Category: Ages 14 and up
Length: 592 pages
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Published: May 1, 2012
Back Cover: 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.New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.
My review: This was a great sequel. One thing I thought worked particularly well was how this book picks up right where the previous one left off. No passing of days, weeks, months-Roth begins exactly where Divergent stopped.
Insurgent is as action packed as the first book in the series, Divergent. Tris, the main character, is plunked down in the middle of a civil war. She continues to struggle with the concept of identity. Torn between characters from many of the different factions, Tris fights to find truth in this future dystopian society.
All people are split into different groups based on aptitude tests administered when the citizens are teens. While usually separated, Tris finds herself in the middle of an uprising populated by dissidents from multiple factions. She discovers that other members have more depth and divided loyalties than she originally thought. They work together, striving to protect their tenuous hold on freedom and personal choice.
The love story with Four (also called Tobias) continues. I actually think their relationship is one of the weaker aspects of this series. It's certainly not terrible-it's definitely readable. However, I wish YA novels would steer clear of the trouble-communicating-because-of-whatever trope. I felt like Roth generated some unnecessary drama and misunderstandings just to up the tension in the novel.
The last third of the book zooms by. There is a major twist introduced at the end, a la M. Night Shyamalan. I won't reveal it here, but I am quite intrigued to see how it will play out in the third book.
Rating: 4 Stars
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