Blog Tour: Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons

Breaking Point
(Article 5, #2)

Author: Kristen Simmons

Publication Date: February 2nd 2013

Publisher: Tor Teen

Genre: Dystopia

---

Synopsis:

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?

My Thoughts: I'm just going to start out by saying that I actually liked Breaking Point more than Article 5. I think I have finally come to terms with why Ember's mother was killed (not just because Ember was born, that was just their reason for bringing her in). However, there was ONE thing I didn't like about this one, which I will get to later. First of all, I just want to say a big thank you to Kristen for creating such an amazing and captivating series that I can vividly see in my mind as I'm reading. I mean, I was reading this after having very little sleep and normally reading will make me fall asleep. Not in this book. Once I was pulled into the story, which was at the beginning, I was hard-pressed to stop until it was done (even if I did have to because of other responsibilities. ie: kids and work).

So what was it that I hated in this one? Well, it wasn't the fact that it basically starts off where Article 5 ended (about a month later but not much has happened in that time). Ember and Chase are living with the resistance in Knoxville, Ember is afraid to go outside and the other resistance members resent her for it. The sniper is still at large and is in Knoxville. Then suddenly, the FBR  finds out that Ember isn't dead and they decide that she has something to do with the sniper attacks and add her to their most wanted lists. Ember is denying it and finally goes out on a mission so that people will see her and it will maybe boost their morale. After that, the action starts and it's all fast paced from there. Just when you are starting to think things are going to be okay for Ember, Tucker shows up, she and Chase are kicked out and shit hits the fan. So I definitely didn't hate the story line and it's action packed awesomeness.

Was it the romance aspect? Nope, I actually quite enjoyed watching Ember and Chase begin to repair their relationship after the bomb he threw into it, again, at the end of Article 5. I mean, he should have told her the truth, even if it was hard, but he didn't and now they have this wedge in between them since he was one of the last people to see her mother alive. He struggles with it as much as she does. He had no parents and Ember's mother made him feel like a welcome member of the family. They are slowly getting past this and their relationship is mending. Ember is keeping a secret from Chase about Tucker, but that goes better than his secret from before. Things are mending, even if they are always running for their lives and are always surrounded by other people. I think the romance is well done!

Also, in regards to Ember, she has changed so much! She was a naive little girl in Article 5, but in Breaking Point she has become so courageous and strong. She believes that things need to change and wants to give everyone hope. Even though she can be shot on sight, she still braves it and goes outside. She keeps her promises and is just an awesome protagonist all over!

I suppose now you're wondering what I didn't like. Well, the one thing I hate about Breaking Point is that I'm finished and now have to wait for the next book. It seems so cruel to have to wait. *goes and pouts in the corner* I love this series, it's amazing and the next book needs to come out now! Honestly, if you haven't read this series yet, you're missing out, it really is a dystopian that stands out amongst the surge of dystopians that have been coming out lately. You should read it. Nay, you need to read it! Go get it now and read it!

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

    

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Article 5
(Article 5 #1)

Author: Kristen Simmons

Publication Date: January 31st 2012

Publisher: Tor Teen

Genre: Dystopia

---

Synopsis:

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.

My Thoughts: Okay, I know. I really should be giving this one a 5 owl rating but I just can't. Why? there was one thing that really irritated me, it was in the back of my mind from the time that Ember's mom got arrested, right up to the end of the book. Before I go into that though, this was a really great book and I can't wait to jump into Breaking Point, which will be soon since I'm in the blog tour for it :) Kristen Simmons is really great at creating a world that is easily imaginable and believable. I was getting chills at some of the things that happened, and it's not like a dystopian that the characters have been living like this their whole lives. The wars only ended a short while ago (3 years I think it was). Things have only been hard the past 8 years for the characters, so they know what a happy life was like.

Which brings me to the thing that I didn't like. Ember's mom is arrested for violating Article 5, which basically means she had a child out of wedlock and is a single mother. Right, but Ember is 17, which means they are arresting her for something that wasn't illegal at the time that it happened. It does eventually make sense, but I'm not going to go into that since it would be spoilery. But it bothered me the whole time, especially when you find out what her punishment was. Rediculous. But, that's what a dystopian society is all about I guess. Retroactive laws are a bit much though. Not that she really followed the laws, since she was used to a life that you could pretty much do what you want, read what you want, etc. But yeah, that's the only thing that bothered me about the story, but yeah, it was mean!

Alright, the rest of the story though, I loved. Ember really grows as a character, she goes from being obedient of the law to rebellious as she realizes just how stupid all of the laws are. So we see her come out of her shell and become stronger. she begins to stick up for herself and others, and does the right thing, even if she shouldn't. Then there is Chase, her first love. The one who drove the van arresting her mom. She can't bring herself to trust him since he's changed so much, but she has to once her life is in his hands. He's the enemy to her. He made her mom a promise though. I really like these two, but they have a lot to talk about still.

Overall, Article 5 is an amazing book. It leaves you wanting more at the end. Luckily for you, if you haven't read it yet, Breaking Point is coming out later this month, so it's not a long wait. If you have read it, well, it's coming out soon, so your wait is almost over! It really stands out in the dystopian genre. It's well written and you can really connect with the characters. It's a definite must read if you are a fan of dystopia. It's a great place to start if you haven't tried them yet. For sure one that I recommend and would get 4.5 owls if I did half ratings. It's a really great read that will keep you up until you finish it!

Review: Ember by Jessica Sorensen

Ember
(Death Collectors #1)

Author: Jessica Sorensen

Publication Date: August 29, 2012

Publisher: Borrowed Hearts Publishing

Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy

---

Synopsis:

What if you knew when someone was going to die?
For seventeen-year-old Ember, life is death. With a simple touch, she knows when someone will die. It’s her curse and the reason she secludes herself from the world. The only person who knows her secret is her best friend Raven.
Then she meets Asher Morgan. He’s gorgeous, mysterious, and is the only person Ember can't sense death from. So when he pushes into her life, she doesn’t mind.
But when unexplained deaths start to haunt her town, Ember starts questioning why she can’t sense Asher's death and what he may be hiding.

My Thoughts: This is one of the books that once I started reading I didn't stop until I finished.  I simply couldn't stop until I found out what was going on!

Ember's life is complicated.  She can't touch anyone, not even her own family, without knowing how they will die.  Not only that, insanity runs in her family and she has to do everything she can to keep it together while her mother and brother act strangely.  Couple that with the fact that everyone believes that she is responsible for her own father's death/disappearance and you pretty much have Ember.

I sympathies with Ember throughout the whole book.  She has a good head on her shoulders (so far) and, quite frankly, she is surrounded by people who are absolutely nuts and lives in a community where she is completely ostracized. No wonder she spends her time hanging out in cemeteries!

Now, I am a little bit disappointed that the summary above only includes Asher Morgan because Cameron is also an integral part of this story (and just as yummy!).  Both Asher and Cameron move to Ember's small town from New York around the same time and both lavish attention on Ember - something she has never had before. Cameron is cocky and sometimes abrasive while Asher is sweet, protective and caring.

But when both Asher and Cameron seem to know what is going on with her "gift" and bodies start piling up, Ember has to decide which one, if either, she can trust.

I just have to say here, I am in love with Cameron.  He made me really mad sometimes, but he is just the kind of guy I float towards in the Young Adult novels.  A bad boy with a little mystery is totally someone to get the blood flowing!  I just felt like Ember had more of a connection with him too.  But, who knows until the end of the series (other than Jessica!)?

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.  It had a lot of plot twists and really kept me on my tows.  This book almost always managed to stay one step ahead of me and I like that.  It also introduced a new kind of Supe (supernatural creature) which means it wasn't overdone.  It was a pretty awesome read and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys paranormal/fantasy YA novels!