Horde: review

*Warning: possible mild spoilers for the first two books*

See my review of Enclave, and Outpost.

Title: Horde (Razorland #3)
Author: Ann Aguirre
Rating: 5 stars
Release Date: October 29th 2013
Summary: 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.

My Review:

  Wow. I'm a bit stunned. This was better than I could even imagine. I got chills at one point, and teared up at another. It's a long book. Many things happen, trust me. I did not want this book to end.

  To be clear, this is not a zombie book. This is a book about war. A war against something they can't identify at the moment, can't really fathom. But it's certainly not zombies. And I really hope you've figured this out by now in the series. It's something way cooler than zombies. I'll just leave it at that.

  In regards to her relationship with Fade, it reminds me a bit like Wash and Zoe. Deuce is the strong, dominant one, and Fade is actually pretty emotionally compromised for a lot of this book. (Not that Wash is like that, but he isn't as much as a fighter as Zoe. Maybe this comparison just died at my fingertips.) Anyway, it's like, equality in their relationship then. Deuce is all "you can lean on my shoulder all you need, I'm here and not going anywhere. I got your back." I like her security and confidence.

  Also! Once more, Stalker is not a love triangle angle. Aguirre said so herself at the talk I went to. It's more like a love...line between the three of them. I am just so glad he isn't. He's nice and all, I guess, but totally not right for Deuce. Maybe in another universe, I can see that. But not in this storyline. The triangle that appears in the second book only really surfaces out of Deuce's ignorance on her half; she's not aware about how she is acting, and what it means. And I completely accept that as a legit mistake. It makes a good subplot. Okay, rant over now.

  I love all the new things Deuce learns every day. Small things that people have to learn, that didn't occur to me. Things like currency, what a guilty conscience is, basic cultural traditions, new words... and especially one thing that stood out: what a biased opinion is. I think this discovery really changes her world-view. To paraphrase what Deuce says, "I just thought something was true, or not true." That possibility sparks her curiosity about the history of human settlements and what exactly Freaks are, which is an essential part to the story.

  Deuce is a very strong girl. And I don't mean that in the normal kickass way (there's plenty of that!), but she's a strong person inside, too. Aguirre has figured out to make Deuce almost-girly and compassionate, because a true strong female character is strong in spirit as well. As we're seeing that, Deuce is learning that herself, too. It's okay to hug someone; that doesn't make you weak.

  Like I said though, there's plenty of ass that gets kicked. Freaks go down in the hundreds, and with Deuce leading the humans against them, reminding me of River Tam all along, you get really sucked into the war right along side everyone. So watch out, and hold your ground as you finish this fantastic trilogy.

-Jane