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Review of: Outpost by Ann Aguirre (Book 2 of the Razorland Trilogy)

Genre: YA, post-apocalyptic

Outpost is the second book in Ann Aguirre’s Razorland Trilogy. It is the sequel to Enclave. You can read my review of Enclave here

I first started reading this trilogy quite a while ago. I hadn’t realized how long it had been until I was looking through my archives for my first review on this trilogy… It was pretty much exactly two years ago. Wow! I really enjoyed Enclave, and it stuck in my mind, which I guess is why it didn’t fully sink in how long it had been… I digress.

Outpost picks up where Enclave left off. Deuce and her fighting partner Fade have found safety in a topside town called Salvation, but the solace of being safe is found lacking as Deuce struggles to come to grips with the fact that the people in Salvation do not consider her an adult and worthy of the responsibility she is used to bearing. Beyond that, Fade has withdrawn from her friendship, and she finds herself unable to understand why. Desperate to find some purpose in her life again, she volunteers for guard duty on the summer campaign, in spite of the leaders misgivings about her age. While guarding the farms, Deuce is confronted by the growing suspicion that the Freaks are changing–they’re becoming more intelligent and cunning–and a smarter, faster, stronger Freak spells disaster for little outposts like Salvation. Few others are willing to see the changes–it may be up to Deuce to try and save them all.

This book just reiterated to me all the reasons I liked Enclave, and more. It’s action-packed, but not lacking in the emotional department. Even though Deuce is a fierce fighter and considers herself an adult, she is still working through some adolescent issues, and I found that a really interesting contrast. With so much of society today focused on prolonging adolescence and dependence well past any reasonable age, it was refreshing to read about a teenager who managed to consider herself an adult and act like an adult, while still working through the same sort of issues that tend to drive teenagers crazy.

Through this book, I think you really just develop a lot more respect for the main characters, and the way they handle tough situations. The main story is spooling up as well, with the discoveries about how the Freaks are changing and the looming threat to Salvation. It’s definitely leading towards the final installment of the trilogy, with a succinctness mostly unheard of in popular trilogies. So far, I am just blown away by this trilogy. I don’t understand why it’s not reaching Hunger Games popularity proportions. In my opinion, it’s better than the Hunger Games, especially when you’re evaluating the series’ together.

I highly recommend not just this book, but the series. If you’re interested in YA fiction and enjoy the post-apocalyptic/dystopian style books like The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, or The Testing, I would almost guarantee that you’ll enjoy this series immensely. It’s summertime. No excuses. Read it. 😉

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars