I loved both Ember and Chase, although not so much Chase at the beginning! But, he eventually grew on me. Ember was awesome. Never giving up hope and always looking for a way to survive, even when the odds were completely against her.
The story and the world that Kristen Simmons created was amazing. It wasn't hard for me at all to picture this eventually happening to the US, which is utterly terrifying.
I would recommend this book 110%.
The beginning of this book had me intrigued. I love dystopian/post-apocalyptic stories and seeing how each one is set up. After a little ways through the book though I struggled. I started not liking the main character, Ember. She really started getting on my nerves by doing stupid things and not listening that ended up getting her or others in trouble. She almost seemed self righteous at times. Then Chase, who is Ember's old flame, came off as not much better. Expecting Ember to listen and deal with his moods without any explanation of why behind it. I was starting to think that I wouldn't go on to the next book when it finally started to pick up. I felt that both the characters redeemed themselves. That was the only downfall of the book... the characters. The story was fast paced and the setting was imaginative. So I will be reading the next book in hopes that the characters do not go back to their old ways.
This story tells the story of Ember Miller. She is seventeen and remembers a time before the entire country was turned upside down during the wars. No one speaks of the Constitution or Bill of Rights anymore, they have been tossed out the door. The government no longer exists the way it always had before. Instead of a police force you have the Federal Reformation Bureau, or as Ember and her friends like to call them the Moral Militia. They enforce the Statutes of Morality, the new highest law in the nation. Also unfortunately for Ember, her very existence is in violation of one of those Statutes. Further making her existence untenable is the fact that the man she loves, Chase Jennings, has gone away to join the Moral Militia. But things are about to get much worse when her and her mother are arrested for violating Article 5 and their worlds are thrown into chaos as they struggle to survive.
This novel moved along at such a quick pace that I was shocked when I reached the last page, there was so much more that I wanted to know! The characters were engaging, the plot was intriguing, and the action kept me turning pages almost faster than I could read them. But the one factor that clenched the 5 star rating for me was the emotion this book took me through. Every ounce of despair, anger, fear, and aching sadness bleed right through the words. I could not help but feel exactly what the characters were feeling, and not many books have inspired that in me. I will be following this series and the author very closely in the future. A home run for this debut novel in my opinion.
Note: All reviews are also posted to my Goodreads profile.
I was totally "meh" about Kristen Simmon's Article 5. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't overly amazing either.
In Kristen Simmon's dystopian world, the Bill of Rights have been taken down and replaced by the Moral Statutes. People who disobey these rules get arrested...and usually fail to come back...
I personally felt that the plot lacked originality and the execution left something to be desired. The original premise of Article 5 sounded extremely interesting (our protagonist, Ember's, mom gets arrested for noncompliance of "Article 5," and Ember goes on a long journey to save her.) It's not exactly the most original dystopia, but it does justice. Somewhat.
And in terms of the actual writing? Well let's just say that... There are some authors (cough * Suzanne Collins * cough) that just have natural eloquence. Let's just say that Kristen Simmons is note one of those authors! Article 5 is written in short, choppy sentences with a simple vocabulary. However, I do like how Simmomns chose to have Chase and Ember's romance written partially in occasional flashbacks.
I spy with my little eye...a backstory! Wait...there isn't one! Kirsten Simmons explains to readers that the world changed so drastically because of a War. Okay...I buy it - but I need more information! What was the war fought over? What different sides fought? How did it start / end? I need information to make the novel seem more plausible and less confusing! The characters were another source of my dislike for the book. Our main character, Ember, was so 2D and annoyed me throughout the book. Ember makes multiple utterly stupid unintelligent choices - which really bothers me as a reader, and this just makes me get annoyed with her even more! Other characters - such as Chase and any other supporting characters - seemed so underdeveloped and, thus, it felt hard for me to emotionally connect - or even care about them! I feel one's personal opinion rests on the romance. I, personally, enjoyed the romance in Article 5 because it doesn't overpower the story as a whole. However, the only critique I have about the romance is Ember as a whole. :D With all these critiques, it may seem that I despised Article 5. However, I really did enjoy the story as a whole; it's just not on my Top 10 list of dystopian stories. I would highly recommend Article 5 to fans of dystopian literature - specifically Divergent and The Hunger Games. Happy reading!
