Hardcover, 259 pages
Published April 12th 2011 by Feiwel & Friends
WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE 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. – Goodreads
My Opinion: I really really really liked this. It reminded me of Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield and also of Resident Evil. It has a lot of action and the characters are fantastic. Duece is awesome and so is Fade. They have a really amazing partnership and I’m surprised that they didn’t get together. Stalker and Tegan were also interesting characters but I think that Fade was my favorite just from the little history that is kept a history. My second favorite was a tie between Duece and Silk. Silk is supposed to be a leader for the Hunters but she can also tell when the leaders of the Enclave are doing something and she doesn’t speak up because she knows that if she does… they will exile her and she wont be able to protect them anymore.
Something that really confused me was that after they meet with the Gangs and are in the city they find out that the Enclaves underground are called colleges and they stop calling it the Enclave and it becomes known as the College. That confused me a little, and then I got a little mad because Enclave sounded so much cooler than College, but whatever that was just my little rant. Anyways, the world was similar to the world of Aftertime. There are both these mutant Freak people a.k.a Zombies that have been made that way after a “disease”(or is it?) hit sometime ago. I’m not exactly sure as to where the book’s setting actually is but my guess would be somewhere in or near New York.
The plot was pretty cool as well. Duece changes a lot. She learns to not follow blindly and to protect better and learn more about her partner. Overall it was a fun and easy read that was quite enjoyable and action packed. You wont want to put it down!
Overall: 5 out of 5
loved this one too. i liked how the characters grow and continue to grow in their new environment. haven't read Aftertime... yet.
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