My goodness what a finish to this trilogy. Katniss was in hiding during most of the third Hunger Games book; Deuce is anything but. This chick had been a badass from the beginning of the series and she gets *heavy* in this one, smacking down anyone and everyone. I loved it. What I loved more was that through this, she learned to have emotions and feelings. The hormonal feelings of teenage lust were ones I could do without but the humanity was handled well. Aguirre stunningly laid out the stories of us all: if we stay in the same isolated, insular areas our entire lives and never become exposed to others and others' ways of life, we'll never grow and we'll end up consumed with hatred (or religion - nice one, Aguirre!); we'll never learn to accept true change from people, never learn to trust, never learn to find out who we really are.
I cried during an unexpected turn of plot. I still feel devastated and empty and I can't believe a YA book (never known for their character development) made me do that. I haven't cried over a book for nine years.
I take off half a star because I just couldn't stand the lustful longing between Deuce and Fade - gets old and boring after a while. Continuous chit-chat about "kissing privileges." I will give Aguirre a lot of credit for not allowing this to become a typical YA book in that vein.
I take off another half a star because the author didn't make the Freaks zombies. The opportunity was thereand I even thought she was headed in that direction. Mutants are boring. But at least these evolved so they kept my interest - what would they do next?
All in all, a stunning, sweeping, mind-wrecking conclusion. Reminded me a lot of Brian Boru's story but Aguirre rocked the feminist angle.
I cried during an unexpected turn of plot. I still feel devastated and empty and I can't believe a YA book (never known for their character development) made me do that. I haven't cried over a book for nine years.
I take off half a star because I just couldn't stand the lustful longing between Deuce and Fade - gets old and boring after a while. Continuous chit-chat about "kissing privileges." I will give Aguirre a lot of credit for not allowing this to become a typical YA book in that vein.
I take off another half a star because the author didn't make the Freaks zombies. The opportunity was thereand I even thought she was headed in that direction. Mutants are boring. But at least these evolved so they kept my interest - what would they do next?
All in all, a stunning, sweeping, mind-wrecking conclusion. Reminded me a lot of Brian Boru's story but Aguirre rocked the feminist angle.
While I hate seeing this series come to an end, it is a very satisfying, epic ending.
Summary:
Deuce and Fade are on the run again. They are searching for a new home to help them since Salvation has fallen. Along with Tegan and Stalker, they find their way to Soldier's Pond. In Soldier's Pond, a very militaristic compound, Deuce tells everyone that the Freaks are becoming more organized. They are learning how to fight and are multiplying. Obviously a huge battle is about to begin and Deuce has to step up to lead her companions into the fight of a lifetime. Humans must carry the war to the freaks, or everything will fall.
My thoughts:
Honestly, if you have read the first two books, then you know there is going to be an epic battle in this one. The majority of the novel is building an army and fighting. Very much like classic fantasy novels, the army is built along with the main characters feeling of trust within those around her. Deuce grows as a leader and regrows her friendships with those around her. As Fade and Deuce rebuild their relationship, the begin to fight against the multitudes of Freaks. As in any epic battle, the army that Deuce and Fade are fighting against outnumbers their small army by insurmountable odds. Each battle has great losses but also great victories. As in previous volumes, Horde has a lot of death and killing. It is not something that is for the weak of heart as the battle scenes are very well described and at times filler with horrific imagery. The story itself is gripping, intense, and everything I wanted it to be. I'm so sad to see this story end, but the ending was my favorite of the trilogy.
Summary:
Deuce and Fade are on the run again. They are searching for a new home to help them since Salvation has fallen. Along with Tegan and Stalker, they find their way to Soldier's Pond. In Soldier's Pond, a very militaristic compound, Deuce tells everyone that the Freaks are becoming more organized. They are learning how to fight and are multiplying. Obviously a huge battle is about to begin and Deuce has to step up to lead her companions into the fight of a lifetime. Humans must carry the war to the freaks, or everything will fall.
My thoughts:
Honestly, if you have read the first two books, then you know there is going to be an epic battle in this one. The majority of the novel is building an army and fighting. Very much like classic fantasy novels, the army is built along with the main characters feeling of trust within those around her. Deuce grows as a leader and regrows her friendships with those around her. As Fade and Deuce rebuild their relationship, the begin to fight against the multitudes of Freaks. As in any epic battle, the army that Deuce and Fade are fighting against outnumbers their small army by insurmountable odds. Each battle has great losses but also great victories. As in previous volumes, Horde has a lot of death and killing. It is not something that is for the weak of heart as the battle scenes are very well described and at times filler with horrific imagery. The story itself is gripping, intense, and everything I wanted it to be. I'm so sad to see this story end, but the ending was my favorite of the trilogy.
Wow! What a wonderful way to end a trilogy! I finished it completely sated. In this book we really get to watch our characters grow and find themselves. I really love how Deuce turns out and how the company she finds sees her for the brave person she is. We see her trying and failing multiple times before she finally comes up with another plan. We also see her not only opening her heart for others but able to show it better as well. The ending of this book had me so captivated that I lost some sleep from staying up to finish it. I definitely recommend this series if you love dystopian/post-apocalyptic books.
