Insurgent, Veronica Roth

Hello there. I haven't reviewed anything in a while, but I'm back now! And as I haven't done anything for a while, I thought you guys deserved a treat for waiting. And what a treat it is. INSURGENT. OHMYGOD AMAZING. After reading divergent I was like "This book is amazing! The only pity is the second book in a series never lives up to the first one...(followed by a sad face)" And I was right, wasn't I? WRONG. I've never been so wrong in my life, and I've never been so freaking happy to be wrong! Okay, before I get going I should do the synopsis, 'cuz if I get started I am not stopping, mark my words.

So anyway. Ready, set, boom, here goes the synopsis:

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. 

Oh yes. Chills, right? Or is it just me? Okay now, let's get on with the review.

I read this book quite a while ago, before I started this blog, actually, so I wasn't planning on reviewing it. But then I was thinking: "Hm... What should I review?" And I looked down and there it was, my copy of Insurgent. That's got to be a sign, right? Or not. I really don't care anymore. I'm doing this review like it or not, you can't do anything to stop me, ya hear me? NOTHING!

Moving on, I love Tris. LOVE HER. She has got to be one of the most badass females in all of YA fiction, and me likey. Me likey a lot. I love the fact that she's going through some sort of emotional meltdown but she still somehow manages to kick butt at the same time. Really, the contrast of emotions she shows throughout the book are astounding, and I commend Veronica Roth for having made such a complex character that works so beautifully in the story. You know how when you ask who your favourite character from a series is and they never say the main one? Well I think Tris is undoubtedly the best character in the series for the moment (except maybe Johanna).

Also, the relationship between Four/Tobias and Tris is quite refreshing for YA fiction, because normally the feelings are quite extreme, ranging from "You're dead to me", to "I love you we'll never be apart and we're going to be a family and live happily ever after".  Their relationship is a lot more realistic, with them fighting quite a bit but in the end showing that really they would do anything for each other. The whole deeply in love at sixteen thing is still a bit cliché for this genre, but I'll take it.

I still find Four/Tobias to be a bit of a boring character, he seems a bit one-dimensional to me, with the whole "I'm cool but I love you" thing. The important thing is that he works in the book and is a necessary character for Tris' character development. Don't get me wrong, he's not a complete bore, I like that his hard shell sometimes disappears, leaving him vulnerable, but on the whole he isn't the most interesting of characters, in my opinion.

I don't want top give out any spoilers, so all I'll say is: THE ENDING. I did NOT see that coming. I think everyone who read this book will agree with me on this, the ending was completely unexpected. I like that in a book, so Ms. Roth made me very happy with this one. On the whole, it's a fantastic book, maybe even better than Divergent (Whaaa? you're kidding right? Nope. Completely serious.).  The writing and pace is sublime, it's action-packed but manages to slow down the pace where it's necessary. Not many authors can pull this off, so bravo to Ms. Roth. Not too much description, just how I like my books. You know how when you read certain books they feel as if they were written just for you? Like, completely adapted to what you like in a story? Well this was one of them.

If you haven't read it, go and buy it. No, I don't want you saying "I'll buy it sometime". You get up now, you go to your local bookstore and you buy it. Unless you have an e-book. Then you order it off the Kindle store or wherever you get your books from. Anyway, I think you got the idea. READ IT. And with this, I bid thee farewell.

Happy reading,

JRD