Book Review #12 Enclave

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.

* The Break Down:

Lets just start by staying, I'm kicking myself HARD for not reading Enclave before this moment in my life and sadly it was published April 12th 2011. Personally I always over looked it thinking "next time"

Well guess what people; Three years later and here we are.

So I apologize to those who are reading this post 3 years too late but I seriously couldn’t give up the chance to review this.

I kept hearing about this book and was excited to read it, but did not really know what to expect when I finally got my own copy. I have never read about a post apocalyptic plot BUT dystopian societies always have fascinate me, so I began the book hoping for the best.

To start the novel, we have a kick-ass heroine, who barren lands- into a society where the odds of survival are slim to none, then you throw in terrifying creatures, plus, the unlikely romance between Deuce and Fade (fierce and skilled in his own right), add even more flames and WAH BAM you have Enclave.

Enclave is told from Deuce’s eyes, a girl who has just been given a name and the job she has always wanted:  A Huntress.  What does this mean?  Well, she goes out and hunts the “Freaks” which are basically zombies.  Flesh eating, body rotting, foul creatures that sole purpose seems to be eating humans and anything else that contains meat, even their own dead.  Yumm.

Oh and to make things better, after a series of events Deuce and Fade is extruded from the Enclaves protected and is forced to live on "Topside" where everything is foreign she must learn to survive in a world that had always been a camp-fire legend.

The characters in Enclave were so distinct, each having lucid voice. Deuce and Fade are both strong willed characters that do not get along right off the bat, for obvious reasons.  Fade is from the outside and does not just follow blindly where as Deuce does.  

As the books dimensions grow there is a budding romance that develops in the background, but it does not dominate the story which I appreciated.  I enjoyed the slow development of their dependency on each other, it made the relationship feel more genuine and believable.

The world of the Enclave is absolutely terrifying, I can only imagine what the next book has in store for these survivors, located in a deadly setting such as Razor land, reader are sure to be hooked!