Article 5: A Book Review

I read this book back towards the end of summer, and I really enjoyed it!  Since, the second book Breaking Point is coming out soon (or might already be out?!?), I thought I would post this, and then hopefully go picked up the sequel!  Although, I am really trying to limit the buying of books…. :/

Title: Article 5

Author: Kristen Simmons
Series: Article 5 #1

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian

Publisher: Tor Teen

Publication Date: January 31, 2012

Pages: 362

Out in Paperback?: Yes; February 11, 2013

Goodreads

Amazon

My Rating: 4.5/5

Review:

Goodreads Summary:

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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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

Characters:

Overall, I really enjoyed the characters.  Ember, the main character, has such a unique name first of all, but she is brave and willing to stand up for what she knows is wrong.  At some moments, however, it was easy to predict what would happen next or the truth behind something, and I would become annoyed with her that she didn’t see it too.  Ember’s mother definitely annoyed me; she was very dependent on others, whether it is Ember or other boyfriends.  I personally am not a fan of characters that don’t seem like they can take care of themselves.  Chase definitely grew on me throughout the novel, and he was probably my favorite character.  He knew what needed to be done and had the courage to do it.  Definitely a fan of him.

Plot:

During the first 100 pages, I could not put this book down! The novel begins by Ember and her mom being arrested for breaking Article 5, which relates to their unconventional family structure.  I was so sucked into the world, the articles, and how their society runs that I just wanted to read more and more.  There was a lot of action, especially as Ember tries to come up with plans of escape after her arrest, to keep me on my toes and interested, as we discovered more about the world and how the government works.

Writing Style:

I felt that the writing style was fairly good.  Maybe not my favorite writing style, but I definitely enjoyed it and was intrigued to keep reading.  I love flashbacks, so when I saw that the author threw some of those in every now and then, I loved it!  I feel like it really allowed us to see into the past and discover the beginning of some relationships.

Have you read this book?  What did you think?  I am looking forward to picking up the next book in the series!

FTC Disclaimer:

All items mentioned were purchased by me.  This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.  No affiliate links were used.