Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

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.

Insurgent, the sequel to Divergent by Veronica Roth, picked up shortly after where the first one had left off.  Tris has made it to Amity where she, Four, and several others are staying as hidden refuges.  But they are now being hunted by Dauntless traders and are forced to turn to others for safety, even those that seem the most untrustworthy.  Tris is being swallowed with the grief of her parents dying and the guilt of killing her friend, Will and she and Four/Tobias can’t seem to keep on the same page with all the things that have taken place.  Insurgent is that fabulous sequel to the dystopian Divergent.  It has love, betrayal, excitement, fear, and unexpected events that will leave you dying for more.

I was very excited for this book to come out ever since I read the first one last summer and it didn’t disappoint.  I loved that you really get a feel for Four/Tobias.  In the first book you know him as Four, the hard dauntless trainer with only four fears.  Later in the book you know him as Tobias the guy who saves Tris and was a transfer from abnegation who had a nightmare for a childhood and fellow divergent.  In Insurgent you really see what he’s made of.  You also see the dynamics of Tris and his relationship change which was interesting because frankly who wants to read about perfection especially when it comes to love.

I love that you get to know Caleb, Tris’s brother, who is only introduced in the first book.  In Insurgent, he is now the only family she has left and she seems to hold on to that.  I really can’t talk more about him though without giving away some major stuff so you’ll just have to read it :]

The only thing that made this not the best think I've ever read is that it had the typical feel of the second book in a dystopian trilogy. The main character has been through hell and back and you really feel that in the second book of a lot of dystopian books; a bit doom and gloom with a glimmer of hope at the end.  I hope that that glimmer of hope is to lead to a happy ending unlike The Hunger Games ending that was so very bitter sweet.

Have you all read this book?  Or the first one?  What do you think about these books being up for a movie?  I think they’ll be pretty good myself.