Book Review: Horde by Ann Aguirre

Author: Ann Aguirre

Series: Yes - Book #3 in Razorland series. 

Cover: I love the cover for this book. It is dark, mysterious, and dirty as you expect a book about a zombie apocalypse should be. 

Rating: 5/5 We did it Deuce. We made it to the end. 

Review: OMG I FINALLY MADE IT TO THE END. There's nothing that feels better than finishing a trilogy (edit: I just found out there's a book #4 so, I'll be reading that eventually). *Phew* I do have to say that this book took me a lot longer to read than usual because the beginning felt slow to me. Overall, I enjoyed the book greatly and I'm happy about the way it ended. WARNING: I'm going to spoil some things because I just finished this book an hour ago so I'm writing this blog with a continuous train of thought. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

So, I would like to say the gap between me reading Outpost and Horde is about four years and I was afraid that I wouldn't remember what happened in the previous two books. Aguirre made an amazing job writing enough details for me to remember what happened in books #1 and #2. It took me a couple of chapters until I remembered who each of the characters were. It also helped that the characters in this book had pretty unique names as well (Deuce, Fade, THIMBLE lol....) I was also happy that this book was pretty action packed and that the first couple chapters weren't spent reminding readers what happened. 

Now for all you readers out there, this is STILL a YA book so that means a lot of kissing. I get it Deuce. I love kisses as much as the next person, but holy smokes girl, you're in a middle of an apocalypse and you're wondering why Fade won't kiss you, touch you, smash you? Please. She is 16 in the books so, I guess? 

You know what I did like? NO LOVE TRIANGLES. Stalker was cool and all, but when I'm dead set on a ship... that ship better freaking sail. +400 Elle points to you Deuce for making up your mind so early in this book that Fade is the one. Besides the kissing and lovey dovey cheesy romantic parts of this book, it was also a dark and dirty book. 

See how creepy that GIF up there is? Yeah that's what Deuce & Co. had to deal with every single day and night. There is no argument that this book as a lot of killing, hunting, and bloodbath. We also get to meet new characters and I'm so happy that the minor characters don't have THICC plot armors. Calling this book Horde was not a joke, they have killed thousands of Freaks/Muties/WhateverTheOtherNamesYouCallThem. 

Now, I do have SOME complaints. First, are the names in this series. I understand the naming system in this world, but every time I see the name Stalker or THIMBLE I laugh. Second, Deuce I get it, YOU'RE A HUNTRESS. Dear lord, does Aguirre use the word "Huntress" a lot. Maybe limit it to once or twice a chapter and not 16 times or so. Lastly, Aguirre can you stop making all the characters so lovable? My heart is breaking here.

Continuing from above, the characters are lovable. Aguirre introduced us to a lot of new characters in this book and boy is she not afraid to get rid of them too. Each of them has their own unique skill sets that makes you remember who they are. SPOILER: Part of me is glad and sad that Stalker died. I think in books that pertain to huge wars and battles, zero deaths are pretty unbelievable. 

I also love that Deuce isn't all powerful. She knows she can kill these Freaks/Muties, but at the same time, she knows she will lose something in every battle. She went from being a sheltered girl underground to a HUNTRESS leading an army above ground. Her heart went from stone to mush. Ultimately, she becomes a leader that knows how to listen to the people, coordinate attacks, and understand the wants and desires of others. 

Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the little surprises. For example, Stalker's death. I thought EVERYONE was going to make it. It's so unfortunate that he died so close to the ending. I also loved that we get to see Freaks/Muties get smarter as well. My biggest praise to this book is that it wasn't rushed. This battle was not over a course of a week or month, but several months. Deuce & Co. didn't become stronger overnight, they WORKED to become stronger. 

Lastly, the ending was so cheesy I love it. I am a lover of cheese and boy was it cheesy. I laughed at how Aguirre incorporated Razorland Saga into the story, but hey, it works! The nicknames of the characters are funny too, like "Tegan of the Staff"... I'm glad Fade and Deuce get married, I'm mentally shaking Tegan for not realizing Morrow is THE ONE, and lastly the Oakes family is the best family. I also read how Aguirre studied about the American Civil War and traditional medicine to help her write this series, so I would like to thank her for her amazing work! 

Favorite Line:

"'I'm telling you now, from the things I've survived and the places I've been, that there is no such thing as impossible. According to everyone else, I shouldn't be here. But I am.'"

Top 3 Favorite Characters:

Tegan - I love her and all the struggles that she went through. She was kidnapped, raped, had her children killed, her multiple homes destroyed, crippled, and she still chose to travel and take care of everyone she came in contact with. She has a very open mind and heart that loves to learn everything they can for the benefit of others. If this book needed another main character that wasn't Deuce, it would be her.

Stalker - Now, I didn't like him a whole lot when I was reading until he DIED. Yeah, I paused after reading that chapter. It's like the saying of you don't know you love something until it's gone. I think all the characters felt that way as well. They all didn't know they needed him until he was gone.

Momma Oaks - This woman is the type of mom I would want to be when I'm older. She doesn't judge you from where you're from, what you look like and what you do. She loves you for you and supports you. Even if it means that her children are going to fight some zombies, she will support you no matter what. That's a good mom. 

Alright everyone! That is all. I feel like my posts have been getting a bit longer and I don't know if that is a good or bad thing. Let me know if I should shorten what I write or not. Thank you to all that have read this until the end. you're the reason why I keep writing <3 Don't be afraid to comment anything down below! Until next post. ~ 

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Horde (The Razorland Trilogy)