Outpost: Review

Synopsis:

Deuce’s whole world has changed.

Down below, she was considered an adult. Now, topside in a town called Salvation, she’s a brat in need of training in the eyes of the townsfolk. She doesn't fit in with the other girls: Deuce only knows how to fight.

To make matters worse, her Hunter partner, Fade, keeps Deuce at a distance. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore. Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out.

Deuce signs up to serve in the summer patrols—those who make sure the planters can work the fields without danger. It should be routine, but things have been changing on the surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks have grown smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it may take a girl like Deuce to turn back the tide.

***

Outpost is a huge twist of the trilogy. Many has changed. Salvation is unlike everything Deuce has ever seen. Peaceful, happy, and weakly defensed. While trying to make a life for herself, her relationship with Fade and Tegan seems to be fading away. And then there are the Freaks. They are getting smarter. Harder to kill. And they are planning to kill all the people living in Salvation. It's up to Deuce and her friends to stop their advance.

Normally a second book in a trilogy is a catalyst for everything. Outpost is still one for Horde. But it doesn't only show the strength of our main character, Deuce. Her softness, her part as a girl is also exposed. Which is a little surprising, considering how tough she is in Enclave that it seems like there's no femininity in her whatsoever. It's really cute, actually, to see a fierce ex-Huntress that way. Speaking of Deuce. She's really thick. In a cute and humorous way of course, but still. (Spoiler!) When Fade is trying to explain his feelings for him, she doesn't seem to understand. Maybe it's the lack of her vocabulary. But it's still a little unfathomable not to know the concept of affection. (End of Spoiler) I really do like that girl. And I think I'm going to see her strength once again in Horde, which is amazing.

I'm also not expecting to see Fade's soft side either. He is a really tough guy in Enclave. But here in Salvation he loosens up. It's fascinating to see another side of him other than the Hunter (or ex-Hunter) side. He's protective and sweet. He gets jealous too whenever he thinks about Stalker and he's pretty emotional in Outpost. The jealous part and the emotional part is a little bit annoying, I have to admit. But I think the cute part out-weights the annoying part. 

But the one thing that really annoys me is Stalker. Well, not exactly Stalker. What I mean is that Ann Aguirre didn't give enough space to develop Stalker's character in Outpost. Outpost is the perfect book to develop his image, and yet in this book I see nothing more than his fierceness and his possessiveness towards Deuce, which is something I've seen in Enclave already. And I think he has the potential to be a really great character and all. So I'm pretty disappointed that Stalker's image is still not clear to me.

Despite the flaw I mentioned above, Outpost is an excellent sequel of Enclave. No boring scenes, no too-annoying scenes, and I enjoy every single part of the book. I'm looking forward to read Horde, which I'm confident that it will be dynamic.

Rating: 8.5/10