Review: Three by Kristen Simmons

Three

Author: Kristen Simmons
Series: Article 5 #3
Publisher: Tor Teen
Genre: YA Dystopian
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: February 11, 2014
Source: Bought
Rating: 4.5 Stars
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Synopsis from Goodreads:

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.

My Review:

I’ve been procrastinating on reading the final book in this series for a long time, because that would mean it was really over. But all good things must come to an end eventually right? I am so sad that this series is over, but I’m so happy with the way Kristen Simmons ended it.

Three is intense. In the best way possible. We’ve been waiting so long to finally meet the rebel organization, Three, (hence the title, no it’s not just because it’s the third book) and the group is everything I had hoped they would be. A badass and shady leader that you can’t really decide if you trust or not, plans to take the MM out that don’t seem likely to succeed and lots of people on the inside.

I loved that the moral line was so grey in this book. Ember really struggles with whether or not she wants to be a part of Three’s plans. Because they are meeting violence with more violence, she wonders whether Three will be any better than the MM. I loved watching Ember decide what was right for her and coming to her own conclusions about morality and what was right vs. necessary.

And of course, there’s Chase Jennings. Who I love. Who is perfect and amazing and tortured and broken and so beautiful. I loved that Chase and Ember have finally worked things out in this book and we get to see them together. A lot of times I feel like the couple finally works it out at the end, but then we don’t actually get to see them interacting. Not the case with this series. Rather than dealing with conflict between them, they deal with conflict around them and they do it together, as a team. It was really awesome to see them together like that and to see them being so supportive of each other. It was a great example of a functional relationship.

The action in this one is pretty nonstop and as you draw towards the end you’ll be on the edge of your seat wondering how the hell Kristen Simmons plans to tie it all up. But she somehow manages to tie it up in the perfect way. It’s still messy and the world is not put back together all neatly, but you can see where it’s headed and you know where Chase and Ember and Sean and Rebecca and all your favorite characters are and I was really pleased with the way it all turned out. If you haven’t read this series yet, you should. It’s an original and exciting dystopian with a great cast of characters!

Have you read this book yet? This series? What did you think of the conclusion? Were you happy with the way things ended?