Review: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons
Now Available!!!
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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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.


My Thoughts:
COMPLIANCE IS MANDATORY!!!


First off, I want to give a huge thanks to Raincoast Books for sending me a copy of Article 5 for review. I was dying to get my hands on a copy of this book! And Simmons didn't let me down in the least, in fact, Article 5 far surpassed my expectations across the board.


The world Simmons has created combines the devastation of The Hunger Games and the strength of Divergent, all in a world reminiscent of A Handmaid's Tale- truly remarkable! It had me on the edge of my seat with it's action and drama. 


I rooted for Ember from the get go. She's a strong, realistic heroine doing her best to survive in a world that's far past the brink of devastation. I cried for her loss and cheered for her victories. 


I adored Chase. Even though we're not given the privilege of delving into his mind, I still felt I could easily sympathize with him. He's not some 2-dimensional character, he has great depth, and a lot of demons to work through from his past. But he puts Ember above himself, her safety is all that matters to him at this moment. It broke my heart to see the internal struggle Chase has with himself when it comes to Ember. He clearly doesn't view himself as good enough for Ember (something I just disagree with).


Simmons throws a HUGE wrench into this blooming love though. I won't tell you what, but it forces both Ember and Chase to make some tough decisions with regards to one another.


It's because of writing like Simmons, that Dystopian has dominated YA presently. Please don't pass up this read!


Happy Reading!!!