REVIEW: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Title: Insurgent (Divergent #2)
Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: Dystopian
Pages: 525
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: May 1st, 2012
ISBN: 0373210515
Buy Links: B&N | Amazon | The Book Depository

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.

Why I loved Divergent...

I think it’s best to start off this review with some of my thoughts on Divergent. Refreshingly different. Downright exhilarating. It was the most memorable novel I read that year amongst the hundred or so books I was also reading at the time. Reading Insurgent brought back my ardent feelings for Divergent but left me feeling a somewhat…dry in the aftermath. I realize that this is a sophomore novel and that most of the time they end up becoming filler spaces for the third book, but I was not expecting it to happen with Divergent. I guess I was expecting a little bit more…? That lack of that extra “something” is my reason for this being a 4 star.

Girl power at it's finest = Trice

Trice is the same firecracker she was in the first book. An impulsive risk-taker with her adrenaline where her brain should be half of the time. I enjoyed every bit of her risk-taking moments even though they were discouraged in the book. I know Trice is not supposed to be too impulsive, but after awhile I got tired of seeing female protagonists in YA novels being left out of fights for their protection. It’s way too common and I’m sick of it. If there’s an important battle/fight going on Trice is in it. I’m glad I do not have to read through some angst-filled monologue of how the protagonist wishes she was strong enough to go. Good for you Trice!

Romace: It's hot then it's cold

The romance in Insurgent is on and off. Sometimes steamy and other times cold. If you’re one of those people (me included) who pay extra attention to the romance plots in a book do not expect much of that in Insurgent. The romance between Trice and Tobias (Four) is there. It’s beautiful. I had my oooohh and awww moments but it’s not something that’s heavily focused on. There are so many other things going on in this book. The ending of Insurgent to me is what brought on the “dry” feeling. The climax of the novel had the potential to be amazing and induce me in a heart-throbbing mixture of nervousness and excitement. But it didn’t. SPOILER:  (highlight with mouse in order to see)

When Jeanine died I felt nothing. The way it’s described makes it sound like they just swatted a fly away or something. No resistance or anything. For someone who caused them so much trouble I expected a little bit more going on in the scene when they finally capture her.

The bottomline
While Insurgent suffers from a case of sophomore-ritis and feels more like a filler than anything else, it kept me entertained and renewed my interest in the faction-run government that I feel in love with in Divergent. Trice’s character grows a lot in Insurgent and I’m really excited to see how much more she will change in the third book in the series. I recommend Insurgent to anyone who really enjoyed reading Divergent!

Q U O T E S:

  

          “No matter how long you train someone to be brave, you never know if they are or not until something real happens.”

          “Got that gun?” Peter says to Tobias. “No,” says Tobias, “I figured I would shoot the bullets out of my nostrils, so I left it upstairs.”

          “Sleep,” he says. “I'll fight the bad dreams off if they come to get you.” “With what?” “My bare hands, obviously."

R A T I N G:

REVIEW: Insurgent by Veronica Roth