Review: Insurgent, Veronica Roth

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (HarperTeen)
Pages: 525 (Hardback)
Release: May 2012
Genre: YA, dystopian
Source: Bought
Good to know: Summit Entertainment, the studio that made the Twilight - movies, have bought the movierights to the trilogy. Book 3 is apparently being released some time in 2013.

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.

A good follow - up to Divergent 
(This review contains spoilers if you have not read Divergent yet)

I have been waiting a long time for the sequel to Divergent, one of my favorite books of 2011. I preordered the book as soon as I could, but I did not have time to wait for the book arriving in the mail, so I also bought the kindle - edition of the book. I can now state that Insurgent also is a great read.

The story in Insurgent picks up where Divergent ended. There are more things on stake for Tris, and she must fight for her own life as well for the lives of the people she believe in and love. Someone has the need to find out what secrets the Divergents hide in their brains, conflicts are brewing and people must choose sides. There are some surprising revelations, and Tris begins to question the meaning of the faction - system.

I read somewhere, once, 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 me is a beast that snarls, and growls, and strains toward freedom, toward Tobias and, above all, toward life.

Insurgent is, as Divergent was, a real pageturner. There is not a dull section in the book. I was thrown from page to page, reading about suspense and dramatic events.

I also like the fact that we get to know all the characters and the releationships between them even better in this book. I specifically like how the author spends time developing the relationship between Four and Tris. She does that very believeable, without use of cliches. Tris has a great development. There are a lot of great character-descriptions in the book, much more so than in Divergent. That is a natural thing. In bok 1 there is a need to set the story and the plot, to show the reader the characters. In bok 2, the author may dive deeper into the people on the pages and the story.

Evil depends on where you're standing

The language is also good, not one sentence appears to be in vain. Everything is so perfectly built up. There are also a lot of nice quotes.

Grief is not as heavy as guilt, but it takes more away from you.

The last part of the book is so suspenseful, and the ending just wants me to grab the third book rightaway. How will I be able to wait until 2013 to know what happens???

I still believe that this series will be the next Hunger Games. The books have everything: suspense, romance, mystery, dramatic events, great characters etc. I love Roth's worldbuilding in the books, the thought behind every faction and the way they are described.

If you have read Divergent, you can really look forward to this book. If not, you need to read Divergent right now! This is an awesome series!

Other reviews:
Empire of Books
Magical Urban Fantasy Reads
Mundie Moms

Waiting on Wednesday: Insurgent

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine, where we talk about books we are anxious to read.

My pick this week is Insurgent by Veronica Roth:

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.

I loved Divergent, and I have been waiting for the seuel ever since. Insurgent has a planned release on May 8th, please May, come faster.

Review: Divergent, Veronica Roth

Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Format: Paperback (Uncorrected proof)
Pages:496
Release: Released in the UK on May 3.
Review copy given to me by HarperCollins UK
















In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, 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.

An outstanding debutnovel

Divergent is one of the best dystopian novels I have ever read. It is an addictive read that you will not be able to put down. This is the new Hunger Games.

Beatrice Prior lives in a future Chicago, where the society is divided into factions that cultivates different virtues. There is the Abnegation, cultivating selflessness. The Dauntless is the faction for the daring and the brave. In Candor the emphazise is on honesty, and in Amity on peace and harmony. Every child must, by the age of sixteen, choose which faction they want to dedicate themselves to. The decision is helped by a test, that will show which faction you best belong to. But you still need to make your own decision, and for Tris this choice is going to be lifechanging.

Divergent have been getting a lot of buzz even though the book is not published yet. People are saying that this is the new Hunger Games, and the rights for both the series and the movie adaptions have been sold in major deals. There is only one thing to say: the book deserves every superlative that have been written about it. It truly is the new Hunger Games, and on some levels it is even better than the Hunger Games.

Beatrice, or Tris as she renames herself, is a fantastic heroine. She is strong, but not superhumanly strong. She is someone the reader wants to relate to, someone you can emphatize with. She has both good and bad qualities, and that makes her all the more interesting. Not one of the things she does is predictable. I really felt for her throughout the book. I cheered on her, and actually felt like she was a friend. Someone I wanted all the best for.

Tris' relationship to the different characters is described with insight, and the different developments in said relationships makes perfect sense. Nothing is given away to early.

Tris goes through lifealtering events, and the author managed to develop her accordingly to this througout the book.

The idea of the different factions is great, and the dystopian society described in this book is interesting to read about. Roth has done an amazing job creating this world. I see it vividly in my mind.

The book have a lot of suspense. It is thrilling, heartbreaking, entertaining, addictive, fantastic and great. Divergent has everything that you would want from a great book. I have trouble finding the words to describe how good it is.

The story have so many levels. Even though this is an entertaining read, you can find a critical look at the society we live in in the text. The book shows how power may corrupt, it talks about a society where individuality is not cheered on, but where everyone should fit into a specific form. If you are different, you are a threat. You are not to ask any questions. The book actually draws on the heritage from authors such as Franz Kafka.

The writing in the book is very good. Veronica Roth knows her way around words. And she avoids every cliche. Every time you think that hey, it will be a happy ending because that is just the way it is in books - she proves you wrong and the storyline takes surprising twists and turns.

Like I said, this is an amazing read. If you like the Hunger Games, you are going to love Divergent. This is the book you need to read this year. Get it now.

Veronica Roth is currently working on the sequel to Divergent. I cannot wait to read it, and find out more about this world. This is an amazing debutnovel.

Other reviews:
Parajunkee
The Lovely Reader
Confessions of a Book Addict
Bookalicio

Divergent on GoodReads
Veronica Roth's blog