publisher: Tor Teen
date of publication: February 12, 2013
format: hardcover
pages: 400
source: publisher
series: Article 5
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?
Article 5 introduced us to Ember Miller, a girl at the mercy of the totalitarian government that has gained power in what was once the United States. Being guilty only of the crime of circumstance, Ember finds herself the victim of a horrific reform school and the adults that run it. Not knowing exactly whom to trust, Ember escapes and must do all she can to reunite with her mother and make it to a safe haven where she has the chance to live her life as she was meant to. As it turns out, this is not going to be at all easy as several things have already gone wrong. As we find out in Breaking Point, Ember is struggling even more with both her circumstances and the actions of both the government and the resistance. On the surface, Breaking Point is the continuation of Ember's journey toward safety. There is more to it than that, however. At its heart, Breaking Point is a closer look at Ember's heartbreak, fear, and inner struggle with her own feelings of guilt.
You really have to feel for Ember at this juncture. As if her world hadn't been shaken enough in Article 5, things just keep getting worse for her in Breaking Point. Her inner turmoil is evident as she struggles with her trust of those around her as well as her trust in herself. You can really get the sense that she is on the edge and is barely hanging on. The one issue I had with Ember this time around, however, was a certain sense of wishy-washy behavior that, after a time, just began to give me a headache. There's struggling and then there's lack of commitment to one's decisions. It often seemed that Ember would make up her mind about something only to immediately thereafter do a 180 and go right back to her surly, introspective ways. I kept waiting for her to find the fire within and fully commit to doing something. Alas, I never quite saw this from her. Sure, she went through the motions of fighting back, but it didn't feel like her heart was all the way in it. I truly hope to see more spirit from her in book 3.
The settings for Breaking Point are superb as ever. Taking place in Knoxville, TN; Louisville, KY; and Chicago, IL, Breaking Point exhibits some really vivid places with a great sense of desolation. If you are familiar with any of these cities and are able to compare them with their counterparts in Breaking Point, it truly hits home just how drastic the events that led to things be the way they are were. Reading about the version of Knoxville seen in Article 5 and Breaking Point is especially striking for me since I grew up a mere 45 minutes from there and even lived there for a while. Imagining walking through these damaged, more deserted versions of the places I know was nothing short of sobering. It definitely helped to be able to fully visualize what was going on as I read.
Overall, Breaking Point was a great follow-up to Article 5 and, judging by the last chapter, book 3 is going to be absolutely intense. Even though I wasn't able to connect with Ember as well, I definitely connected with the intensity of the situation at hand. Breaking Point is a book chock full of action, thrills, and tension and would make a great read for fans of action-adventure books and movies. I must reiterate that if you haven't started this series yet, you should. That the events are so utterly realistic and plausible give this series an edge of horror that is hard to deny. Breaking Point is a definite recommendation that I can stand behind.
Buy Breaking Point at the Following Locations:
Obligatory legal
statement: This finished review copy was provided to me free of charge by the
publisher. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for
this fair and unbiased review.
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