Public Enemies by Ann Aguirre: Review

Synopsis:

Learn the rules of the game…and then play better than anyone else.

Through a Faustian bargain, Edie Kramer has been pulled into the dangerous world of the Immortal Game, where belief makes your nightmares real. Hungry for sport, fears-made-flesh are always raising the stakes. To them, human lives are less than nothing, just pieces on a board.

Because of her boyfriend Kian’s sacrifice, she’s operating under the mysterious Harbinger’s aegis, but his patronage could prove as fatal as the opposition. Raw from deepest loss, she’s terrified over the deal Kian made for her. Though her very public enemies keep sending foot soldiers—mercenary monsters committed to her destruction—she’s not the one playing under a doom clock. Kian has six months…unless Edie can save him. And this is a game she can’t bear to lose.

***

Sorry I haven't been posting in a long time. Who would have thought summer vacation is even busier than normal school days?

Immortal Game is a little bit weird. The strangeness continues in Public Enemies. After the events and the sacrifice that is made at the end of the last book, Edie is trying to find a way to save her boyfriend. But with enemies - immortal, powerful, and public enemies, gunning her everywhere she goes, she has to choose wisely who she can trust. The secret organization that is trying to end the game? Previous enemies? Or an unwilling ally?

I like how everyone has an agenda other than helping the main protagonist, Edie. Other than her close friends and Kian, temporary alliances are made, and often come in a price. While you may be certain of their wanting Edie alive, you can never be 100% sure about their true intentions, and whether they may come back and haunt Edie. She herself is trying to find a way to end this game once and for all, but at a cost of humanity. Things get infinitely darker in this book. There's no air of innocence other than some certain moments. Its pace is kept at an excellent speed. No rush, but also no dragging. I love reading books like this.

Speaking of certain moments, you can see a lot of bonding sections between Edie and Kian. They remind me of normal couples in real life, which makes them relatable, but also fictional couples with fantastic chemistry. Even in dire situations like this, they can still joke and have cute conversations that never fail to make me giggle. Too bad that... okay, this is most likely a spoiler, but it seems like those moments may not appear again anytime soon. I will miss those.

The ending is most surprising. Not because Edie has discovered something that had been fermenting behind their backs and had to make an important decision, the events itself are something that you probably will never expect to read about. Edie will be on a new mission, to end this cruel game haunting her life once and for all. And I'm excited. Very excited.

Rating: 8.5/10

Mortal Danger: Review

Synopsis:

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Edie Kramer has a score to settle with the beautiful people at Blackbriar Academy. Their cruelty drove her to the brink of despair, and four months ago, she couldn't imagine being strong enough to face her senior year. But thanks to a Faustian compact with the enigmatic Kian, she has the power to make the bullies pay. She's not supposed to think about Kian once the deal is done, but devastating pain burns behind his unearthly beauty, and he's impossible to forget.

In one short summer, her entire life changes, and she sweeps through Blackbriar, prepped to take the beautiful people down from the inside. A whisper here, a look there, and suddenly... bad things are happening. It's a heady rush, seeing her tormentors get what they deserve, but things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon, the pranks and payback turns from delicious to deadly. Edie is alone in a world teeming with secrets and fiends lurking in the shadows. In this murky morass of devil's bargains, she isn't sure who—or what--she can trust. Not even her own mind...

***

It's a very complicated story. It stretches as far as the universe goes (okay maybe not). If one is not attentive enough or distracted just for a little while, it's pretty much impossible to understand the story. At least there is no information dumping. It unfurls bit by bit, so I'm curious along the way. However there are really parts that complicates the story. Mostly in a good way, but some... not.

Like the fact that there are other companies out there playing this game, and they are mentioned a lot and never once show their face. I can't stop thinking about those companies but they don't even play a small part of the first book. I know it is a set-up, but it is so distracting that I need to re-read some of the parts again and again just to understand those particular bits. 

But despite all the distraction, the story is still fascinating. It points out a very important fact that people probably won't want to admit: all the gods, no matter where the originates, are still figments that people make up. Do those stories just pop out of nowhere without people making up stories? And stories getting out of control - it's like a more messed-up (but in a good way) version of The Iron Fey. I am so in love with this concept. It's pretty original (well, they are not fey, so...).

Edie - I have to talk about Edie, because that girl is just super. I'm only half as wary and calculating as she is ,and I'm considered smart by people around me  yeah not arrogant at all. She notices things that normal people don't even recognize. I'm so envious of her because of her cleverness and just plain nerdishness. Sometimes her calculating personality goes a little far though. I know it's for the bullies in her school and she wants a payback. But she gets a little too cold and cruel some of the times, which makes her like those bullies. Good thing those moments don't last long, because it can be a serious damage to her character.

I am kinda curious about how the next book will turn out with that ending. I hope it's as good as this one, or even better.

Rating: 7.5/10

Top Ten Tuesday #8: Top Ten New Authors Discovered This Year

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today's question is the top ten authors I discovered this year.

1. Ann Aguirre -- Razorland is great! I can't believe I haven't read that before.

2. Mindee Arnett -- Though I haven't read The Nightmare Affair, I'd say Avalon is another book worth-reading!

3. Brigid Kemmerer -- I like the Elemental series. They are awesome and hilarious

4. Sarah J. Maas -- I can't believe I didn't know about Throne of Glass before!!!

5. Leigh Bardugo -- Again, it's unfathomable that I didn't know about Shadow and Bone before.

6. Jennifer Estep -- Although Mythos Academy is not one of my favorite series, I enjoy reading it.

7. Michael Grant -- Gone series is beyond crazy. And I didn't realize it until like, April. 

I can think of no more. What about you?

Horde: Review

Synopsis:

The epic conclusion to the USA Today bestselling trilogy.

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.

***

Okay, this can be one of the better series I've ever read. This book is quite epic. The Freaks belonging to the horde are getting more cunning and stronger. They want to take over the world because of their hatred and pain. Deuce is the one leading the people in Salvation and recruiting others to defeat those once and for all. And along the way she has to make unlikely allegiance. 

As much as I love all the action in the scene, I think the emotional threads are more gut-wrenching. The relationship between Fade and Deuce, Deuce's determination to save as many people as she can. There are no words. I can't help but smile all the way from the first page of the book, even though I know very well that the situation in Horde is anything but smile-able. Few books can make me smile like this. And this is one of them. Great job.

And of course, the action sequences are nothing short of amazing. Ann Aguirre never gives us a chance to get relaxed, get bored. Deuce fights along her journey to her final goal. It's not just bloody. It's brutal and violent. I think I sound like a delusional girl, but I really like brutal wars and battles. Damn, I hate that the series is over, because this is probably what I will miss most, besides Deuce and Fade and Stalker and Tegan.

I still can't really make peace with the fact that Stalker can't really get a chance to prove himself a main character. I really, really do like Stalker. But I'm still happy that Stalker has the ending that suits him. And besides this, everything else is really good and satisfying. Horde is one of the best endings I've encountered. 

*Happy sigh

Rating: 9/10

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

Enclave: Review

Synopsis:

WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE

In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.

As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.

Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first Deuce thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.

As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known.

***

Although I'm curious about this series, I'm not entirely sure that it will be good. But surprisingly it is. Enclave takes us to a post-apocalyptic world where nowhere is safe. Deuce is one of the Huntress - her purpose is to defend the people living under the rule of the enclave and bring back meat. She's loyal to the enclave until she's banished herself and sees the truth for herself. 

At first I was not sure what to expect from Enclave. But after I read the first chapter I immediately know that I will like this book. I'm not sure how Ann Aguirre did it, but Deuce's image quickly develops in just a few chapters, as well as the world Deuce lives in. Deuce has a really nice image. Strong, brave, loyal. You may say, "Yeah, this is really nice. But it's really typical." But the best part is that she doesn't get jealous or she isn't hyper-aware of every reaction from those around her. I'm tired of girls getting jealous are being hyper-aware of everything. 

I also like Ann Aguirre's style of writing. Surprisingly it doesn't contain as much dialog as I thought. It's more like a journal. And I love every part of her words. It feels warm to read it even though the book is supposed to be about a post-apocalyptic world overrun by Freaks. The story feels real, yet I know that this is just an unreal story. Strangely this is fresh and comforting.

The world Ann Aguirre created might not be exceptionally breath-taking. It's a fair apocalyptic world. But if you are looking for an exciting story, this might not be the first book you dive for (although it's still pretty action-packed). However if you are looking for a story to read while snuggling beneath the sheets on your bed, this will be a great story.

Rating: 7.5/10