Review: Breaking Point (Article 5 #2) by Kristen Simmons

I usually give up reading a series when I'm not satisfied with what happened in the first book, but giving Breaking Point a try was a good idea. If I think Article 5 was okay at best, Breaking Point just turned around my expectations, almost making me wonder if I am reading a book from a different series.

Title: Breaking Point (Article 5 #2) by Kristen Simmons
Release Date: February 12th 2013
Published by: Tor Teen
Summary (from Goodreads):

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?

Where I found Article 5 lacking, Breaking Point surprisingly picked up the pace and switched the throttle on full mode as it completely turned the story into one big piece of action packed novel. How was the author able to do that? The first book barely captured my interest and here I was holding onto my seat while reading the sequel.

Ember and Chase are quite the celebrity after the events in Article 5. They knew they had to lay low, their plan was to let themselves be forgotten so they can start anew. But an assassin's working on killing FBR soldiers one by one, and all of a sudden Ember takes the blame for this anonymous person's work. Fading in the background is already impossible with everyone going after Ember's life. What choice does she and Chase have if hiding isn't possible anymore?

I sympathized with Ember during the events leading to her arrest on Article 5. I even despised Chase for being a part of FBR at first but it was the entire opposite in Breaking Point. The way Ember was coping with what happened to her mother was something I particularly don't like and poor Chase always ends up having to face Ember's anger and grief over and over, it makes me somehow admire Chase for sticking with Ember despite him being hurt countless of times and having to put up with Ember. It was one of the things that frustrates me greatly in this book. Understandably, it's tough for the both of them. But what I liked about this book was despite my obvious dislike of the way Ember was behaving, I understand that it wasn't easy to experience what she was going through.

Breaking Point tested Ember and Chase's relationship in more ways than one, most likely, up to its own "breaking point" (which might be the reason why this book was titled that way) but alongside the emotional roller coaster was the heart stopping action as Ember and Chase are now part of the resistance, fighting against the FBR. Intense, full of action and just a delight to read with the thrilling scenes and action packed moments one after the other. The things that were obviously lacking for me in Article 5 were fabulously written by Kristen Simmons in this lovely, adrenaline filled sequel. To be able to connect a little more to Ember as well as the other characters in this book and be more responsive to the plot was something that made me love this book. I shall not elaborate more because this was such a surprise read for me, and I'll just bask in the happy knowledge that I didn't give up reading this series.

Content (plot, story flow, character):
This would have been a 5 star review were it not for the predictability in finding out just who the sniper is. The action was perfect but it was easy to guess just who this sniper was, and that little bit of predictability in the story was something that I wasn't expecting too.

.5

Shining: Worthy of a Goddess' Love!

Book Cover:
If you take into account the setting of this book, it's the perfect visual for it. I get goosebumps when I imagine the devastation in BP.