Review: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Article 5 

Author: Kristen Simmons
Series: Article 5, Book One
Publisher: Tor Teen
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Release Date: January 31, 2012
Source: Personal Library, Bought

Synopsis:

Compliance is mandatory.

The United States has changed. The Federal Bureau of Reformation runs things now. The Bill of Rights has been replaced by the Moral Statutes of the United States of America. There are no more fines for bad behavior. Instead of police there are soldiers. If you are caught breaking the law or one of the statutes you are arrested, tried, and punished. If you are arrested, you don't usually come back.

Ember Miller, a seventeen year old girl, does her best to follow the rules, even living with her rebellious single mother. She does a pretty good job of keeping a low profile. That is, until her mother is arrested for violating Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. As if that isn't bad enough, one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings, Ember's first and only love.

My review: 

Ember Miller, the main character of the book is a strong, young woman. You feel her strength as she encounters obstacle after obstacle on her journey. You feel the love that she has for Chase and the fight she goes through to try to repress her feelings. Kristen Simmons makes you feel as if you are Ember as you are reading the book. When Ember feels pain, you feel pain. When she is confused and angry, you are confused and angry. Because of this, you are sucked into the book and into this new and different world.

As you progress through the story, you get to know Chase Jennings, Ember's love. Layer after layer is peeled off this mysterious young man. There are times in the book where you hate him and times when you love him. I got angry at him and fell in love with his character at the same time. He is a complex character that Kristen Simmons has developed beautifully.

Ember and Chase's love is unique. That is one of the things that I loved about this book. It is a unique love story that has many ups and downs. Throughout the book, I was rooting for their love and just when you think it is perfect it dips again. The suspense is thrilling and intense and leaves you wanting more.

Simmons also describes the setting perfectly. You can picture the dilapidated shopping malls and the torn up streets. You can picture the large government buildings amongst the run down neighborhoods and houses. Since the book is set in the United States, some readers may live in or have visited some of the cities mentioned in the book. In that case, you can really picture the streets and cities that you know and love being rundown and broken. This made me feel even more so that I was right there in all the action.

The ending of this book is suspenseful and exciting. We really get to see Ember come into herself. I am excited for the second book, Breaking Point, which was released February 12, 2013. It is in my stack of books waiting to be read. Until next time, happy reading!

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