BOOK REVIEW: Allegiant

Allegiant
by Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent (#3)

"One Choice Will Define You."

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.

Excerpt:
"I fell in love with him.  But I don't just stay with him by default as if there's no one else available to me.  I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other.  I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me." - Tris, "Allegiant"

My Review:

This book has a big change of pace from the previous two.

The majority of it takes place outside of the city, which you find out is actually a futuristic version of Chicago.  Tris, Tobias, and their friends learn more about what happened before their city was formed, why it was made the way it was, and why no one in the city ever knew there were really people - or really anything - outside their border.

A new revolution is still brewing inside Chicago, the Allegiant versus the factionless.  It is up to Tris and Tobias to stop it before the entire city as they know it is destroyed, but from the outside, this is difficult to do.  They can see everything that is going on, but they can't really interact without going back inside. 

Once again, Tris and Tobias are in agreement that something needs to be done, but they find themselves disagreeing on what that course of action will be.  Inevitably, it is a turning point in their relationship that they might not be able to come back from.

This book made me laugh, yell in anger, and yes, cry.  I pretty much bawled at the end. 

I wasn't sure how I felt about the ending.  Well, that's not entirely true.  It didn't sit well with me at all.  Even by the last page, I still felt shaken and angered by what had happened, and I still hadn't adjusted to it. I understand why it ended the way it did, but I wasn't happy at all.

For that reason, I give Allegiant, the last book of the Divergent series, 4 stars instead of 5.

After reading Allegiant, you should check out this post by the author.  ONLY AFTER YOU'VE READ THE WHOLE TRILOGY, AS THERE ARE MASSIVE SPOILERS IN HER BLOG POST!!!  Here you go: http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/2013/10/about-end-of-allegiant-spoilers.html?m=0

Happy reading!

BOOK REVIEW: Insurgent

Insurgent
by Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent (#2)

"One Choice Can Destroy You."

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.

Excerpt:
"People, I have discovered, are layers and layers of secrets.  You believe you know them, that you understand them, but their motives are always hidden from you, buried in their own hearts.  You will never know them, but sometimes you decide to trust them."

My Review:

Insurgent picked up right where Divergent left off, on the train moving away from Dauntless headquarters with Tris still haunted by what she had done during the simulation.

The story moves deeper into the revolution, building with more characters and more layers with each chapter.  Tris and Tobias become closer but eventually their differing views on who to trust and what is right and wrong start to come between them.  Thought they fight to stay together and not let their differences overcome them, it becomes extremely difficult and at many points later in the book looks as if their relationship is doomed.

This book captured me the way the first one did.  We learn more about our characters and about Tobias's parents.  Nothing is as it seems, which isn't surprising considering the curtains Tris and Tobias began to pull back about the revolution at the end of Divergent.  You might think you have the gist of what is going on with regards to the government overthrow that Jeanine wants to occur, but you're probably wrong.  There is a huge twist at the end of the book that will leave you dying for the final installment of the trilogy.

You won't be disappointed.

I give this book a definite 5 stars.

Happy reading!

BOOK REVIEW: Divergent

Divergent

by Veronica Roth

Series: Divergent (#1)

"One Choice Can Transform You."

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.


During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
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Excerpt:

"I'm not trying to be self-deprecating," I say, "I just don't get it.  I'm younger.  I'm not pretty.  I -"

He laughs, a deep laugh that sounds like it came from deep inside him, and touches his lips to my temple.

"Don't pretend," I say breathily.  "You know I'm not.  I'm not ugly, but I am certainly not pretty."

"Fine.  You're not pretty.  So?"  He kisses my cheek.  "I like how you look.  You're deadly smart. You're brave.  And even though you found out about Marcus..." His voice softens.  "You aren't giving me that look.  Like I'm a kicked puppy or something."

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My Review:

I absolutely loved this book.  I found that it was well-written, well-planned, and it absolutely sucked me into the story.  I felt like I was living alongside Tris in the crazy journey that she began.  There were many twists and turns, some of which I could kind of see coming, and others that just blew me out of the water, especially toward the end.

I loved the development of Tris and Four's relationship as well.  I know, I know, I'm a romantic, so of course I would go for the sappy love story... but this love story wasn't sappy at all.  It was quite true to the situation and the circumstances that were going on around them.  They were realistic about things, and their relationship developed naturally, which was a breath of fresh air compared to some of the other books I've read lately.  

Ultimately, this obviously isn't just a love story, and the themes of  dystopian society throughout are interesting.  The characters are engaging.  The plot is well thought out and written.  I would go as far as to say that this is one of the best books I have read in a long time.  I literally could not put it down, so if you haven't read it yet....go start now!  

Oh, and by the way, I haven't seen the movie yet...but I'm definitely going to before it leaves theaters!  After reading the story, I feel like I can't not see it.

I rate this book: 

Five stars