GUEST REVIEW: Insurgent - Veronica Roth

GENRE: Dystopa/Futuristic
PAGES: 576
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins
FORMAT: Paperback
BUY IT: Waterstones
RATING: 3 Stars

This review may contain spoilers for the first bok.

SUMMARY

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.

REVIEW

Following on from the popular ‘Divergent’, the second book in the series picks up just as the last book ended. We already know that the series is set in future Chicago, where society is divided into ‘factions’ of human traits, such as the Abnegation (selflessness), Candor (honesty), Amity (peace), Erudite (knowledge) and Dauntless (bravery). However, in this book, the factions are on the cusp of war, so most of the book is based around Tris, Four and their allies trying to find out the truth about their society.

The story is still gripping, with lots of action scenes and rebellious characters and it was also interesting to read about the other factions and how they live. However, I thought that the romance element was a bit over-exaggerated in this one (TMI!) I didn’t really want to read over-descriptive scenes of kissing and cuddling – not my thing! I found Tris and Four’s relationship to be a little frustrating and feared Tris would turn into a mopey lovesick teenager. When will they actually be honest with each other? However, Roth just about gets away with this, as she provides enough action with the uprising of the factions. The important thing to remember is that Tris and Four don’t just have to contend with their changing relationship, they have to deal with the Factionless and hunt the truth about who they really are, which is really where my interest lies.

After getting over the amount of futile character deaths, I did enjoy the book, despite its predictable ending. Just like Tris, I am on the ‘fence’ with this one, but I do recommend it as a gateway to the final book, which is the one I am most looking forward to reading and hopefully find out what is really on the outside of the ‘fence’.

- Ami.