzie @ Mean Who You Are.
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Thank you – I thought about writing more, but it really conveyed everything I wanted it to (plus, I’d raved about this author’s other works in at least four other reviews this year, so I thought I’d give my readers a break lol). Anyway, I am not much for zombies either and didn’t realize what I was getting into before I picked this one up… I think it’s safe to assume I won’t be picking any other zombie books up this year – they grossed me out ha ha. :-)
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This sounds like an interesting start to a series, I think I’ll have to check it out :D
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It’s it is definitely interesting – I hope you end up liking it as much as I did. Story aside, it had a really creepy atmosphere that I haven’t read anywhere else…
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How can I resist a Ann Aguirre novel? Her Jax books helped save my life… and I’m only being slightly over dramatic. Definitely putting this on my reading list. Thanks for the recommendation.
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I don’t know what it is about the Jax books, but they had a profound effect on me as well. As a whole, I think this series might be my least favorite of everything she’s done so far but definitely has all of the elements that make Aguirre amazing. Have you done Perdition yet? I think you might like That one. :-)
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Yes, I loved Perdition. I can’t wait for the next one to come out. Kinda sad I get no more Vel, though. He was my favorite from the Jax books. I wanted her to dump Marsh and go for Vel so badly…
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TOTALLY! Vel was the main reason why I love the series so much – I loved how beautiful their relationship was regardless of the fact that he wasn’t human. Yes, I would definitely have been in favor of that ending!
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