Article 5 - Kristen Simmons

Release Date: January 31
Number of Pages: 384

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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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

WOW! I must be on really lucky streak because all the books I've read so far, have been great! This book is no exception. In a not so impossible future, a third world war has destroyed everything. The United States is not what it had been and the president issued the Moral Statues, which are awful and unfair. And ends up being caught by the unfairness of it all. But can she escape? And if so, can she remain hidden?

I loved this book from the very start. The action didn't take long to kick in and soon I was too caught up to put it down (I read the whole book in one sitting!). Ember tries to live by the rules while her mother is the impulsive one. So it may come as a surprise when right at the beginnning the Federal Bureau of Reformation comes to separate her from her mother. Oh and Chase Jennings doesn't do anything against them, he is one of them now. Seems like you can't expect anything from the only boy you ever loved, or can you?

I asked myself the whole time, what is up with Chase Jennings? I loved the mystery around him. There were times I thought he was really a pain and other in which I just could grab him for myself. The question revolving around Chase were one of many good things about this book. I loved that Chase and Ember already knew each other before the book even started and that we had to ask ourselves what could have happened between them. Kristen Simmons also had the great idea of having this small flashbacks, in which we could have some glimpses about their relationship before everything went crashing down.

Ember was a great protagonist. In the beginning she is a fragile girl with two best friends and a rather rebellious mother. But after being separated from her mother and having to endure really hard situations you can experience the character's growth. She is much stronger by the end of the book and I can't wait to see what Kristen will do to this amazing character in the sequel.
Chase was also really well-written. Realistic is the word I'd use. (I guess the entire book is really realistic, if the world were to be like that, many people would probably react a lot like the characters in Article 5.) Chase went through a lot during the war and after it aswell, so it is understandable that he is rather tough and isn't completely healed psychologically. We see a lot of different sides to him and he just won't let anyone (or almost anyone!) break through his hard shell. But inside he is completely sweet and swoon-material!

Rebecca and Sean, some of the characters Ember get to know after being caught by the FBR, were really interesting and I can't wait to get to know them better in the next book. But Beth and Ryan, Ember's best friends, just disappeared! They were there in the opening scenes but then they were totally irrelevant. I guess I expected to hear more from them. And hopefully we will get to know more about the Moral Statues and the president in the sequel.

Kristen Simmons' writting was impressive. Article 5 is her debut novel, so I wasn't expecting anything near this good. She sets the pace perfectly and for me this story couldn't have been better written. And I loved the flashbacks to let us know more about Chase's and Ember's relationship. Each character had a new side to them and were really well-written. The happy and sad moments in the book were almost palpable and had a great contrast to one another. The flashbacks and the present time had a great transition so you really couldn't be confused about what you were reading.

This book beat my expectations. I can't wait to see what Kristen has in store for these brilliant characters and for the amazing story! Any dystopian junkie out there, this is the book for you!

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