REVIEW: Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

 

Author: Veronica Roth

Series: Divergent

Pages: 525

Genre: Young Adult - Dystopian

Publisher: HarperTeen

Amazon: Insurgent

Divergent Review

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

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: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Insurgent, book 2 in the Divergent series is another of my most anticipated reads for this year and it held me captivated from the very first page.

I honestly don’t know where to start! Divergent for me was all sorts of amazing; it was everything I love in a dystopian novel and although I really enjoyed Insurgent, the more morose feel seemed to bring it down a level for me.

Insurgent takes us through the aftermath of Divergent, lives have been lost, loyalties have been divided and the factions are more or less at war. Tris Prior has a lot of guilt on her shoulders, she is suffering terribly with what she has been through and what she has lost; her strength and determination were still present but along with it came the negativity and her grief, she was dealing with a lot of emotion and it certainly came out through her sometimes reckless and selfish actions.

Four/Tobias makes a few revelations of his own, I absolutely adore him as a character; he is strong, protective and determined and I enjoy the way he holds Tris together when she needs it most. Although their relationship had a few ups and downs, I still thought they complimented each other well.

There is a lot of faction politics in this book and we get to learn a lot more about the Dauntless, Abnegation, Amity, Candor and the Erudite; but to add to the mix, we also get to know more about the factionless and I was taken completely by surprised by who their leader was.

I wish at the beginning of this book there was more mention of the events which had taken place in Divergent; having read this book so long ago I should have given myself a refresher but at times I felt a little lost with what was going on.

Each of the secondary characters are fleshed out well and play an important role in this book, I was shocked and surprised by a few and disappointed in others but all in all each were enjoyable and suited their own factions perfectly.

For the most part, the pacing flowed well; the action was ongoing and there was always some drama or another to keep me entertained and engrossed. I thoroughly enjoy Ms Roth’s powerful writing; she hooks me in from the start and doesn’t let up. The world building is truly amazing!

I was on edge throughout most of this book with the betrayals, danger, conspiracies, deceit and conflict but within it all a sweet yet at times complicated romance which made for a thoroughly enjoyable read. I am so shocked by the cliffhanger ending so I am eager to get hold of the next installment which is due to be released in 2013 (ARGH).