Journey to Territory U (Extinction of All Children: Book 3) by L.J. Epps

3.5 Stars

Publisher: L.J. Epps

Date of publication: November 9th, 2018

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia

Series: Extinction of All Children

Extinction of all Children—Book 1 (review here)

Journey to Territory M—Book 2 (review here)

Journey to Territory U—Book 3

Where you can find Journey to Territory U: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

Emma Whisperer’s journey continues in the third and final book in the Extinction series. Emma Whisperer and her friends are given ten days by President Esther to get their petitions signed to see if the people of Territory U agree with the walls being torn down. They can freely walk through the territory and talk to people.

What is life like in Territory U? Will the people of Territory U be accepting of their message?

Emma and her friends—old and new—explore Territory U and find the rich aren’t always as happy as they seem. They come upon some strange things happening in the territory and also underneath it. Friendships will be tested. Will Emma and her friends come out of it alive?

Emma has already accomplished so much—getting President Esther to let them walk freely through Territory U. Will Emma find and save Abigail? Will she save the people of Territory L? Or, will certain truths destroy her spunky spirit and good heart? Emma’s final journey brings about new challenges and revelations. Will these new discoveries weaken her or make her stronger?

President Esther has more in store for Emma than she could ever imagine. Will Rich get his revenge against Emma? Will President Esther win in the end? See how Emma and her friends handle the misery and destruction the president puts them through.

Take a ride with Emma as she makes some horrifying discoveries and finds the strength to continue on and finish the quest she started.

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My Review:

I was a little hesitant to read Journey to Territory U. I didn’t have my hopes up too high after reading Journey to Territory M. But, I was surprised. Journey to Territory U was an enjoyable read.

There are triggers in Journey to Territory U. They are the same triggers as the other books. I would recommend not reading the book if you are triggered by infanticide.

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Journey to Territory U’s plotline is different than the other books. Emma got the President to let her gather signatures for a petition. The petition is to merge the classes, bring down the wall, and stop the baby killing. Emma and her friends have a ten-day free pass to gather those signatures. Then Rich will have free reign to do what he wants. Top of his list, kill Emma.

I enjoyed reading this book. The plotline flowed. I was able to reconnect with Emma. Her crusade to find Abigail and to knock down the walls was reaching a fever pitch.

I also liked seeing how different Territory U was on the surface. The deeper Emma dug, the more similar it was to M and L. The people in U were governed by the same fear that kept M and L in compliance. They had more fear because the President could strip them of their U status and send them to live in L. It must have been a terrifying place to live.

There were a few twists in the plotline. The one which involved Emma, President Esther, and Henry, I saw coming a mile away. I figured it out while reading Journey to Territory M. The one with Rich didn’t surprise me. He was an unhinged individual who blamed his problems on a girl who had nothing to do with them. But, I didn’t see the other two twists. Both took me by surprise. Both made me go “No way.” I couldn’t believe what I was reading.

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Emma surprised me in this book. The author made up for her stagnating in Journey to Territory M. Her character growth seemed like it was on steroids. I was amazed. I still found her annoying, but I liked her for the first time in the series. She was dealt some severe blows in this book. Secrets that her parents kept came back to bite her in the butt. Plus, she had to deal with Rich.

Rich’s issues with Emma were revealed in this book. I underestimated his character. The level of hate he had for Emma was insane. I didn’t understand why the President kept him around until Rich confessed to another guard. That’s when the lightbulb went on in my head. I’ll say this: I didn’t doubt his loyalty to President Esther. He lost his mind in this book.

This book was more focused on Emma’s relationships with her friends and family. I liked that. It showed that Emma valued her friends and family. It also taught me that Emma had a good reason for doing what she did. Oh, I do want to mention that Emma beating down Nathan was one of the best scenes in the book. Jerk deserved it!!

President Esther morphed from a President with issues to a dictator in this last book. I was horrified by what she was doing. She did get what was coming to her at the end. Now, I say that, but I also felt terrible for her. What happened to her should have never happened. It made me wonder if things were different, would she have mellowed out? Or would she still be the evil person that she became?

I do want to warn: Do not get attached to any of the characters. They are all expendable. I was taken by surprised at who the author killed off. So, don’t get attached!!

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As with the other books, Journey to Territory U fit in with the dystopia and young adult genres. I had no issue believing that something like this could happen in the future. It is happening in a way now (with the abortion rulings’ in several states). I would recommend keeping an open line of communication if a teenager does read this book. There are some severe issues discussed throughout the book.

There was no sex in Journey to Territory U (thank God!!). As I stated in my review of Journey to Territory M, the whole Emma/Eric/Samuel wanna be love triangle didn’t work for me. It shouldn’t have even been touched.

The end of Journey to Territory U had me in turmoil. So much happened at once that I had issues processing it. I will say that President Esther got what was coming to her. I didn’t like the 180 that one character did. That person showed their true colors in Journey to Territory M. It was hard for me to believe that they could change. The epilogue was great but not believable. Change happens but not that fast.

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I would give Journey to Territory U an Older Teen rating. There is no sex. There is violence. There is language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I would reread Journey to Territory U. I would also reccomend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read and review Journey to Territory U.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

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Have you read Journey to Territory U?

What are your thoughts on it?

Let me know!!