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Showing posts with label Veronica Roth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Veronica Roth. Show all posts

Saturday Series: Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth


The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.


Honestly, I don't really feel like reviewing this book. The entire Divergent series has been very disappointing to me. It's not that they are bad books, because I really liked the initial concept. I'm just not quite sure if it was well thought out all the way through the end.

Allegiant is told from dual perspective (Tris and Four) and in the beginning the difference of tone was clear, but about halfway through I had to double check a couple of times whom's pov I was currently reading. The difference between Tris and Four' voices got lost somewhere and it was almost the same, meaning it felt all like it was coming for Tris. Four has changed a lot since the first book and I am not sure if I'm really liking the new one. Where he used to be strong and confident, he is now insecure and often filled with doubt.

I still think Tris is the most interesting character in this book. With her being Divergent and having tendencies towards three different factions, gives her a very complex and contradictory personality. She has also grown throughout the books, but has become stronger and more confident in her choices.

The relationships between the different characters was probably the most interesting to me. Those constantly changing dynamics between friends, family and enemies, almost nothing stayed the same. Other than that I was pretty much bored throughout this last one. Suddenly there seems to be a whole new plot and there is not enough foundation for it to really go somewhere.

If you haven't read the book, but you have read the reviews then you know everyone's been talking about the end. I have to agree with most, that it sucked. The whole build up was good, but then Veronica Roth made one decision that I just could not agree with. Of course that is a personal opinion.

Finishing this series I have trouble understanding why it was picked up for a movie. It's a fun YA read, but like I said, I was not wowed by it. The characters are interesting, but there is still some work for the plot development and execution.


Divergent - Reading order and purchase links

    


The Author
Veronica Roth is 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, ALLEGIANT, will come out on October 22, 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.)

Connect with Veronica Roth:

Saturday Series: Insurgent (Divergent #2) 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.


Do not read this review if you haven't read the previous book!

Insurgent starts immediately after Divergent's end. Tris and her friends are seeking refuge at Amity from the Erudites and Dauntless that are after them. I really liked the fact that they travelled around from faction to faction, giving us the chance to really understand the workings of these different groups. The whole factions thing fascinates me very much. We also get to know more about the factionless, who before weren't even considered a possible ally, but now with war on the horizon, things are changing. A lot of questions from the previous book, now get their answer and slowly things start making more sense. Though for every question answered, two more pop up. So you keep turning the pages in hope of more information.

The realness of the relationship between Tobias and Tris was also very refreshing. They are not perfect and neither is their relationship. There were a lot of up and downs, which can be expected considering the circumstances. A couple of times I was even left wondering if they really do belong together, because this fresh relationship gets put to the test a lot and I wasn't always liking the decisions they made. I did had to remind myself sometimes they are only sixteen and eighteen, so making mistakes is what you do at that age.

Tris is still my favourite character in this book, though she has changed. She is still not afraid to make the hard decisions and just going for it, but now we also get to see this softer side of her. Having to kill her friend Will nearly consumes her with guilt and then the grief of the loss of her parents, nearly undos her. Things aren't that easy for her anymore, it's no longer black and white, but all very grey and she is starting to realize that. Her character really evolves and grows in the span of these two books and just makes her so much more interesting.

I am also very happy that a lot more is happening in Insurgent. From them travelling around, to plot development and action. Things really start to come together and the overall pace was just faster, making this so much more fun to read. So I was really loving everything so far and then that ending. No spoiler, but you will want to read Allegiant immediately. I am so happy I did not have to wait a year until I could read the next book.



Divergent - Reading order and purchase links

    


The Author
Veronica Roth is 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, ALLEGIANT, will come out on October 22, 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.)

Connect with Veronica Roth:

Saturday Series: Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth


In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.


I came across this series back when Divergent just got released. Since I then just finished reading The Hunger Games, I wasn't really in the mood for another dystopian. Now with the release of the movie, I got curious again. Those trailers looked really good and I can not watch a movie without reading the book first. Also I can not start a series and not finish it as soon as possible. It's perfect for my Saturday Series.

Since seeing the trailers I could already picture Tris and Four (Hello, Theo James.) very easily.  I did stay away from all the other clips, because that would have ruined the surprise of the book. Honestly with all the hype around Divergent, I expected more.

The world Tris lives in is very interesting. Divided in different factions, at the age of 16 they get to choose which one they will join for the rest of their lives. The whole "fraction above blood" seems almost barbaric to me. You get to choose a faction, not necessarily the one you've been in for the past 16 years and thus leaving your family behind and never speaking to them again. I don't see how you can not have both. From the beginning it's very clear all about control, namely controlling the people. Though at first there is no clear leader.

When Tris chooses another faction, life as she has known it, changes forever. Her new faction, is pretty much the opposite of the way she grew up. Still she loves the challenge and I was really surprised by her character. She will do whatever is necessary to become a full member, which means she sometimes even has to be a bit merciless. 

Tris is obviously physically weaker, but her Divergent status gives her an edge when it comes to the mental challenges. Nobody is to know about her being Divergent, which just means that her mind isn't programmed for just one faction. Somehow this makes her a threat to the control and order some people want.

She doesn't even know half of it. The ones who want control are more sinister than you can imagine. What they do is horrible. Now it is up to Tris to stop them.

Divergent is clear an introduction book. We see Tris settling in with her new faction and it's only more towards the end we get to see real plot development, get some idea where Veronica Roth might want to take this. So for the first part it's all very much mental problems and trying to survive training. Towards the end comes the action on a larger scale. I am really curious as to what is going to happen next. This really can go anyway.

Tris is definitely what kept me going through this story. Her change and development was fascinating to read about,  though I do hope we get some more action and plot development in the next installment.

Divergent was not a bad start, but I wasn't wowed.


Divergent - Reading order and purchase links

    


The Author
Veronica Roth is 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, ALLEGIANT, will come out on October 22, 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.)

Connect with Veronica Roth: