article 5

Title: Article 5
Author: Kristen Simmons

Release date: Januart 31, 2012
Publisher: Tor Teen

Pages: 384 

Source: Purchased

Goodreads: {via}

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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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

Review: 

What an action-packed dystopian debut! This book starts with a bang, and takes the reader on an amazing journey. 

Kristen Simmons creates a world where the Bill of Rights has been revoked and replaced by the Morale Statues. We no longer have policemen, we have the Moral Militia. And everyone lives in fear, because one wrong step could lead to imprisonment and separation from loved ones. Which our main character, Ember, finds out very quickly.

It turns out that under a newly revised article in the Moral Statutes, Ember is illegal. That's to say, her mother and her father weren't married when Ember was born, so she can be taken in under Article 5. She's separated from her mother, who is also arrested, and sent to a rehabilitation camp. Honestly, this was probably the toughest part to read. The rehabilitation location seems oddly familiar of things that I've read about Holocaust Concentration camps. Horrible, terrifying things occur at all hours of the day and night. My heart was in my throat reading each page, willing Ember to stay safe during this horrendous time. That seemed increasingly hard, because Ember kind of has a smart mouth. She's angry at the world, and especially at Chase. Chase, the only boy she's ever loved, is responsible for this. He's the one that arrested her mother. 

Ember as the main character definitely grew on me. As I said, she's got a smart mouth, and is angry and ready to lash out at anyone. However, it's her softer side, the side that wants to run and find and protect her mother that softened her edges for me. I slowly began to see that she is just a 17 year old girl, scared and "alone" during this increasingly frightening time. She doesn't know who to trust, especially because she feels she's been betrayed. Once her trust is gained, though, she will protect her friends and loved ones until the bitter end.

Chase is somewhat of a paradox. I could see what he was trying to do, even though he was saying and physically doing the opposite. I was glad that Simmons revealed what makes Chase tick; I began to guess his movements and motivations, which made everything clearer. The relationship between Chase is Ember is also intriguing, because we get glimpses of what it used to be like. Even in current day, you think you get flashes, and then they take two steps back. One step forward, two steps back always, it seems like. This made for a frustrating, but good story. 

So why only three stars? While the world building was good, it wasn't great. I didn't understand who this War was fought against. What time period are we in? Why was Chicago bombed, but other cities not? Who is in charge of the MM? How did our government fall? I have too many questions that I want answered. I'm sure we'll find out in the next book, but I wanted them now.

Fans of dystopians should pick up this roller coaster of a book.