Enclave by Ann Aguirre

259 pages

"In Deuce's world, an enclave deep underground, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed 'brat' has trained to join 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 the ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She's worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing's going to stop her, not even a brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce's troubles are just beginning.

Fade doesn't like following orders. Deuce has never known a boy like him before, someone as likely to touch her gently as use his knives with feral grace. As Deuce's perception shifts, so does the balance in the battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat due to their sheer numbers, now show signs of cunning and even strategy...but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. No matter how hard she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she's ever known." -Dust Jacket

I used to not re-read previous books in a series when a sequel came out, but I've found that the sequels are so much more enjoyable when I do. You tend to forget things in a year. Plus, with these kinds of books you tend to rush through them the firs time because there's so much action that you can't put it down, but in reading that way you miss a lot of the more subtler parts of the story. That was exactly the case with this book. Deuce is a great character. She's strong and brave. She's trained her whole life for one purpose and she's been taught that being emotional is weak. To protect her enclave, she has to be able to kill without thinking and do what she's told. Fade, on the other hand, has not grown up in the enclave and has been conscripted into the Hunters. His choice: fight or die. The enclave is not compassionate; they do what must be done in order to survive. The elders (men in their 20's) make decisions that they feel is best for the enclave, but Deuce begins to see that their decisions are not always just or right.

I have three favorite dystopian series that are all pretty-much tied for top spot: The Hunger Games, Divergent, and this, the Razorland series. Ann Aguirre has created a great dystopian world that's both horrifying and hopeful at the same time.

{SPOILERS}

After being praised by the enclave for acts of bravery, Deuce stands up for a friend who she feels is being framed for something he didn't do and gets herself exiled in his place. Not realizing what she's done for him, Stone shuns her along with the rest of the enclave. She is forced to leave the only home she's ever known, but she doesn't go alone. Fade leaves with her. Together they brave Topside where Fade spent the first nine years of his life. Deuce has been told stories about life Topside and made to fear it. Slowly she comes to realize that not everything she has taught is true. But life Topside is just as brutal as life underground. Topside there are gangs that are violent and territorial and that don't treat girls kindly. Fade and Deuce try to sneak through the city without being noticed, but eventually they are caught by Stalker and his gang of wolves, as they call themselves. Deuce is taken as a breeder and hunting Fade becomes the sport of the day. They cut him and then release him. Deuce escapes with the help of another girl named Tegan. Tegan has been abused by the gang and wants to go with Deuce. Together they find Fade and take out a bunch of Stalker's gang.

They find an old friend of Fade's who shows them maps that lead to the library. Deuce wants answers and Fade has said he thinks she can find them there. Unbeknownst to them, Stalker has been tracking them. At the library, they are ambushed by Freaks. Stalker and his gang have not encountered them before and Stalker loses all the guys he's brought with him in the fight. Tegan is wounded and so is Deuce. Fade, Deuce, Tegan and Stalker head north, following a story of Fade's father that people escaped north. Things get bad for them in the forest. Tegan can't walk and Deuce's injuries (which she hides) are in need of treatment. While suffering from fever and infection, Deuce has a dream in which Silk (her old Hunter trainer) appears to her and tells her that the enclave has been overrun by Freaks and she's the last Huntress. Silk tells her to keep the campfire alive no matter what. The fire eventually leads a man named Longshot to them who then takes them to the safe haven of Salvation.