Thrice Interview Series: ARTICLE 5

Hi! Happy book birthday to Kristen Simmons and ARTICLE 5! I read it early, thanks to the Apocalypsies ARC tour, and loved it.

My review: This is a gripping, unputdownable dystopian about a world governed by morality police and increasingly strict morality statutes. The action is full of twists and turns, but it never sacrifices character for plot. I loved the romance between fierce, determined Em and strong, broody Chase, and I’m already eager for the sequel. 

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 The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.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

About the Thrice Interview Series: The original title for BORN WICKED was THRICE BLESSED. I have a tattoo with the word thrice, which is partly to remind me how joyful writing the first book was, back when it was just mine, and partly because I like threes. Cate Cahill is one of three sisters, as am I. My birthday is May 3; my anniversary is Sept 30; my book deal happened when I was 30. So…you may notice a common theme to my interview questions.

1. Describe your main character in 3 adjectives + a noun.
Ember is a defiant, determined, and disillusioned daughter.

2. Describe your book in 3 adjectives + a noun.
ARTICLE 5 is a dark, dangerous, desire-filled dystopian. (JS note: totally accurate!)

Ok. Enough D words. I’m all tapped out.

3. Describe yourself in 3 adjectives + a noun.
Kristen is a petite, poetic, sometimes paranoid pirate. (JS note: *giggles*)

4. If you could travel to any 3 countries, what would they be?
Ireland, Italy, and Iceland! 

5. If you could take any 3 non-writing-related classes, what would they be?
Ballroom dancing, Baking (cakes, candy, cookies), and Bicycling (I honestly
don’t know how to ride a bike.)

6. If you could have 3 alternate careers, what would they be?
Duchess, Dining Critic, or Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor

7. What are 3 of your favorite flowers?
Bird of Paradise, Bluebells, Black-Eyed Susans

8. What are 3 of your favorite foods?
I’m abandoning alliteration here because this is a very serious question.
Sweet potato fries with honey and cayenne pepper for dipping, jalapeno cheddar
and sausage breakfast sandwiches from Panera, and red velvet cake with cream
cheese frosting.

9. What are 3 of your favorite books?
This is hard to pin down…but I’d have to say Harry Potter and the Order of the
Phoenix (5), The Knife of Never Letting Go, and Looking for Alaska always
come to mind.

Thanks so much for playing along, Kristen!

And everyone else: I totally recommend this book! And stay tuned for another Thrice Interview tomorrow with Jodi Meadows!