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.
As you read in my review of Divergent, the first book in this series, I am a fan of Veronica Roth's. I found the concept, setting, and depth of her characters very well written and intriguing. Did she deliver with the second book in her Divergent Trilogy you ask? Well, I would have to answer that with a huge, monstrous yes.
But I don't want to go off rambling about how perfect the book was right off the bat, because that would just be boring to read, wouldn't it? So I'll start off with the things I felt weren't as perfect.
I found the setting a bit all over the map. Literally. I know they were travelling and all, but still, it made it a bit hard to keep track of where the characters were at a given point in time. I found myself stopping at times, and thinking for a minute about where they were, and what the description of that place had been, to try to regain the forgotten mental picture of their whereabouts. So that could've been a bit clearer.
Another thing, which didn't bother me a whole lot, but may be a factor for other readers, was the fact that this book was a lot darker than Divergent. There was more violence, more death, (some characters I didn't want to die... :(...) and overall, just felt, gloomier. Which technically is appropriate, and even necessary, to make this war-torn-world dystopian sequel believable. So I guess this point ended up being a pro, AND a con, depending on how you look at it! :)
Okay, glad that part is over! Now time for the good stuff! As I mentioned in my Divergent review, I was very pleased with the quality of characterization. And not just in the main characters, but also the secondary and background characters. It really gave a better sense of the setting and world, when you could see into more of the character's lives. I was hoping that Veronica Roth would continue on her winning streak with this aspect, and my wish was granted! She maintained the same level of characterization that made Divergent stand out. Both with new characters, and developing old ones. I was very pleased.
The plot is also developing very nicely, I won't go into details for spoiler reasons, but I can't wait for the next instalment! (Detergent...? ha ha...) Ms Roth managed to surprise me several times throughout the book, which is always a sign of good writing. When the story is NOT predictable, you know you're reading the work of a talented author.
The ending of Insurgent was very intriguing to me. There was an unexpected twist that totally turned the story on its head. It was very interesting and thought-provoking. I can confidently say that I believe the finale of the series will have a different tone, and feel from its two predecessors.
Anyone else read this book? I would love to hear how you rate it compared to Divergent!
The Good: Continuation of plot and character development! :)
The Bad: Setting description could have been clearer.
The Verdict: 4 out of a possible 5 s'mores. (Summer please come back to me! I miss the nightly campfires already...)
keep readin' it write!
Megan
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