BOOK REVIEW | HORDE – ANN AGUIRRE

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. – Goodreads description

The third and final book of the Razorland trilogy starts out with action – and pretty much keeps it comin’. Obviously. It’s the epic conclusion to an epic series.

I didn’t expect huge things from this series at first. The beginning to Enclave was a little wobbly, and it took me awhile to buy into the premise. By the end of Enclave, I was pretty convinced the series was going to be good. But I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high – after all, I felt the same way after reading Divergent and the first book in The Hunger Games trilogy. So I hoped, but tentatively.

Then along came Outpost. Which was even better than Enclave had been, with very little to criticize. I fell in love even more with the characters as they developed and grew. But not at the expense of the plot, which also kept me on the edge of my seat. So far so good. I still didn’t dare hope for the momentum to continue, though. I almost put off starting Horde, because I was worried that it would ruin the rest of the series for me. But curiosity got the better of me, and I couldn’t resist.

And man, am I glad I didn’t.

Guys, this book. THIS BOOK. It’s been a long time since I read the end of a series that was this satisfying. And I don’t mean airy fairy happy endings. I mean the action keeps steady, the characters are complex and keep getting better, the plot… well, it is epic, tough, emotional, full of struggles and drama… and so perfect. I was right there with Deuce, Fade, Stalker and the rest of their family and crew the whole way through. I rooted for them and I felt what they felt. So much happened, and there were so many emotions.

Not only that, but like only really good books do, this left me feeling inspired and with a sense of cock-eyed optimism that even (and perhaps especially) in the most trying of circumstances, it’s possible to muster strength, bravery, kindness and forgiveness.

It’s quite possible that this series will be my favourite young adult post-apocalyptic/zombie/dystopian story. Deuce was the hero Tris (Divergent, for those of you who live under a rock) should have been. The story was as intense and emotional as The Hunger Games could have been with better writing. So, for me, it blew them both out of the water. I was left feeling like this:

So do yourself a favour and cancel whatever you had planned this weekend to just binge-read this series. You can thank me later.

Read my reviews of Enclave (Razorland #1) and Outpost (Razorland #2).