Review: Insurgent (Divergent, #2) by Veronica Roth

Spoiler warning! This is the second book in the Divergent trilogy and so this review will contain spoilers for the first book. You can read my review of that here. You have been warned!

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Author: Veronica Roth
Published: 1 May 2012 (Harper Collins Children's Books)
Pages: 525
Buy: Amazon, Kindle, Waterstone's

Plot Summary: (from Goodreads)
War looms in sixteen-year-old Tris’s dark dystopian world as disputes between the factions grow. Tris must now fight against all odds to discover the truth that can save her and the people she loves. Sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge – and the choices she makes will have devastating and unexpected consequences.

My Review:
I don't know where to start reviewing this book, so many mixed thoughts/feelings! This story picks up where Divergent left off, as Tris struggles to deal with the losses she's suffered and learns to deal with the consequences of her actions.

A lot of the book focusses on her internal struggle, as the world she has come to know falls apart. What's great about this story is that we get to see more of the other factions - Amity, Candor and more Erudite. It's fascinating to get a better look at the people and headquarters, which was something I wanted from Divergent.

The action scenes in this book are exciting and tense, but sometimes I felt they were a bit pointless. There were an awful lot of fight scenes I felt could have been cut to help the pacing of the story. You still get the feeling that the book is building towards something, and when you get there it completely blows you away. So, overall I think it's another thrilling read but maybe not quite as good as Divergent (in my opinion).

Rating: 4*
What to read next: Matched by Ally Condie, the 1st book in the Matched trilogy.
Books like this: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Author: Veronica Roth. Website, Twitter

Published: 3 May 2011 (Harper Collins Children's Books)

Pages: 496

Buy: Amazon, Kindle, Waterstone's

Plot Summary: (from Goodreads)
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, 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.

My Review:

I first started to seek out more dystopian young adult fiction after reading The Hunger Games (like many others I suspect) and this was a title I kept seeing crop up, so I decided to check it out. The book tells the story of Beatrice (known later as Tris) who is approaching the time of her life in which she will have to choose which "faction" (sections of society based on specific traits) she will choose to live with, and whether or not to isolate herself from her family.

These teen dystopian books can start to feel a little formulaic once you've read a few, but I still found this story/concept to be gripping and exciting which says a lot when taking into account the huge competition. The book focuses on a great group of characters which helps keep the story interesting, and the undercurrent of suspense and knowing that something has to give makes you keep reading.

The idea of factions was something I loved. They're sort of extreme Hogwarts Houses (based on personal characteristics and strengths) but with added choice, and a much more difficult initiation!

I thought the descriptions of Tris' world really brought it to life and there's some intense action, and enough romantic subplot to keep you really invested in the characters (no teen novel is complete without one!) A must read if you loved THG.

Rating: 5*
What to read next: Insurgent by Veronica Roth, the sequel to Divergent.
Books like this: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.