#72 Book Review: Article 5

Article 5
Release Date: March 2012
Author: Kristen Simmons
Publisher: Pier 9 (Murdoch Books)
Source: Publisher for Review
Format: Paperback
Where to Buy: Amazon & The Book Depository
More Info: Goodreads

Summary from Goodreads:

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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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

My review:

Cover: 
The cover looks AWESOME. I can see Ember and Chase there, standing on the corner and a view of the city and the buildings. It totally matches the story! LOVE IT!

5 Forget-me-not flowers for the cover!

Story:

This is a story of what happens when you do not comply Article 5 of the Moral Statutes...

Ember Miller tries to keep a low profile and tries to live under the radar of the Moral Statutes with her mother but her effort went to waste the day the Moral Statutes arrested her mother for the non-compliance of Article 5. One of the soldiers who came to arrest her mother was non other than Chase Jennings, Ember's childhood friend whom she really loves. How will Ember live her life from now on?

I fell in love with this book from the very first moment I started reading. I expected a lot of great things about this book after reading so many amazing reviews and ravings of how wonderful this book was and all I can say is YES! YES! YES! Article 5 is written from Ember's perspective as her life changes the moment her mother was arrested and how her life became intertwined with Chase after not seeing him for quite a long time. This book was so well written that I can imagine myself living Ember's life and having this fear of being arrested by the Moral Statutes, this hatred for the Moral Statutes, and this conflicted feeling of loving someone who ends up becoming what you hate and fear most. I absolutely love the world Simmons has built throughout the story and the book completely me sucked me into the world of Article 5. I knew that there will be a sequel for this book but I am so happy that the ending was not a cliffhanger though it still makes you gripping the edge of your seat waiting for the sequel!

Characters:
Ember Mills is a strong-willed and strong-minded character who is rebellious and intelligent. This makes her perfect for Chase. Oh how I've heard brilliant things about Chase and when I started reading the book, my hands impatiently tried to flip to the next page and the next page even though I haven't finished the page I'm currently reading because I really really wanted to meet Chase! When I first met him in the book, I squealed! He is just that amazing. Chase is very cold in the beginning novel after being trained by the Moral Statutes but when he and Ember are together, his cold side started to break down and you get to see the different 'Chase'. The 'Chase' who Ember loves, the 'Chase' Ember remembers loving from her childhood. Other officers and characters in the book were so well-written too! Some were really evil, and some were cool! I love Simmons detailed description of her world, her characters that everything in this book comes to life when I read it!

Overall:
Do you love a dystopian book filled with actions, heart-warming scenes set in an imaginative suspenseful world? Then Article 5 is for you! Article 5 is a brilliant story of Ember and Chase's survival and escape from the Moral Statutes. I absolutely love this book and I highly recommend you to read this!

5 Forget-me-not flowers for Article 5!

Thank you to Pier 9 for the review copy!