Insurgent Review

Date Published: May 1, 2012

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Number of Pages: 525

Publisher: Harper Teen

First Thoughts:

I was so excited to read this, in fact I forced myself to wait to start it until after semester’s finals were over (a little reward for all the hard work) and so here I am just now finishing it, a week and a half after the books release date and though I didn’t enjoy this book as much as Divergent I did enjoy it. This book was just so much more different than Divergent (duh!) and though it was extremely depressing I kind of expected that. I guess what made me not enjoy it as much as Divergent was the characters themselves, they felt kind of off to me…and though I enjoyed the plot very much the overall feel of the book wasn’t as awe-inspiring as Divergent.

Plot:

I really enjoyed the plot of this book; we were taken into darker crevices of the world and exposed to some deep secrets. I wouldn’t say the pace of the book was super-fast but it did have a quality to it that seemed quick. The information and conflicts exposed were enough to keep the reader interested and reading. I felt the ending to be satisfying, though I want to read the next book I don’t have to read it like right now. And if you’re wondering if there’s a cliffhanger at the end in a way yes but not really, it was more of something major being unveiled and you’re kind of wondering like ‘what now?’ I thought some of the sub-plots to be very necessary in the overall conflict of the book; they contributed by unveiling information that reflects both the characters and the conflicts. This book was a lot more depressing than the first book in the series and was like the more I read the more depressing it got…kind of left me with some raw emotion…some of the scenes in this book were really powerful and eye-opening…it was different. I’m all for different but I don’t know if it did this book any justice…I start to wonder if some of the things that happened in this book were really necessary? Like perhaps some of the conflict these characters endured really helped move the story along and expand the character…but overall I enjoyed the plot and will be looking forward to reading more about this world.

Romance:

If you’ve read the book you very well know the kind of romance is in this book but there were some interesting things brought up in this department and it was fun to see how each character reacted to them. I liked how though romance was very much a part of this story it wasn’t the focus of conflict, romance kind of took a back seat in this book which was very surprising to me. So overall I enjoyed the romance in this book it was also kind of a back burner topic in the overall outlook of the storyline.

Characters:

I have a few issues in this aspect of the book, there were characters I seriously wanted to scream at, they were acting so different, they were at times out of focus and I just wanted the characters I met from the first book. And I know these characters have been through a lot but still…they just seemed off, like a part of their character was erased and replaced with something worse; something different. I did find some of them to be the same though and it was a relief to know that not all the characters were this way but to me this wasn’t what I expected in this book…one character in particular kind of whined way too much and I just wanted them to “grow-up” and realize the situations at hand. Oh well I guess when you have to live in this world that’s kind of a hard thing to do.

Transformation of the Character:

Don’t really know how to perceive this aspect of the book, since the characters were off to me I can’t really say that any of them transformed. But the ones that did stay the same did surprise me in ways I wasn’t expecting, I think I saw a spark of their transformations and I can’t wait to see them when they are complete. But overall this wasn’t really an aspect I really saw in this book.

Description:

I loved the description; the author has a talent of describing both the scenery but also the emotions within each of the characters. I didn’t feel that there was too much description either; I loved reading each and every description of the characters surrounding. I felt the description really helped tell the story; it really helped the reader understand the characters situation and how desperate they are. Some of the description was really deep, it was kind of the description you want to turn your head from…yeah it was that detailed at times but I loved that! As for dialogue I didn’t find it awkward of off and thought it was well within the confines of the book. So overall I really loved this aspect of the book.

Style:

The style was in a way different than “Divergent”. For one it was way more dark and twisted than in the first book, the description intensity was amped up in this book and the overall feel of the book was darker and more somber. The writing itself was just as good though, it pulled the reader in and allowed the reader to never really become bored with the book and what was happening. So overall though I can understand the necessity of this I didn’t particularly enjoy it and can’t wait to get past it.

Quote of the book:

““What did you do?” This time the question tears from my throat like a growl. I throw myself toward him… "What did you do?” I scream.

“You die, I die too...I asked you not to do this. You made your decision. These are the repercussions.”"

Goodreads Summary:

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.

Last Thoughts:

I would recommend this to YA Dystopian readers and fans of the Divergent series. Though I found this book very depressing I still enjoyed and it and I’m looking forward to seeing where these characters go next…to be able to see them react to the major reveal at the end. But  readers relax, this book will leave you wanting more but it won’t be as long as a wait as Divergent was…take a breather and enjoy this book as much as you can, make it last and then just soak it all in. And one last thing I thought the reason behind naming this book "Insurgent" was really clever and perfect for this book; the publisher and author did a great job with the title. I really do enjoy this author’s writing and will be looking forward to any books she producers to the world.

My Rating: