Review: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons 

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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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

Review:

Article 5 was a heart-pounding and intense debut that will surely be flying off the shelves in January. I had heard wonderful things about this book before I started it and was worried it wouldn't live up to my expectations. The dystopian genre is one of my favorites and I loved how original and thrilling Article 5 was. Kristen Simmons presented this futuristic society in a highly believable and frightening way. People's true colors were shown and the characters faced intense circumstances. This is one of the first Tor Teen books I have read and it definitely left a strong impression on me!

Ember Miller is seventeen when her life changes. She lives with her single mother and can still remember the times when people were not arrested for breaking one of the newly enforced Moral Statutes. Those who are taken away by the soldiers usually do not come back and some of America's biggest cities are abandoned. The premise of Article 5 was something different in the dystopian genre and her world building was very well developed. I wish we got to learn more of the background on the war and the Moral Statutes, but hopefully some of that information will be discussed in the sequel.

There was nonstop action in Article 5 and the characters were fantastic. Ember was a strong heroine and her dedication to her mother was inspiring. I was constantly rooting for Ember and I wonder if I could have displayed the courage she showed in some near death experiences. Ember faced so many tough situations and she was an, overall, loyal and brave character that was the perfect narrator for Article 5.

In addition to Ember, there were several more unique characters. Chase was conflicted, but I loved getting to know him over the course of the story and see his romance with Ember emerge. Their journey was filled with danger and Kristen Simmons did not hold back in making this book as gritty and intense as she could. Everything that the characters faced was believable and had me gripping the pages. I was extremely anxious to know what was going to happen to both the main characters and the world as a whole.

Article 5 was a fantastically written debut that will draw in any reader (male or female) and have them glued to the pages until the end. Although there was romance, it wasn't the main focus of the story, which made it that much better. Ember and Chase were extremely well done main characters and I can't wait to see what is going to happen in the sequel.

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

January 31, 2012/Tor Teen/368 Pages/Young Adult/Book One

Source: Borrowed from teacher (ARC)