Author: Kristen Simmons
Publisher: Tor Teen
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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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.
The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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.
Before I start reviewing, I'd like to thank Tor Teen for providing me with a review copy of Article 5. Really appreciated. Thank you so much.
Cover design: The people who work at the art/cover design department of Tor Teen are geniuses. The covers they come up with are very well-designed and mesmerizing. This cover is very well-designed. It perfectly pictures the world the book is set in. And the colors. Oh the colors. There's a great blend of colors in this cover. The grayish color, the slightly beige, the red. Very very impressive. Great work!
The book:
I really loved this book for various reasons. For those who may not know, Article 5 is post-apocalyptic/dystopian. Now, this genre is very well-spread/known these days. Bookstores are full of them; publishers are publishing a lot of them. However, the question is: Is Article 5 one of the better ones or the worse ones?
The answer is definitely: BETTER ONES!
I found the idea of the Articles to be very interesting. They're sort of rules that the society should follow. Now, our main concern is Article 5. Article 5 states: "Children are considered valid citizens only when conceived by a married man and wife."
However, our main character, Ember, is not a valid citizen.
Now, I found this idea to be very original and different. I didn't expect a dystopian like this. I found these dystopian elements very interesting. And the action. The action was GREAT!
Another character along with Ember is Chase. Chase was like Ember, interesting.
Ember: Ember wasn't exactly a strong character, but she was a character who went through a lot. She wasn't helpless, and she felt very real. I could understand her struggles. I could sympathize with her...
Chase: Chase. What can I say about him other than wanting to punch him? I seriously hated the guy. As the story went on, I could understand his significance and importance to the story.
Article 5 is Kristen Simmons's debut novel, and it's a very good one. Her writing is vivid with imagination, rich with emotions, and full of suspense. I kept turning the pages. I had to know what was going on. I kept reading and reading and reading. I also had jaw-dropping moments. I REALLY had not expected several things to happen.
Overall, I really enjoyed Article 5. Kristen Simmons is a great writer, and I cannot wait to read Breaking Point, which comes out next year.
Overall, I really enjoyed Article 5. Kristen Simmons is a great writer, and I cannot wait to read Breaking Point, which comes out next year.
