D I V E R G E N T
Divergent is one of the best dystopian books out there. Tris was so refreshing and determined, she didn’t whine about her situation, or second guess. She knew that Dauntless was where she was meant to be. The world was fascinating, and it was easy to imagine how the world would be divided by personality traits. Everyone loves the idea of sorting themselves, whether it be in a Hogwarts house or a District, so to have Factions was really cool for fan involvement.
The romantic relationship didn’t overpower the book. Tris and Four seemed to complete each other…to begin with.
The villains were villainous. Like, actually evil. I just wanted to cower away from Peter while reading it. And what about Eric? That guy gave me the creeps, especially when he forced Christina over the edge of the cavern. The rest of the Dauntless faction were a fun bunch too, a lot of the room for moral dilemma.
Divergent was filled with action: the capture-the-flag style game is one of my favourite scenes. And, everyone loves the underdog, so watching Tris go from a weakling to a fighter was amazing. I really cheered her on the whole way. But, Dauntless was about more than physical fighting so how unforgettable were the simulations? I still can’t stop thinking about when Tris had those birds clawing into her mouth, and it’s been two years since I read the book!
What made it even more successful was the idea that there was something going on, on a larger scale. What the heck was Jeannine up to? Why were the Divergents such a threat? It meant that the sequel had a lot of potential.
I N S U R G E N T
Insurgent definitely suffered from second-book-syndrome. I think this is mostly because it wasn’t as memorable as the first book. The battles were spicing up and they did a lot more…battle. And running. We can’t forget about the running.
It was definitely a good plan for the team to go to Amity. Getting to learn more about the ins and outs of each faction, and discover that things aren’t always as happy as they seem was great, because you started to wonder just how flawed the faction system was. Giving a voice to the factionless worked in the same way. Who was really better off?
But then we had Caleb who created the biggest ‘can-I-trust-you-just-because-we’re-related’ complex ever. Seriously, this guy never sorted out his priorities. And his priorities should have been with the Priors, am I right?! (Ahaha, that was too easy.)
A L L E G I A N T
But Allegiant on the other hand…I don’t know how to feel about it. I love the risk Veronica Roth took with the direction of the story. Realistically, it was the only way it could have gone, and aligned with her character’s personality. It was unexpected and fresh. The two viewpoints were new too, but I found the Tris and Four’s voices became indistinguishable.
There was a lot of unnecessary death in the last two books, some were sad and others were just…emotionally fodder. There doesn’t need to be so much death to build impact. But, the most disappointing was the explanation of the divergent phenomenon. I’ve previously stated that genetic experiments are my least favourite way to clarify a dystopian story, and I think the root of that dislike lies in Allegiant.
My length and strength of my thoughts in indicative of how I felt about the series as a whole. I can 100% see myself re-reading Divergent but the other books in the series…well, not so much. Still, I think it’s a triumph that the progression of the series doesn’t stop me from wanting to re-read the first book. It’s still a gem and always will be.
Heart Full of Books 