Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Divergent #2

Release Date: May 1st, 2012

Number of Pages: 525

Publisher: HarperTeen

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.

Divergent left me begging for more when I first read it last July. I had loved it so much, and could wait to read what would happen to Tris and Tobias. After all, they were left in a precarious situation at the end of book one. Now, in book two, we’re starting right where we were left off. Because of that, if you don’t really remember what happen in books on, you should probably reread Divergent or read this awesome post by Veronica Roth about everything you need to know about Divergent.

I have to start by saying that I’ve completely devoured this book, and that I have completely loved it. From page one to the last, I was captivated once again by this world Veronica Roth created. There were simply so many things happening, so many twists to follow and so many emotions to feel. Really, I was overwhelmed by everything Veronica Roth made me feel through Tris. Poor Tris, in this novel, things aren’t really going so well for her. She is caught, after all, in the middle of a war.

The characters are forced to change through this novel, to learn that being only what you’re faction tells you to be isn’t maybe the only answer. There are characters that really threw me off by being the opposite of who I thought they were. If there’s one thing some characters are really good at in this book, it’s betrayal. There are so many manipulative characters, so many liars, so many backstabbers; I don’t know who to trust anymore. I’m not going to name any characters, because I’m too afraid to spoil anything.

Still, I cannot not talk about Tris and Tobias. There relationship is really not going as smoothly as we would like it to go (or even as smooth as they wish it would.), because they are forced to make some choice that may not always please the other. Tris is forced through this novel to make some dangerous moves, thing that Tobias doesn’t her to do. Still, that made me like her. It showed me that she was more complex as a character than I would have believed in Divergent. She can be selfish, but also so selfless. She can be strong and weak, thoughtful and naïve (not to say stupid)… Yes sometimes, I got made at some of her choices. Still, her choices and her actions were part of who she was. They didn’t seem fake or anything. If she had done things differently, maybe it would have felt wrong to me, as much as I wish sometimes she had done different things.

Tobias made me fall all over again for him for half the book, and the other half made me want to punch him in the face. He could be so amazing with Tris, and such an amazing leader sometimes. Other times, he would let his feeling for Tris take over his logic and it would annoy me. I knew it was to protect, because he loved her. He didn’t want her to die, or to get hurt. Still, to me it felt like he was underestimating her, and I felt like Tris had proved more than once that she could take care of herself.

Overall, it was a novel I loved, a novel that got me addicted form page one. If you still haven’t read book one, I don’t know what you’re waiting for. To me, this was an amazing sequel, as it gave me more than I was even expecting.