Article 5 by Kristen Simmons Review

Article 5 (Article 5 #1) by Kristen Simmons
★★★★☆
Release Date: January 31, 2012
Publisher: Macmillan: Tor Teen
Age: Young Adult
Genre: Dystopian, Post Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Romance, Survival
Format: e-book
Source: Purchased
Buy it: Amazon

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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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

I'm so mad that I waited the few weeks after release to read this one! It is epic! Definitely my favorite dystopian since Divergent and Delirium and quite possibly my favorite overall book in a while as well.

Article 5 is Kristen Simmons' debut post apocalyptic thrilling adventure story. Set in a futuristic United States that is run by a government who wants its' citizens to be perfect in a world that is not. I saw a review by Xpresso Reads (which can be found here) where the author begins the review with "Imagine a world where Hitler would have won" and I can't agree with that sentence more. It's a dark novel that follows Chase and Ember in the fight of their lives, and for their lives. And, just when you think the story will slow down and end it picks up again like a high speed car chase. I found myself sitting forward as I read, anticipating the next line.

I just watched "In Time" starring Justin Timberlake and I imagine the world of Article 5 to be closely related to the futuristic setting of that film. The two have nothing really plot-wise to do with each other, besides being science fiction, but seemed to draw together in my mind.

Then the romance of this novel. Nothing makes me crazier than insta-love and I know I'm not the only one. Thankfully this books' love story has nothing of the sort. It has one of the best love stories intwined with the book that I've read in a while. Chase and Ember were together before he became a soldier. Now, Ember can't trust him because of the hurt he's caused her. Throughout the book they both heal, and the process is excruciating as a reader but worth it in the end.

Article 5 is a masterpiece as far as Young Adult Dystopian novels go. If you're a fan of YA at all I recommend this read to you.