Review: Vanguard - Ann Aguirre

The voyage of a lifetime awaits.

Since the war ended, Tegan has dreamed of an epic journey, so when she has the opportunity to sign on as ship’s doctor, she can’t wait. It’s past time to chart her course. Millie Faraday, the kindest girl in the free territories, also yearns to outrun her reputation, and warrior-poet James Morrow would follow Tegan to the ends of the earth.

Their company seems set, but fate brings one more to their number. Tegan will battle incredible odds while aiding Szarok, the Uroch vanguard, who has ventured forth to save his people. Szarok is strange and beautiful, like a flower that blooms only in the dark. She shouldn’t allow him close, as such a relationship is both alien and forbidden. But through stormy seas and strange lands, she will become stronger than she ever knew.

Adventures almost never go according to plan, and when Tegan understands what her heart truly wants, it might change her life forever…

Razorland Series:
Foundation (Free short story on the Tor website)
Enclave
Endurance (Novella)
Outpost
Restoration (Free short story on the MacMillan website)
Horde
Vanguard

Visit Ann Aguirre's website for more information

Review:
I was really looking forward to reading Tegan's story but I have to admit I was a little wary when I realised it was going to involve a romance between her and the Uroch vanguard Szarok. I'd been rooting for her and James in the earlier books so I was disappointed to see my ship sinking and to be honest I just couldn't see how I'd be able to get on board with a relationship between a human and one of the uroch, it wasn't something I could quite get my head around! I'm very happy to say that Ann Aguirre totally proved me wrong with Vanguard though and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Tegan has saw the worst of what humanity has to offer before she was rescued by Deuce and Fade and although her life has changed dramatically since then and her training as a healer has brought her a great amount of respect she's still wary of people in general and men in particular which is completely understandable. She has a great sense of right and wrong though and in spite of everything she's been through she's incredibly compassionate and caring so it shouldn't be much of a surprise when she automatically connects with Szarok after seeing him being ostracised by the people around her. She understands exactly what the uroch risked when they chose to help humanity and she's angry for the way he is treated now that they are asking for help in return. I don't want to go into too much detail but I loved the slow build of their relationship, the way they gradually let their guards down around each other and learn to trust and the slowly growing friendship that blossoms into a very unlikely attraction. They were so sweet together and it didn't take long for me to start rooting for the pair of them.

I also found it incredibly interesting to see how the world was being put back together after the big battle. We get a chance to catch up with a lot of the previous characters which was nice but it was definitely Tegan and Szarok who were the stars of this book. James has a story of his own which I enjoyed but I have to admit I wasn't as invested what was happening with him even though I liked Millie too. This was a fitting end to the series, it tied up a lot of loose ends and gave us a good idea about what life would be like for humanity and the uroch in the future and I'm very glad we got this chance to revisit the world Ann Aguirre has created.

Source: I was given a signed copy from the author.

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Review: Horde - Ann Aguirre

The epic conclusion to Ann Aguirre's USA Today-bestselling Razorland trilogy.

The horde is coming.

Salvation is surrounded, monsters at the gates, and this time, they're not going away. When Deuce, Fade, Stalker, and Tegan set out, the odds are against them. But the odds have been stacked against Deuce from the moment she was born. She might not be a Huntress anymore, but she doesn't run. With her knives in hand and her companions at her side, she will not falter, whether fighting for her life or Fade's love.

Ahead, the battle of a lifetime awaits. Freaks are everywhere, attacking settlements, setting up scouts, perimeters, and patrols. There hasn't been a war like this in centuries, and humans have forgotten how to stand and fight. Unless Deuce can lead them.

This time, however, more than the fate of a single enclave or outpost hangs in the balance. This time, Deuce carries the banner for the survival of all humanity.

Razorland Series:
Foundation (Free short story on the Tor website)
Enclave
Endurance (Novella)
Outpost
Restoration (Free short story on the MacMillan website)
Horde
Vanguard

Visit Ann Aguirre's website for more information

Review:
With the Horde camped all around Salvation and everyone Deuce has come to care about once again in danger she has set out with Fade, Tegan and Stalker to try and get help from the nearest settlements. The number of Freaks they're up against leave them facing almost impossible odds but Deuce and her friends are determined and as they gradually gain the respect of other settlements their army starts to grow. They're going to need a miracle if they have any chance of winning though and the assistance they badly need comes from a very unexpected quarter.

This book was fantastic, it's fast paced, full of action and pretty bloody and brutal. I think it's probably the darkest book in the series but there were moments of lightness that stopped it being too dark. I love that Ann Aguirre doesn't try to sugarcoat things though, this is a war, the stakes are high and every victory they have is going to cost them. Sometimes the price is almost too much to bear but giving in isn't an option so Deuce just has to find a way to keep pushing on. She's come such a long way since the first book and now she's such a wonderful young woman, she's not perfect and she makes mistakes but she has the heart of a lion and she is determined to make a positive difference with her life. The relationship between her and Fade has been great, they've been through so much together and Fade is in a bad place at the start of this book but Deuce never gives up on him and they fight to find their way back to each other.

Horde had some brilliant twists to it and there were a few shock moments that I definitely wasn't expecting. In fact one thing upset me far more than I would have expected it to. We're introduced to some great new characters along the way and there are a few familiar faces from Deuce's past that I was really happy to see. It was interesting to see how each different settlement lived and how they went about protecting themselves in this new world. Travel between the settlements was treacherous so each group had to be pretty self sufficient but some of the towns and villages they came across were more dangerous than others.

I know Horde was originally meant to be the final book in this trilogy and as such it's actually a pretty great ending that ties up all the major threads that have been running through the series. I'm glad that Ann Aguirre decided to give fans another story set in this world though, I love Tegan and am looking forward to spending more time with her but more than anything I'm curious to see how the world goes about rebuilding after the major battle in this book.

Source: Purchased

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Review: Restoration - Ann Aguirre

If you wondered why Fade retreated from Deuce at the end of Outpost, find out in his own words.

Short Story that can be read for free on the MacMillan website.

Razorland Series:
Foundation (Free short story on the Tor website)
Enclave
Endurance (Novella)
Outpost
Restoration (Free short story on the MacMillan website)
Horde
Vanguard

Visit Ann Aguirre's website for more information

Review:
Restoration is a free short story can be read on the MacMillan website. Please be aware that it contains spoilers for Outpost so I definitely don't recommend reading it until after that book!

This story is told from Fade's point of view and it shows us exactly what was going on in his head at the end of Outpost. It was heartbreaking to see how depressed he was and how worthless he was feeling and as much as I was annoyed by his actions when I was reading the book this explains a lot and you can't help but feel sorry for him.

Edmund gives Fade a brilliant "daughter's boyfriend" speech which I think should earn him the Dad of the Year title. I also liked Fade's little dig at Stalker towards the end, it was good to see he's still got some fight left in him & I think he's going to need it for the next book. Restoration was a great addition to the series and I'm definitely looking forward to the remaining books.

Source: Read for free on the MacMillan website

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: Outpost - Ann Aguirre

Deuce’s whole world has changed.

Down below, she was considered an adult. Now, topside in a town called Salvation, she’s a brat in need of training in the eyes of the townsfolk. She doesn't fit in with the other girls: Deuce only knows how to fight.

To make matters worse, her Hunter partner, Fade, keeps Deuce at a distance. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore. Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out.

Deuce signs up to serve in the summer patrols—those who make sure the planters can work the fields without danger. It should be routine, but things have been changing on the surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks have grown smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it may take a girl like Deuce to turn back the tide.

Razorland Series:
Foundation (Free short story on the Tor website)
Enclave
Endurance (Novella)
Outpost
Restoration (Free short story on the MacMillan website)
Horde
Vanguard

Visit Ann Aguirre's website for more information

Review:
Everything is different now that Deuce and the others have arrived at Salvation and she's finding it hard to fit in. She's not comfortable with the way they expect girls to dress nicely and learn useful skills like cooking and sewing and the town just don't know what to make of her tomboyish ways. It's also hard being treated like a child and expected to go to school when she's spent so many years fending for herself and helping to protect others in her role as a hunter. Things start to look up when she proves she has the skills to be one of the town guards and is given a job helping to protect the farmers during the summer harvest but as the Freaks continue to get smarter and prove a far greater danger than ever before she's going to have her work cut out for her.

I'm so glad I've finally made a start on this series, it's one I'm really enjoying and I loved seeing how much Deuce grew as a character in this book. What I love about her is that she accepts that she doesn't know everything and she's willing to ask questions and learn what she needs to. She also knows where her strengths are though and she refuses to let anyone put her in a box just because of her gender. I had to admire her for standing up for what she wanted when it would have been so much easier to go along with the town folk's expectations for her. I felt sorry for her as she struggled to find her place though, Tegan found it so much easier to fit in and preferred to spend time with new friends because Deuce and the others reminded her of a difficult time, Fade is still jealous and is also keeping his distance so the only one it seems like she can really rely on is Stalker.

I'll admit I was worried in the first book that it might turn into a dreaded love triangle but I'm convinced now it's not going to happen. Stalker is obviously interested in Deuce but it's very clear she only has feelings for Fade and I can't imagine that changing any time soon. I wasn't at all keen on Stalker's character in the first book - let's face it he's done some horrific and pretty unforgivable things! - but he actually really grew on me in this book. At least he's willing to admit the things he did wrong and he wants to make amends for them and who knows how we would have acted if we'd been born in his shoes. I think one of the things I like most about Deuce is how self aware she is, she recognises that she acts in certain ways because of the way she was raised but she wants to learn and do better and she recognises a similar quality in Stalker. As much as Stalker has grown on me I'm still 100% on team Fade though! I was irritated with him for pushing Deuce away at the beginning of Outpost but he's been through a lot and his insecurities were showing. When it comes down to it he always has Deuce's back when she needs him the most and I love seeing them fight alongside each other.

This series is quite brutal and it doesn't shy away from the violence of post-apocalyptic life which makes it feel very believable. There is always plenty of action and I've flown through both books so far so this series certainly didn't suffer with second book syndrome. Ann Aguirre has kept the pacing tight and it's clear she has a solid plan on where the series is going from here. After that ending I'm very interested to see what happens to all the characters next and I'm very glad that I don't have to wait a year for the next book to release before I can read it!

Source: Purchased

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If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback / Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Endurance - Ann Aguirre

When rebellion destroys the underground world in which Thimble and Stone have grown up, they take Stone's son and try to escape the chaos. Along the way, they must evade the Freaks, beings who feed on human flesh. Leaving behind the roles of Builder and Breeder which they were assigned at birth, they wander the underground tunnels, looking for safety yet afraid to go "topside" where legend has it that the light and water will burn their skin from their bones.

Their journey takes them upward to an unimagined world of tinned food, comfortable furniture, and books. Away from their regimented society for the first time, and still facing imminent danger, Thimble and Stone acknowledge the forbidden attraction which both have denied for years.

Razorland Series:
Foundation (Free short story on the Tor website)
Enclave
Endurance (Novella)
Outpost
Restoration (Free short story on the MacMillan website)
Horde
Vanguard

Visit Ann Aguirre's website for more information

Review:
I really liked the relationship between Deuce and her childhood friends Thimble and Stone so I was a bit disappointed that we didn't find out what happened to them in Enclave. Luckily Ann Aguirre didn't leave us hanging and Endurance is a novella told from their points of view. I don't want to go into too much detail but this shows Thimble and Stone's reaction to Deuce being banished and lets us see what happens in the College enclave after Deuce and Fade left.

These characters are very different to Deuce and Fade, their strengths aren't in fighting and they've never left their home before so they aren't at all prepared for what awaits them in the tunnels. They have to play to their own skills if they want to survive. Thimble is physically weak but incredibly intelligent and has spent her life creating tools and weapons for the hunters, Stone was a breeder so he has a very caring and protective nature and hates the thought of killing but if it comes down to it he'll do whatever it takes to look after Thimble and his son Boy 23.

Thimble and Stone are both great characters and I enjoyed the romance developing between the two. I really hope that Ann Aguirre wrote this novella because we're going to see these characters meet up with Deuce and Fade again in the future because I don't think we're done with their story yet!

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Kindle:

Review: Foundation - Ann Aguirre

In Ann Aguirre's award-winning novel, Enclave, humans have taken refuge in colonies below ground. Here is the story of what drove them there, told through the eyes of a teen who would later have vast influence over the fate of many, and who gave his heart to the one person who needed him most.

Razorland Series:
Foundation (Free short story on the Tor website)
Enclave
Endurance (Novella)
Outpost
Restoration (Free short story on the MacMillan website)
Horde
Vanguard

Visit Ann Aguirre's website for more information

Review:
Foundation is a prequel short story to Ann Aguirre's Razorland series that can be read for free on the Tor website or can be purchased as an ebook from Amazon (and assumably other ebook retailers).

I really enjoyed Enclave but I had a lot of questions about how the world was destroyed and how people ended up living underground in small communities so it was really nice to go back and see where things all started to go wrong. This story doesn't feature any of the characters from the main series (it's set many years before Enclave starts) but it does fill in some background about the world and there is even a little romance included. It's only short so there's not much time for character development but this was still a nice little addition to the series.

Source: Read for free on the Tor website

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Kindle:

Review: Enclave - Ann Aguirre

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.

Razorland Series:
Foundation (Free short story on the Tor website)
Enclave
Endurance (Novella)
Outpost
Restoration (Free short story on the MacMillan website)
Horde
Vanguard

Visit Ann Aguirre's website for more information

Review:
I've had Enclave on my to read pile for a very long time but to be honest I'd got a bit burned out on YA dystopians so I never got around to reading it. After meeting Ann Aguirre recently and talking to other fans who absolutely love the series (I'm looking at you Carien!) I decided it was finally time to give it a try though and I'm really glad I did. Enclave is set after some kind of disaster has ended life as we know it now, humans are scattered and forced to live in small underground communities. Life is hard, most children don't survive until adulthood so they're not even given names until they're old enough to fend for themselves, and even then life expectancy is much lower than what we're used to.

Deuce has just turned 15 and been given her name, she has been accepted as one of her enclave's hunters which means she will be sent out daily in search of food and other precious items to help their group survive. She has been paired with Fade, an older boy who is a great fighter but who isn't trusted by the rest of their clan because he wasn't born there. Fade arrived as a young child having navigated the underground tunnels completely alone, he claims he was born above ground but nobody believes him because they have never been able to leave the underground themselves. Deuce has always believed everything that the elders have told her and been happy to follow orders but with Fade's help she starts to discover that not everything within their community is quite what she thought it was and perhaps the elders don't always know the right thing to do.

Ann Aguirre did a brilliant job of describing the dark, dank underground world Deuce has been raised in. The atmosphere of the book is gloomy and oppressive and almost makes you feel suffocated while you're reading it. Deuce and Fade are both brilliant characters too, Deuce is fierce and a fighter but initially she's very naive and willingly follows orders without thinking things through. Fade has seen the world outside of the enclave so he's more willing to see the truth behind the lies and he's less scared of walking away and leaving the enclave behind him. I loved seeing the way Deuce's opinion of Fade changed as she started to really question what was happening around her and when Deuce is forced to leave she goes on an even steeper learning curve. She's always been capable of fighting but she has very few survival skills away from her home and she's never even seen the sky before so she's totally out of her comfort zone.

This world is brutal and I was glad that the author didn't try to sugarcoat things, there are gangs who will do whatever it takes to survive and who think nothing of murdering others to protect their territory. I didn't like the way those gangs considered girls just breeders who were there to be used and abused but sadly it wasn't hard to believe that people were capable of treating women like that. If there is one thing I really didn't like about the story it was the addition of Stalker as one of the main characters, he was the leader of one of these gangs and we heard first hand from one of his victims how he allowed his men to rape and abuse her (she'd given birth several times so this was something that had been going on for years!). I get that Fade and Deuce felt they needed another fighter on their side and after the way they were thrown together he was their only option but I didn't like the way Deuce began to trust him and that she started to try and justify his previous actions. I don't care what excuses you come up with you will never sell me on Stalker being a good guy and I felt bad for Tegan that she was forced to live in close confines with one of her abusers.

I was disappointed that Stalker seemed to come between Deuce and Fade's relationship for a while there and I know some people are worried that this was the start of a dreaded love triangle but I'm staying hopeful that it won't happen. I have faith that Ann Aguirre won't do that to us but if she does try to turn Stalker into a love interest then I'll be upfront now and say that I'll probably rage quit the series. I really hope it doesn't come to that though because I love both Deuce and Fade and really want to follow the rest of their journey!

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback / Paperback / Kindle: