Enclave (Razorland, #1)

by Ann Aguirre

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--guided by Fade's long-ago memories--in the ruins of a city whose population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs.

Ann Aguirre's thrilling young adult novel is the story of two young people in an apocalyptic world--facing dangers, and feelings, unlike any they've ever known.

• ISBN10: 0312551371
• ISBN13: 9780312551377
• Publish Date: 7 August 2012 (first published 12 April 2011)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

There are pluses and minuses to listening to audiobooks. In the case of Enclave I think I would enjoy this better in paperback than audio. Emily Bauer’s narration is high-pitched and adds a childishness to the story that made me cringe a bit. Like The City of Ember and The Giver, this is an interesting dystopia led by children. The world is rich and fascinating, but the childish edge makes it easy to disregard. So, unless you’re passing this forward to a middle grade reader, I’d strongly suggest the book over the audiobook.

Even though the dystopia genre is a bit tired, I still enjoy this style of novel. The post-apocalyptic world challenges humanity – how will they survive? The normal pattern is show one group of survivors, and then a few stragglers find another group far better off. In many ways, there’s nothing new to see in Enclave. The standard dystopia worldbuilding tropes still apply. That said? Don’t mess with a good thing. Tropes may be used and reused, but they’re still good when they’re done well… and Enclave is done well.

In a genre without many surprises, it becomes imperative that either the characters or plot pick up the slack. In the case of Enclave, I’d say it’s the characters. There’s a feel to the group that is reminiscent of The Darkest Minds – that familiar, but a well-loved feel of a mismatched group with a common need for survival who learn to trust one another. I love that in Enclave, we get to watch all four of them come together and learn to trust, slowly adding to the number through the book. It’s nice to get to know one character fully before adding the next, and when I think on it… I can’t remember the last time I’ve read a book with a gradual build of characters… and I really liked it.

This was a relatively fast-paced book. On one hand, that’s a good thing because it holds your attention. On the other hand… I think it only worked because so much of this world was already familiar to those who read dystopia. Events rolled out really quickly, and characters resolved their differences too quickly to feel, strictly, realistic. I will admit that if you aren’t closely analyzing the book (ah, joys of being a book blogger!) you may not notice this.

As far as the storyline goes – again – nothing particularly unique here. This is a set up book and there are shades of all the books I’ve already mentioned, plus Station Eleven and a little bit of a LIFEL1K3 feel. This book, much like the others, involves the loss of faith in ones society and making way into the greater unknown in search for some sort of answers. This is a recycled plot, but like the worldbuilding, there’s nothing wrong with this trope, as long as it’s done well. And it is – the pacing and characters help.

I know that all in all, I appears I’m shrugging Enclave off as “not that great” because it lacks originality. That would be unfair. Despite not having a “Dazzling New Plot” or “Unique Twist on the World”… it’s still a good book! Sometimes familiar stories are the best ones, and I would like to see where Ann Aguirre goes with this cast. If you’re a fan of dystopia, and prefer a story without romance getting in the way (all too common for this genre!) I definitely suggest giving Enclave a try!

Somehow my rating and review for this book was lost. Since I read it years ago, my review isn't going to be as detailed as before.

I remember liking the book and it was an easy read. I did like the main character, she wasn't annoying at all. She's strong and a fighter. I like the direction the book took and seeing the journey and the hardships that Deuce gets past.

I remember where the book left off and I liked it, it was a good ending and a good way to start the next book.

There is tons of young adult dystopian novels out these days and if anybody is looking for something new to read, I would pick this one.

[inlibrisveritas]

It took forever for me to finally get around to reading this one but I’m glad I finally got to it. Enclave is a delightful tale of post-apocalyptic survival that puts a magnifying glass on the human condition.

I really love the world that Aguirre created. It’s a mere shell of what we know, with flesh eating monsters that hid in the dark and people who live in a much simpler and primitive way. I loved the way the groups of humans learned to live underground where there are fewer sources of food and danger lurking everywhere. It was kind of tough to swallow the way the divided people into groups, but it really worked and it made complete sense for there to be Breeders, Hunters and Builders. Three groups that made the foundation of their society. At the same time it’s really easy to see the flaws that most of the people can’t see, like the lack of knowledge and the lack of true happiness. We don’t get too see a lot of topside society in this book, but I’m really looking forward to seeing how well Deuce deals with the difference.

Deuce is a seriously tough girl to begin with and she starts off kind of mechanical, doing what needs to be done and feeling uncomfortable with any ideas that go against what she’s come to know. However she is kind of forced to open her eyes and because of that she grows as a person, she starts becoming more of a human. She grows into a girl who isn’t as confident as she normally is but she gains real emotions and real feelings, she develops empathy and learns when disagree with authority. Part of the reason her eyes are opened is because of Fade, the mysterious ‘outsider’ that lived in her colony and became her hunting partner. He’s always been different than the other people in her colony because he didn’t grow up with them and because of that he sets himself apart. He’s a fierce fighter but as the book continues forward we get to see that he has far more humanity than most people Deuce knows. He challenges her to become stronger while at the same time making her break down the walls and feel what’s happening around her. It’s a really interesting juxtaposition for his character that I think really works. We get to meet some really interesting people along the way like Striker, who is a really rough character that I ended really hating. He made my skin crawl to be honest, but I like the way his character started to develop despite the short period we get to know him. I look forward to seeing how he turns out in book two.

Overall I really love Aguirre’s writing and the world that she’s created, along with the really strong characters that she’s created. I’ve seen some people say it has a love triangle but I really didn’t see it that way, so if you’ve been hesitant because of that I wouldn’t put too much stock in it. Deuce barely understands love, it’s kind of ridiculous to think she could juggle two guys. At any rate I’m really looking forward to reading Outpost!

[Kelly]

I love, love LUUUURVED this book. It was all kinds of awesome, wrapped up with a couple of kick ass characters.

Review originally posted at Simply Adrift.

One thing I have to say about Enclave is: I have not read anything like it. Ever. Therefore, this was one epic read!

The Apocalypse? Check!

Deuce lives in the Enclave, which is one of the village’s tunnels underground. The Enclave is surrounded by barricades used to protect the people from the Freaks, the Hunters guard it day and night. The Freaks are mindless creatures that are driven to madness by starvation, they only eat flesh. They resemble humans yet they have rows of sharp teeth used to tear meat and flesh apart and their eyes aren’t quite right. They eat any meat they can get their hands on, including their own kind. They hunt  by smelling blood, they are drawn into it and go into a crazy frenzy when they come near fresh meat.

The Enclave is lucky, their settlement includes a constant small stream of fresh water, the only light is the light from their wooden torches which causes the air to continuously be smoky, the hunters set traps for their food and they are the only ones allowed to venture out into the blackness. Whether it be to do their rounds of traps for food or to take a trading party to Nassau, one of the other underground villages three days trek away.

No one else is allowed to leave beyond the barricades for their own safety from the Freaks. No one dares to go Topside which is said to have water and light that burns flesh off of bone. But those that break the strict rules of the law that have been set for everyone’s safety are banished from the Enclave and forced to protect their own.

Deuce has been training to be a hunter all her life, on her naming day she’s proud to get the six burn marks that represent she is a huntress. As her hunting partner she ends up being paired with Fade, the outsider that was found alone out in the tunnel’s a few years back. Fending off Freaks by himself. The Enclave brought him in but he never truly ever tried to belong, and so he has mostly been treated like an outsider. Deuce is a little disappointed at the turn out but doesn’t question it. She is finally a hunter after all, now she will be respected just like all the other hunters.

Originality? Check!

I loved that names of things weren’t names that we call them, in the enclave children were called brats, ‘children’ wasn’t even a word. Sex was called breeding: “They will try and breed you.” were said. Then there was the fact that these words were only used for the people of the Enclave. Other words were used for the different branches of people.

I loved that there were different ‘branches’ of humans that looked different or lived different because they were brought up in a completely different way. Yet they spoke English except, perhaps with an accent. I even loved that there were different evolution's of Freaks. It made everything so much more interesting and layered.

I loved this whole plot.

Fast-paced action? Check!

I loved how excited I felt when I read this book. The freaks scared me, in a really thrilling and exciting way. The fighting scenes had me holding my breath. The must-know-what-happens-next train of thought kept me awake till the early hours of the morning every night until I was able to finish this book. There was so much going on but it was extremely exciting getting to see the vastly different world through Deuce’s eyes.

Must read next books now? CHECK!

Overall I really loved this book, although I do have to say that it took me a large portion of the book to get used to the minimalist style of writing.

Enclave had me wanting more, more, more. It was exciting, thrilling and had me holding my breath from beginning to end!

I definitely recommend this book if you like dystopian, post apocalyptic stores, zombies (Although technically the 'freaks' aren't zombies, they still eat human flesh however), survival stories and the minimalist style of writing.

Always,
Jordon

This review was originally posted on Simply Adrift

[Amanda]

Original review: http://onabookbender.com/2012/01/30/review-enclave-by-ann-aguirre/

Despite my lukewarm feelings toward zombie post-apocalyptic books, I felt that Enclave is part dystopian as well, and I think, for me at least, this is what makes it stand above other zombie books I have read in the past. And, of course, they are not zombies, but Freaks. The characters don’t seem to know much about the Freaks, and I found this both frustrating and exciting/scary. It took me a few chapters to get into the book, but once I did, it was difficult to put down. Once Deuce became a Hunter and got paired with Fade, things started getting interesting.

Other than a questionable name (I think I just spend too much time around guys), I liked Deuce’s character. Because of certain events that happen in the book, there was a period of adjustment that Deuce had to go through, and I think it was handled very well; it was both believable and stayed true to Deuce’s personality. And, for that, I was happy, because I have seen transitions in other books where the adjustment period was less than believable. I loved Fade, but I also felt a larger connection with him in the first part of Enclave. There were other things going on towards the second half of Enclave and it seemed like Fade took a backseat. I hope that changes in Outpost.

While the world building was vivid and real, the reasons for why the world the way it is is still unclear. This, in addition to the connection with the characters, makes me want to continue with the series. I want to know what happened. I am also very curious about the enclave and how that society came about. We don’t really learn much about its origins other than through Deuce’s beliefs and the society’s rules.