My Thoughts On: Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons Published by Tor Teen  Publish Date:  February 2012 368 Pages My Source:  Borrowed

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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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.  -(summary from Goodreads.com)

My Thoughts:  Three years ago, the Federal Bureau of Reformation (aka the Moral Militia) was created after the war to enforce their Moral Statutes. Violation of these Statutes bring a citation and sometimes trial; going to trial usually means you don’t come back. In a world where morality used to be subjective, it has now become the law, and compliance is mandatory. 


Ember Miller has been arrested for noncompliance with Section 2, Article 5, which pertains to conception out of wedlock. Ember was taken to a rehab center to be groomed on how to become moral and chaste. She was horrified to realize that one of the officers at her arrest was none other than Chase Jennings, her past love. 


From the moment Ember is arrested, there is nothing but action. 

1. The Characters. 

• Ember Miller. 17 years old, arrested early in the book for being born to an unwed mother. Sent to be rehabilitated by the Moral Militia, but instead learns exactly what sorts of things the government has been doing behind the backs of its citizens. Beaten and tortured for speaking out and defending others. Devises a plan to escape, knowing that it will most likely cost her life. Ember is brave, smart, strong, and impulsive. She’s scared but doesn’t let it stop her. She’s young and fierce, a great protagonist.  
• Chase Jennings. One of the officers who is present when Ember is arrested, it becomes clear that they have an emotional past of some sort. Ember is devastated to see him there, not trying to stop her arrest. Chase is handsome, well-built, tall, and a member of the FBR. He’s quiet, broody, and mysterious. In the beginning of the book, I was unsure of him, but the more I found out about him, the harder I fell for him. Chase has a plan that Ember doesn’t know about, and wow wow wow… He is marvelously written, and he is another of my book crushes.  
• The Villains. There are a ton of awful, awful people in this book – and they all work for the government. They are horrid and despicable and downright scary. And wonderfully written. But scary. 

*I borrowed this book as part of Around The World Book Tours in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions. I received no compensation for my review.