THREE Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the official blog tour for THREE by Kristen Simmons! Today I have my review of the book to share with you and don't forget to enter the awesome giveaway at the bottom of the post! To follow the rest of the tour, click on the banner above!

THREE (Article 5 #3)

Author: Kristen Simmons

Genre: YA Dystopian

Release Date: February 11, 2014

Publisher: Tor Teen

Description:

Kristen Simmons’ fast-paced, gripping YA dystopian series continues in Three.

Ember Miller and Chase Jennings are ready to stop running. After weeks spent in hiding as two of the Bureau of Reformation’s most wanted criminals, they have finally arrived at the safe house, where they hope to live a safe and quiet existence.

And all that’s left is smoking ruins.

Devastated by the demolition of their last hope, Ember and Chase follow the only thing left to them—tracks leading away from the wreckage. The only sign that there may have been survivors.

With their high profile, they know they can’t stay out in the open for long. They take shelter in the wilderness and amidst the ruins of abandoned cities as they follow the tracks down the coast, eventually finding refugees from the destroyed safe house. Among them is someone from Chase’s past—someone he never thought he’d see again.

Banding together, they search for a place to hide, aiming for a settlement a few of them have heard about…a settlement that is rumored to house the nebulous organization known as Three. The very group that has provided Ember with a tiny ray of hope ever since she was first forced on the run.

Three is responsible for the huge network of underground safe houses and resistance groups across the country. And they may offer Ember her only chance at telling the world her story.

At fighting back.

THREE, the final installment in the young adult dystopian Article 5 trilogy, continues to follow our outlaw main characters - Chase and Ember - as they finally reach the safe house they've been striving so hard to get to, only to find it demolished. With no clues about survivors and no place else to go, Chase and Ember follow tracks leading away from the wreckage, hoping to find someone who may have survived. They find themselves going down the East Coast - where exciting and dangerous events await them. Chase is reunited with someone from his past that he thought was long gone. They decide to search out a settlement rumored to be a huge resistance organization called Three. Ember knows that Three is her only shot at getting the chance to telling her story to the world. They also are at the heart of the resistance, which means they'll finally be able to do something - fight back against the FBR.

I've read and loved the first two books in this series and I was really hoping that this third installment didn't start to devolve into repetition and boredom, like so many other promising series do. I was happily surprised to find that it not only lived up to any hopes I may have had, but it went far beyond them and continued to fuel my love for the characters and the series as a whole. The author's writing is so natural - I was immediately pulled back into the world she had created with Ember and Chase. With such vivid details and descriptions, it seemed as though I was right beside them during the fight against the FBR. The characters continued to show growth - although there were some points in the book where I just wanted to smack them both in the head a few times, just like the other books - and I loved to watch them mature into strong leaders. Of course, I loved watching Chase and Ember's relationship grow as well (along with more head smacking). I loved their dynamic and the way they work together both as a couple and as a team. The plot was fantastic - I loved the adventure and excitement that flowed from almost every page as things got more and more intense. I loved learning about Three - it's history, details, and intricacies. I think that adding it into the series really put a new layer into the story line - one that can go in several different places. Overall, I found this book to be just as absorbing and exciting as the first two, and I'm blown away by it's ending - while also very sad to see it go - I want more!! Highly recommended for fans of science fiction, dystopia, and post-apocalyptic fiction!

Kristen Simmons has a master’s degree in social work and is an advocate for mental health. She loves Jazzercise, her husband, and her precious greyhound, Rudy. Also chocolate. She currently lives in Tampa, Florida.

Website
  

 You can purchase THREE at the following Retailers:     

(3) Winners will receive a Copy of THREE by Kristen Simmons.

(1) Winner will receive a Copy of Artikel 5  and Gesetz Der Rache (A5 and Breaking Point from Germany) by Kristen Simmons.

(3) Winners will receive a copy of Article 5 by Kristen Simmons.
 

(3) Winners will receive a copy of Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons.
 

(1) Winner will receive a Copy of Article 5 from Taiwan, and the audio book of Breaking Point on CD by Kristen Simmons.

 (5) Winners will receive a Chase Jennings ART Bookmark by James Vallesteros.

Must be 13+ to Enter / International Giveaway

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Breaking Point Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

Breaking Point (Article 5 #2)
Author: Kristen Simmons
Genre: YA Dystopian
Expected Release Date: February 2, 2013
Publisher: Tor Teen

Description:

The second installment in Kristen Simmons's fast-paced, gripping YA dystopian series.

After faking their deaths to escape from prison, Ember Miller and Chase Jennings have only one goal: to lay low until the Federal Bureau of Reformation forgets they ever existed.

Near-celebrities now for the increasingly sensationalized tales of their struggles with the government, Ember and Chase are recognized and taken in by the Resistance—an underground organization working to systematically take down the government. At headquarters, all eyes are on the sniper, an anonymous assassin taking out FBR soldiers one by one. Rumors are flying about the sniper’s true identity, and Ember and Chase welcome the diversion….

Until the government posts its most-wanted list, and their number one suspect is Ember herself.

Orders are shoot to kill, and soldiers are cleared to fire on suspicion alone. Suddenly Ember can’t even step onto the street without fear of being recognized, and “laying low” is a joke. Even members of the Resistance are starting to look at her sideways.

With Chase urging her to run, Ember must decide: Go into hiding…or fight back?    

Breaking Point is the second book in a riveting young adult dystopian series. It picks up where the first book leaves off, with our main characters - Ember Miller and Chase Jennings - who are still on the run from the FBR (Federal Bureau of Reformation) after faking their deaths and going into hiding. They are soon discovered and taken in by the Resistance - the underground rebel group that's working to take down the government. Should Chase and Ember continue to run or should they finally stand up and fight?

This novel was just as electrifying and enthalling as the first in the series. The novel is really fast-paced with lots of action and adventure around every turn, which makes this one major page-turner. The characters continue to show growth as we see them face their fears and must make some serious decisions. Both main characters are flawed in their own ways, with tortured pasts and scars both physical and emotional. And yet they are bound together through thick and thin. I found both of them really likable and realistic - and I continued to root for them throughout the book, just like in the first installment. The dystopian setting is richly described and intricately detailed, which made it really intriguing to immerse myself in and to learn about the history that led to the current state of the world. The writing was top notch and wove an enchanting tale full of action, adventure, romance, and thrills - all while dealing with important topics like believing in yourself, standing up for what's right, family, friendship, and love. Overall, this was an incredible second installment in one of the best YA dystopian series I've ever read. I'm already eagerly anticipating the third book. Highly recommended for fans of young adult and dystopian fiction!

About the book #1 in the series:

Article 5
Release Date: January 31, 2012

Description:

New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren't always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it's hard for her to forget that people weren't always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It's hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings—the only boy Ember has ever loved.

Kristen Simmons has a master’s degree in social work and is an advocate for mental health. She lives with her husband Jason and their precious greyhound Rudy in Tampa, Florida.

Author Links: 
Website: http://www.kristensimmonsbooks.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.kristensimmons 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kris10writes 
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4692856.Kristen_Simmons
 

    

 
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