Sunday, April 3, 2011

Review: Enclave

ENCLAVE (Razorland #1)
Ann Aguirre
Young Adult/Post-Apocolyptic
259 Pages
Feiwel & Friends
Available April 12th
Received for review as part of a tour through Teen Book Scene

THE STORY
Deuce has always wanted to be a Huntress. Though her pretty looks could also make her a good Breeder, she's never wanted to do anything other than protect and support her enclave by going out in the underground tunnels in which they live and hunting for food. And on the day of her naming, the day she goes from being a mere number to having an actual name and purpose, she achieves her goal.

She is quickly partnered with Fade, a young man not born in the enclave and rumored to have lived Topside for several years before being forced underground. He doesn't seem to like her, or anyone, but they both know they need one another for support against the Freaks–monstrous human-like creatures that lurk in the tunnels waiting for a fresh meal.

Deuce and Fade quickly learn the Freaks are a bigger threat to the enclave than they thought previously, and when they find their closest neighboring enclave has been overrun, they know it won't be long before they're next. Quickly following their report to their superiors however, Deuce and Fade are both exiled Topside, a place where betrayers of the enclave are sent and never thought of again. For Deuce it's the worst punishment she can imagine, a certain death sentence, but with Fade by her side she realizes her entire life has been a lie and now the two of them must navigate their new circumstances together.

MY THOUGHTS
Enclave is a story enveloped in literal and figurative darkness, its pages revealing to us a cruel yet fascinating world set in the bowels of a world we once knew, grim and dank tunnels now the environment best suited for survival after the apocalypse ravaged everything above ground. We are held transfixed by Deuce and her enclave's way of life, as thoroughly in the dark as to the rules and regulations that so rigidly define this new existence as the characters are to the way of life that came before. Our shared curiosity–Deuce and company's for all the small tokens and trinkets that are meager representations of a life lived Topside, and ours for their method of survival–makes us partners in this tale, existing side by side in drastically different realities but breaching the paper-thin barrier between our worlds with our equal interest in the other's quality of life. Though Deuce is unaware of our existence, we feel intimately connected to her as we watch remnants of our current lives pass under her inquisitive gaze, and we can't help but want to share our lives with her, answering her questions as she shares her story with us.

Both she and Fade make it nearly impossible not to be invested in their day to day struggles, their physical strength echoed in the breadth of their mental capacity as their minds are always working and questioning while their bodies move to protect and support the enclave. The fact that touch is forbidden within the enclave structure save for those who are Breeders makes their quiet moments pulse with tension and heightened anticipation, and we anxiously hold our breath as they progress from strangers to hunting partners to exiled friends, and then finally to a potential romantic pair.

Once Fade and Deuce are forced Topside, our already keen interest spikes to a new level as we seem to switch roles with Deuce, her expulsion from the familiar tunnels of her home and her entry into the world above ground startling and unnerving in its difference, but for us it's coming home–back to a world we recognize and inherently understand despite its change in appearance. Reading as small items, creatures, and weather patterns shock and amaze Deuce is exceedingly satisfying, the relationship we formed with her in the tunnels strengthening as she explores our world with the same unhidden interest we possessed in our travels through hers chapters before. Though Topside is familiar to us, we still find ourselves sharing in both Fade and Deuce's enthusiasm and curiosity for uncovering just what happened to the entire population, asking the same questions they desperately want answered as all three of us tread carefully in this new life.

Enclave is the beginning of a spectacular journey, one where we are not just a reader, but a companion to those written in ink on the pages. This story does start a bit stronger than it ends, Fade and Deuce's journey to find a settlement his father mentioned once lulling a bit toward the conclusion of this obvious part one of not-sure-how-many, only to pick back up just as we are faced with the final page. It's not so much a cliffhanger as an abrupt end and, essentially, a "to be continued". Overall though, Enclave is a quick and extremely interesting read, and a journey I will no doubt be continuing.

Rating: 4/5

39 comments:

  1. One of my other blogger friends told me that she thought this would probably be the best book she'd read for the entirety of 2011. That definitely piqued my interest, and combined with your review...well, let's just say that I'm super excited to read Enclave!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great Review and Loved this book and world.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fantastic review. I can't wait to read this book. I've heard so many good things about it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I wasn't interested in Enclave before. Thanks to your review, I am looking forward to reading it once it releases.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Enclave sounds dark, exciting, a little creepy and a great read. I really must get this book!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm glad you liked this one. I have it for review but I really wasn't sure it would be my kinda thing! It has a great trailer! Have you seen it?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow. You make it sound sooo good. Great review as usual darling :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've heard this book was really good .. I'm glad you liked it Jenny !! Thanks for the review !!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love how involved you were with the book. I hope it's that way for me when I read it. I like the way the romance sounds.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Natalie - I really enjoyed the world, I got sucked right in and couldn't stop reading:)

    Julie - Me too, I was really impressed with the world post-apocalypse.

    Cheree - Thank you! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

    Misha - It just has such a different feel from a lot of what I've been reading, it was refreshing:)

    Slowest - It's all of those things for sure! Hope you pick it up:)

    Leanna - I haven't seen the trailer, I'll definitely have to look it up. This is a short read, you'll blow right through it I'm sure:)

    Juju - Thanks sweets! And thanks for grabbing the button:)

    Elodie - It's great. I would have liked a little more of a conclusion, but it was more like a Lord of the Rings situation where things just end and you have to wait to read the next book where things will pick up right where they left off.

    Small - It was hard not to be involved, I had some questions as to how we all got wiped out, but you get little hints and it's just fascinating to see what things survived and how they interest someone that has never seen them before:)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I truly felt like I was part of this world when I was reading Enclave. I haven't even found a good way to describe it yet. Like a movie maybe? It will be a trilogy. Outpost is bk 2 and Hoarde bk 3

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wonderful review! This one sounds so intriguing, although it has an abrupt end? Hmm, I'm not of fan of those, but I'll see if my library gets it in a few weeks :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. It sounds sound pretty dark and grim. I also like the fact that they don't touch which ups the tension between the two. Thanks for the review.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Karen - Exactly like a movie, I felt like I was seeing everything they were seeing and doing, and I loved that about it:) And thanks for the info on books 2 and 3!

    Lea - It does have an abrupt end, like all 3 parts have been written already and she just decided part one was going to end where it did mid-story. It wasn't awful, I just was so interested in the story I didn't want it stop:)

    Jenny - It is dark, but it's fascinating, I couldn't read it fast enough.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dystopian, check
    Ann Aguirre, check
    Result, I want it :D

    ReplyDelete
  16. It was fantastic Jenny, but I read it right after I finished Divergent. So, although I loved Enclave maybe I expected more simply because I was so wowed by Divergent. But it's still an amazing read :P

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm so excited to read this one when it comes out. I've heard a couple of really, really good things about it. I just cannot get enough dystopia. :-P

    ReplyDelete
  18. *jumps up and down* Me want! Me want! Me want!

    I can now blame it on you and this great review! Even though I hate abrupt endings as much as I hate cliffhangers... I still want. Gimmie! *ahem* Sorry about that outburst. I'm better now.

    ReplyDelete
  19. This review makes me a happy gal, Jenny. I need a Dystopian read that quickly pull you in. And the glimpse into the enclave world as well as the familiarity of topside sounds really interesting.

    Also, a glance over at your twitter feed on your sidebar make me crack up. Dog farts are not fun, and I only have one dog's bad farts to deal with. I don't know how you do it to stand two!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Blodeuedd - It's good:)

    Blueicegal - I've heard Divegent is amazing, I can't wait to read that one!

    Liz - Me either, I just love all the different takes on a futuristic society:)

    Melissa - Your outburst is warranted, hope you like it as much as I did!

    Missie - It was really interesting, I can't wait to see what the next couple books have in store. And yes, my day with my gassy dogs has been ridiculous. Seriously have almost passed out twice. Blergh.

    ReplyDelete
  21. As always, your reviews are quite magical! I've been on the Enclave train for some time, and I really can't wait to read it. Thanks for upping the ante for me. :) I absolutely love the name choice for the characters!

    ReplyDelete
  22. sounds like an awesome ride!

    I love Ann Aguirre, so Im looking forward to it!

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  23. This sounds pretty great. I'm not in love with the cover design, but it has a lot of dystopian elements that I like: especially the fixed roles in society, and getting your name as part of a ceremony. It sounds good, I'm glad to hear you thought it was a quick read. That's always a good sign!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Dark good, the darker the book the better and knowing Ann Aguirre's work and loving everything of hers she has written when I get my own copy will love this story too!

    Thanks Jenny have to check and see if I ordered this one yet, I cannot remember but after reading that there is no cliffhanger just an ending that you know transfers into needing to read the next book in the story that is fine with me!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Ash - Thank you sweets:) Her world is amazing, I think you're going to love it!

    Larissa - It certainly is and so do I:)

    Madigan - She packs a lot into a short book and I was entertained the whole time until just before the end, but it was picking back up right when I hit the last page so I can't wait for book 2.

    Jackie - I love her books too, and I was excited to see what she was going to do with a YA book. I'm as big a fan as ever:)

    ReplyDelete
  26. This sounds great, and I thought your review was totally awesome. That sentence about "the details of a life Topside" is the one that really caught me. I'm looking forward to reading this even more that I already was.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Super excited to read this one! The world just sounds incredibly unique... and intense. Every time I read a review for it, I just get so much more excited to read it for myself and your review is no exception!

    ReplyDelete
  28. This sounds awesome especially Deuce and Fade. I am in need of good fast moving dystopian novel. Great review Jenny :)

    ReplyDelete
  29. Super review Jenny!! I cant wait to read this one...its been on my TBR since I saw it. Like always your reviews make me more interested in reading said book... :D

    ReplyDelete
  30. Great review Jenny! I just won an ARC of this book and your review make me excited to read it! I just love dysoptian books :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. What a fantastic, fantastic review. I admit to having seen this book around, but have never really been interested in the book as the cover is not something I find appealing (yes, yes, I know - how horrible of me to judge a book by its cover)!

    But, I'm ready to completely change my mind and give this book a chance. The world you describe sounds gripping, intense and like something I've never ever heard before - which definitely serves to add to my growing curiosity. I'll be adding this to my TBR pile - that's for sure!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Sounds fascinating. I'll have to look more into it. It reminds me of Incarceron, even though the plot is totally different.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Enclave is one of the books I am anxious to read...now even more so after reading your fantastic review. It really sounds like an exciting new dystopian world that will have me turning pages to find out what happens next.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I don't even think this is on my tbr list...I'm going to have to check! Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  35. I really had no interest in yet another dystopian novel, but you've swayed me to the D side on the one. I'm preordering it now despite my 3stacks of TBR. I'm telling my husband it's your fault. And Ann Aguirre's.

    Heather

    ReplyDelete
  36. I really liked the trailer for this one and hoped that the book would be just as interesting. It's good to see that you get really invested in the characters and that the romance between Deuce and Fade develops slowly.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Really looking forward to this one! Glad you enjoyed it!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Really good review! I'm looking forward to this one and reading this has only made me more eager. New Follower!

    ReplyDelete