Rss Feed
  1. Insurgent

    Friday, December 6, 2013

    Today I review the second installment in the Divergent Trilogy! 
    You can read my review of book one here

    Insurgent
    By Veronica Roth

    Check it out on Amazon
    Judge the Cover:

    This time I'm in the know! The tree is the symbol of Amity, the faction that strives for peace. It looks like it might be dying, or at least getting ready for a long, cold, winter.
    A sign of things to come?
    Ps. those taglines are getting more ominous all the time!

    What's Going On:

    (SPOILER ALERT! Go read Divergent, and then you may proceed without consequences)

    Insurgent picks up exactly where Divergent left off, a literally seamless transition, which makes for great marathon reading.
    Tris is dealing with the aftermath of having just seen both her parents murdered at the hands of her faction while they were under the sinister simulation created by the Erudite leader, Jeanine Matthews. She is also coming to terms with the fact that she killed one of her best friends (in self-defense!), and she has to be supportive of her boyfriend, "Four" a.k.a. Tobias, as he comes face to face with one of his greatest fears: his father.
    Its all very emotional and traumatic. I'm sensing a bit of a Debbie Downer reminiscent of the Mockingjay fiasco here, but let's be real, I'll keep reading because want to know what happens after the tumultuous conclusion of Divergent.

    Optimal Reading ScenarioIn-flight Entertainment

    This is the book you should pick up in that over-priced airport convenience store. Its fast-paced enough to keep you turning pages for the duration of that excruciatingly long flight or layover, and it won't require a lot of brainpower.
    Bonus: its a trilogy, so pick up the other two and read them all!

    Crack it Open:

    "Like a wild animal, the truth is too powerful to remain caged." 
    - Candor Faction Manifesto

    Ok, so all the crying, depressing, guilty-and-grief-stricken, self-destructive stuff isn't really my cup of tea. My fictional friendship with Tris has always been a little shaky, and I got annoyed with her emotional constipation ( I recognize this might be a reflection on my own personality rather than poor characterization). Granted, she has an excuse to act this way. What I wasn't impressed with was that she continuously lied to her friends' faces, and never really seemed to be too remorseful about it. Even predictably heroic and forgiving soul-mate Tobias gets fed up with her at times! Speaking of which, while I enjoy some saucy times as much as the next person, the smooching is non-stop. And all I can think is please, make it stop. Tris, you need PTSD counselling, not kissing. Apparently she disagrees.

    For me, the best parts of the novel were exploring more of the city and the different factions. The reader gets to take a peek into each compound and learn more about the way the other factions work. This is the side of the story that explores the bigger themes like power, corruption, religion, what real peace is, and what it will cost. Divergent touched on these, and Insurgent goes a little deeper. I'm interested to see where Ms. Roth takes it with Allegiant.

    I felt this book was a bit more of a page-turner than book one, because there is more at stake in Tris's life at this point. There is plenty of action, and I found more surprises waiting for me at the end of this book than Divergent. Though the characters grew a little stale for me, and a few acted in ways that seemed manufactured for shock value, the plot is intriguing enough to check out the final book in the trilogy. Once again, Veronica Roth has secured my reading priorities by leaving me with so many questions. Now I just have to wait until I get a hold of a copy of the newly released Allegiant!

    Regis Reads Rating: * * * 

    Mischievous Monkey Rating: 1.5

    Not a lot has changed here since last time. Insurgent is jam-packed with gun-toting, knife-wielding battles, bloody wounds, executions of the evil and innocent alike, and more. One point for violence!

    As mentioned before, there is plenty of kissy-kissy action with mild to medium sauciness. It gets a half point, because let's not forget, this is a young adult book about an emotionally vulnerable sixteen-year-old who is heavily invested in a very recently established relationship with an older teenage boy, and there is no parental supervision of any kind.
    Let's be smart, kids. Don't try this at home.

    Two down, one to go! Did you like Insurgent? Will you go on to read the finale? What do you think is going to happen?

    Disclaimer: These are my own opinions, I am not getting compensation of any kind for reviewing this book. Dangit.


  2. 0 comments:

    Post a Comment

    Leave a comment, recommendation, or constructive criticism!