Review: Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons

Title: Breaking Point (Article 5, #2)

Author: Kristen Simmons

Publisher: Tor Teen

Publication date: February 12, 2013
Genre(s): Young Adult (Dystopian)

Source: Macmillan

Format: Digital ARC

Pages: 400

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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?

Breaking Point is the sequel to the popular dystopian novel Article 5. When I read Article 5, I couldn't help but love the different take Kristen Simmons took for her dystopian world. She was able to combine road trip with dystopian and I loved the developing relationship between Chase and Ember and that they already had a past together. Breaking Point takes us to the hub of the revolutionaries who want to overthrow the current corrupt government. I thought we would get much more action and thrilling scenes in Breaking Point unfortunately we mostly get a whining Ember and a detached Chase. 

It took me a while to warm up to Breaking Point, I was used to the fast momentum and filled action scenes of Article 5 but we take a step back in this novel and concentrate more on Ember, her emotions towards Chase, and her constant internal whining that I honestly couldn't take anymore. I understood Chase's detachment, at least his made sense, and I felt sorry towards him for Ember's indecisiveness towards everything. Moving on from that, we learn more about the ins of the revolutionaries and we meet more characters, some I liked, while others I found to be very suspicious. You get most of the action towards the end of the book and this seems to be a recurrence in many dystopian sequels so I won't dwell on that. 

I always have a soft spots for dystopians so even with all of its flaws I still really enjoyed Breaking Point. I just love the whole government conspiracy that went on in Breaking Point and that we are finally close to fighting the system and that just brings excitement. I can't wait to find out how everything will be resolved and for Ember to finally end her doubts, insecurities, and whining. 

Other books by Kristen Simmons: 

Article 5 (Article 5, #1)