by: Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent #2
Published: May 1, 2012 by HarperTeen
Obtained: Library (but NEED to buy & ASAP!)
Challenge(s): None
Categories: Young Adult, 2nd book in series, Dystopian, Romance, Betrayal, Non-stop Action,
Other Books in the Series: Divergent, Free Four
Rating: 5 Cupcakes - Positively Enticing!
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.
*Please note that there may be spoilers if you haven't read either Divergent or Insurgent. Proceed at your own risk!*
I have been dying to read this book since I closed the cover of Divergent way back when. I was hoping to reread Divergent before picking up Insurgent buuuut, I couldn't wait. I think that did a disadvantage to me, unfortunately. I loved Divergent, even though in my review I claimed that the beginning was slow, and didn't hold my attention well. This is why I wanted to reread it, because I think I missed stuff in the first half of the book due to my impatience. Bah! Anyway, when I first cracked open Insurgent (at midnight, saying I'd only read one chapter... ha ha yeah, as if THAT was possible!) I was fully engrossed in the story immediately. There is something about Roth's writing that just grabs me and doesn't let me go. I think I would read anything she has written because I love her style that much. She doesn't give superficial thoughts and emotions from her characters. Several times in the book it is referenced that people have 'layers' to them. I completely agree, and with her writing she peels layer upon layer away, giving you an in depth, personal look into their minds, their lives, and their very essence. This gives us the ability to relate and understand the characters like I've never before had. It's absolutely incredible, and on a scale of 1-10 for writing, I would give Roth an 11!
While I still desperately adore Tris and Four, I really did not like their interactions and relationship in the second installment of the series. Let me clarify. Both characters go through intense emotional experiences in Insurgent. Tris is reeling from the death of her parents and dealing with the guilt of shooting Will. Four is still holding a grudge against his abusive father, and finding himself trusting his mother, Evelyn, whom he believed abandoned him as a child. Four had told Tris that his mother was dead, and so begins the first in a line of lies and betrayals between the two. Both are harboring secrets, and half-truths are told, leaving each of them wary of the other. This eventually leads them to two different goals in the end; with Tris teaming up with Four's father, Marcus, to help reveal the information that Erudite leader Jeanine Matthews was so desperate to keep hidden; and Four teaming up with his estranged mother, Evelyn, who has formed a union between the Factionless and the loyal Dauntless to storm Erudite headquarters, kill Jeanine, and form a new Factionless society, with her as the leader; unbeknownst to Tori, who's hand kills Jeanine. I also feel that the resolution of their relationship at the end will not last. I believe that part of the first half of book three is going to still deal with Tris and Four figuring out exactly what they want from each other, what they will need to keep their relationship strong and continuing into the future, and they will need to figure out if they can put past hurts and betrayals behind them. If not, there may not be a Tris and Four in the future.
This book, to me, fit perfectly as a second novel in the series. I didn't write the review immediately after finishing it, because if I had, I probably would've given it a two- or three- cupcake rating, and most of my followers would probably want to rough me up for that! LOL But I slept on it, mulled it over while drinking my coffee, again while I was in the shower, some more while doing my hair, and now again as I'm writing the review. For a series to be successful, namely a trilogy, the first book needs to set up the scenario, book two gives you the conflict, and three will be the resolution. With that formula, Insurgent is genius for a second-in-a-series book. It slams you with information and action from page one and never really gives you a break. There were nights where my eyes were literally half-closed, my body begging me to put the book down and go to sleep; but I couldn't. I had to keep reading, even though as I was reading I was telling myself that I didn't really care for the book as much as the first.
But then morning came after the night I finished the book, and the clouds parted, the sun shone down, and I realized that I did like the book. I did like it, because it was exactly what it was supposed to be. I did figure out what the secret was that Jeanine was hiding however; but it didn't really change anything as far as my enjoying the book. The ending left you with one ginormous cliff-hanger, and I believe that the final book will give us all the answers to questions that were left over from both Divergent and Insurgent. I think I figured out what was going on, after thinking 'wait a minute, why is there no "history" to the factions? It's the characters we are reading about now, and their parents. That is as far back as the lineage goes.' After viewing the video that the Erudite were so desperate to keep hidden, more questions are left hanging in the balance, and leaves Tris wondering just what her part (and her family's part) is in all of this. Luckily, there is nothing more that she can keep hidden from Four at this point, since everything is public knowledge now.
There is a lot more than just Tris and Four's relationship that will need resolution in book three. We will need to see Four deal with his parents; either working with or against one or both (assuming he'll team up with one of them, since they both have different visions of the future of the factions.) We will need to see all of the characters deal with the loss of loved ones - whether it be friends or family, because Roth takes no liberties in killing people off.
I believe that Roth has an incredibly talented, and successful writing career ahead of her, and I am eagerly anticipating the release of book three next year. This series could easily be made into a movie, as the whole time I was reading the book, the scenes flashed through my mind like stills from a video. Overall, this series is absolutely mesmerizingly incredible!
