Ann AguirreHorde (The Razorland Trilogy, 3)

PJV Quickie: Horde is the non stop, action filled, culmination of Aguirre’s beloved (or hated) Razorland Series. Deuce finds herself outside of Salvation, looking for Salvation from the Freak Horde. The pages in this book are hit, after hit of emotions, kick-a$$ heroines, and blood shed.Horde literally picks up right where we left off in Outpost, so you might need to re-read the last chapter or so to refresh your memory of what happened. I was a bit lost at first and then everything started clicking. Aguirre leaves enough bread crumbs to let the readers get those little aha moments, to fill in without rehashing the previous book.Not only did the book immediately pick up where the story left off, but Aguirre decides she needs to punch us in the gut immediately. She doesn’t hold back. The people are at war with the Freaks now. And in real war lives, and towns are lost.Deuce is well, Deuce and you either love her or hate her. I think she feels softer to me in this book. She’s not so cold. It’s a great progression as she moves from being a Huntress to being a leader, girlfriend, friend, daughter and sister. She’s learning her role. It’s so hard to forget that she is only 16. Such a hard life for someone so young. Even if it is fictional. I really empathized with her character, throughout the series. It was nice to see that the slack I cut her in book one was worthwhile as she became such a strong heroine.Fade’s character growth was much more subtle than Deuce’s. He was always more human and rounded out than Deuce. Because he had a family, because he had an identity beyond being a Hunter. His time in captivity sort of set him behind. I think, that not re-reading Outpost hurt the way I felt for Fade. Because I couldn’t feel his pain. Relatively speaking the books in this series are rather short, so she had to move Fade from damaged to “okay” in a small amount of time. It felt rushed to me, but that’s because I wasn’t in his head space, and his capture wasn’t fresh to me.I don’t even want to talk about Stryker. He is…well he is probably the most hated person of the series. He is definitely a gray character that resides in a gray area. But he’s learning. He’s learning not to be that ruthless guy anymore. Does he redeem himself in this book? No because you can’t redeem the things he did. Does he earn forgiveness? To me yes, he does.There is a line that he says to Deuce in this book. Something along the lines of, “We could have ruled the City. You could have been my Queen.” And the idea is easy to see. Deuce even recognizes it, but she has Fade. And it just hit. OH MY GOD, that would have been an epic book too. Can you imagine it? I think instead of doing alternate POV’s re-telling the story (which is really popular in NA) Aguirre should tell THAT story. I would buy it.Teagan. Teagan broke my heart. Read the book.So Outpost left you with more questions? You get answers. The book wraps itself up nicely. It kind of made me weepy. Which made me angry. I hate crying.Overall I loved this book. It was everything I wanted from Aguirre for the ending. Well I would have liked for more people to have lived. But it’s war.

I first read Enclave about a year ago, and was completely drawn in to this world Ann had built. Outpost, while being a completely different kind of book than Enclave was, was somehow the perfect sequel. And now Horde, while once again being something entirely new, is the perfect ending. It does everything the final book in a series should do. It answers our questions, ties up loose ends, and gives us a satisfying ending.One of the things that impresses me most about this series is the incredible amount of world building that has gone on over the course of the books. Even though each book tells its story in a different and unique place (the Enclave and their underground world, the decaying urban jungle if the "ruins", salvation and its old-time ways, the settlements and forests of "Horde"), they all come together seamlessly to form a picture of a world that has died and is trying to be reborn. Even the evolution of the Freaks was explained in a way that made sense in the context of the overall story. This doesn't seem like a book that did well, so the author decided to tack some more stuff onto the story and turn it into a series. This seems like an idea that was completely thought and fleshed out before the first page of the first book was ever written.Another thing is the painstaking character development--not only of our main characters, but so many of the secondary ones as well. There are no cardboard cutouts here, no inconsistent characters (except for when that inconsistency is a true and believable part of the character's gradual growth and development), and very little cannon fodder (those minimally-drawn characters that are so often introduced for the sole purpose of being killed off).Deuce is probably one of my favorite heroines ever. She started off a little bit one-dimensional, but as the series continued she fleshed out into a multi-faceted, yet somehow still straightforward, character. It was a pleasure to see her transformation from pure huntress to woman. Watching in Outpost as she learned about family, devotion, and love, and then in Horde as she applied those new lessons in regards to Fade and her relationship with him--as well as her new family--was so fulfilling.The book isn't perfect. It starts slowly, has many awkward moments, lacks subtlety as it beats you over the head with it's messages, and the romantic moments between Deuce and Fade-while sweet and real-often seem somewhat forced and out of place. But for all that, I'm still giving it 5 stars because the things it does well, it does EXTREMELY well. After being disappointed time after time when a final book fell flat (or went compeletely off the rails--I'm looking at you Allegiant), I can overlook the few minor flaws in a book that manages to get so much just right.

I was so looking forward to reading "Horde". I can't even tell how you much. I could have eaten it whole in one sitting but I had to pace myself to make sure I got enough enjoyment out of it. It was delicious.Horde sees us to the end of the Enclave trilogy but Aguirre goes out with one great big bang! Horde is action packed, full of blood and guts and just a sprinkle of romance too. This book brings us the real story of survival for Deuce and the gang as they finally battle it out against The Freaks. You remember those right? Those mutant creatures tearing people to pieces both above and below ground?Well they're back. With even bigger bite. In fact, they're beginning to change. I absolutely loved this concept of the Freaks altering and essentially evolving to become stronger, faster and ultimately smarter killers. I am so impressed with Aguirre's world building and character development relative to this and found myself shocked into silence at one point.I really can't say too much without giving the game away but I can urge you to read this final installement in the Razorland trilogy. Not only do I feel it's safe to say this has been a rip-roarer of a series from book one all the way through to book three, I've really become invested in the characters (something I never do).If you loved the Razorland trilogy so far, pick this up and if you were struggling after the last book then still pick it up because I promise you, Aguirre will redeem herself in your eyes. Additionally, for those of you who are interested, there are a couple of short stories to accompany this trilogy and a brand new series coming soon set within the same world!! Excited doesn't even begin to cover it.

This whole series was absolute quality from the start of book one to the end of book three. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every single page. Its not just for zombie fans, zombies not making my top 5 picks but this blew me away. There is a lot to read in each book, but every word has you hanging off the end of it. Deuce & fade are both my favourite characters and couples out of every book ive read. Because you discover topside with them, you really get to know them throughout the journey to salvation. By the time the horde is defeated, all you want is for them to find peace & happiness & have many mini me's running around. I hate when an amazing story has to end, i could read this story forever, but it couldnt have ended better. Period. I have and will reccomend this series to anyone and everyone! I cant wait to see what V.R writes next. Id buy it just because her writing style is perfect. You can picture the world she builds on paper fluently, and nothing is too mind melting about it, very enjoyable easy read - NOT RECCOMENDED FOR A BEDTIME READ...YOU JUST CANT STOP READING! WARNING - WILL KEEP YOU TOTALLY IMMERSED AND ALL OTHER TASKS WILL BE ABANDONED UNTIL YOU FINISH THE LAST PAGE!

A lovely book that makes you love the characters and keeps you reading. The premise may seem unusual but a good fun book. It will make you cry.

Wow. This saga was unbelievable. I finished it in 4 days I could not stop reading! Would definitely recommend if you are looking for a trilogy.

As good as the two previous books! I very much enjoyed the last book of the sage - a big yes!