Ann AguirreOutpost (The Razorland Trilogy, 2)

Title: OutpostAuthor: Ann AguirreRating: 4.5 StarsMy ReviewThis may be my last review for quite a while. I have too much on my plate and may even have to cut back on writing for a while, but definitely can't keep reading and reviewing like I'd like to. That's ok, though, because this is a great "last gasp" before I take a break.I really loved the first book in this trilogy, Enclave. If you haven't read it, go DO it! (But be warned it is a zombie book, but more on this later.) It features a kick-butt female MC, a ton of zombie-butt-kicking action, and a nice romance to boot.Outpost picks up where Enclave left off. Deuce, Fade, Stalker, and Tegan have arrived at a safe haven aboveground: a settlement named Salvation. For a short time, they get to settle into the relative safety of others' protection. Except, that "settling" isn't really in any of their natures anymore, least of all Deuce.She finds herself completely out of place in a society that is a conservative religious throwback. They want her to wear skirts and be quiet and listen to men and know her place. Riiiiiiiiiiiiight. That's not really going to work out for a Huntress. Being a Huntress is all Deuce knows and her daggers, worn strapped to her thighs (like Sara's), are as much a part of her as her own hands. She feels naked without them. In fact, you find out later that she sometimes wears her own clothes and daggers beneath her skirts (there is a funny tie to my WIP on this actually, couldn't believe it when I read it). She struggles to fit in and feels distanced from the other three in her little "group," well, except for Stalker.I know a lot of people didn't like Stalker, and I don't blame them, but I did. I think I saw where Aguirre was going with him. When Deuce teaches him to read (though she's not that good at it herself) in Enclave, you see the broken boy who grew up fighting to survive amongst slavering wolves. Was he a completely reprehensible human being who allowed Tegan (and others) to be raped and beaten? Yes. Was that the world that he knew and Tegan's ultimate fate whether it was his gang or another? Yes. The world that they all live in is horribly broken and any semblance of humanity is stripped away.That is why Deuce and Stalker feel so out of place in Salvation. They've never known kindness. They've never known family. Even Fade (whose situation in Salvation is complicated), has had a better life at some point. He remembers having loving parents, as does Tegan. So fitting back into a society with families is a little more comfortable for them. All Deuce and Stalker know how to do is be incredibly frightening.Fade - Sigh. Fade, Fade, Fade. He's a weird combination of strong and weak. He allows himself to really feel his emotions in ways that Stalker and Deuce kind of...don't. And so he's something of a wreck a lot of the time. He's in love with Deuce still, but believes her to be in love with Stalker (or at least hooking up with him, which she's not despite Stalker's love for her). Deuce thinks he likes Tegan, but she's wrong. He doesn't come to her and straighten it out because he's an IDIOT! (Sorry, mad at Fade there for a minute. Deuce is always honest and all he had to do was ask, but Noooooooooo, he got all mooney and wouldn't talk to her and wouldn't explain himself.)Of course, it gets straightened out. Sort of. The love triangle (and it is a bit of a triangle) got a little bit tiring in this one. Just a tad. That's one reason why I didn't give 5 stars. There came a point when I was like, oh for goodness' sakes...work it out already. It mostly is worked out in Outpost. Mostly.Salvation - This is one of the only reasons I didn't give 5 stars as well. I mostly "got" Salvation, but I think I didn't really understand the seriousness of their conservatism. Aguirre says in the end that they're descended from the Amish, but I didn't get THAT old-fashioned a vibe from them for some odd reason. I guess because the whole world is destroyed and everyone has no electricity or communication, and has to farm and hunt...I guess I just saw them as pretty conservative and survivalists, but I didn't really get that they were THAT restrictive. Not sure why I didn't totally get that because you do see the conservatism, particularly in relationship to women. I just thought it was kind of that attitude because so much of the world now required physical strength...like people just fell back into old roles in that way. Men are strong, women keep the house and raise the kids. I mean, without the society we have with white-collar jobs, there would be some of this natural parsing again anyway. Men do the strong stuff, women do other stuff. It's not until the end that I REALLY understood that this was a FAITH, not sort of a cultural thing.The MUTIES! - The people of Salvation do not call the zombies "Freaks" as Deuce does, they call them MUTIES, which is foreshadowing that Aguirre tells you more about at the end of the book. I think she's parsing hairs on this one (zombies vs. mutants), but that's ok with me. They are SO much more frightening in this book. They've evolved at levels and in ways that Deuce could never have imagined and there is a moment at the end (no spoiler) when you'll just about drop the book (or your phone in my case) in surprise. I like the tension building as you grow increasingly frightened of them. If you thought Deuce and her compatriots were safe and sound inside Salvation, you have another think coming.Deuce - I LOVE her. I just love her. She upsets every apple cart she can get her hands on without even meaning to...she's just being herself. The society believes that women shouldn't be like her at all and though she tries to fit in a bit, ultimately she knows she's better at defending Salvation from the Muties than most of the men (and a million times braver too). She pushes them to let her fight, pushes them to fight themselves, and eventually, pushes them all too far. Fortunately for the people of Salvation, over time she's come to let down her guard and develop deep and meaningful relationships with some of them, and she doesn't want to see them be overrun and killed. So she fights like mad, puts herself in danger over and over again, and ultimately accepts a mission that will determine the entire fate of Salvation in the end.Outpost has twists and turns, deepening of the key characters, and a ton of great action. I've been waiting excitedly for it and I wasn't disappointed. I am really jazzed up to read the next one.

[...]Reading a good book is just like being whisked away to a whole other world, full of adventure and romance and goodies you can't seem to tear yourself away from. With all the college craziness going on in your typical senior's life, an awesome book is something of a magic portal. Seriously, I think it's the one thing that helped keep me sane these last few months! "Outpost", the sequel of Ann Aguirre's riveting "Enclave", helped me do just this, and I could crawl into Deuce's skin and enjoy being free (or as free as she can be, given her circumstances!). Though I--and Deuce!--had to face flesh-eating Freaks besieging your foster hometown, threatening to kill and devour everyone you've grown to care about into shreds. But hey, beggars can't be choosers, right?Deuce's whole world has changed. Not only is she the odd one out in the ultra-conservative town of Salvation, being far from a feminine young lady a girl ought to be, but her hunting partner Fade is keeping her at a distance. Her feelings for Fade haven't changed, but his cold attitude confuses and hurts her. Frustrated, Deuce jumps at the chance to join the summer patrol, protecting the planters from the Freaks. But the Freaks are changing, watching, waiting and becoming smarter and smarter as the days pass. Salvation can't survive for much longer, and it may take a girl just like Deuce to save them all.There's really not much that can beat a kick-ass heroine. Being exiled from the only home you've known? No biggie. Annoying conservatives who viciously blame you for all their troubles? Piece of cake. Cutting down flesh-eating mutants? All manageable! Deuce is such a likable character because she's strong, determined and just plain kicks butt, but at the same time is compassionate and righteous. You just cheer for her whenever she bests a bad guy, and reach out to her when she's feeling hurt or angry or sorrowful. Deuce's narrative voice remains engaging throughout the entire story, and I became so invested in her that I almost felt like I became her. Such a compelling narrator is crucial to any novel, and Deuce was what really drove the events and the emotions throughout "Outpost".Another thing that blew me away and warmed the cockles of my heart was the relationship between Deuce and Fade. The nuances and complexities of their romance made it all the more believable, and there were incredibly sweet moments that made me long for something just what the two have between them. Nothing was too cloying, but was so realistic that you can't help but become invested in their romance. I liked the way their relationship developed both throughout and since "Enclave", and in "Outpost", Ms. Aguirre weaves in layers to their relationship that just fascinated me as I saw their romance morph into something so beautifully real.The other characters in the novel are diverse and distinct in their own ways. I loved Momma Oaks and Edmund so much. They make the perfect foster parents for the battle-hardened Deuce, and the ways they each showed her what familial love in their own ways is were sweet and endearing. Deuce's developing love for her foster family also added to their relationship as well. As for Stalker, I liked how he added a little bit of tension for Deuce and Fade's relationship, but at the same time so, so, so thankful to Ms. Aguirre that she didn't turn it into a typical love triangle where Deuce is confused between the two boys and ends up unwittingly playing with both of them. Please, please don't change that in the next book, Ms. Aguirre!The storyline of the novel was compelling and fast-paced throughout the entire novel, even when, in retrospect, some parts don't seem like they're action-packed (not complaining--every story needs some breathing time!). Which just goes to show how fun "Outpost" was to read--I swear I devoured it in a day, tops! My one complaint is that the climax could've been a little more climax-y. It just felt like it was over pretty quickly. Other than that, though, I was hooked.Overall, "Outpost" is an extremely compelling, wonderful sequel that makes me want to crawl in between the covers and just live with Deuce and Fade. It's a definite must-read for lovers of romance, action or kick-ass characters. And if you haven't read "Enclave" yet, what are you doing still staring at the screen? Get at it!Rating: 5/5

My friend and I had been waiting for this book for months! Ms. Aguirre did not let us down.I found the relationship between all the characters heartwarming and at times heart wrenching. But they have been through such a lot at a young age that I could understand why they were acting the way they were as none of them were above the age of 18, yet they had seen and done a lot more than the people at Salvation.It's worth every penny I spent on it!Looking forward to Horde! I know it will be totally different than I imagine but will still be amazing!I have and will keep promoting this series to everyone I know :)

My 13year old son has really enjoyed this series and is looking forward to reading books from this author again

Great reading, exciting story, leaves nothing to the imagination

great

Very good, I recommend reading.