Review: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Title: Article 5 (Article 5 #1)

Author: Kristen Simmons

Release Date/Publisher: January 31st 2012 by Tor Teen

Finished: March 17th 2013

Pages: 362-Hardcover-Library

Series:

1. Article 5
2. Breaking Point
3. Three

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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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.

What I thought:

It’s been a while since I’ve read a Dystopian book, and I’ve heard some good things about this one. One of the things I liked the most was the world. Not only did it have the controlling government and was set after a big war, but the best part was that the main character can actually remember what things were like before everything changed. Most Dystopians are set so far in the future after a new system is in place, so I liked that this one was only years after the war so society was still adjusting.

The characters were likeable, and I really felt bad for Ember and Chase. Her being taken and kept away from her mom and having to deal with a different Chase than she remembers, and him having a dark past that began as soon as he joined to be a soldier. Throughout most of the book they are hiding and running and trying to find somewhere safe, and along the way they meet some crazy people! Let’s just say that one certain older lady creeped me the heck out.

This book was good, it kept my attention as I read and I will definitely continue to the next book! There wasn’t anything I really didn’t like while I read, and it had a lot of action and survival elements to it. A good read for a budding Dystopian series and debut author.