Insurgent Review

Insurgent
by Veronica Roth
Published Date: May 1st 2012
by Harper Teen
3 1/2 stars

What Goodreads has to say: 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.

My Review: I could not wait for insurgent to come in the mail. When it finally did I ripped the box open, immediately began reading and did not stop until I was finished with the book. I liked that Roth jumped right back into the story, she didn't bother with a recap of Divergent. However the events of Divergent are referenced throughout the book so the reader still gets a reminder of how great the first book was. Tris and Four spend a good amount of time faction hopping in Insurgent. I enjoyed getting a closer look at the layout of the factions and how they worked. As much as I wanted to like this book more than the first truth be told I did not. Insurgent was good, and the story was interesting but I just didn't feel like it grabbed me the way Divergent did. It did not seem as fast paced and exciting and I found myself struggling a bit to reconnect to the characters. I loved Tris in Divergent but in Insurgent I felt she was extra reckless, she did not seem to put much thought into her actions and her relationship with four did not feel as strong. Overall I did enjoy the book I was just hoping for a little more. The big reveal at the end was fantastic and I cannot wait to see what Roth has to offer in the next book. 

About the Author: Veronica Roth is only 23, so her bio will be short. She’s from a Chicago suburb. She studied creative writing at Northwestern University, and wrote DIVERGENT (Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011) and INSURGENT (May 2012). The third and final book in The Divergent Trilogy, which doesn't have a title yet, will come out in Fall 2013. In the meantime she will spend endless hours browsing Wikipedia in her pajamas as she eats corn flakes. (Or some other kind of bland breakfast cereal.)