Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Title: Allegiant
Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books 
Publication date: October 22, 2013
Pages: 526
Source/format:Purchased // Hardcover

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

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 meaningliess. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend to 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. 

M Y  T H O U G H T S 

I am planning to see the Allegiant film adaptation on March 26th and wanted to refresh my memory of what happened in the book. The last time I read the book was when the book was first released. Of course there are mixed reviews about Allegiant. I am one of the few that actually thought the ending was necessary. It's not the best ending in the world but it was a bold and important decision that Veronica Roth had to make.

Although I enjoyed re-reading Allegiant, I found the bickering between Tris and Tobias to be excessive. It could be because of the genetic results that causes this friction but it was a little bit tiresome to read. The casualties in this book are shocking and the discoveries that Tris and Tobias make in this novel are definitely overwhelming since so much goes on.

There were times when I was confused whose POV I was reading but I actually enjoyed the pacing of this novel. Although this installment is slower in pace and there aren't that many action scenes, Roth sucked me into the book and I read a huge portion of it in one day during my re-read. This is the novel that makes you think more about what is going on in the society. How do all three books link up? What does history teach us? Roth delves into what it means to be Divergent. It's important to understand what divergence means and how it affects society.

Also, readers get to know a little more about Tobias's background which helps the reader understand why Tobias thinks the way he does. Of course if your have a chance to read Four, readers get a better sense of his view about things. In Allegiant, his POV could have been improved.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the last book in the Divergent series. I am interested to see how much of Allegiant will be in the film adaptation of the same name in part one and in part two, also known as Ascendant. I hope there aren't too many changes in the film. I was highly disappointed with the Insurgent film adaption and I am a little nervous to see Allegiant.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Title: Insurgent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Publication date:  May 1, 2012
Pages: 525
Source/format: Purchased/Hardcover

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Insurgent is a 2012 science fiction young adult novel by American novelist Veronica Roth, the second book in the Divergent trilogy. As the sequel to the 2011 bestseller Divergent, it continues the story of Tris Prior and the dystopian post-apocalyptic version of Chicago. Following the events of the previous novel, a war now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. While trying to save the people that she loves, Tris faces questions of grief, forgiveness, identity, loyalty, politics, and love.

The book was first published on May 1, 2012 by the HarperCollins imprints Katherine Tegen Books in the U.S. and HarperCollins Children's Books in the U.K, a "Collector's Edition" was published on October 30 in the United States. Insurgent received mostly positive reviews from critics, with reviewers praising Roth's writing.

My Thoughts:
 
I wanted to reread Insurgent before the film adaptation comes out on March 20th. The first time I read it was in 2012. I was fortunate enough to meet Veronica Roth back in 2012 at Ascendio, a Harry Potter convention located in Orlando, Florida. It's crazy how extremely popular she has become over a few years.

Roth does an excellent job with the world building in the Divergent series. Insurgent starts right where Divergent left off. However, it is a slower paced book than Divergent but it doesn't mean that it's bad. I actually liked how Tris and Tobias travel through multiple factions. I enjoyed learning more about each faction's values and customs. We've only heard mostly about Dauntless in Divergent with a smattering of Erudite and Abnegation. Insurgent goes into depth about the leaders of the factions and gives hints to what some of the initiation trial tasks are. Reading about faction members transferring into other factions is quite interesting. To hear why they transferred to other factions intrigues me the most. There is wide variety of reasons why one will transfer to another faction instead of staying in his/her own faction.

Insurgent dives deeper under the surface compared to Divergent. We find out about secrets that characters have been hiding from their friends, families and loved ones. Insurgent plays with the characters emotions. The reader feels the anger, the betrayal, the regret, the grief and the love Insurgent has to offer. The novel is more complex and is darker than the first in the series.

Tris is haunted by her decisions she made in the past. However, she knows she needs to keep moving forward to protect herself, her faction and her loved ones. Time is ticking and Tris is desperate to find out what her parents were protecting. Can we trust each faction? Will they betray Tris and her friends?

If you enjoyed reading Divergent, you will love Insurgent.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication date:  April 25, 2011
Pages: 487 
Source/format: Purchased, hardcover

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, 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 to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating 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 a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

My Thoughts:

An amazing book! It's a mix between Hunger Games and Harry Potter but with a twist. One of the best YA dystopian books I've read. A must read!

Tris is strong and finds the fault in the system. She is strong and is determined to make things right! She knows who the true enemy is and needs to fight for what's right. I always found it weird how people who are divergent are bad because they are not easily controlled. Like in Harry Potter, one may have traits in Gryffindor and Slytherin but he or she has a choice of what house she or he wants to be in. If someone is divergent, she or he has a choice of what faction she or he wants to be in. What is wrong with a Slytherdor or a Dauntnegation?

I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, but if you are looking for a dystopian novel with a lot of action, a bit of romance and a bit of finding yourself, I highly recommend Divergent.