Arena 3

Rice, Morgan. Arena 3. Book 3 of the Survival Trilogy. 2016. 240p. ISBN 0984975373. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

When Brooke and her friends managed to escape Arena 2, they fled northward towards Canada, propelled by rumors that there was a sanctuary city that had been spared by the war. The trek almost killed them, but at the beginning of Arena 3 they reach Fort Noix, in Quebec. Fort Noix runs like a military operation, and residents must obey military orders. After many discussions, the Fort’s commander allows Brooke, Ben, Bree and Charlie to join in exchange for work and obedience.

Thrilled to be finally safe after years in the wilderness running away from slavers, Brooke meet other teenagers her age and immediately joins the patrols. The two kids adapt quickly to life in the Fort, but Ben, however, continues to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and remains distant. For months, they get stronger and better. But then the Fort receives a cryptic message from Texas. Another base has survived and is trying to contact other pockets of survivors. There are doubts, however. How old is the message? Who is sending it? Could it be a trap?

The message gives Brooke hope, because the voice sounds like that of her father, who left at the beginning of the war in Arena 1. She is so convinced that she decides to do the unthinkable. She will leave the safety of Fort Noix and travel all the way down to Texas to locate this other base. Three of the local teenagers agree to accompany her, and they are soon joined by Ben and the children. Back in the wilderness, Brooke and her friends are once again facing the unforgiving environment of an America ruined by war as they head down to Texas. Will they be able to avoid the crazies and the slaverunners who are looking for them?