Review: Allegiant by Veronia Roth

Allegiant

Series: Divergent #3

Author: Veronica Roth

Synopsis

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Review

I went into this book very, very, very apprehensively. Since it took me a little while to get my hand on the book, I had already heard some of the buzz around it, and a lot of people were very unhappy with the ending of the book. I loved the first one so much, the second one a little less than the first, so I was afraid I would all together hate the third installment. As it is, though, I don’t. And I am glad that I didn’t end up hating it. It would have been a devastating end to a great trilogy.

Insurgent ended with a big revelation that I don’t think anyone in world saw coming. It definitely knocked me for a loop. The worst part about it was that we had to wait for another book to come out to explain it. Tris, Tobias, and the rest of their Divergent (and non-divergent) friends come to find out that the world is not what they had been led to believe. They had been deceived for generations with no knowledge of how the world really worked. I was really unsure of how I felt about it because I was getting a little tire of Roth’s “here’s how the world is, no wait, here’s how thing really are…wait…wait..wait, just kidding. Now, let’s change things one last time.” It was a little unsettling to feel like I never knew what was really real.

The third and final installment had a lot to live up to. In the last book, the readers always want everything wrapped up nicely. We want to know what happened to every single character and what is coming next for them and their world. Roth did a good job doing so.

There were some tragically sad moments that left me clutching tissues and screaming at the universe for letting it happen (Maybe cursing Roth just a little, but it’s the mark of a good author), but there were some wonderfully wonderful moments in there too. Roth had a good balance in this installment. I will say, I wish there was a little more, because I always want a clearer ending – and a little more about the characters’ lives after.

I would definitely suggest it to anyone looking for a good read – as long as they read the first two first. (:

Rating

Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent

Author: Veronica Roth

Series:Divergent #2

Goodreads

Summary

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

Review

If you thought Divergent was a good book, you are going to think that Insurgent is a great book. As someone who loved the first book, I went into this one with high hopes. It's hard enough to write a good book, it's even harder to keep the story going well when another book is added to a series. A lot of authors drop the ball on the second or third, etc books in popular books. Veronica Roth, though, was able to elevate the series in the second book. I was very pleased with this book.

Tris is back and more dauntless than ever. The world as she knew it before she was sixteen is gone. The factions are no longer co-existing and working alongside each other peacefully. She thought her initiation day was going to be a giant celebration, but that was not the case. She is suddenly thrown into a new situation that she knows nothing about. Life or death situations, war, conflict, grief, pain, and emotional trauma - things that her upbringing as a Abnegation could never have prepared her for.

Tris is such a dynamic character. While she is somewhat predictable in some of her decisions, she is interesting, smart, and she does whatever she thinks needs to be done in order to save her friends and family from danger. I think she is compelling in every sense of the word. She is character that could fight her way to the edge of the earth and back if it meant that her loved ones were safe.

Veronica Roth did it again with this novel. Unlike the first novel in this series, the big reveal of the novel completely caught me off guard. Most of the big things in the first book were easily discovered, but Insurgent took my feet out from under me and made me nearly gasp aloud. It takes a lot to make that happen.

I loved this book. It is definitely a great read, and I would suggest it to anyone.

Rating