Monday, January 30, 2012

Review: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

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I received this book for free from Tor Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Article 5 by Kristen SimmonsArticle 5 by Kristen Simmons
Series: Article 5, #1
Published by Tor Teen on January 31st 2012
Genres: Dystopia, YA
Source: Tor Books
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four-stars

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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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

Imagine a world where Hitler would have won. A world where if you don’t follow the right religion, you won’t ever be seen again. A world where its against the law to hang out with the opposite sex after curfew unless you’re married. A world where being born from an unwed mother can get you killed – or worse. This is life in Kristen Simmons’ Article 5. It’s a truly frightening world where everyone is helpless against this corrupt government and their inconceivable rules.

There is barely any room to breathe during this story. It’s so action packed that I’m surprised the pages can stay intact. This is surprisingly not overwhelming, however. It simply makes it a book that keeps you reading until you turn the very last page. As someone who’s read a lot of dystopians, this one still stands out and brings about a new shocking world that can’t help but fascinate you. It’s not a fun dystopian like Divergent or Uglies where you get a cheerful rush from the new exciting future before it turns ugly. This one starts, and ends, with the characters running for their lives. This is serious from the start; you are scared for them on Every. Single. Page.

Our protagonist Ember is a character that matures tremendously during this novel. She starts off as this timid girl, blind to the cruel world around her, but once her mother is arrested she is forced to grow strong and confident if she plans on surviving -and she does. Although she does tend to self-blame a lot which gets increasingly worse as the stress of the situation builds on her. This is probably the intention of the author, but it can get just a tad frustrating at times. Her incredible determination still makes it easy to root for her. I also enjoyed her relationship with Chase which is extremely rocky, like walking on eggshells. He’s been broken by what he went through since the war. Kristen writes his unpredictable state of mind incredibly well.

As a dystopian, Article 5 delivers with a gruesome world, non stop action and heart pounding energy. Fans of Veronica Roth’s Divergent and Marie Lu’s Legend should get a kick out of this!

four-stars

4 Hot Espressos

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Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

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47 Responses to “Review: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons”

  1. Rebecca

    Oh wow. o.o This sounds super intense! But good, really good. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I’ve been curious about it for a while, but haven’t read much more than the blurb before. You’ve made me even more intrigued now though! I love the sound of the characters and the tension throughout it all.

  2. Agnieszka Nashi

    I so can’t wait to read this book. I love dystopian novels, but my favorite among them are, as you described it, gruesome ones. I don’t know, the worse the better for me. ;D

    Thanks for the review!

  3. Giselle

    Thanks ladies!

    @Agnieszka Nashi: Haha I’m the same way but I still enjoy fun ones like Divergent. But year the more harsh the world the more interesting it is. You should read Ashfall too!

  4. Vicky

    You absolutely made me want to read this. It’s been on my wishlist for a while anyway, but now I want to get a copy even more. I’m quite new to the dystopian genre but I’m sure I’ll like it. Great review!

  5. Jessi

    I’ve really been on the fence about this one. I ALMOST bought it this weekend when I saw it at the store but I couldn’t pull the trigger. However, it sounds like such a heart-stopper that I’ll definitely have to check it out! 🙂

  6. Katie @ BlookGirl

    AHHH! I love that you’ve already read and reviewed this, and may be slightly envious of you 😉

    Article 5 was not on my TBR List until recently, and I’m so glad to see that you liked it, as you and I have pretty similar tastes when it comes to books.

    Great review, Giselle! 🙂

  7. Katie @ BlookGirl

    AHHH! I love that you’ve already read and reviewed this, and may be slightly envious of you 😉

    Article 5 was not on my TBR List until recently, and I’m so glad to see that you liked it, as you and I have pretty similar tastes when it comes to books.

    Great review, Giselle! 🙂

  8. Katie @ BlookGirl

    AHHH! I love that you’ve already read and reviewed this, and may be slightly envious of you 😉

    Article 5 was not on my TBR List until recently, and I’m so glad to see that you liked it, as you and I have pretty similar tastes when it comes to books.

    Great review, Giselle! 🙂

  9. Katie @ BlookGirl

    AHHH! I love that you’ve already read and reviewed this, and may be slightly envious of you 😉

    Article 5 was not on my TBR List until recently, and I’m so glad to see that you liked it, as you and I have pretty similar tastes when it comes to books.

    Great review, Giselle! 🙂

  10. Katie @ BlookGirl

    AHHH! I love that you’ve already read and reviewed this, and may be slightly envious of you 😉

    Article 5 was not on my TBR List until recently, and I’m so glad to see that you liked it, as you and I have pretty similar tastes when it comes to books.

    Great review, Giselle! 🙂

  11. Katie @ BlookGirl

    AHHH! I love that you’ve already read and reviewed this, and may be slightly envious of you 😉

    Article 5 was not on my TBR List until recently, and I’m so glad to see that you liked it, as you and I have pretty similar tastes when it comes to books.

    Great review, Giselle! 🙂

  12. Amy

    This book sounds amazing. It’s definitely my type of read. I have been holding off buying it because I have bought way too many books already this year that are still sitting on my shelf begging to be read. I might have to add this to the pile and hope to make time for it. Fantastic review!

  13. Amy

    Wonderful. I wasn’t sure before, but I can’t wait to read it now! Probably should get a hardcover copy, since my mom has been snatching all my dystopian books to read lol

  14. Giselle

    Thanks guys you all seriously have to try this one!

    @Agnieszka Nashi: Yes move it up! >.< It's one of my top 5 reads of 2011. It's more post-apocalyptic than actual dystopian but it's SO good and even worse because this one could actually HAPPEN! It's scary!

  15. A. Knight

    This one starts, and ends, with the characters running for their lives. This is serious from the start; you are scared for them on Every. Single. Page.

    Those lines REALLY makes me want to read my copy. I’m so looking forward to Article 5!

    – Asher (from Paranormal Indulgence)

  16. Andrea @The Bookish Babes

    I’m not a huge dystopian fan. I loved Divergent but thought Legend was okay. But Article 5 does seem good and I will definitely give it a try. I love that it appears to be very intense and action-packed.
    Thanks for the review!

  17. Tiffany

    I’m dying to read this one! It sounds absolutely awesome. I really enjoy dystopians and this one definitely sounds like my type of book. Great review 🙂

  18. Mary @ BookSwarm

    I’m about half-way through this one and can’t wait to see how it ends. Right now, I’m still not the biggest fan of Chase but he’s growing on me. Great review–I wish I could pick up the book and finish it right now!

  19. Kathy Ann Coleman

    Oh, nice! I loved Divergent and Legend so I’ll have to check this out. It sounds extremely promising. There you go again, adding another book that will undoubtedly have trouble fitting on my shelves. *laughs* Great review!

  20. Giselle

    @Lynne @ Lavished with Books: I’m really picky on my 5-stars. They have to go Over the “I really liked it” hill. This was a lot of fun for sure but there were a few tiny things that could have made it better. Ember could be annoying with her self blame, and Chase was a real jerk at first. And I did see the big twist coming from the start. But yeah, I’m just not the type to give 5-stars easily. Doesn’t mean it’s not a great book, I’m just strict I guess haha. But also, to me a 3-star is still good. Some will give 3-stars and say they didn’t like the book which is fine, but not the case for me. I have a tab describing rating system if you’re curious. 🙂

  21. GABY

    Sounds good, “non stop action and heart pounding energy”? Awesome. I already have this one on my wishlist but now I can’t wait 😛

  22. A Canadian Girl

    Awesome; I loved both Divergent and Legend so I’m looking forward to reading this one. I like my dystopians full of action so this sounds perfect for me. Thanks, Giselle!

  23. Candace

    I wasn’t really that interested in this one until I read your review. Now I’m definitely curious! But I’m a little concerned it’ll totally stress me out! That’s a dystopian for you though, they are stressful reads!

  24. Amanda

    Another book I just cannot wait to get my hands on. I love Dystopians that frighten you. Cause they’re probably the most realistic!

    Awesome review! Can’t wait to read it.