Review: Article 5 (Kristen Simmons)

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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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

Hardcover, 362 pages
Published January 31st 2012 by Tor Teen

Kristen Simmons has a master’s degree in social work and is an advocate for mental health. She loves Jazzercise, her husband, and her precious greyhound, Rudy. Also chocolate. She currently lives in Tampa, Florida.

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Article 5 has such an intense, real life situation feel to it. I was drawn to it after reading the very first page. The plot of this book is written in such a way that makes the reader realize that this could eventually happen one day. 

I loved the main character, Ember. She is such a intense heroine. She accepts everything that happens to her and never gives up. She is a survivor and in the world Kristen Simmons has created...this is the only way to live! She loves her mother so intensely and with so much passion. I just absolutely loved her from the beginning. 

The pain and suffering that she has to face throughout the book is incredible. I was turning pages late into the night just to find out what would happen next. The "villians" are so incredibly evil. The futuristic world is written with so much depth and reality. It is just wild..I found myself gritting my teeth at certain points....

I also loved the romance that is intertwined in the book. Ember and Chase are breathtaking. Their love is one that is written in the stars. They are torn apart from each other and somehow find their way back to each other. Chase is there for her regardless of how she treats him because he knows the pain she has and will suffer. 

I mean this book was incredible. I cannot wait to read the 2nd one to see where their journey takes them. I hope that "certain" people show back up and that Ember is able to get some revenge...I wont give any spoilers but I am realllly hoping for this to occur!!!!