After reading Shady Lady, I was eager to move on to
the other Ann Aguirre novel I had, ENCLAVE, a YA story.
ENCLAVE is promoted as similar to The Hunger Games,
which I've never read. This story was a smidgen slow, but
once it gets going, it is an excellent post-apocalyptic
piece of literature.
The story begins with one girl getting her new name:
Deuce. Ms. Aguirre is awesome at giving us the rough
sketch of the setting, environment, and the way in which
their enclave is run (hence the name), without pages and
pages of detail. The story continues as Deuce tries to find
her
place in the enclave as a Huntress, only to be paired with
the outsider, Fade. They run missions until one day,
someone different crosses their path and changes their
perspective on the enclave, each other and themselves.
From this incident on, Deuce begins to question her life in
the enclave. The story moves quickly after that and not to
give anything away, she and Fade try to make a life for
themselves.
I really liked this story and in fact, whizzed through it.
It was well thought-out, with no holes in the environment
and functioning of the enclave---it all seemed feasible to
me. I liked all the different characters and the
situations they found themselves in. There were no cop-
outs here, no smoke monsters or time travel, just great
plotting with consistent tension. I highly recommend it to
anyone who likes a good YA novel.
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
she 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.
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