SUNNY: BOOK REVIEW "Horde" by Ann Aguirre

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.

REVIEW: 

I should trust Ann Aguirre more.  Her books fascinate and thrill me, but I feel like holding a little back,  fearful of investing too much emotion into her characters.  It never works, of course, because I am sucked right back into the vortex of thrill, fear, dispair, and hope. But in the end, she never disappoints. This book is stirring, shocking, tender, and in the end, very, very hopeful. 

The world is dark, dank, and dirty. The Freaks are amassing into a horde and looking to destroy what remains of humanity in this dystopia.  At the center, it is about the power of one.  Deuce is hard core, hard headed, and hard to defeat.  She simply will not give up.  The Horde is building a massive army and she is taking the fight to the Freaks.  As she states at the beginning of the first battle, "The enemy is sleeping, men.  Bring the pain."  (My favorite line in the book)

Ann Aguirre specializes in impossible situations, and yet, she manages to find the smallest sliver of hope during these circumstances.  I couldn't think of a more dire situation than the one facing Deuce, Fade and the rest of humanity.  It is positively crushing. As a reader, I am immersed in despair and Deuce's overwhelming responsibility to do SOMETHING.  I feel a part of Deuce's journey that takes the both of us to unexpected places and situations.  The victories are sweet and the losses are painful.  Deuce's ability to make a difference doesn't only rely on her prowess as a Huntress, but also by what she learns about herself and how she grows her character.  This makes the ultimate difference. 


I couldn't have asked for a better ending to this trilogy.  After reading Outpost, I wondered how Ms. Aguirre was going to bring this story to its conclusion.  All I can say is that I am completely and wholly satisfied.  (And by the way, I finally find out why this series is called Razorland.)

IN A NUTSHELL:
I think this series is one of Ann Aguirre's best work - bringing the dark into light and making us believe in the power of one person's ability to make a difference and change the world. If you haven't started it, you need to pick it up, and start at the beginning.  You don't want to miss the whole journey.