Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Rated 4 STARS

 

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.

 

 

Note: There are spoilers about Divergent in this review.

 

This is the continuation of the Divergent series.  When we last met Tris, her whole life was falling apart due to a war among the factions of her society.   Her ragtag group of Dauntless and Abnegation are trying to find a safe haven. They return to Amity to regroup and try and figure out what should be done.  Of course, there is no safe haven for them.

Factions that should begin working together seem to be more divided and threatening than ever. Every one seems to have its own agenda.

Tris has watched both parents die and under the worst of circumstances she killed one of her best friends.  She has been torn apart from the guilt and feels anything but dauntless.

An uneasy alliance with Tobias’ father, Marcus, forces Tris to make some alarming choices but she follows her instincts just the same.

Tris’ brother, Caleb gets involved with their group again as he has left Erudite and gone back to Abnegation.  Tris is conflicted between her brother’s emotional support and her loyalty to her new Dauntless friends.

Tris once again faces many horrible situations and is forced to depend on her wits and strength, but does she have any strength left?

 

I had really high expectations for Insurgent because I really enjoyed Divergent.  It was fast paced and interesting. It had a few flaws that I didn’t care for but all in all it was a great read.  Unfortunately, my expectations affected my enjoyment of Insurgent.

Tris’ most attractive qualities were her guts and spirit.  In Insurgent, she has all but fallen apart and has fears that nag at her the entire time which keep her from being her true self.  I realize she had some extremely harrowing experiences but I had been led to believe that Tris was made of stronger stuff.  That at the core she was a brave and intelligent young woman who could compartmentalize her feelings for the safety of her people.

Her on and off again romance with Tobias got a little boring.  I just wanted them to break up or stay together instead of the wishy-washy relationship they seemed to develop.

There were some real surprises in this book that I won’t reveal as it would really spoil things for you.  Let it just be said that I didn’t see them coming.

I wish I could have loved Insurgent as much as I enjoyed Divergent.  It seemed the author wasn’t sure how to proceed so she was all over the place.  I found it hard to follow at times.

Have I given up on the Divergent series?  No, I’ll read it to the end and hopefully, the author will give Tris back her bravery and bring the story to a satisfying conclusion.