Review: Article 5

Book: Article 5
Author: Kristen Simmons
Release Date: January 31, 2012
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages: 384
Source: Raincoast Books (Thanks so much, RCB!!)
Stars: 5/5

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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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

(summary taken from Goodreads)

MY THOUGHTS:  

HOLY WOW. If all dystopian books were like this one, I don't think there would be any complaints in the world! Article 5 was everything I expected and more: brilliantly written, complexly crafted, and containing characters that made my heart ache constantly. 

This is one of those books you love so much that writing a review for it is scary because you don't want to let it down. Article 5 is so packed with action and twists and turns that it's sometimes hard to breathe. The dystopian world, filled with its cruel laws and even crueler people, is one that sucks you in and makes you SO thankful that you don't live there.

I loved everything about Ember and Chase! They were both realistic, intelligent, and so much stronger in those awful situations than I would ever be. You can see how much they grow and change from even before the first chapter to the end after everything goes to hell. You love them and hate all the terribly people who try to hurt them. It's a flurry of emotion! 

And Ember and Chase together were just PERFECT. ♥ Childhood romances have always been a favourite of mine, but the way Kristen Simmons wrote this one — where they've been wrenched apart and thrown back together years later, having to learn to trust all over again — just stole my breath away. Watching them reconnect was so achingly beautiful.  

Intensely heart-pounding, original, and action-packed, Article 5 was a debut that gripped me from the first page and left me breathless until the last! It's everything that an amazing dystopian book should be. A definite must-read! :) 

BUY or BORROW?: Do you even have to ask??? Definitely a book you need to buy!! You won't regret it! :)  

-Mimi