Insurgent by Veronica Roth Published by HarperCollins on 2012-05-01
Genres: Dystopian, General, Love & Romance, Social Issues, Values & Virtues, Young Adult
Pages: 544
Format: Hardcover
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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.
I also recommend:
- Railsea by China Mieville
- Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier
This is my week of exploring the world of Veronica Roth, captured in the books of the Divergent trilogy. I remain solidly in the four stars rating after reading Insurgent, let me just start off with that. Roth continued the pace set up by the first book of the trilogy and her world grew stronger with the revelation of new and interesting twists and turns. This review will have some spoilers (unavoidable in subsequent series book reviews) so if you haven’t read Divergent, I urge you to do so first.
Still, Insurgent also solidified my deep dislike of the romance angle. I admire both Tris and Four – but together they seem weakened. All the strength that Roth built up with Tris’s training and testing in Divergent seemed to be taken away by admiration for a boy. More so than admiration, out and out lust. I’m sorry, but I find it supremely unbelievable that in the middle of all the chaos taking place in Insurgent, anyone’s mind would be on finding a corner to make out in. Especially considering what all Tris goes through up until the end of Insurgent.
That little rant over, let me talk about what I really loved in Insurgent. I loved that Roth kicks it up a notch. Just when I thought I had things figured out, she sweeps aside the dust from the foundation she built in Divergent and begins to build the first story of the house. That first story remains pretty solid, given the foundation that was laid out. Without the groundwork done, there were a few elements of Insurgent that would have come off as weak or far-fetched, but I really didn’t have a problem believing in the story, which honestly surprised me. I found myself really and truly buying in to what I was reading.
Insurgent is one of the more strong middle books I’ve read in a trilogy in quite some time. There was a definite plan laid out and movement toward an end goal, something I really appreciated. I put down the book thinking that it gave me something to mull over and, had I needed to wait for the third book (but I didn’t so yay me), I think Insurgent would have given me enough to tide me over.
Check out these reviews!
- “Veronica Roth shows us her full potential in Insurgent and just how spectacular her writing skills are.” – Blog of a Bookaholic
- “Highly recommend it. If you read Divergent and loved it, you’ll also love Insurgent.” - Book Hooked Blog
- “Insurgent is full of action and suspense, and it will definitely keep you turning the pages!” – The Reader Bee