Recommendation: Insurgent

Insurgent by Veronica Roth 

Release: May 1, 2012 

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes and Noble 

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.

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AH! I know I was supposed to post this up YESTERDAY, but I was pretty busy. What with finishing my very last final and all. Did I mention I am now officially DONE with my undergraduate education? So excuse me for being in a "daze" and forgetting to post. Anyway, here’s my review of Insurgent (without spoilers):

Thanks to the lovely Claire LeGrand, I received an ARC of Insurgent in the mail. It didn’t matter that I had finals to take. I devoured those pages.

And it was worth it. 

Insurgent begins right where Divergent left off, with Tris headed to Amity headquarters. Some of the people who criticize Divergent because of it’s lack of “plot”, save for the last 100 pages, will be happy to know that Insurgent is non-stop action. It had a very different feeling about it and I am so, SO happy that Roth didn’t shy away from the emotional consequences of Tris’ actions. She’s grieving and that is completely realistic. No sane person would go through what Tris went through without some scars. 

And both Four and Tris have their fair share of scars.

Speaking of the couple, they are back in full force. I really appreciate that Roth decided to create tension between Four and Tris without the use of a love-triangle. There is NO LOVE TRIANGLE here. Instead, we have two people who love each other and who are struggling to survive. Their past experiences, their differences of opinion, and their struggle to survive all make their relationship rocky but VERY real. 

I only have issues with Four when Tris revealed something during a Candor investigation (via truth serum). He gotupset over something that has nothing to do with him. Something I thought would have been trivial. But Four blew it out of proportion and I was left unsettled by the resulting argument. 

Roth ALMOST passed the line with their relationship, but I think I got to understand why Four acted the way he did toward the end. It is the only qualm I have with this, otherwise, amazing book. And the twists! I did not see ANY of them coming. Really. This book is one heck-of-a ride and I love Four and Tris.

Also, I mentioned in my Divergent review that I had issues with Roth’s world building. I can (almost) take that back, now, after reading Insurgent. Getting to see how the factions of Amity and Candor live was fascinating! But in order to keep this review spoiler-free, I won’t explain why. I will only say this: Roth very well may make me believe in the world of Divergent with her final installment. The ending of Insurgent promises to answer many questions about their society as a whole and I. Can’t. Wait. Do I HAVE to wait another year?

Anyway, GET YOUR COPY NOW. It's out today.

RATING: 4.5 SLICES