Review : Insurgent 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.
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.
Personal Thoughts
Insurgent by Veronica Roth was my most-anticipated sequel of 2012. I fell in love with Divergent last year and I've been pining for the release of the sequel. When it comes to sequel, most end up being a failure. However, Insurgent surpassed my expectations and turned out to be even better than Divergent, in my opinion.
Insurgent starts off right where Divergent ended. I won't get too deep into the plot line of this book in case I spoil things for those people who have yet to read the first book in the trilogy. Basically, after the drastic events that occurred in the previous book, the factions are on the verge of war. Dauntless, the faction chosen by Tris, has split into two. Half of them have become traitors and have decided to support the revolting Erudite while the other half, still being devoted to their faction, seek help at other factions. The imminent war has left everyone confused, doubtful and wary of each other. At the same time, Tris, the main character, is suffering from guilt and a slight depression, but she knows she needs to get over her problems in order to try to prevent the war.
Tris was fantastic in Divergent. She was not only bold, strong, fearless but also incredibly smart. In Insurgent, we also get to see a different side of her character. She's blown away by the guilt of killing Will. Because of this, she went through an emotional turmoil throughout the book. Her fears and the culpability that she felt in Insurgent sometimes led to her making rash and hasty decisions. Considering her state of mind, it was all understandable. To top it off, the death of her parents was also looming over her head. I really felt sympathetic towards Tris in Insurgent. The fact that she wasn't flawless only made Tris seem very real. Regardless of that, she gathered herself and eventually, battled like she did in the previous book. One thing I've always loved about Tris is the audacity that she exudes. Skinny and petite, she might not appear undaunted, but she was the kind of character who wasn't afraid to fight for the truth, even if it meant risking her own life. During most of the book, Tris was putting her life into jeopardy only to protect the faithful Dauntless members and the people that she loved. Her devotion and love for her faction were clearly illustrated in the book. Additionally, Tris believed her gut feelings and fought for what she thought was right no matter what the people close to her told her. She wasn't afraid to thwart the ideas of even Four if she felt that he was wrong. Her ability to discern between what was correct and what was not only boosted my admiration for her. In my opinion, Tris has really matured. She wasn't the same person that she was in Divergent. She has finally begun to accept and understand her Divergence. Plus, she tried to really use it to her advantage. Although Tris' character was blemished, she was still a remarkable main character. I have no doubt that her fans will grow to love her even more in Insurgent.
The character who really shone in Insurgent was Four. He was, in short, a fabulous character. The reader gets a lot more insight to his childhood in the book. It was, at times, heart-wrenching to learn about the conditions that he used to live in, but it's easy to grasp his behavior and his choice to become a Dauntless. In Divergent, Four was the reserved, but potent male character. He was also a lot more open in this book and I really appreciated that I learned more about his character. Four has a striking character that has swept many reader off their feet. In Insurgent, you fall harder for him. He was sweet and humble, but he could also be totally fierce and ruthless when he had to. Four was a brilliant character who turned out to be my favorite character.
The romance in Insurgent was to die for. Tris and Four really complemented each other. However, they weren't always lovey-dovey. They argued because they didn't have the same opinions on certain issues. However, they also respected each others thoughts and views. Their relationship wasn't very perfect at the beginning.It actually went through some rough phases. For one, they had trust issues and secondly they kept numerous secrets from each other. In spite of that, they eventually learned to slowly trust each other. They were a constant support to each other and they were risking their lives to protect one another. At the end of the book, I felt that Tris' and Four's bond had truly strengthened and their love had increased exponentially.
Tons of new secondary characters were introduced in Insurgent. I thought that that their personalities were very well elaborated. I grew to love every single secondary character, even the evil ones. The villains were the kind that you love to hate for me. It's incredible how Veronica Roth is at giving life and vitality to even secondary characters and making them all an essential part of the book. She's also a bold writer who's not afraid to kill off her characters.
The plot was so action-packed and fast-paced that it left me breathless at times. Not once, did I feel bored throughout the story. What I loved most about Insurgent was the load of information about the different factions that the reader obtains. While Divergent focused mostly on the Dauntless, Insurgent touched in detail every other faction. It was really interesting learning about the other factions since it made it easier to understand the brilliant world that Roth has created. There was something very engrossing about Veronica Roth's story telling. Imagining that she's only 23 years old is quite tough indeed. She doesn't just tell us what's going on, but she vividly shows us. Death and mortality were very prominent throughout the story. The politics, betrayal, rebellion and ultimate downfall of the society was very well written, in my opinion. It's an understatement to say that Veronica Roth is a talented writer, because she's a lot more than that.
Insurgent was sequel that towered all my expectations. It's got everything that a YA book needs : well fleshed-out characters, non-stop action scenes and a riveting plot. If you're going to read Insurgent, then know that sleeping is definitely out of question. It's the kind of book that will have you on tenterhooks because Insurgent was that good. To conclude, Insurgent is indubitably a gem in YA books.
The character who really shone in Insurgent was Four. He was, in short, a fabulous character. The reader gets a lot more insight to his childhood in the book. It was, at times, heart-wrenching to learn about the conditions that he used to live in, but it's easy to grasp his behavior and his choice to become a Dauntless. In Divergent, Four was the reserved, but potent male character. He was also a lot more open in this book and I really appreciated that I learned more about his character. Four has a striking character that has swept many reader off their feet. In Insurgent, you fall harder for him. He was sweet and humble, but he could also be totally fierce and ruthless when he had to. Four was a brilliant character who turned out to be my favorite character.
The romance in Insurgent was to die for. Tris and Four really complemented each other. However, they weren't always lovey-dovey. They argued because they didn't have the same opinions on certain issues. However, they also respected each others thoughts and views. Their relationship wasn't very perfect at the beginning.It actually went through some rough phases. For one, they had trust issues and secondly they kept numerous secrets from each other. In spite of that, they eventually learned to slowly trust each other. They were a constant support to each other and they were risking their lives to protect one another. At the end of the book, I felt that Tris' and Four's bond had truly strengthened and their love had increased exponentially.
Tons of new secondary characters were introduced in Insurgent. I thought that that their personalities were very well elaborated. I grew to love every single secondary character, even the evil ones. The villains were the kind that you love to hate for me. It's incredible how Veronica Roth is at giving life and vitality to even secondary characters and making them all an essential part of the book. She's also a bold writer who's not afraid to kill off her characters.
The plot was so action-packed and fast-paced that it left me breathless at times. Not once, did I feel bored throughout the story. What I loved most about Insurgent was the load of information about the different factions that the reader obtains. While Divergent focused mostly on the Dauntless, Insurgent touched in detail every other faction. It was really interesting learning about the other factions since it made it easier to understand the brilliant world that Roth has created. There was something very engrossing about Veronica Roth's story telling. Imagining that she's only 23 years old is quite tough indeed. She doesn't just tell us what's going on, but she vividly shows us. Death and mortality were very prominent throughout the story. The politics, betrayal, rebellion and ultimate downfall of the society was very well written, in my opinion. It's an understatement to say that Veronica Roth is a talented writer, because she's a lot more than that.
Insurgent was sequel that towered all my expectations. It's got everything that a YA book needs : well fleshed-out characters, non-stop action scenes and a riveting plot. If you're going to read Insurgent, then know that sleeping is definitely out of question. It's the kind of book that will have you on tenterhooks because Insurgent was that good. To conclude, Insurgent is indubitably a gem in YA books.
Rating
Cover : 5/5
Plot : 5/5
Characters : 5/5
Writing : 5/5
Comments
Post a Comment