Review: Outpost by Ann Aguirre (Razorland #2)

Outpost (Razorland #2)
Ann Aguirre
Published: Sept. 4, 2012 (Feiwel & Friends)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon

Reviewed by: Chelsea

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Note: This review is spoiler-free, but does assume you’ve read the first novel, Enclave.

The first Razorland novel, Enclave, opened heroine Deuce’s eyes to the real world. In that first book, she learned not to blindly accept what elders told her. She learned what her world was really like. She began to question how she was raised, how the world came to be destroyed and learned it wasn’t such a bad thing to have a boy, Fade, touch her. Together, they escaped the tunnels and the ruins of Gotham, avoiding human and Freak predators alike. At the end they were taken to a Topside village with fortified walls and so much food.

The town is called Salvation, and it’s here that Deuce gets to discover what it means to have connections to others, to have family.

Initially, Deuce is stifled by Salvation’s rules. The town enforces stereotypical gender roles, and for a Huntress like Deuce that doesn’t make sense. She wants to fight, not sew. She’s better at hand-to-hand combat than any of the men in town. She has to prove herself again and again, but gains resolve by the new relationship with her foster parents.

Throughout Outpost we watch Deuce open up to emotion. Everything is new to her, not just the sparks she feels when kissing Fade, but the concept of having a mother, of having people who care if you live or die and what friendship really means. She is forced to balance this new, emotional Deuce with the Huntress version of herself. Reconciling the two is a journey that only makes you care more about Deuce.

It was hard for me to wait 50 pages until Fade becomes important in the book. I missed him. While Outpost, like all the Razorland books, is about Deuce, her journey is so tied to his that their relationship is key. Trust me, readers, once Fade is back in the picture the novel explodes with energy. Romance, danger and a bit of espionage make Outpost an excellent afternoon read.

Expect plenty of threats from the Freaks and some big changes on that front. The dangers in the Razorland world are constantly changing. When I finished Outpost, I could only imagine where things would go and what was about to happen. I expect you’ll want more, too.

Sexual content: Kissing