Insurgent by Veronica Roth

 

Description from Goodreads:

“I have done bad things. I can’t take them back, and they are part of who I am.

Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.

Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever… because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.”

 

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SPOILER ALERT: I will discuss spoilers in this review. If you haven’t read the book and don’t want to know what happens, STOP READING NOW!!!

 

Goodness, did it ever take me forever to finish this book! After absolutely devouring the first book in the series, DIVERGENT, I was so excited to read it. I settled in to read INSURGENT and got bogged down in the first 150 pages. I slogged through the beginning at glacier pace and almost decided to abandon the book altogether. I felt like the opening was really slow and took forever to ramp up. It might not have been such a big deal if the first book didn’t have me turning pages at breakneck speed just to find out what happens next, but it was a struggle.

 

Well, I pushed through, and boy am I glad I did, because for whatever might have been lacking in the first parts of INSURGENT, the book really redeems itself in the rest. After a rough beginning I’m almost ready to say that I enjoyed the book better than DIVERGENT! Once it got going the story was nonstop action and suspense. I loved seeing Tris become more reckless and independent as the book moved along and was pleased with the romantic bits between her and Tobias. (Although I wish we were still calling him Four).

 

I did have to suspend quite a bit of belief to grasp the notion that Peter saved Tris’ life by switching the serums at the Erudite compound. I wanted more of an explanation as to why this boy who clearly hates Tris would change his alliances and save her from imminent death. The author’s explanation was that he felt like he owed her something and in his mind he had this sort of quid pro quo tally going on, but it felt like a cop-out to me. I wanted a deeper meaning to his change of heart. That being said, it was an exciting and unexpected moment, and I’m not disappointed in the outcome. This is a fictional story, after all, and that means suspension of belief is a must.

 

Just like DIVERGENT, INSURGENT ends in a major cliffhanger, which makes me really glad I’m reading this series after it’s completed. I would really have struggled with the waiting part if I were still waiting for book three to come out! But the good news is that I have ALLEGIANT in my hot little hands and have already cracked the spine. I’m dying to know how this series ends, especially after all of the controversy surrounding the completion of the series.

 

I ended up giving INSURGENT four stars out of five for its slow start, but if you’re thinking of reading the book, persist! It’s well worth it in the end.