Book Review: Article 5, by Kristen Simmons

Book Review: Article 5, by Kristen Simmons
Spoilers alert!

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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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


Book Review:

     I recieved Article 5 as a Christmas present and plowed through it in one sitting. Yes, it was that good. I was hooked from the very first page, entranced by this dystopian world in a way I have not been since Divergent and The Hunger Games. Kristen Simmons effortlessly entwined danger, heartbreak, excitement, and romance into an enthralling tale of a world where there are virtually no human rights, no freedom of speech or anything else, and a desperate bid for survival.
     Ember's mother is taken by the FBR for noncompliance with Article 5, and Ember is transported to a reform school run by vicious "sisters" and soldiers, where she makes a desperate bargain for escape. However, this attempt is compromised, and then a soldier shows up to take her away. This soldier is none other than Chase Jennings, Ember's ex that she hasn't seen in over a year.
     At first I was like, oh, great, another book about rebelling against the military- now with romance! Yaaay... Not. But Article 5 proved to be different from anything I could ever have imagined.
     From early on in the book, it is clear that Chase would do anything for Ember, even if he is cold and heartless around her. But he quickly softens, and their romance blooms amidst running from the military, shooting things, being captured over and over, and miraculously finding enough money to survive on the run.
     Simmons inserts little flashback segments randomly throughout the book, but they are, in fact, perfectly placed and offer a glimpse into what Ember's world was like before her mother was taken and Chase was drafted for the military. These flashbacks were just enough to keep me starving for more, and every so often I would sit up and be like, "Ohhhh, so that's what happened."
     Article 5 is completely different from any other dystopian book out there (probably- I haven't read them all, so I wouldn't know) and the cliffhanger at the end will make you want to jump up and run to the bookstore for book two.
     I strongly recommend this book for fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent, as well as anyone 12 and up.
     Five out of five stars.