Book Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Title: Insurgent

Author: Veronica Roth

Series: Divergent #2

Genre: Teen Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: 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.

The Review:

This was one of those books that ended too quickly. I picked it up and before I knew it I was more than halfway through, cursing that I didn’t take longer to savor it. I couldn’t help but read fast – it was just too good. Divergent was also a major page-turner for me, but only after I made it past the first hundred pages or so. Insurgent started off with a bang and didn’t let up the entire time. The plot just kept getting thicker and thicker, setting up for what promises to be an incredible conclusion.

I think part of the reason I was completely absorbed into the story can be attributed to Roth’s talents as a writer. She is excellent at ending chapters with “hooks” which make it practically impossible to find a good stopping point. For me, the reading process was a series of, “Okay, just one more chapter…”. Also, the first-person present-tense writing style that was made so famous by the Hunger Games trilogy was used to similar effect here. It allows the reader to feel like they are involved in the play-by-play and is a good way of making suspenseful moments even more intense.

Overall, Insurgent was an awesome sequel to a strong first book. I plan on recommending it to anyone who enjoyed Suzanne Collins and actually think the series is shaping up to be just as strong as HG. I wont be certain, however, until I read the final book, which just had an announced release date of October 22, 2013. I am stoked!

by Niki Hawkes

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