The Razorland Series by Ann Aguirre

 

Yesterday, I finished reading the Razorland series by Ann Aguirre. This dystopian series is about teenagers that live in a post-apocalyptic world in which zombie-like monsters called Freaks roam free. In the prequel short story, Foundation, survivors, including two boys who fall in love, create the first enclaves underground as disease spreads in the city. In Enclave, which begins the main trilogy, Deuce turns fifteen and takes on her role as Huntress in the enclave of College, which is in the subway tunnels of what was once New York City. After Deuce is paired with a young Hunter, Fade, they discover that a neighboring enclave, Nassau, was destroyed by Freaks, but the elders refuse to believe their warnings. Then, when Deuce's friend, Stone, is framed, she and Fade are exiled from College and have to go topside. Because the ruins of the city are ruled by dangerous gangs, they decide to go north. In the second book, Outpost, Deuce and Fade, along with their new friends Tegan and Stalker, have to adjust to living in the small town of Salvation. Deuce doesn't understand why Fade has been keeping her at a distant, but when she signs up for the summer patrols, she notices that the Freaks are getting smarter and that their time in Salvation may be limited. In the final book of the trilogy, Horde, Salvation is surrounded by Freaks and the four friends have to find a new place for its residents, leading to the ultimate battle for survival. Endurance, a novella taking place between Enclave and Outpost, is about how Deuce's friends, Stone and Thimble decide to escape from the rebellion and destruction in College with Stone's son to go topside and fall in love. Restoration, a short story taking place near the end of Outpost, is about how Fade felt after Deuce rescued him from the Freak outpost. In the final book of the series, Vanguard, Tegan goes on a journey when her mentor, Dr. Wilson, dies about a year after the events of Horde. She is accompanied by Millie Faraday, James Morrow, and the Uroch vanguard, Szarok. Although Morrow has feelings for her, Tegan is inexplicably drawn to Szarok. After Tegan and Szarok get separated from Millie and Morrow during a storm, they all have to determine what their hearts truly want.

This entire series was totally awesome. When I first read the premise, it reminded me a little of The Hunger Games. Deuce definitely seemed a lot like Katniss Everdeen and I grew to really love her character because of her bravery and commitment to doing what's right. I also really enjoyed her romance with Fade because he taught her that she could want more in life than just fighting to the death and protecting others. My other favorite character in the main trilogy was Stalker because he grew to really be someone that Deuce could trust to help her protect the community even though he seemed like a villain at first with how he treated Tegan during the time she was captured by his gang. Additionally, I thought it was fascinating learning about the origin of the Freaks. At first, I thought they were very similar to zombies, but little hints were dropped here and there until the shocking reveal about their connection to humans. These books were definitely filled with adventure, suspense, and high stakes, but the romance is what moved me. In addition to Deuce and Fade, I thought the love stories of Robin Schiller and Austin Shelley, Stone and Thimble, and the two pairings in Vanguard (I don't want to spoil too much) were beautiful. All in all, the Razorland series is fantastic for fans of dystopian and science fiction novels with a dash of romance.