Kristen Simmons's masterful breakout novel for young adult readers that's 'Jumanji but Japanese-inspired' (Kendare Blake) about estranged friends playing a deadly game in an eerie folkloric underworld. AT DAWN HE'LL BE GONE AND YOU'LL BE HERE FOREVER.
Kristen Simmons, the author of the Article 5 series and Metaltown, brings her remarkable imagination to this intrigue-filled contemporary drama where good kids are needed to do some very bad things in The Deceivers. Welcome to Vale Hall, the school for aspiring con artists. When Brynn Hilder is recruited to Vale, it seems like the elite academy is her chance to start over, away from her mom’s loser boyfriend and her rundown neighborhood. But she soon learns that Vale chooses students not so much for their scholastic talent as for their extracurricular activities, such as her time spent conning rich North Shore kids out of their extravagant allowances. At first, Brynn jumps at the chance to help the school in its mission to rid the city of corrupt officials—because what could be better than giving entitled jerks what they deserve? But that’s before she meets her mark—a senator’s son—and before she discovers the school’s headmaster has secrets he’ll stop at nothing to protect. As the lines between right and wrong blur, Brynn begins to realize she’s in way over head.
The series that began with The Deceivers continues in this second twist-filled installment.The stakes are higher. The cons are riskier. And nothing is what you think it is.
Avatar: The Last Airbender meets Gladiator in the first book in this epic fantasy duology in which two warriors must decide where their loyalties lie as an ancient war between immortals threatens humanity--from Sara Raasch, the New York Times bestselling author of the Snow Like Ashes series, and Kristen Simmons, acclaimed author of Pacifica and The Deceivers. Perfect for fans of An Ember in the Ashes, And I Darken, and The Winner's Curse. Ash is descended from a long line of gladiators, and she knows the brutal nature of war firsthand. But after her mother dies in an arena, she vows to avenge her by overthrowing her fire god, whose temper has stripped her country of its resources. Madoc grew up fighting on the streets to pay his family's taxes. But he hides a dangerous secret: he doesn't have the earth god's powers like his opponents. His elemental gift is something else--something that hasn't been seen in centuries. When an attempted revenge plot goes dangerously wrong, Ash inadvertently throws the fire and earth gods into a conflict that can only be settled by deadly, lavish gladiator games, throwing Madoc in Ash's path. She realizes that his powers are the weapon her rebellion needs--but Madoc won't jeopardize his family, regardless of how intrigued he is by the beautiful warrior. But when the gods force Madoc's hand, he and Ash uncover an ancient war that will threaten more than one immortal--it will unravel the world.
Kristen Simmons, critically acclaimed author of Article 5 and Metaltown , brings her trademark action, romance, and frightening prescience to Pacifica , a science fiction tale of high seas adventure.Blue skies. Green grass. Clear ocean water. An island paradise like the ones that existed before the Melt.A lucky five hundred lottery winners will be the first to go, the first to leave their polluted, dilapidated homes behind and start a new life. It sounds perfect. Like a dream.The only problem? Marin Carey spent her childhood on those seas and knows there’s no island paradise out there. She’s corsario royalty, a pirate like her father and his father before him, and she knows a con when she sees one. So where are the First Five Hundred really going?"A harrowing world. Pacifica will have you breathlessly fearing our own future."― New York Times bestselling author Sara Raasch"A bleak, futuristic world that's utterly believable and terrifying, and yet from out of it springs the greatest of hope, carried on the back of its fierce main characters. I was swept away."―Mindee Arnett, author of Avalon
Serving as a poignant commentary on women's rights, this book echoes themes found in The Handmaid's Tale. It explores the struggles and resilience of women in a society that seeks to suppress their freedoms, highlighting the importance of autonomy and the fight against oppression. Through its compelling narrative, the story invites readers to reflect on contemporary issues surrounding gender equality and the ongoing battle for women's rights.
In Kristen Simmons's Metaltown, a dystopian world dominated by factories faces scarcity of food and a lack of hope.
Stolen from her home, and being groomed for auction, Aya is desperate to escape her fate and return to her family, but her only allies are a loyal wolf she's raised from a pup and a strange mute boy who may be her best hope for freedom ... if she can truly trust him.
Kristen Simmons' fast-paced, gripping YA dystopian series continues in Breaking Point. 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?
In Kristen Simmons's Article 5, 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. 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.