The actual footage of me deciding which reviews to post today was deleted. Instead you will have to take my word for it that it was long and arduous. There were many tears and much debate. And finally (not really) I decided to post this and Breaking Point. (Really this was just a debate on either one or two reviews. I decided on two to spoil you. And then I decided to be dramatic about it).
I have had these “to be read” for a long time now. I was waiting to get the last book, and never got around to it. However, the books fall in with the OWL Readathon Listing (Divination – Future). That means both of them are going to be placed in this category and I might as well read them now. Here we go.
Customary warning: This is a reminder that these are my personal opinions. My thoughts and feelings are not your thoughts and feelings. I may not always be the target audience for a book; sometimes I am. If I do not like a book, that doesn’t mean you’ll dislike it. If I love a book or simply like a book, you may hate it. Take everything I say with this knowledge. If it sounds interesting to you despite what I’ve said, then go ahead and read it. You’ll only know you like something if you read it yourself.
That being said… Spoilers ahead.
Article 5 by Kirsten Simmons
Synopsis From The Book
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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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.
Initial Thoughts Before Reading:
Alright, I’m finally reading it (And it’s second novel) in hopefully one big sitting, with writing this review in between. Another book on my OWL readathon list, and my TBR pile that I have just not touched. If it’s not clear by this point, when I get a book, outside of reading the back and deciding if it’s interesting or not, I don’t look into it. I don’t want to know other people’s opinions. I don’t want to know if they’d recommend it or not. I want to be thoroughly surprised. Reading books is one of the few things in which I like to be surprised in.
Initial Thoughts After Reading:
After reading this, I am thoroughly interested in the next book. Luckily I have it. For now I am afraid in how this will turn out. We have two characters who has been thoroughly traumatized and where their story will go I’m not sure. Probably to destroy the government. Probably. Book 2 here I come.
Plot Overview:
Three years after the war that destroyed America, Ember is living in a city regulated by new Statues that rule everything. When her mother is taken for violating an article (Article five; which deals with children out of wedlock) Ember is taken as well. She is taken to a reform school and is later saved by her old sweetheart: Chase. Chase became a soldier at her behest when he was drafted. He was there when her mother was taken and later saved her for her mother. They travel the midwest to find a path to the resistance, going through many difficulties to reach it. Ember finds out the truth that her mother was killed, and she was taken as a final test over Chase. Chase and Ember are caught (at different times) by the soldiers and then escape together.
What I Liked:
Dystopia and the Evil; This is how you get depth to an evil. You show them doing evil things. This set of evil things includes but is not limited to: torture, murder, destruction of thought and free speech, controlling peoples lives, and manipulation. Thank you for giving me an evil I can loathe all throughout. Now tell me why it formed. Why this. What about the war.
Chase; I love him. Please protect this human. Everything in his life has been so hard. He lost his parents at 14. At 16 he was abandoned and then had to fight for himself during the war for 3 years. Then he was drafted to the military to become a killing machine. And his entire life he has loved one single girl, and would do anything to protect her. Protect. Him.
Ember; I do like her. She goes through a lot and all her decisions are justified in my mind. I want to protect her and hope that she will become a great fighter and leader. I can see it in her. I feel for her with the loss of her mother, but I believe she will grow and become stronger.
Other characters; There were not many other characters, but the ones that were there seemed to be on the route to being developed further. I can’t wait to see what’s in their path from this time out.
Lies, Secrets, and bag communication; Typically this drives me up a wall. However in this case I find it justified. Chase lies out of trauma and the need to protect Ember. Ember gets angry with the reveal justifiably, and then she understands without him having to talk to her. The two have been changed, after they were separated. To get back on the level of instinctively knowing the other will take time, but it is still there. So I forgive this.
What I Would Have Liked or Changed:
Nothing right now. I liked the way it was written. I’ve been waiting to read this series and it’s a trilogy. After I’ve finished, I think I’ll have a better idea of what I want or not.
Time Taken To Read
2hr 10min
Rating: 4.5/5
Notable Quotes:
“Lean the way I lean. Don’t fight me.” – Anytime Ember remembers Chase saying it.
Marlena Marie 
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