The second installment in Kristen Simmons's fast-paced, gripping YA dystopian series.
After faking their deaths to escape from prison, Ember Miller and Chase Jennings have only one goal: to lay low until the Federal Bureau of Reformation forgets they ever existed.
Near-celebrities now for the increasingly sensationalized tales of their struggles with the government, Ember and Chase are recognized and taken in by the Resistance—an underground organization working to systematically take down the government. At headquarters, all eyes are on the sniper, an anonymous assassin taking out FBR soldiers one by one. Rumors are flying about the sniper’s true identity, and Ember and Chase welcome the diversion….
Until the government posts its most-wanted list, and their number one suspect is Ember herself.
Orders are shoot to kill, and soldiers are cleared to fire on suspicion alone. Suddenly Ember can’t even step onto the street without fear of being recognized, and “laying low” is a joke. Even members of the Resistance are starting to look at her sideways.
With Chase urging her to run, Ember must decide: Go into hiding…or fight back?
After faking their deaths to escape from prison, Ember Miller and Chase Jennings have only one goal: to lay low until the Federal Bureau of Reformation forgets they ever existed.
Near-celebrities now for the increasingly sensationalized tales of their struggles with the government, Ember and Chase are recognized and taken in by the Resistance—an underground organization working to systematically take down the government. At headquarters, all eyes are on the sniper, an anonymous assassin taking out FBR soldiers one by one. Rumors are flying about the sniper’s true identity, and Ember and Chase welcome the diversion….
Until the government posts its most-wanted list, and their number one suspect is Ember herself.
Orders are shoot to kill, and soldiers are cleared to fire on suspicion alone. Suddenly Ember can’t even step onto the street without fear of being recognized, and “laying low” is a joke. Even members of the Resistance are starting to look at her sideways.
With Chase urging her to run, Ember must decide: Go into hiding…or fight back?
Make sure you read Book 1...
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The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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.
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 need to say thank you first and foremost to Jean BookNerd for hosting this fabulous tour. I am so glad that I was able to be on it. I read the synopsis for this book and knew right away that I wanted to read it. Albeit, I had to read book 1, Article 5, first...but, let me say....SO....WORTH.....IT!!!
To begin, I am going to sum up my feelings on Article 5 quickly and then head in to Breaking Point.
I began Article 5 and knew instantly that this book was going to be phenomenal. I was hooked immediately...and by the end I was BLOWN AWAY!!
Kristen Simmons created a dystopian world like no other. You are so emotionally wrapped up in Ember's life that you literally FEEL the pain, stress, paranoia, fear, and of course the few moments of love throughout her journey. I was shaken to the core in the events that passed in this book and at times, I wanted to rip Chase's head off for not opening up more. Oh, I bet you are now wondering "who is Chase??"....Ahh, well, he is the tortured hero of our tale and let me say, the connection that he and Ember have will dig deep in to your soul and pull at it so harshly at times that you feel like you may break...*sighs heavily*
But, many times while reading, I also had to sit back and realize that these were teenagers. Teenagers dealing with adult problems and surviving the best way they knew how *shakes head at the struggles they faced*
As I finished Article 5, I immediately dove right in to Breaking Point. The stir of emotions in me from book 1 carried over and...WHAM, you are back in the oppressive, depressing new world created by the devastation of war detailed in Article 5. Following the events that Ember and Chase bring you through to where we are; I was constantly in knots worrying about the lives of these characters. Always keeping HOPE for a ray of light to shine down on them. But, there is so much to overcome. Chase's mantra always ringing in their ears of "Trust No One" yet slowly watching these solitary refugees band together and begin to form a comradeship. Breaking down walls and disbeliefs to find that what connects them together truly makes them family.
I have to say, the writing in the book is phenomenal. Eloquently written drawing you in to each page and losing yourself in the world created by Kristen Simmons. Grasping on to your soul and settling in, possessing you to the point that your mind is totally consumed by the journey these characters are on. AND, don't let me forget to tell you just how well developed these characters are. The insurmountable strength that our lead protagonist has is surprising yet fulfilling. Her driving force carries you through this book and catches you at the end amazed at the growth she has come through.
I truly hope that since I didn't give details (especially since this is book 2 of a series and I DO NOT want to spoil) that you can feel how much I am affected by this book. In fact, how I feel about both books.
I have read Hunger Games and Divergent (GREAT books by my standards, especially in the dystopian genre). But, Article 5 and Breaking Point take tops for me in this area. If anything comes from you reading this review...READ these books and see if my opinion matches yours....
A DEFINITE MUST READ!!!
I'm so glad this sequel lived up to the first! And I'm even more glad that yall gave it a scorching hot thumbs up! I'll definitely add this to my wishlist.
ReplyDeleteGreat review Kathryn!
ReplyDeleteThank you for being part of the tour!!
ReplyDelete