Laura’s Review of Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

If you like the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Matched by Ally Condie, then you love this book!!!

Basic Summary:   Once Choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?

What if a single revelation – like a single choice – changed everything?

What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

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’ new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind.  Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless.  Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves.  And once again, Trist must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature-and herself- while facing impossible choice 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.

“I thought that ‘Divergent’ explained everything that I am and everything that I could be.  Maybe I was wrong.”

What I Love About This Book:  First off I am so happy to have finally been able to get my hands on the conclusion of this series.  The Insurgent ending dropped a HUGE bomb that kind of answered why this entire society exists in the first place, but at the same time plunging each of every member of this city into a world of lies. 

          I love that this book goes back and forth from Tris’ POV and Tobias’, because I love me some Four and I get plenty of him in this book.   I can’t enough of Tris and Four together and it’s so great in this book they have more “alone” time, and in the beginning of the book kind of talk about sex and where they both stand on the subject.  It’s great that they still have stolen moments for themselves and you get plenty of that in this book.

        

          I also like that this series kind of explains how American went from what we currently live in, to a destroyed and different kind of society that exists in this series.  The Hunger Games didn’t really do that, you knew in the Hunger Games that they were in America, and the Capital was around the Rockies, but you never had an explanation as to how the districts were formed and why.  This book kind of offers an explanation of how The United States was ultimately destroyed and that this world that Tris and the others now exist in.  

          I have always said that The Hunger Games are the modern day Lord of the Flies, but I kind of feel that this series is more.  The central theme in this last book to me seems to be about nature vs. nurture.  Are people bad because of their genetics, or is there something in the environment, some type of experience that makes them bad?  That is a constant question that is swimming around in Tris’ head as well as Tobias, and the new environment they are in kind of falls on both sides of this argument. 

          By the time I ended this book I was crying like a girl who got stood up on prom!  The author took a huge risk going this route with the ending I have much respect for Veronica Roth for maybe going against the norm in that way.  I loved the last message of the book, what is says about humanity, about love, about friendship, and about healing.  This book was gritty, depressing, inspiring, dramatic, heartfelt, and so so so much more and Veronica Roth, thank you for sharing this story with us. 

“That internal war doesn’t seem like a product of genetic damage—it seems completely purely human”

Cons:  For the book being the last one in this series, I felt that there wasn’t enough action.  For some time I didn’t feel there was tons of forward movement, and for several chapters I was waiting for the other shoe to drop and then nothing really huge happened.  Also because there is nothing happening for some time I can’t really scope out what Tris’ future will be like.  There is no real direction I see her going in for quite some time throughout this book, there was no ultimate end goal for her for the majority of the book.

          At about 75% through I felt like there was no real direction going on with these characters.  I still didn’t understand what the ultimate end goal was for these people, or where they would all land.  I get the whole, trading one dictatorship for another theme going on but there is no direction for these characters.  I would’ve liked to have seen an end goal earlier on in the book, but after finishing it all up I get why the author went in this direction.  The ending is VERY bittersweet, and stands to all teach us a lesson in humanity.

Overall:  Like many dystopian societies there is always an underlying political message about today’s society.  This series is no different, and within in Allegiant our own society’s issues are very much reflected throughout this book.  Although for a good part of the book, nature vs. nurture seems to be front and center, the book also addresses how many people in society view the poor.  Through what this book calls the “genetically pure” versus “genetically damaged” , where the genetically pure view the genetically damaged as people who can’t help but somewhat barbaric that they create their circumstances of being this way and don’t deserve the government’s support and help.  I think it’s a good lesson to learn while reading this book, of where you might fall on social issue like welfare and health insurance.  Dystopian series have a way of really cracking open society’s current problems and showing the extremes of these problems in a broken down violent world, really making the reader think.  This is something I love about dystopian societies, being a Political Science major, you always think about the world around and series like these really shine a light on stuff I’ve always been interested in. 

          There is very much a strong message of what the world is made of, what kind of humans exist in this world, and maybe sometimes picking the better of two evils  is the only choice you have left.  The author took a big leap at the end of this book writing it the way she did.  I applaud Veronica Roth for choosing to go the way she obviously wanted to.  I am ecstatic about the ending of course not, but I appreciate its uniqueness and it certainly does make this series stand out from the rest.  

Laura’s Review of Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

If you like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Matched by Ally Condie you will love this series!!!!

Basic Summary:  Once choice can transform you, or destroy you

Every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying ot save those she loves, and herself, while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

“Sometimes.’ He says, sliding his arm across my shoulders. ‘People just want to be happy, even if it’s not real”

What I Love About This Book:  Okay, this is a total break from that wonderful smuttiness that goes along with 99% of the books I read.  But before I fell in love with the world of dirty romances, I was into dystopian books and I LOVE LOVE LOVE this trilogy.  Insurgent is a reread for me because Allegiant just came out and I read Insurgent over a year ago and I didn’t remember anything just like the last few chapters, so I needed a refresher. 

                This book starts almost immediately after Divergent ends, leaving Tris and Caleb to deal with the death of both their parents, and the rest of the dystopian society to deal with the attack of Dauntless faction that was headed up by the Erudite and their leader Jeanine.  Basically they are left to pick up the pieces a broken world, and life as they know it no longer exists, leaving the future very uncertain.  This entire book is basically a search for information that Marcus, Four’s (Tobias) father knows.  The information was once trusted to be guarded by the Abnegation (Tris’ old faction) and because of this most of this has faction has been killed. 

                What I like about dystopian books is the complete breakdown of a sort of authoritarian society.  Unlike The Hunger Games where there is one ruling government over 12 districts, there are 5 factions with no one overall ruling structure.  Each faction is completely split from each other, having their own governmental structures within.  It kind of falls into the divide and conquer strategy where each faction kind of contributes a whole a society in some sort of way, but not one factions represents the whole entire city as a whole.  The Hunger Games structure was pretty big and took up what was left America in the future, whereas this book takes place in what is left of Chicago so their society is the size of a city and much smaller.  The factions although are separate from one another, there is communication and transportation from faction to another.  The Amity are the agricultural faction, who create and farm food for the whole city, the Eurdite are the information nerds if you will of the city, and depend on the Amity for their food, and Dauntless for security and policing.  Candor is sort of the lawyers of city, constantly seeking the truth in situations; again depend on Amity for their food.  Unlike the Hunger Games there is dependence on one another yet separate governments all the same.

              

 I also like these books because very much like Katniss, Tris is almost on her own for most of this series.  In the first book though she more of a support system, and kind of found a home within the Dauntless faction, but in Insurgent it’s almost her against the world.  There is very much a separation between her and Four in this book which was kind of depressing, but makes you read on to see if things can be salvaged between the two.  I love Four and I love their relationship and in the beginning of this book you get lots of juicy scenes with them together, which is what I wanted so much of in Divergent.  Yet as you go further into the book there is a breakdown of communication between the two and you want to scream at both of them to get their shit together and start talking!!!!!  To me it’s what makes this book a page turner, it wasn’t just their situations it was also their relationship.  I needed to get to the end because I NEEDED to know what happened to them!!!! (I’m not gonna tell you how things end between them).

                When I was reading this book, it was kind of amazing to me how a lot of the characters felt like this total breakdown of what they know as a society is just temporary and eventually things will go back to “normal”.  They don’t get that what they knew no longer exists and will never again, and I was like HELLO how stupid can you be?  But then I realized when something huge happens that rocks your entire country all you do is crave the normality that existed because there was a security in that, even if your life sucked, and you were miserable.  There is still a security in an everyday routine, rather than random chaos and not knowing what’s going to happen next. It’s hard to see a better alternative, when all you know is the way you and generations past have lived; the alternative is chaotic in a lot of ways and very scary.  Dystopian books can teach you a lot about your own society, and make you look at how this could possibly be the future for our own country, but then you have to almost remind yourself that this fiction, and none of this could happen…or could it? That’s what I loved about The Hunger Games, and Divergent, the complete head screw it gives you!!

“My mouth goes dry.  No factions?  A world in which no one knows who they are or where they fit? I can’t even fathom it.  I imagine only chaos and isolation.”

Cons:  I felt that the writing was a little too simple for me, but I do realize these are young adult books so the writing equates to that.  I’m sure if I was younger reading this book I probably wouldn’t feel that way.  It’s just that sometimes I felt like the sentences were totally fragmented and it frustrated me, but I get it, I’m a 32 year old reading a book that is more of a teenager level.

“Sometimes I feel like I am collecting the lessons each faction has to team me, and storing them in my kind like a guidebook for moving through the world.  There is always something to learn, always something that is important to understand.”

Overall:  This book is filled to the brim with action, every corner Tris turns, people are getting shot, punched, stabbed, whipped, and god only knows what else.  There were a few lulls in the book, just so I could get my bearings again and then BAM!!! I felt like it was very much Tris against the world, even at points Tris against Tobias.  While reading this book there were times where I was breathing hard, almost wanting to cry or scream and I love books that aren’t just reading they are a full body experience, and this book delivers that 100%!!!!  The ending of this book is just a HUGE bomb, and everything you know from the first two books just doesn’t seem to matter by the end of this book and I can’t wait to start Allegiant!!! 

SOME GREAT BOOKS COMING THIS FALL!!!

Convicted (Consequences #3) By Aleatha Romig:  I think out of all the series I have ever read, this has given me the works book hang over of them all!!! This story has so many strings and so dark corners I don’t even know where to begin.  I cannot wait to get to the end of this book just so I have some closure this addictive series.  Althea Romig is an evil genius and I love for her it! Expected Publication Date: October 8^th

Jagged (Colorado Mountain #5) By Kristen Ashley:  The continuation of this mountain man series is a must! I have missed this series dearly and I’m to going back to Gnaw Bone from the first book instead of Carnal like the other books.  Kristen Ashley is truly my favorite author and I don’t know what I would do without her books in my life! Expected Publication Date: November 8^th

Consumed (Devoured #2) By Emily Snow:  It’s time to get back to the love story of Lucas and Sienna!! I have been waiting too long for this story I need to all of Lucas’ secrets and I want to know them all now!!!! Who doesn’t love another rock star love story?  Expected Publication Date: October 15^th

Gabriel’s Redemption (Gabriel’s Inferno #3) By Sylvain Reynard:  I love this series so much and cannot wait to get my hands on this book!!! I have missed Gabriel so much but having Mr. Reynard release little tidbits has been nice but now it’s time for the real thing!!!! Expected Publication Date: December 3^rd

Rock Bottom (Bad Things #2) By R.K. Lilley:  R.K. Lilley has created my favorite Dom, James Cavendish and has sucked me in once again with Tristan and Danika’s story!! I cannot wait for this next book, it is probably was one my most anticipated books this fall.  Expected Publication Date:  Late October/Early November

Mine (Real, Raw & Ripped#2) By Katy Evans: I need more Remmington Tate in my life and I need it now!!!! Whodoesn’t love a hot man who you get to beat the crap out of someone and gets paid for it!!   I’m anxious to see how this whole bipolar not taking medication and Brooke dealing with all this.  Expected Publication Date: November 12^th

Fighting to Forgive (Fighting #2) by JB Salsbury:  This is the second in the fighting series, I loved the first book and cannot wait for this one.  Each series I’m assuming will be different love story from a different character that you have met in book 2.  I kind of hated and loved Blake in book one so I can’t wait to see him get over the head with the love stick!   Expected publication November 19^th

Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth:  This probably the most anticipated book of the year by many people.  It’s a break away obviously from the romance/erotica books but I love dystopian series and this one hooked me in a couple years ago when the first book came out.  I can’t wait to read the conclusion of Four and Tris’ story and cannot wait to see Divergent on the big screen.  Expected Publication Date: October 22^nd