Wrap your brain around this…
Genre: Y/A, Science Fiction, Fantasy
No. of pages: 525
From 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.
I’ve been slow getting into the Divergent series, but have managed to remain spoiler free so I can read the books before seeing the movies. After the shock and awe I got from the first novel, I was really looking forward to see what would happen in this second novel.
‘Insurgent’ really keeps you guessing and thinking. You get a sense of a bigger motive going on here which kept me intrigued. And thank goodness that Veronica Roth dropped so many bread crumbs into this second novel, because the pace dropped off around the half way mark – whether bogged down with too many facts, or including so much superfluous story arcs, I ended up putting down ‘Insurgent’ after reading 50% and took a break to read another book.
Luckily I was able to jump back into this quite quickly, and the pacing in the second half really picks up.
It still contains all that reckless gore and killing experienced in ‘Divergent,’ really adding to the sense of rebellion and desperation of the rebel faction members.
We learn more of the mythology behind the Divergent – which really threw me for a spin, and I can’t wait to find out what is going on in ‘Allegiant.’
It’s great to see Tris not only break and fall, but get even stronger at the same time. She has to dig deep and test everything, her physical strength, her relationships, her sanity… it is really amazing what this girl goes through all in the name of gaining her freedom and truth.
I loved seeing the dynamics of Tris’ relationships switch around again and again, it added to the tension and tone of the novel. So much of the unexpected happened that I was bombarded with information, but it all adds to the mystery as to why Tris’ community lives the way it does.
Many of my friends are heavily invested in the Tris-Four ship, but I am still yet to feel any pull for this coupling.
Roth still paints a marvellous and devastating dystopian world, and Tris’ narrative flows with ease through the highs and lows. The pacing felt a little stop-start in the middle, but considering the size of this book, it’s a relatively fast read. Further insight into the cast may have you changing you opinion of them, or your connection deepening. I really had no predictions for this, I was so busy working out what was going on and getting over one event to another, that I have to praise the way it is written. Pow. Bam. Boom!
A great follow up to ‘Divergent’ and will soon be picking up ‘Allegiant…’ let’s hope those surprises keep coming. If the writing style so far is anything to go by it’s going to be a rocky ride full of carnage.
Overall feeling: Well… that was unexpected.
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Casey Carlisle 