Monday, December 30, 2013

Review: Outpost (Razorland #2) by Ann Aguirre

Release date: September 12, 2012
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Pages: 317
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository
Deuce’s whole world has changed.

Down below, she was considered an adult. Now, topside in a town called Salvation, she’s a brat in need of training in the eyes of the townsfolk. She doesn't fit in with the other girls: Deuce only knows how to fight.

To make matters worse, her Hunter partner, Fade, keeps Deuce at a distance. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore. Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out.

Deuce signs up to serve in the summer patrols—those who make sure the planters can work the fields without danger. It should be routine, but things have been changing on the surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks have grown smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it may take a girl like Deuce to turn back the tide.
I honestly didn't remember much of how I felt about Enclave when I started Outpost. It was, gosh, two years ago. I remembered that it had been kind of dark and that I'd liked it enough to want to continue with the series and gave it four stars. I'd meant to pick Outpost up since it came out, but never had. Y'all, I'm so dumb. I almost want to slap myself for missing out on this awesome sequel for over a year. I liked Enclave, but Outpost is a fantastic sequel.

While anyone who had just read Enclave might have resented as much recap as there is in Outpost, it saved me. It got me up to speed quickly and soon I didn't feel like it had been so long since reading the first book. I also very quickly remembered how much I loved Fade and how much I admired Deuce. Fade seems like he'd be so hard, but he's the complete opposite, and only wants someone to love who won't abandon him, as so many have done before. My heart broke for him time and time again. And Deuce! That girl is just the best. I loved seeing how she copes with how different the world around her is, and how she is so keen to learn how the world works. Even as she does not want to change who she is, she wants to understand the people of Salvation and find a place in the settlement she comes to call home.

What's most exciting about this sequel, though, is the development of the Freaks. In Enclave, we saw stirrings of a change within the Freaks, a change that seemed to make them smarter and more thoughtful. That change is far from done and it's absolutely fascinating to see how the Freaks are becoming more and more deadly. I absolutely cannot wait to see how everything comes to a head in Horde.

Even as it fascinated me and got me excited for the finale, Outpost also broke my heart time and time again. I believe I was crying constantly as I read the last fifty to sixty pages. But, I also couldn't help but admire Deuce. I often admire fictional characters, but I think Deuce is the one I admire the most. She's strong because she has to be, not because she really is. So even through my tears and sadness, I'm filled with a fierce love for that girl. Even a world as desolate as theirs has hope so long as people like Deuce are around.

Outpost is a truly excellent sequel that not only rekindled my interest in this series after a long interim, but it made me fall in love with the characters all over again and now has me clamoring for the final novel.

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