Insurgent and Other Nine Letter Words

Synopsis (Goodreads): 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 (sic) 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. 

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[I wanna preface this by saying that this was probably one of THE hardest reviews I have ever written.  It took me a while to figure out how I would piece my thoughts and form (somewhat) cohesive sentences.  This book left me in a flood of emotions so I hope to have done my best and I hope you enjoy it. Also, I hope you'll still love me in the end. Let's do this.] 

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Insurgent by Veronica Roth picks up right where we left off in Divergent. Tris and company are on their way to Amity headquarters where, surprise surprise (NOT), things go from bad to worse.  I'll try not to get TOO spoilery, but guys, if you thought Divergent was a roller-coaster of emotions, please know that it has nothing on Insurgent. This book takes the form adrenaline and becomes a real-life thrill ride.  It became very clear, very early on, that Roth would redraw any established lines and not just cross them. No, that would be too easy. She would catapult right over them. 

Friends, catapult she did.

I guess it should go without saying that the main force of this novel was Tris, the novel's protagonist. While I may or may not have wanted to strangle her throughout some rather crucial moments in the novel, I have to say that I absolutely loved how resilient she proved to be. She's a broken girl who builds up incredible armor when it comes to protecting those she loves. It was really great to see her character shine in the face of adversity and...dun, dun, dun...BETRAYAL (OH, THE BETRAYAL!). She's a remarkable character.

And speaking of remarkable characters, let's get to why we're really here, shall we? A certain man-boy named Four (Mr. Tobias if you're nasty). Yes ladies, his sex appeal is still quite potent and while his relationship with Tris most certainly changes and matures throughout the novel, he's still the mysterious and intriguing guy we've all come to lovingly adore, stalk, and obsess over.  Yes, I am guilty of all aforementioned acts.

That being said, and please don't hate me, I didn't love this book as much as I wanted to. Believe me I wanted to. Don't get me wrong, I really liked it, but it just didn't have the same impact as Divergent. 

While I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, I started to feel like things became just a tad repetitive, especially towards the end of the novel. Not to mention there was a pretty predictable twist in the story, as well as a set of very important questions left unanswered. Not that this is a bad thing, seeing as how we still have the third (and final) installment to look forward to, I just wish things had ended on a clearer note.

Again, I didn't dislike it. I thought Roth did an incredible job of building and expanding this world, I just didn't get the same magical feeling from this novel.

One thing if certain, though. Once this craziness is over, I think Tris needs a vacation. Maybe she and Tobias can can head on up to Milwaukee? Or maybe the Wisconsin Dells? Seriously, the girl needs a break! And a drink (Or FOUR... *wink* See what I did there?)

The REAL kicker, though, is the fact that we have to wait ONE MORE YEAR for the final book in the trilogy. And let me just say that if this whole Mayan prophecy thing comes to fruition, I am going to be really pissed!

Just sayin'!

Insurgent  

Available May 1st wherever books are sold!! 

*cough* Independent Bookstores!! *cough* 

**Also, a massive THANK YOU to the lovely Cecilia for lending me her advanced copy of Insurgent**