February 6, 2013

“Insurgent” by Veronica Roth – The Power of Choice

Taking off immediately where the last book, Divergent ended, Insurgent, written by Veronica Roth, is a book better read right after the first one, unless of course you’re not afraid of a little confusion. The factions that rule the city are still present, and what’s more, a certain unrest is growing within and between them, bringing everyone closer to the inevitable future all knew had to dawn one day: a massive war, a new World War even.

In this jumbled mess, Tris and her people find themselves caught in a maelstrom which may not release them anytime soon; it is up to Tris to embrace her role as a Divergent and do what it takes to safeguard herself and her people, no matter the cost.

I have to say that this book ought to be divided into two halves. The first one revolves mostly around Tris’ feelings of guilt towards herself, her friends and her loved ones, but at times, I felt as if the author forced it a bit, not to mention that she spent a bit too much time dwelling on it. Yes, it is important to see how Tris develops as a character, but it doesn’t mean that she needs to mope all the time. However, apart from this one little aspect of it, I found the book to be an exceptionally-thrilling read.

For starters, the characters themselves are much more fleshed-out and dimensional than they were in the previous book, with the Factionless ones being given much more attention this time around. The characters we already knew are given more backstory, not to mention that certain new characters eventually prove themselves to be infinitely more complex than the reader first imagined them.

As far as the story goes, I have to say that being a fan of post-apocalyptic and dystopian future novels, I was very pleased with what I read here. The world Veronica Roth has built in the ruins of the old one has a lot of style, not only in its inhabitants but also in its architecture. It’s a bit hard to explain, but after a while, that world almost starts to feel like home (save for the post-apocalyptic part).

Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Book cover)
If you are wondering as to whether or not to read the second part of the Divergent series, I heavily recommend that you do. Amongst all the action, backstory and philosophical conversations are numerous plot twists in the form of secrets. 

I can hardly talk about them without any spoilers, so I’ll only say this: they aren’t clichéd and they play a huge impact on that universe’s fate, especially towards the end. I can hardly wait to see how the story ends and what wonders Veronica will give us in her next outing. 
 


Veronica Roth (Author)

Veronica Roth


Personal site

Veronica Roth is an American novelist and short story writer whose debut effort, the Divergent trilogy, became a New York Times bestseller, in addition to which it earned her the Goodreads Favorite Book of 2011, as well as the 2012 Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction awards.



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