May 29, 2012

Review: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Article 5 (Article 5, #1)
Author: Kristen Simmons
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publication Date: January 31, 2012
Pages: 364
Source: Hardcover/Library

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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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: I honestly wasn't sure what I was going to think about this book since I've heard some mixed reactions on it. After reading it though I loved it! The only complaint I have is that I did feel like the story was more set on the romance but besides that I thought it was great. The Moral Statues... Gosh, they were pretty strict! Like they were strict in general but the whole idea of being arrested for them if they just suddenly changed like that day. That would scared me to death. I mean you could go from being safe one day to being arrested for noncompliance the next. That definitely doesn't sound like fun. It also was pretty intense since the people who got arrested were usually never seen again. This dystopian world was definitely interesting and different!

Chase. I couldn't get a read on this guy for a while! I mean one minute he's acting all soldier like and the next he's all Ember's hero. It seriously took me like half the book to see that he actually wanted to save her and that he still cared about her. I was definitely happy that he broke her out of that rehab place. I was disgusted by what went on in there and I honestly don't know if I would have been able to read anymore about it. It was heartbreaking! I mean, how could the government be letting people do that? Even though Chase lied to her to get her to go with him after breaking her out I was happy he did it. She is much better off with Chase and hiding from the FBR than in that rehab center. I was also happy that even though it took Ember so long to realize it, that she did let Chase in after he admitted he still loved her. I honestly believe those two are stronger together than they are apart and they need to stay that way!

5 Stars!