Review: Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons

Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons

Article 5 #2

Release Date: February 12^th, 2013

Number of Pages: 400

Publisher: Tor Teen

Source: ARC from Raincoast Books

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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?

When I got my hands on Breaking Point, I was really excited to be able to sink back into the world Kristen Simmons had created. I have to say, it was extremely easy to get back into the story started in Article 5. I felt like I had read Article 5 minutes before starting Breaking Point, even if I had actually read it last year. The way it is written, it is easy to be reminded of what happened before.

One of my favorite things about this series was seriously the world in which the story takes place. In Article 5, we learned a lot about the world, about the past, and about the articles controlling the life of the characters. In Breaking Point, we learn more about what really happens in the world, and this is something I really appreciated, especially since it was well included in the story. I never felt like the information was forced on us. It was always nicely included in the story. Dystopian novels are one of kind of novels you can never have enough background information.

In Breaking Point, we follow once again Ember and Chase. The relationship between those two isn’t getting easier, and have to say there is little romance in this one, which I liked, despite loving those two together. After all, romance isn’t the priority when you’re fighting for your life. Ember is getting stronger each novel, and she isn’t afraid to fight for herself and those she cares about. She wants to do her part, even if Chase is often overprotective and would rather have her stay safe behind. We also see Chase under a different light in this book, as he is haunted by his past. This showed how much those two need each other. Their interaction was really one of my favorite parts of the novel, with the world.

Article 5 and Breaking Point are books I definitely would recommend to fans of dystopian. It’s a series I think deserve a lot more love than it has received. Those who have read and loved Article 5 will be more than please with its sequel. Breaking Point was a strong sequel that will leave you wanting more. I already can’t wait to read what will happen next.

About The Author

From NetGalley

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.

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Review: Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Anna #2

Release Date: August 7^th, 2012

Number of Pages: 336

Publisher: Tor Teen

Source: eARC from publisher

It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on.

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live—not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with. 

Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears. 

Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

I had read Anna Dressed in Blood when it first came out last year. It was one of those books I had enjoyed, but hadn’t been completely in love with, despite its incredibly interesting plot. In Girl of Nightmares, we are taken back to Cas, who still hasn’t moved on after Anna’s sacrifice. Worse, she haunts him; convincing him he needed to bring her back out of hell.  When I read the summary, I was curious to see where it would go, and especially how it would end. Would it be completely predictable? Would it be believable? Would the plot make sense? One of the things I really loved about Girl of Nightmares is that the story line flows easily, making it possible for you to simply get captivated by Cas quest to save Anna.

Now, when it comes down to the characters, I was really hoping to see some changes in them. After all, they went through some pretty extreme things in Anna Dressed in Blood. I was actually terrified that we wouldn’t see a difference, an evolution after six months. Fortunately, they did change, especially Carmel who is kind of new to all of this. It made it so much more believable, as I don’t think someone could go through all of that without seeing things a little differently. Of course, we can’t forget about Cas, who is going through some really crazy stuff to save the ghost he loves. He is ready to risk his life for her. Yet, even though his life is in danger, he still can take the time to be funny, something I love about his character. Cas had some really good line that made me laugh. Thomas charmed me again, with his determination to do about everything in his power to help Cas, even if he knows it may not be the safest idea. He is simply an amazing friend.

Once again, Kendare Blake charmed me with her character et her unique ghost story. She gives you enough twits to keep you hooked, amazing characters to make you beg for more. I can’t wait to read more form her, doesn’t matter if it’s from Cas world or not. She simply knows how to charm me!

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About the Author:

KENDARE BLAKE holds an MA in Creative Writing from Middlesex University in northern London. She lives and writes in Lynnwood, Washington.

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