Enclave: In A Nutshell

Goodreads' description:

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, in the ruins of a city whose population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs. As the two are guided by Fade’s long-ago memories, they face dangers, and feelings, unlike any they’ve ever known.

Enclave by Ann Aguirre

One sentence sum-up: a story of survival in a world where each day is a struggle to live another day.

My reaction: I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Enclave. The main character Deuce is an appealing heroine to root for – one who is physically and mentally tough-as-nails, and one to match Katniss of The Hunger Games for determination. I loved that Deuce revels so much in the joy she receives from the actual physical experience of fighting. She is not without flaws, though. Seeing her grow emotionally, learning to welcome vulnerability and view her feelings as a strength rather than a weakness, was fabulous. Her companion Fade is a little more difficult to get to know, but that is part of his personality as well; he's not one to open up to just anybody, instead holding himself at a distance. I definitely enjoyed the progression of the relationship between them, as they start out wary of each other, and learn to trust one another as hunting partners before anything romantic happens.

The combination of the dystopian society of the underground enclave and the post-apocalyptic setting of the world above in Topside worked really well, and I was glad that we get a chance to see both. I do have quite a few lingering questions about both how the enclave functions and what happened to bring about the post-apocalyptic state of Topside, but this is only the first of a series so I'm betting I'll get some of those questions answered in the next novels.

While the stakes are certainly raised high at the climax, I did find that the resolution to it was a little too convenient for my taste. Spoilery bit, highlight to read: yes, Deuce does keep the fire going (although I'm not sure a dream/hallucination of Silk was really necessary for that), but Longshot stopping by and leading them to safety struck me as taking away some of the companions' independence in forging their own path, and making it rather easy for them all of a sudden.

Best aspect: Aguirre manages quite successfully to write a book that is the first in a series and yet maintains an internal story arc. So often books that start off a series, especially when world-building is key (as it is in dystopian books), spend most of the time setting things up for the next few books. This is not the case with Enclave – there is enough resolution to leave the reader feeling satisfied, but still plenty more questions to be explored in sequels. Plus, Aguirre doesn't compromise the speed of the plot in order to give us world-building. There is plenty of action happening here!

I also appreciated the importance that relics from the past play in Enclave, especially given that the past is our present. Books and other written materials are treasured in Deuce's community, so much so that the role of Wordkeeper comes with a lot of power. Indeed, "hoarding" ancient items is punishable by exile. Weaving the tale of The Day Boy and the Night Girl by George Macdonald (which I wasn't actually familiar with before) throughout was a particularly nice literary touch.

And one specific point: I thought Deuce's reaction to Topside after she'd been living underground her whole life was portrayed very accurately. Her fear and anxiety over the openness of the world and the vastness of the sky was extremely believable, especially since Deuce prefers to conquer fears with fighting, and this was one she could not simply punch or club or slash out of existence.

If I could change something... I wanted to see more of the other enclave, Nassau. We don't really get much description of it when Deuce and Fade peek in, and I thought they should have done a bit more reconnaissance. Perhaps there's a reason for this, and we'll find out more about what was happening there in the sequel, though?

Also, while I got a good feel for most of the characters, I couldn't really picture Tegan that well. Maybe it's because she didn't have a strong personality like Deuce, and so in comparison she felt a little diminished, but she just didn't quite come alive for me. Plus, there was one plot point involving her that stretched my credulity. Spoiler, highlight to read: if the Wolves don't trust Tegan, then why do they assign only her to guard Deuce? I didn't buy that they would be so thoughtless as to leave those two completely unattended.

Hopes for the sequel? More of the Fade-Deuce romance! They were constantly on the run in this one so I'll admit romantic interludes were not altogether that practical. But the ones we do see are adorable and I would welcome more in the next book.  


In ten words or less: an engrossing read that will keep you flipping the pages.

Final verdict: 4.5 shooting stars.

Author's website: www.annaguirre.com

Disclaimer: I received an Enclave ARC from the publisher for review for A Cornucopia of Dystopia.

A Cornucopia of Dystopia: Ann Aguirre guest post and Enclave giveaway!

I'm happy to welcome Ann Aguirre to the blog today for a guest post! Here's the blurb for her book Enclave, from Goodreads:

"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, in the ruins of a city whose population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs. As the two are guided by Fade’s long-ago memories, they face dangers, and feelings, unlike any they’ve ever known."

I wanted to know some more about how the revising for Enclave went, so I asked her:

"I've been taking some editing courses and I'm very interested in how a book goes from first draft to final product. Take us through the revision process for Enclave. What was your experience like working with your editor? Did Enclave go through some major transformations along the way, or did it turn out roughly the way you'd envisioned? Were there any scenes cut that you miss, or ones added that you didn't have in the original (that you can tell us without spoiling, of course)? Apparently it was titled Razorland originally – what was the reasoning for using the title Enclave instead?"

And here is Ann's response:

"I wrote the draft for Enclave and then I sent it to beta readers. Some suggestions came back, so I did my first round of revisions. Then I sent it to my agent. She thought it was good, so she pitched it, and we sold it. The book had multiple offers, and it sold fast. Once I had an editor on the project, she gave me revision notes. I added some scenes and clarified some points, added description, and that kind of thing. I added another layer of detail in copyedits, and although this doesn't generally happen, I added a little more in the proof stage as well. Usually by this point, the book is more or less final, and you're only looking for mistakes. But ENCLAVE did change a bit (it got longer) in the galley stage as well. So I revised the book four times before it became the final product. I don't recall that I cut any scenes, but I did add some.

The marketing department felt that ENCLAVE represented the book better, so Razorland became the series name. This is better because it describes the whole world more than just one book. The world Deuce and Fade live in is sharp and hard and it will draw blood when you least expect it. Whereas ENCLAVE addresses the events in the first book. I also like that I can then develop a naming convention for the rest of the books in the series. Tentatively, books two and three are entitled OUTPOST and HORDE. I've written the second one, and it's been revised once, but I'm waiting for the official editorial notes on it, so I can add to the scenes that require it. I always want editorial input for that because I don't want to bloat the book by guessing what it needs. There comes a point when I really need a professional eye on what I've written.

Unlike most authors, I love revisions. Rough drafts are tough for me because I'm creating something from nothing. Revisions, however, are where I get to take a product and polish it to a high shine. That's great fun. I love realizing what a book needs or receiving an insight from my editor. Often, I'm like, yes, totally. It does need that. And then I get to refine my work. It's quite lovely."


Thanks for that insight into your revision process, Ann!

And now for the giveaway: thanks to the publisher (Feiwel & Friends), I am able to offer a copy of Enclave to one winner, randomly selected. It is open internationally, and the publisher will be mailing the book directly to the winner. I like to keep my giveaways simple, so while following and tweeting are always appreciated, it's just one entry per person. Giveaway ends April 30 at 11:59 pm EST.


This contest is now closed.

Also, look for my review of Enclave coming soon!