Book Review

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons  

 

 

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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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

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Spoiler Warning:

Imagine a world where it's against the law to hang out with the opposite sex after curfew unless you're married. A world where if you don't follow the right religion, you'll never be seen again. A world where being born from an unwed mother can get you killed - or worse. Simmons did a fantastic job creating this world and making it vivid for the reader. I love that you can step into this dystopian plot and get observed and overwhelmed with the emotions and characters. 

There is barely any room to step back and breathe during the story. I've read many dystopian novels but this story brought out a new twist to a very popular genera of novels. It's not a fun or light hearted plot like Divergent or Uglies it definitely learns toward the realistic dark side of a post-apocalyptic life. This story starts, and ends with the characters running for their lives. You are scared and intrigued from beginning to end. 

It's really hard to write a female heroine and do it right. But Ember matures tremendously throughout the novel. She starts off timid and blind to the cruel intentions of the world around her and is forced to grow into a strong woman who can survive on her won. She does tend to self-blame which is a little over the top. I enjoyed Ember's relationship with Chase. From the beginning you think you know how their relationship is going to play out, but you're wrong. Their relationship is awkward and rocky but that adds to the story. Chase is a fantastic character, he's been broken by what he has seen and been through during the war and Simmons did an incredible job writing his character. 

This book is intense, heart-pounding, and brilliantly written. The post-apocalyptic world Simmons created is original and well thought out. It had just the right balance of love, pain, sorrow and fear. I know there are two more books that piggyback this novel but I have yet to read them. I'm worried they won't be as good, plus this is a book you have to been in the mood for, it's not a light hearted anytime read.

A.B.