Title: Article 5 (Article 5 #1)
Author: Kristen Simmons
Release date: January 31, 2012
Publisher: Tor Teen
Pages: 362
Source: ALA
Reading level: YA
Challenge(s): Dystopian, TBR Pile
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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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’ve been meaning to read Article 5 ever since it first came out but I just kept putting it off. I finally made the decision to read it and I’m so glad that I did. Article 5 made me remember why I love dystopian novels.
Article 5 isn’t a book that I immediately fell in love with. It took some time for me to really get into the story and feel invested in the characters’ outcomes. However, it’s also not a slow book. I knew that I wanted to keep reading from the very beginning. I couldn’t look away from anything that was happening. And once I truly got to know the characters, I wanted so badly for them to get the happy endings they deserved.
Ember tries to stay under the radar more often than not but that’s hard to do because her mom is always on the radar. She doesn’t believe in all the restrictions that the government has put on people and so she tends to not follow them. That, inevitably, leads to her getting taken away and Ember getting sent to a rehabilitation camp for girls. And that’s where things really start to take off. Ember seems like a quiet, reserved girl at first but as soon as she’s separated from her mom, she changes. She turns into this fierce young woman who will do anything to get back to her mom. She didn’t always like what she was having to do (she is a good person at heart) but she knew that she was the only person she could rely on. Then there was Chase. Chase and Ember grew up together and they were each other’s first love. Things changed though when Chase arrested Ember’s mom. She knew he’d changed but she never thought he would do something like that. However, Chase is far from what he seems and he may just be the only one who can save Ember and her mom.
Finally, a dystopian story that actually gripped me and didn’t feel super similar to all other dystopian novels out there. Article 5 is unique and I’m happy to see that there are still some dystopian books out there like it. There were a few things that were rather predictable but not many. Article 5 managed to shock me many times and I just could not stop reading!
Overall, Article 5 is a must-read for dystopian fans! I highly recommend it and I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel.
What others are saying about Article 5:
Book Brats’ review: “With a great setting and attention to the politics of its world, ARTICLE 5 has great promise before falling short on the shoulders of its weak narrator.”
The Book Smugglers’ review: “Ultimately, there were things I liked about the book – notably the critique of sexism, religious zeal, and aggressive militarism – but these high points were dwarfed by the massive missteps in terms of plot and characterization.”
Fantasy Book Critic’s review: “Overall, I feel Article 5 was a great debut novel.”
Series:
Article 5 (#1)
Breaking Point (#2)
Three (#3) – 2014
Oh, I’m totally DONE with dystopians, at least for the foreseeable future bc I just can’t get into it anymore for some reason. But this series has been catching my eye from time to time. Sad that its a slow start though, so I guess I’ll hold off on it. Great review Katie!
Vi
Confessions of a Vi3tBabe
Deity Island
I love love love Article 5 (and Breaking Point!) Im glad that you liked this, too. This series is very close to my heart. I hope you enjoy reading the second book of the series. Thanks for posting this great review.
Precious @ Fragments of Life
I love your article. I’m not especially familiar with dystopian, but am willing to give it a try!
Wonderful review. Can’t wait to read this.
I actually didn’t really like this book-maybe it was too dystopian for me as a fan of contemporary and I also remember not really liking all their traveling either (road trips don’t tend to be something I like.)
I LOVE THIS BOOK SO HARD. So I am incredibly happy to see that you enjoyed it, too! It took me time to fall in love with, too. I pretty much fell head over heels after Ember and Chase got on the road and she got out of that…place. Goodness, what was that place even called? I hated it. But, like you, I was HOOKED.
Personally, I really liked that Chase was a soldier. That’s just…something I usually enjoy… Heh.
I can’t wait to see what you think of the sequel! (Seriously. I don’t even have the sequel yet, so your thoughts would be appreciated so I can prepare myself for what’s next!)
♥Jessica(:
Just a Booklover
Ok first off…..I love, LOVE your high heels instead of stars!!!!!
Anyways, awesome review & definitely makes me want to read it. I love dystopian so I’m always looking for an awesome one. Going on my TBR!
❤Crystal @Crystal in Bookland 🙂
Ohh, I’ve been really wanting to read Article 5!! Nice review, Katie:)
Emily from Blue-Eyed Bibliophile
Agreed! It was a great reminder on how great dystopians can be. 🙂 I have book 2 sitting on my shelf though. . .MUST READ SOON. ~Kristina
Is it terrible if I say I just didn’t like the characters? The beginning was good, I loved the friendship dynamics and how they took her mom, lots of emotion there, but after that she just seemed silly. And I didn’t like the love interest at all.
Lovely review though!! You made me think about whether or not I was quick to judge.