Enclave by Ann Aguirre

Enclave by Ann Aguirre is book one in the Razorland series. I was really looking forward to getting into this, and since it was sold out at every Barnes and Nobles around I thought that was a good sign when I had to order it offline. Turns out I was wrong. I think Ann Aguirre is a very gifted and talented writer but she just isn't the writer for me. That being said on to the review....

New York City has been decimated by war and plague, and most of civilization has taken to living in underground enclaves, where the life expectancy is no more than the early 20's. The main character is name Deuce, yes Deuce.... She gets this name in a naming ceremony where the towns people gather around, place a bunch of rando items in front of you, cut your arms a bunch of time, and then whatever you bleed on first is your new name. (This is really where the problem started for me.) 

I wont lie the whole book I kept calling her Douche. Douche also has some interesting friends, Stone and Thimble. Stone has sex for a living and Thimble builds things. You'd think as her bff4ls that they would play an important part of this story; turns out they really don't. The story could have worked even without them.
Anyway...

After her naming ceremony Deuce becomes a "huntress". Basically she runs around the underground enclaves killing "freaks" and hunting down other communities. She is partnered up with the not so mysterious boy Fade. Fade just is conveniently the only person the community has ever let live with them that wasn't born into their group... Color me shocked when we discovered that he's from "topside". A place where people who break the rules are banished too... Yeah I bet you can already guess where this story's going......

*plays jeopardy music*

Yes; What is Fade and Douche are banished is the correct answer.

After being banished for the most predictable reason ever Fade and Deuce head topside. Fade pretty much remembers his way around town; which I also find very odd. I can't even remember where I park my car half the time but this kid hasn't been topside in like a decade and he just know where everything is. While topside they run into rape gangs, find a library where they do some light reading, pick up some chick, fight some gangs, find another chick that ALSO conveniently is still around from Fade's topside days, they go north to get help, run into some trouble, so on and so bored... To me this story was lacking so major bones. 

Oh and a not so spoiler, spoiler the sudden introduction of an inconceivable love interest happens way too late into this book so now the story is suffering from a terrible case of the love triangle. The action scenes are lacking along with the heroine who is physically capable of kicking butt; but who lacks all emotional depth. Le Sigh this book just let me so down and had me wondering if I had even read the same book everyone else did.

Giving this read a generous 

3.5/10 Stars 

-Angela