Author: Ann Aguirre
Genres: zombie-ish, dystopian, kick-ass, adventure
Rating: 4 stars!
Summary: 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.
Second books are always a touchy subject for me...they're either really horrible and pointless, or great and plot-moving. (Kind of like debut authors! I say nicely.) Some examples are Until I Die by Amy Plum. I loved it, but realized after that the plot went pretty much nowhere and consisted of fluff. And on the other hand, Lauren Oliver's Pandemonium I enjoyed WAY more than Delirium. In both cases though, I am eagerly, and not really patiently awaiting the last of each trilogy. ;)
Outpost did not fall into the Second-Book-Slump as I feared it would. It did, however, have it's questionable moments...
The start is slow-going. It took me a good 80 pages or so, until I finally stopped setting it down in between chapters to go do something else. Mostly that's because Salvation is pretty boring. It's a small town of salvation (well duh) and the people in it are living their lives a little too easily and not much happens besides everyday life. When Deuce finally leaves the town to be a part of the summer patrols, action arises and the Muties become smarter. That finally had me hooked. I was scared for a while that this book would be a disappointment.
I just realized. And maybe I'm like the last person in the world to get this, but I think Deuce's name has a deeper meaning from the author. Throughout most of Outpost, she's struggling with her two natures; the prominent Huntress, aka killing machine, and her emerging girly side who is falling for Fade and likes to be hugged by her new mom. She's at constant battle with herself--how to react in situations in order to be true to both selfs. Hence her name, Deuce which means two. I feel so smart! All right, you can laugh at me now, for not getting that before.
Bad-ass-ness rating: 10 stars. This might be a weird comparison, but Deuce has some serious River Tam moments. You know that scene from Serenity where she rises from the pile of zombies and dripping in blood? There are many moments in Outpost where battle scenes get pretty much like that. LOVED. If you need a visual: http://www.horror-movies.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/river-tam.jpg
It is pretty descriptive, the gore.
One more nerd moment. The city Deuce comes from is called Gotham. Does that sound familiar? Gotham! I wonder if that's an actual place, or if she wanted to be funny by putting that in there.
The romance is becoming alllmost a love triangle, but not quite. Fade is in that annoying stage of "good-boy-keeping-distance" for a while, while Stalker is, well, stalking in an overly friendly way but Deuce is holding her distance. I actually grew to like Stalker more in here than in Enclave, but I still don't like his pet name for her, dove. Fade and Deuce finally get past some unsaid misunderstandings (haha that sounds funny...) but things change by the ending. Fade is left sort of like how Pita Bread was during Mockingjay. Read: I don't like it. And I have a feeling he might do something stupid and sacrificial soon...crossing my fingers everything will turn out okay, but at the same time, I liked him more in Enclave.
Where there wasn't a bad cliffy, I am now totally looking forward to the last in the trilogy, Horde! I can't wait for a cover to be released!
-Jane
Also, anyone ever read her other series, Grimspace? I just learned of it, and it looks pretty interesting...
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