5 Stars to an Amazing Series Finale! Horde by Ann Aguirre

The horde is coming.

Salvation is surrounded, monsters at the gates, and this time, they're not going away. When Deuce, Fade, Stalker and Tegan set out, the odds are against them. But the odds have been stacked against Deuce from the moment she was born. She might not be a Huntress anymore, but she doesn't run. With her knives in hand and her companions at her side, she will not falter, whether fighting for her life or Fade's love.

Ahead, the battle of a lifetime awaits. Freaks are everywhere, attacking settlements, setting up scouts, perimeters, and patrols. There hasn't been a war like this in centuries, and humans have forgotten how to stand and fight. Unless Deuce can lead them.

This time, however, more than the fate of a single enclave or outpost hangs in the balance. This time, Deuce carries the banner for the survival of all humanity.

My Thoughts

I am currently  kicking myself for forgetting how amazing this series is. I should have picked up Horde as soon as it came out in October, but for some reason, I never got around to it. 

Ann Aguirre writes beautifully. I can picture everything in complete detail as if I am watching a film. She writes her characters well, and makes them so perfectly real and lovable. Things moved along quickly and there was never a dull moment! The only reason I took so long to finish it was because of school.

DEUCE OAKS <333 is one of my all-time favorite heroines. There are way too many adjectives I can give this woman so I’ll just say a few. Deuce was: brave, selfless, intelligent, open-minded, determined, dedicated and loving. She was also a badass leader who didn’t take shit from anyone. It was interesting to see Deuce not go from weak to strong physically but from weak to strong emotionally. What I loved about her most was how she stuck with Fade even with his troubles and she never stopped loving and fighting for him. Another thing was no matter how naïve and uneducated Deuce was from living in the enclave, she learned and accepted things easily and she always kept an open mind.

'Because I love you.' It was easy to say it this time now that I understood what it meant. Then I quoted his own words back to him. 'Not just when it's easy. All the time.

FADE is such a sweetheart. So many terrible things happened to him and he fought through his PTSD in order to be whole for Deuce. Much swoon for Fade!

Fade pressed two fingers to my mouth. “Stop. There is nothing I want more than your hands on me, anywhere you care to put them.”

There’s not much I can say about STALKER without spoiling anything (which is probably a spoiler within itself) or ranting but I love Stalker. I get that people were upset about him being somewhat of a love interest because of the awful things he did, but I’m sorry this is the freaking apocalypse. He wasn’t raised like us to understand what’s right and wrong. Even if that isn’t the case, this is a new world, it is damn near impossible to live on your own and make it to the age of 20. Stalker did what he needed to survive. And while there is no justification for what was done to Tegan and countless other girls by Stalker’s gang, there also has to be some understanding of this world they are living in, it is nothing like our own.

I loved watching TEGAN grow and learn and become stronger. I could relate to her because she loved learning and I am the same way. I love her for forgiving Stalker and for being strong when Deuce wasn’t able to be.  

MOMMA OAKS  was perfect. This woman was strong in ways Deuce couldn’t understand at first. She taught Deuce so many things about love and bravery that she didn’t learn with Fade or fighting Muties. I think every scene with Momma Oaks and Deuce left me teary-eyed and loving Momma Oaks even more.

That looked like love to me, when you put a brave face on your heart breaking because it was what the other person needed

EDMUND & REX: I adored these two and I love how they all accepted Deuce as family with no problem whatsoever. The protectiveness Rex had for Deuce was very endearing

I’m not one who complains about a lack of WORLD-BUILDING in a book, so long as the other components (characters, plot, etc.) are strong. I will say though, there could never be any complaints about the world Ms. Aguirre creates for us. Questions about how this world became what it is now were all answered perfectly! I found it extremely interesting how each town had its different ways of dealing with the Muties.

And finally, the ENDING

Oh my goodness this book gave me more than I could ask for! The final battle was so intense I couldn't stop reading. Special shout out to Vince Howe and his brilliant blackmailing! I also need to make a comment about the epilogue. In all honesty, this was the most perfect Epilogue I have ever encountered in my readings…it was just beautiful. That cherry tree? So sweet! And Morrows title for his story? PERFECTION!

**SPOILERY**

These are things that I NEED to mention!

I was soo happy to see Stone and Thimble, I knew we weren’t seeing the last of them in Enclave.

We didn’t leave them on good terms but it was nice to know Deuce’s friends were alive and well, and felt terrible about what happened. ALL IS FORGIVEN!!

Stalker…Oh man, I was in tears when Stalker sacrificed himself for Tegan. I thought maybe he’d be a love interest but I get how that would have been impossible. As devastated as I am over his death, it was written beautifully, and Stalker has redeemed himself 100% in my eyes.

“You said I could never make it right…but this helps doesn’t it? The world’s getting the better deal, her for me.”

It was crazy how the Muties had memories from their ancestors, I can't even comprehend what that would be like if humans had it as well. 

I recommend this series to anyone and everyone! You will NOT regret reading these books. But if you do regret it...

Some favorite quotes:

But wishes were empty thoughts, cast down a dark hole. They didn’t come true unless you worked for them. I’d learned that about the world, if nothing more.

It was better to be warm than pretty

“They serve alcohol.” He forestalled my next question by explaining, “It makes you stupid, loud, and removes a good half of your coordination.”

The tale that followed was wild and improbable—about a boy wizard who lived in a cupboard, then a giant came to him to a magical school, thus commencing a bunch of adventures...Love it! You can’t have a character with a collection of stories from the Old World and not have the Potter J

                    

5 "Horde"s