Review: Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS:

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.

MY TAKE:
While I didn't love this book as much as I did Divergent, I felt like this was a good follow-up to the first book.

In Insurgent, Tris, Tobias, and many others are on the run from the Jeanine-supporting Erudite and the traitor Dauntless. There's few places to go, however, and with what the Erudite have in mind, nobody is safe.

This book is a lot darker and more violent than Divergent. While reading it, I felt like there was always a dull ache in my chest and my pulse was racing.

As you would expect, there's a lot of action in this book. The pacing and everything else contributed to making it easy to feel what Tris is feeling. Tris cries a lot more in this book, thanks to the terrible things she experiences, but unlike other books wherein I get angry at crybaby heroines, I found myself empathizing with Tris.

As the story unfolded, there were a few things that I didn't expect but didn't surprise me when I found out. The ending was a little surprising, though, in that omg-that's-disturbing kind of way. Of course, I'm not surprised by how everything panned out for this Divergent society because, really, history has shown us that things like this happen all the time.

Depressing stuff aside, I enjoyed Tris and Tobias' romance. While they have their I'd-rather-die-than-live-without-you moments, which were part-romantic, part-cliche for me, I liked that their love for each other, in general, didn't stand in the way of their goals of helping others.

Now I'm definitely excited to see the movie.

THE GOOD:

1. Tris and Tobias' romance is both beautiful and heartbreaking to see.
2. Human nature (groupthink, in particular) is portrayed well.
3. It's action-packed.

THE BAD:

1. It may be too violent and dark for some. 

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

“I know that I am birdlike, made narrow and small as if for taking flight, built straight-waisted and fragile. But when he touches me like he can't bear to take his hand away, I don't wish I was any different.” 

READ IT IF:

1. You liked Divergent.
2. You liked The Hunger Games.
3. You like action-packed books with complicated romances. 

RATING:


SOUNDS INTERESTING?