Review: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

Release Date: October 22, 2013

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance
Pages: 526

Format: Print
Source: Purchased by Reviewer

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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.

Hello, lovelies! Sorry for the delay on this one…and in general. Mainly, sorry to Emily for leaving her hanging for so long. But she knows she’s super awesome. Anyway, to the review! You’ll have to forgive me, it’s been a while since I finished this, and I’m a little fuzzy on the details but remember how I felt about this.

We last left off with Tris and Four exposing the Abnegation video of Edith Prior after the Factionless (and Evelyn) destroy the faction system. Now that the truth about the city is out, Evelyn fights to maintain control and to keep people from venturing beyond the fences. So of course, this is precisely what our young heroine and hero do with the help of some dauntless friends (see what I did there?). Together, Tris and Four (or Tobias, if you prefer) discover the purpose of their society and what it truly means to be Divergent. They uncover political schemes and intrigue (sooo much intrigue) and fight to protect each other and all that they value.

I have to give Veronica Roth props for how she concluded the Divergent series. It was pretty bold. However, I would warn readers not to get too invested in any particular characters. Following the trend from the previous two installments, the Divergent  team continues to suffer significant losses. It’s heartbreaking really. But I suppose that’s the downside of having an action packed series with a lot of explosions. (Spoilers? But not really. C’mon guys, you know what to expect.)

I really did enjoy this book, though. It smashed my emotions, but I loved how this series ended. Tris and Four continue to have massive relationship problems—but, I mean, what teenage couple doesn’t? And it probably doesn’t help that people keep on shooting at them.

That’s really all I can say about the general plot without spoiling it all for you guys (I think we all know how bad I am with spoilers), but I am definitely prepared to discuss the ending. Not in detail, of course!

As my two compadres will attest, I am not a crier. I always have an inappropriate joke prepared for every tender moment in a romantic scene/novel/movie. I’m incorrigible, really. It drives them insane. That said, I definitely had a tear for the end of the book. It moved something even in my calloused heart.  The ending kind of left me empty—in a good cathartic way—and I wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed and eat some ice cream or fried chicken…or just something that would give me a heart attack.

I was shocked. I pride myself on being able to discern how a story is going to end from way in advanced, but I have to be honest, I did not think Roth would pull a stunt like she did. It was ballsy, and I respect it. So Roth, hats off to you, madame! I couldn’t think of a better ending for this series!

Anyway, I would strongly recommend this trilogy to anyone who is reading this blog. It is definitely right up your alley!

So get out there and read, chickadees!

Until next time, loves!

About the Author

Veronica Roth is a twenty-two-year-old debut author and a recent graduate of Northwestern University's creative writing program. While a student, she often chose to work on the story that would become Divergent instead of doing her homework. Now a full-time writer, she lives near Chicago.

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Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

Release Date: May 1, 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Dystopian
Pages: 525
Format: Print
Source: Purchased by Reviewer
Goodreads • Amazon

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.


When we left Tris, (Oh, warning: Divergent spoilers! Avert thine virgin eyes!) the Abnegation faction had just been attacked by the Erudite controlled Dauntless. She stopped the simulation that was controlling her compatriots, but at a high cost: her mother, father, and friends were killed. The Dauntless and Erudite factions are fractured—families torn asunder.

As Tris and Tobias try to move on and fix what the Erudite have started, they discover more and more secrets. Secrets kept by faction leaders and secrets that they keep from each other. But at what cost?

Tris has never had an aptitude for Candor, but she is learning that the quest for the truth is sometimes the most important thing: the truth that started this war. The truth that her parents died for. The truth about the beginning of factions. The truth about what lies beyond the fence….

As Tris fights to discover what this terrible truth is she learns that others are not as keen to let this knowledge be shared. She learns that sometimes you must go against the grain to do what’s right. Sometimes you have to be Divergent.

The second novel in Roth’s Divergent series isn’t as action-packed, in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong—there’s still plenty of chaotic, pee-your-pants kind of action, but this is more of a psychological novel. Tris never got the chance to really grow as an individual during her initiation, which is exactly what she gets to do now.

While I think it’s wonderful that Roth explored the psychological trauma that would probably have affected any normal sixteen-year-old girl who had just witnessed death and destruction on a first hand basis and had to kill quite a few people to stop it, I’m not going to lie: it was frustrating. Which makes me seem heartless. Which maybe I am. However, I couldn’t stop myself from screaming at Tris a couple of times. She takes on the role of damsel in distress a few times more than I’d like. But I’m also a control freak, so I’d probably just pick up the f*cking gun and kill whoever needed to be killed rather than wait for my oh-so-sexy boyfriend to rescue me.

Dear God, I’m a sociopath, aren’t I? Hopefully that will come in handy if I ever survive to see a post-apocalyptic society….

Self revelation aside, I really do appreciate that Roth decided to make Tris more three-dimensional in this novel… even if it did piss me off a couple of times.

Nonetheless, this book was great. It’s obvious that Roth has thought a lot about this plot and character development. The first-person present still irks me just a tad, but I’m adjusting. If you are currently reading Insurgent and you’re just not that into it—don’t worry, it really does pick up. Tris gets herself out of her PTSD rut and starts having way more balls than I ever will. (Disclaimer, I’m not a psychology major; I cannot verify that she suffers from PTSD, but that is my theory).

This novel will take you on an emotional roller-coaster and then dump you on a cliffhanger so high it leaves you saying: “Whoa, wtf just happened?”

Seriously, while you have a tentative idea about what the ending will be, you still won’t quite see it coming.

So hop to it, my avid readers! This trilogy awaits! …And if you time it right, you could finish Insurgent just in time for Allegiant to come out next month!

About the Author

Veronica Roth is a twenty-two-year-old debut author and a recent graduate of Northwestern University's creative writing program. While a student, she often chose to work on the story that would become Divergent instead of doing her homework. Now a full-time writer, she lives near Chicago.

Website   •   Blog   •   Twitter   •   Facebook

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

Release Date: April 25, 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance
Pages: 487
Format: Print
Source: Purchased by Reviewer
Goodreads • Amazon

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.


Roth’s Divergent series is usually compared to Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, and it’s very easy to tell why. They have the same feeling to them. That may be a little vague, but basically what I’m trying to say is that if you like The Hunger Games you’ll probably enjoy Divergent.

Like Collins’s trilogy, the Divergent trilogy is written in first-person present tense. This is probably why it got a star off from me. I don’t know why, but I just have a personal prejudice against first-person present (Emily Interjection: I have no such problem, and would've given it 5 stars personally!). I understand the appeal: it’s more personal and it’s easier to get into the action, but it’s just grating for me to read…. Nonetheless, it’s still a riveting story.

I love dystopian novels. I especially love dystopians that highlight the dangers of the mob-mentality. In Roth’s post-apocalypse society, members are brought up in a faction and then given an Aptitude Test in their sixteenth year to help determine what faction they will belong in for the rest of their life. Maybe it’s because I don’t like being told how to think, but I find this characteristic terrifying. The Aptitude Test determines which faction the subject’s mind conforms most to… unless you’re a Divergent.

Roth presents a classic individual vs. society theme, but with a lemon-fresh twist. Sorry, I just happen to love lemon-scented things. Her protagonist, Tris (formerly Beatrice), takes her Aptitude Test only to discover that she’s Divergent. She doesn’t know what this means, or why it’s dangerous to be one, but she knows that she has to hide it.

Tris is a breath of fresh air. She’s a strong female protag (and we all know how that’s my thing), who loves pushing past her limitations. Tris isn’t one to quit—she will keep punching until she comes out on top. And that is what I admire about her. However, with that said, I would probably punch her if we were ever to meet in person. While I admire her, cheer for her, and cringe for her, I would probable slap the abrasiveness right out of her if we ever met in person. Yet, on paper, I am willing to accept and love her with all her socially challenged traits. I mean... she really does kick ass. Though, I suppose to be a member of the Dauntless faction you have to do your fair share of ass kicking.

Those guys scare me. And they need to stop jumping from multi-storied heights—it’s giving me heart palpitations!

Anyway, tensions between the factions are at an all-time high, thanks to Erudite’s Anti-Abnegation Propaganda. The society in which Tris lives in is on the brink of collapse, and somehow the Divergent are the key to understanding why. Tris, now a member of Dauntless is on a mission: to survive initiation and to remain unnoticed. She will soon realize that the two aren’t necessarily reconcilable….

So, if you want to a story about a girl who overcomes adversity to become a leader during a time of war—this book is for you.

Extra Incentive: There is the customary Young Adult love interest. Oh yes, he’s angsty, he’s sexy, he’s kind-of-but-it’s-not-as-creepy-as-it-sounds her mentor. It’s kind of weird, kind of cheesy, but you’ll get over it and grow to love it. (Emily Interjection: Oh, Four... How I love you so...)

So go ahead, read this series. I’m working on the second installment: Insurgent, but life (and by life I mean school) keeps getting in the way. Expect a review in the somewhat near future!

About the Author

Veronica Roth is a twenty-two-year-old debut author and a recent graduate of Northwestern University's creative writing program. While a student, she often chose to work on the story that would become Divergent instead of doing her homework. Now a full-time writer, she lives near Chicago.

Website   •   Blog   •   Twitter   •   Facebook