Article 5
(Article 5 #1)
(Article 5 #1)
Author: Kristen Simmons
Publication Date: January 31st 2012
Publisher: Tor Teen
The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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.
Genre: Dystopia
Synopsis:
New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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 Thoughts: Okay, I know. I really should be giving this one a 5 owl rating but I just can't. Why? there was one thing that really irritated me, it was in the back of my mind from the time that Ember's mom got arrested, right up to the end of the book. Before I go into that though, this was a really great book and I can't wait to jump into Breaking Point, which will be soon since I'm in the blog tour for it :) Kristen Simmons is really great at creating a world that is easily imaginable and believable. I was getting chills at some of the things that happened, and it's not like a dystopian that the characters have been living like this their whole lives. The wars only ended a short while ago (3 years I think it was). Things have only been hard the past 8 years for the characters, so they know what a happy life was like.
Which brings me to the thing that I didn't like. Ember's mom is arrested for violating Article 5, which basically means she had a child out of wedlock and is a single mother. Right, but Ember is 17, which means they are arresting her for something that wasn't illegal at the time that it happened. It does eventually make sense, but I'm not going to go into that since it would be spoilery. But it bothered me the whole time, especially when you find out what her punishment was. Rediculous. But, that's what a dystopian society is all about I guess. Retroactive laws are a bit much though. Not that she really followed the laws, since she was used to a life that you could pretty much do what you want, read what you want, etc. But yeah, that's the only thing that bothered me about the story, but yeah, it was mean!
Alright, the rest of the story though, I loved. Ember really grows as a character, she goes from being obedient of the law to rebellious as she realizes just how stupid all of the laws are. So we see her come out of her shell and become stronger. she begins to stick up for herself and others, and does the right thing, even if she shouldn't. Then there is Chase, her first love. The one who drove the van arresting her mom. She can't bring herself to trust him since he's changed so much, but she has to once her life is in his hands. He's the enemy to her. He made her mom a promise though. I really like these two, but they have a lot to talk about still.
Overall, Article 5 is an amazing book. It leaves you wanting more at the end. Luckily for you, if you haven't read it yet, Breaking Point is coming out later this month, so it's not a long wait. If you have read it, well, it's coming out soon, so your wait is almost over! It really stands out in the dystopian genre. It's well written and you can really connect with the characters. It's a definite must read if you are a fan of dystopia. It's a great place to start if you haven't tried them yet. For sure one that I recommend and would get 4.5 owls if I did half ratings. It's a really great read that will keep you up until you finish it!
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