Allegiant (Divergent book #3) by Veronica Roth

   Title: Allegiant

                                                                     Author: Veronica Roth

                                                                     Pages: 526

                                                                     Published: October 22nd 2013, by Harper Collins

                                                                     Series: Divergent book #3

                                                                     Genre: Dystopian

                                                                     Stars: 3/5

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. 

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love. 

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

***THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS***

Okay, I this review is going to be a very quick review, mostly because I don’t really have much to say about this book. Needless to say, it was a lot worse than book 1, Divergent (click here for the review on that) and book 2, Insurgent (click here for the review on that).

My opinion on Tris is pretty much the same as the previous two books. She is just a stubborn, grumpy protagonist. For some female characters, that personality may on some levels seem okay however, it was just getting very annoying with Tris. She was just like a petite brat.

However, my opinion on Four/Tobias drastically changed with Allegiant. He just became a guy version of Tris and there were (on numerous occasions) whereby you didn’t know if it was Tris’s perspective or Four’s perspective in the book. They just became one and not in a very good way.

What annoyed me the most about this book was Tris dying.  I know I can’t stand the girl however, it’s always a vital mistake if you go and kill off the main character, especially if it’s a book series whereby the readers have come to know the character. Looking at the past reviews for this book, I can see I’m not the only with this opinion.

All in all, the book just didn’t pick up on its plot line. Once Tris and her little group escaped from the Factionless and into the outside world, you would have thought something big was going to happen. The only thing ‘big’ was the memory serum and re-starting the whole factions. In my opinion it was kind of a letdown after months and months of leaving the readers in suspense about the outside world.

Insurgent (Divergent book #2) by Veronica Roth

 Title: Insurgent

                                                      Author: Veronica Roth

                                                      Pages: 525

                                                      Published: May 2012, HarperTeen

                                                      Series: Divergent book 2

                                                      Genre: Young Adult, dystopian

                                                      Stars: 4/5

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.

***WARNING THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT READ DIVERGENT***

After the shocking and devastating events in the conclusion of ‘Divergent’ (see review here), ‘Insurgent’ opens up with Tris coping with the aftermath, her parents dying and her actions in the battle, whereby she was forced to kill her friend, Will was under the mind-control serum.

In all honesty, I was a little bit disappointed after finishing this book and it has mostly to do with the plot (which I will delve in deeper towards the end of the review).

Whilst I admired Tris in the first book, I did not like her in this book. I found her to be a really annoying moody girl.  I mean come on, she has a bad temper in nearly ALL the chapters and pulls on a sulky face All. The. Time! I understand that she is devastated, hurt and confused about the past events, but that doesn’t mean she has to strop around like a 5 year old. She lunges into situations without thinking and although that it one of the many traits of Tris Prior, it did get very old very quickly.

However, I found myself liking Tobias (or Four as his name was in the first book). I liked the vulnerable side we got to see, especially his relationship with his father, which was a change from the silent-but-deadly persona that we normally get. Of course his dark good looks does help us to like him even more!

There is a LOT of slow passionate kisses between Tris and Tobias, leading to skimming bare thighs, leading to.........nothing! Now, if you’ve read my previous reviews, I don’t really like heavy handed intimate bedroom scenes. They have to be PG rating......okay 12 rating......12A? However, I though the author spent quite a good proportion of the book bringing Tris and Tobias closer in that respect, only to push them further away again. Their relationship, both physical and emotional was not going anywhere and it was getting a tad bit dull. Plus they are in a midst of a war and should not have time to occupy their minds in needless should-to-shoulder action if it’s not going to go anywhere else. But I would certainly admire Tris a lot more if the issue was to do with chastity.....but I hardly think that was it.

As I said at the beginning, I was slightly disappointed with this book due to mostly the plot. Nothing really happens for a god proportion of the book, in my opinion, just that Tris and her team jump from faction to faction without actually achieving anything. Now there were some parts that I did like, like knowing how the other factions functioned from Abnegation and Dauntless and I liked the idea of the inclusion of the Factionless as a secret weapon that helped the remaining Dauntless to fight the Erudite and their army. But overall, the whole story lacked any real depth. But what really annoyed me was that the secret at the end was nothing, NOTHING! Well nothing special. All it was, was that the ‘outside’ world was war torn and crumbling to pieces, which the Abnegation wanted all five factions to know and become aware of, whilst the Erudite faction did not, hence creating the serum that could control everyone. I mean come onnnnnn! What kind of secret and a conclusion to the book was that? I was actually thinking it was going to be this really mind blowing hushed project that someone was working on and that it could only be placed upon the Divergent. But this? I did not like it one bit. However, as I said before, it not all bad.....but not as good as I was hoping, considering where the first book finished off.

Notable quotes/passages: 

“Got that gun?” Peter says to Tobias. “No,” says Tobias, “I figured I would shoot the bullets out of my nostrils, so I left it upstairs.” 

Book Trailer:

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent (Divergent #1)

Author: Veronica Roth

Published: May, 2011 by HarperCollins

Pages: 489

Rating: 4 out 5

Purchase: The Book Depository

Beatrice “Tris” Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth’s dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite.
To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger.

Well it seems like YA book lovers have moved away from the Vampires fanatic-themes books, to now living stories of a futuristic, dystopian society. 

Hunger Games fans rejoice; there's a new dystopian in town and it’s good, really good. I’m not saying that its similar to The Hunger Games, because it’s not, however both creates those same feelings of heart pounding, sweaty hands, shivering sensation that nearly all dystopian stories create and I experienced reading both books. Especially those thoughts ‘what if the world really becomes like that in the future, what if we do indeed eventually have a corrupt government and all humans lose what they call their free will?’. 

Beatrice (Tris, as we come to know her) is from one of the five factions—Abnegation and they are known for being selfless. As the time of the ‘Choosing Ceremony’ (is it me or do mostly all these dystopian books need some sort of big event, where the initial plot of the story takes place i.e. ‘Matched-the Matched Banquet or THG-The Reaping?) it is time for her to choose which of the five factions she will enter. I won’t tell you which faction she enters, but believe me, she goes through a range of emotions and guilt, for leaving her family, is a constant once. 

Once in that faction she is faced with unimaginable obstacles and indeed heartbreak. However, she uses her strength and courage to make herself stand out at the top. While there, she makes friends who enable her to figure out exactly who she is and some who are jealous at her new found strength. One of the leading figures in her new faction manages to break through the wall Tris has around herself and show her exactly how powerful she can be. By doing this, he also finds his way inside her heart, (sigh), would any book be complete without some sort of romance between the protagonist and a broody young man, preferable one who has power at his disposal or a dark secret....either way works for me.!

Veronica Roth seamlessly describes this foreign world to us in clear detail. Each character helped compose a plot that makes the reader feel like they are in the room with them during the action. I admired the character Tris, she cunningly swaps between two sets of personality; one where she is vulnerable to cleverly manipulate people that she is no threat to anyone (and her height and weight reinforced that) and she is vicious and brutal. I’m happy that Veronica made the main girl have somewhat strength at her disposal, can make decisions for herself and showed everyone she is a force to be reckoned with.....needing no irresponsible guy to protect her and being illustrated as the ‘damsel in distress’ as Stephanie Meyer likes to...eurgh! I’m also glad that these newcomer authors actually portray the main girls’ stronger characters. It’s what young girls reading these books actually need, some role model, someone who actually has a backbone and uses her wit to get what she wants. However, mostly all of them do like to describe the main girls as rather plain looking, dull person, who acts or looks more like a boy then a fully developed girl. Maybe they are trying to change the perception that heroines do not have to be this stunning lady, but it does annoy me that they have to look or act like boys in order for them to be taken seriously in the book. Anyway, Tris was perfect as a character! I never got annoyed with her; she just got on with things and made the best out of the situation. I even rooted for her when she thrashed the character Molly during stage one initiation. Good on her! 

I loved the character Four. Not too much as I did with the character Delos from ‘Night World; book 8’ but nevertheless Four was well written. He was the typical bad boy guy, where his moody, never smiles and never cares what people think of him. Veronica hints within the chapters that he has many admires, but none that touched his heart as Tris had. Despite the tough, unbreakable amour that we see Four having, there is a soft side to him. Aww don’t we just love it when the tough guy has a soft spot and only the love of his life finds a way to show it. It just shows that they are in fact humans. When Veronica displayed Four’s humane side, my heart went out to him. You can see that he has suffered a lot and it takes him a lot to gather up his composure, especially when we are told what his deepest fear is and when he comes out of his fear landscape. He looks like a lost little boy! Double awww!!! 

The passionate chemistry within the pages of this story will honestly leave you breathless. It's one of those romances where the boy can look at the girl across the room and every touch that they share gives you the chills! I loved the chemistry between the two main characters. It wasn’t too childish and it was too graphic, displaying illustrations for the taste of adult romance books.....such as Breaking Dawn and the (gulp...excuse me) ‘bed-destroying and pillows being ripped apart’ it could be! Veronica created Four and Tri’s relationship as something forbidden, stolen glances here and there and portraying this demeanour that they have no feelings for each other whenever people are around, when in actuality they yearn for each other’s touch. Arghhh loved it! Both characters bring out the best in each other. 

Divergent was well written and constructed. I never felt it was rushed or unrealistic and I can imagine it when it turns into a movie. I loved the fact that Veronica goes in detail with ever brutal incident....maybe a little too much....and doesn’t shy away from the blood and gore. It just adds to the intense and imagination that she successfully creates. The world-building was flawless and Veronica Roth has set up the foundation for an astonishing continuation to this series.

The cover of the book is also crafted to excellence. The fiery sign is original and the landscape at the bottom of the page illustrates the futuristic society that we have entered. 

The setting, characters, plot, romance, and writing were all done to perfection. Divergent is exactly what I had been looking for in a book. But I would not go as far to say it was better or I enjoyed it more than THG, hence why I gave it four stars. In fact I don’t think I’ll ever find anything better than THG. Would liked to have seen more of a bad side to Four, more brutal, like the psycho in ‘Shatter Me’...but maybe I’m just weird to think that! However, I do look forward for the next instalment of the second book ‘Insurgent’ coming out in May 2012. 

Vlog review (check out ThePageTurners1 link for more):

Book Trailer: