Review: Insurgent

Insurgent

By Veronica Roth

Published: May 1, 2012

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.

My review:

Insurgent starts immediately after the events of Divergent with Tris, Four, and their friends dealing with the horrible aftermath. Things seem darker than ever and they don't know who they can trust. This is an action packed sequel that doesn't let up in intensity until the end.

Tris is struggling with PTSD to the point where she can't even handle a gun to defend herself or protect others. She is also keeping secrets from Four which causes difficulties in their relationship on top of everything else. I think her character really has a chance to grow in this book and she has become more introspective. 

While I enjoyed the action and the little bit of romance, I think the best part of this book was Tris's character development. I appreciated the time spent in exploring the effects of violence and its aftermath and overcoming fear. I liked learning about the other factions and their various strengths and weaknesses. I am also glad that we were able to find out about the factionless. I particularly liked the discussions on what it means to be a member of a particular faction and having your own identity instead of going along with the crowd. 

I thought this was an excellent sequel but it is definitely darker in tone which fits considering everything that happened in Divergent. There were some plot twists that I didn't see coming and some characters that showed unexpected depth. The ending wasn't exactly a cliffhanger but I do want to know what is going to happen next!