Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

Insurgent
By Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent Trilogy #2
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: May 1, 2012
Genre: YA Dystopian 

Buy: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Book Depository 
My Review of: Divergent (Divergent Trilogy #1)

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. (synopsis from Goodreads)

I am Divergent.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth was perhaps one of the most anticipated novels for 2012. I absolutely loved Divergent book one in the Divergent series as you can see my review here. I pre-ordered this novel and worried whether or not book two would give me the same rush I experienced in the first one. I am delighted to say that not only did Roth deliver she raised the bar. Insurgent captured me from the first sentence and held me in its grip till the last page. *sighs* Now I have to endure another bout of anticipation while waiting for book three.

Roth literally dumps us right where book one left off and it took me a few minutes to get my bearings. Our protagonist Tris along with the swoon-worthy Four (now called Tobias), Marcus and Caleb and a few stragglers from other factions make their way to Amity. We know the Erudite attacked Abnegation  and wiped out most of them, that they manipulated Dauntless into helping by placing them in a simulation. In Divergent Tris and Tobias stopped the simulation. Tris and Tobias are wanted so they escape the sanctuary of Amity and head towards the city to hide out. They meet up with the factionless. This encounter sends Tris and Tobias to each faction looking for support against Jeanine and Erudite. The tale that unfolds is action-packed, breathe taking and one heck of an awesome ride. There is so much more to the attack then anyone can fathom and I cannot wait for all to be revealed in the final installment.  This novel ends in a series of twists and a cliff-hanger that will have you drooling for book three.*wipes chin*

The characters Roth has created make this character driven trilogy come alive. Their individual personalities and faction traits gave them depth. I have grown quite attached to them. In this novel Tris struggles with grief and choices. She is not always an easy character to like and at times is harsh. Thanks to Tobias she begins to questions her own behavior and attempts to change. Tris is such a complex character and I am hoping she gets her ducks in a row. Despite the fact that she makes me completely crazy at times I adore her. Tobias  is a born leader, although at times he seems to want to reject this role. He is slowly trying to figure out what he stands for. Is he fighting to save the factions or does he want a factionless society? He loves Tris and knows whatever he decides it will be with her. Roth peels back his layers and we learn so much more about him. He isn’t completely fleshed out and I looking forward to learning more about him. A few heroes emerged and I will leave you to discover them. The old factionless woman and individuals from each faction come forward and play integral roles in this novel. I adored some and hated others. Roth of course threw in twists and just when I wanted to ring the neck of a character she has them do something amazing and I am all like…yes!!

The world-building in this book was fantastic, captivating and completely brilliant! Insurgent is darker and faster paced then it's predecessor. Roth brings us more imagery of the world; she adds layers and depth revealing more of each faction’s society. She creates a twist that leads us to believe all is not what it seems. Absent is the popular love triangle and I applaud Roth for omitting one. The romance between Tris and Tobias is sweet, complicated and felt refreshingly real. While she answered some of my questions from book one, she gleefully handed me a whole new pile and I accepted them willingly. *bows to Roth* Roth is an incredibility talented author who has an amazing gift. This novel not only cleared up questions, it advanced the story and perfectly set us up for book three. It was interesting watching how each faction dealt with the fall-out and seeing individuals break free from them. I cannot wait to see how things work out.

I highly recommend Insurgent and book one Divergent to fans of character driven dystopias.  Roth is a fantastic writer and she offers her readers one heck of a ride. She has created a wonderful world with believable characters that will have you shouting, "I am Divergent!" Roth has earned a slot on my must read authors list. I will of course deliver information on book three as soon as is released.

I gave this novel 4.5 coffee cups out of 5. 

Veronica Roth

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