By: Ann Aguirre
Format: Hardcover, 259 Pages
Published: April 12, 2011; Feiwel & Friends
Source: ARC from Publisher
Challenges: 2011 Dystopia Challenge
Synopsis (from Goodreads): 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.
My Review: I had been anticipating this book since it had a different cover and title back almost a year ago, and was beyond excited when this one showed up on my door. I'm still riding the dystopian wave and loving it.
Deuce was a great main character that will join the ranks of Katniss, Saba (from the recently reviewed Blood Red Road), and other kick-butt heroins of dystopian fiction. She has a fierceness and intensity about her chosen role as huntress, but at the same time it's very evident that she relies on that identity to survive. When that role is challenged, Deuce really struggles with who she is and where she fits in her community.
Deuce's world is all underground. Thanks to the generations before her, it's no longer safe to live above ground, so there are civilizations that live in the darkness of the tunnels and subsist solely on hunting for food and fighting off the zombie-like freaks. So, with a description like that, you can imagine that the story is very violent and gritty. Descriptions of impaling and killing freaks made me cringe and feel rather icky at times, but it did add to the story.
So, I was really loving the book until I hit about mid-way, when the direction started to change. Once Fade and Deuce become banished and begin their own journey, I thought a lot of the elements of the story that I liked started to fall apart. The bizarre love triangle between Deuce, Fade, and would-be attacker/forced husband didn't work for me. And their journey seemed more like a set-up for future books rather than a complete story just for this book.
But, overall, it was an exciting book that I'll highly recommend to those that like zombies and the apocalypse. There was a lot to like about this book, and I'll eagerly pick up the next one in the series.
My Rating:
