Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Title: Insurgent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: May 1, 2012
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pages: 525
Genre: Dystopian

 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.

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Oh. My. Gosh! I picked up Insurgent about a year and a half after reading Divergent. I'd heard great things about this book. Seriously good things. So I put it on hold at the library but it took months before I could check it out. I think, no I know that if this series had came out at the same time as the Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins would've had some intense competition. It was that good.

To start off, the plot was so much more complex and action-driven than I thought it could possibly be. Tris and her side- kick/ boyfriend Tobias had a lot to deal with. They ended up traveling through several factions. Human nature was revealed to be more sophisticated than they thought and nothing was as it seemed. Choices were constantly being made that changed everything. This time, however, not only did trouble follow Tris but she asked for it. Begged for it even. She was done trying to save herself. She wanted to help other people, even at the cost of her life. I'm not complaining about this. The action and intense moments were spell-bounding and encrypting. I was always surprised at what was happening and always excited about it. None of the storyline was cliché or predictable.

There were secrets. Secrets that made me tremble and my blood pulse. So many things were happening and going on that I was constantly on the edge of my seat. I felt as if at any moment the world would cease to exist and I would fall into the pages of Insurgent. Because when I was reading it, it was the only thing that was real to me. Nothing else mattered. Besides the secrets there were betrayals that shook my world. It seemed as if everyone had a goal in mind. As if everyone had their own motivation for doing everything they did and if your motivations didn't correspond with their own, you might as well be dead.

That's one of the many things I liked about Insurgent. The people, even the minor characters, were never one-dimensional. They weren't just thrown into the story for no reason. Even the villain could be understood, almost, and even pitied.

Tris not only witnessed the death of one of her best friends, she was the cause of it. And it haunted her. It was constantly haunting her. That kind of guilt doesn't go away immediately and Tris made some suicidal decisions because of it. At the same time, she was learning stuff about herself. Like what it means to be brave and truly selfless. What it means to believe in something. Because even when Tris was on the ground and stomped on, she never truly gave up. Not only was she a survivor but she was a fighter too. When she was put into a chaotic life-and-death situation, she pulled through despite her issues.

Tobias had his own issues to deal with. But he didn't let that stop him from caring about Tris. He was always there to catch her when she fell and it was evident that he would do anything for her. However, his relationship with Tris was pushed to the background throughout the story. There was too much going on. That doesn't mean they ever forgot about each other. All their goals, whatever they were doing was dropped in the space of a heartbeat whenever one of them was in danger. Because they were in it together. For better or for worse.

And the writing. Oh gosh, the writing! It was written in such a manner that I was always left wanting more. I became attached to all of the characters and their complexities. The descriptions were spot on and, like I said before, I often felt as if I was inside the story. The way Veronica Roth set up some of her sentences, it was as if she had written them so they could relate to anyone's life. Her sentences fit together perfectly, like poetry. I'm in love with her writing. I want to devour it.

If you're a fan of the Hunger Games, not only is this book asking for you, it's screaming for you. The dystopian setting was well-developed. There was constant action, intrigue, drama, romance, secrets... Must I go on? I for one, can not way to tear into the next book.

Memorable Quotes

 

“I read somewhere, one, that crying defies scientific explanation. Tears are only meant to lubricate the eyes. There is no real reason for tear glands to overproduce tears at the behest of emotion.
I think we cry to release the animal parts of us without losing our humanity. Because inside of me is a beast that snarls, and growls, and strains toward freedom, toward Tobias, and, above all, towards life. And as hard as I try, I cannot kill it.”  

 

“We're all right, you know,' he says quietly. 'You and me. Okay?' My chest aches, and I nod. 'Nothing else is all right.' His whisper tickles my cheek. 'But we are.”  

 

“People, I have discovered, are layers and layers of secrets. You believe you know them, that you understand them, but their motives are always hidden from you, buried in their own hearts. You will never know them, but sometimes you decide to trust them.”