Audio Book Review: Enclave by Ann Aguirre

Published: April 12th 2011 By: Macmillan Audio

Genres: Young-Adult, Post-Apocalyptic, Horror, Dystopia, Science-Fiction

Format: Audio Unabridged: Emily Bauer – narrator (7 hrs. 53 mins.) Source: Library My Rating: 4 Stars

Find It: Goodreads || Amazon || TBD

New York City has been decimated by war and plague, and most of civilization has migrated to underground enclaves, where life expectancy is no more than the early 20’s. When Deuce turns 15, she takes on her role as a Huntress, and is paired with Fade, a teenage Hunter who lived Topside as a young boy. When she and Fade discover that the neighboring enclave has been decimated by the tunnel monsters–or Freaks–who seem to be growing more organized, the elders refuse to listen to warnings. And when Deuce and Fade are exiled from the enclave, the girl born in darkness must survive in daylight–guided by Fade’s long-ago memories–in the ruins of a city whose population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs.

Ann Aguirre’s thrilling young adult novel is the story of two young people in an apocalyptic world–facing dangers, and feelings, unlike any they’ve ever known.

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REVIEW

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I grabbed this from my library. Sure, I’ve wanted to read it for years, but it just fell through the cracks. What’s sad is that I have a paperback copy on my shelf and didn’t feel like picking it up. The good thing is that I got to listen to this while doing housework or cooking, so I got done faster than if I had read the physical book. God bless audio books!

You can pretty much guess the plot for this book, as it screams Population Control and hidden truths. With this first book of the series, I have to say that I am sold on it so far. It’s like The Walking Dead and a mixture of some popular dystopia series. And while I think fans of The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games may enjoy this, it is very different. This book gave hardly any back history for society and why the world went kaboom. I love that it’s set in one of the biggest cities in the world, New York. And the ways of the people have been reduced back to the Stone Age it seems. I hate caveman mentalities, just so you know.

 Deuce Deuce (actually one D but I started calling her DD because I think she’s kind of badaxx) turns 15 and everything she’s trained for is about to happen. Not only does she become a huntress, but she gets to not be called a brat and gets to move into her own digs. The thing is, the leaders of this Enclave want their hunters to feel no remorse for killing and providing food for the people. You can’t have a warm heart if you want to remain a citizen of College. If you are a weakness to the tribe, you will be exiled or killed. I hate that there are babies being born with deformities and the leader sees them as a hindrance, and they are killed. Yes, that’s so sick! You are either hunting for food, making babies, or building something. Hunter – Breeder – Builder, that’s it. 

Fade is one of the characters I liked, aside from Deuce. He’s the outsider, new to the tribe, so he still has to earn respect. It’s no wonder that he is paired with Deuce as a hunting partner. Killing freaks and food is what they do. Then the freaks start to get smarter and everything changes. I didn’t like how the leaders didn’t take Deuce and Fade seriously about the danger. I wouldn’t call the freaks walkers, though they’re pretty close. No, these diseased, once human, beings are actually pretty smart in terms of tactics. When’s the last time you’ve seen zombies getting smarter?

The narrator actually worked this time for me. And I noticed that female narrators have worked for me in the past with audio books. There is just something about male mimicking females that irks me, but female narrators always get the males voices right. I think that helped me to enjoy this and keep up with what was going on. Lots more going on here, but there is still much to learn about this world. I definitely recommend this book to dystopia and post-apocalyptic lovers.