Series: Divergent #2
Published by Harper Collins, Katherine Tegen Books on May 1, 2012
Genres: Dystopian, Sci-Fi, Young Adult
Pages: 544
Format: eBook
Source: Bought
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Fighting for survival in a shattered world… the truth is her only hope.
The thrillingly dark sequel to No. 1 New York Times bestseller, DIVERGENT.
I have done bad things. I can’t take them back, and they are part of who I am.
Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.
Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever… because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.
In this installment of Heather Finally Reads, I finally got around to reading the Divergent series before the movie comes out and now that it is complete. I reviewed the first book, Divergent, last Tuesday, and I’ll be reviewing the final book, Allegient, next Tuesday.
***Mild Spoilers for Book One in the Divergent Trilogy Below***
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed the first book in the Divergent series, so I immediately started the next book, Insurgent, because I just had to know what happened next. And this installment picked up right where the first one ended, with little recap. Good thing I didn’t have to wait a year in between these!
Tris is having a very hard time dealing with the loss of her parents and having to use deadly force in self-defense against one of her good friends who was under the mind control serum during the Erudite-led simulation attack on the Abnegnation, using the Dauntless as unwitting soldiers. Along with Four, his father, and a small group of people, Tris has fled to Amity for sanctuary while the evil Jeaniene tries to take over Chicago from Erudite headquarters. Meanwhile, the factionless are gathering strength and numbers to put up their own fight in the all out war on the factions.
This installment isn’t nearly as action filled and fast paced as the first book. Tris spends a good portion of the book actively trying to get herself killed because she thinks it will get rid of her crushing guilt. She’s the strongest Divergent, so she’s impervious to a lot of things that most people aren’t, but yet she still spends most of the book wallowing in her own despair and walking into danger instead of finding ways to work together with Four to overcome their obstacles.
Four quickly became my favorite character in Insurgent, and even he was fluctuating between brave, strong, mean, and unsure of himself when it comes to his family. I really liked that we got a much deeper look into Four’s past and how that’s really hurt his development. But he does spend a good portion of this book treating Tris like a child and yelling at her, but I seeing as they’re both never telling each other the truth, I can see how he’d act that way.
I give Insurgent a 3.5 out of 5. While I enjoyed reading this book, the slower pace and uneven character development made me enjoy it less than the first book. Once the story picked up in pace and action towards the end, it was very exciting and ended in a giant cliffhanger. The writing was fantastic throughout, but I wished that I could see things from Four’s point of view in this book, like you get in the final book.
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As with most trilogies (especially the biggies), I liked the first one best so I definitely agree with your 3 1/2 stars. Four is definitely my favorite character but the interactions between him and Tris were so frustrating (warning: it’s not much better in Allegiant!).
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This series was all downhill from Divergent. Tris began her downhill slide starting from page 1 of Insurgent, and it certainly only grew worse in Allegiant. Sigh…I had such high hopes for this series, but the first book was definitely the best.
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I remember realizing towards the end of this one that I didn’t actually like Tris anymore. She became a pretty unlikeable character for me. And I just wished she and Four would actually talk to each other.
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I’m right there with you, Megan. I really didn’t like Tris that much anymore either. She wallowed so much, past the point of where she probably should have realized that it was getting her nowhere. And the entire situation between her and Four was the tired trope of non-communication. So much could have been better just by talking things through–even a little bit. That’s what made Insurgent a bit frustrating.
Heather recently posted..Heather Finally Reads – Insurgent by Veronica Roth
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I haven’t read this trilogy yet! I have been wanting to start it sometime this month. It sounds so intriguing.
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The Divergent trilogy is definitely a set of books that you need to read. The first book is excellent, and the second and third books have mixed reviews. You’ll just have to read them to see how you feel. I’m glad that I waited until they were all released so I could read them all right in a row!
Hope you enjoy them, Tanya!
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I just finished Divergent yesterday, but I didn’t have time to draft the review. That’s probably a good thing because I would’ve had trouble containing myself; I’m still internally squealing…
I started Insurgent today, and noticed the slower pace right away. I assume it’s a result of second-book syndrome.
But…ohmygosh! <3 Four/Tobias! I can't wait to see him develop more as a character.
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I really liked Divergent too, but Insurgent was a bit of a let down and it took me longer to read. The third book took me even longer than the second book to get through. Just prepare yourself, LOL!
But seriously, Four is the bright spot of these books. I cannot wait to see this movie in March.
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Yeah… I’ve heard that the Divergent trilogy kind of goes downhill after the first one. I still think I’ll enjoy the rest of the series, just not as much as Divergent.
I’m so excited for the movie! I plan on going to see it with some friends 🙂
(I still find it hilarious/awkward that “Tris” and “Caleb” in the Divergent movie will also be “Hazel” and “Augustus” in the TFiOS movie)
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I know! Those two actors are in so many movies that are coming out this year. It’s pretty funny that they play brother and sister in Divergent and boyfriend and girlfriend in TFiOS. From reading interviews with Shailene Woodley, she says she loves to work with him, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see them together in more movies.
I’ll be very interested to see your thoughts on Allegiant, especially after how much you enjoyed Four’s character development in this (yelling at Tris like she was a child, aside). I agree that the slower pace of Insurgent was one of the reasons I struggled with it, combined with Tris’ unending guilt and desire to sacrifice herself for the greater good.
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I’ll tell you right now that I really struggled with Allegiant. It took me a couple of weeks to read it, partially due to the Christmas holiday and partially because it just didn’t capture my attention.
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I have read the first two but still haven’t made it to the last book. So far I’ve not been blown away by the series though I enjoy it a lot. I am curious as to how the movie adaptation will work out. I have to agree with you on all your above points. great review and I look forward to hearing what you think of Allegiant (assuming you read it)
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Glad to know I’m not the only one who was disappointed by this.
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