Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Movie Release & Review: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

For those of you following The Divergent movie releases, the third installment is about to hit movie theaters everywhere!  Enjoy this post to get an overview of the book, my review, the movie details and trailer. 

Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth
Published: October 22, 2013 
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered - fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she's known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris's new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningliess. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend to complexities of human nature - and of herself - while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, ALLEGIANT, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the DIVERGENT series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in DIVERGENT and INSURGENT.

My Thoughts

There are so many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself or for someone else. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved for the sake of something greater…


Well I have put Allegiant off for over two years, and I've finally caved and completed the Divergent series. My journey with Veronica Roth started about four years ago when I ranted and raved about her series installment, but as with most series that take so long to publish, my interest waned after the passage of time. So when the final book eventually hit the shelves, and I heard the outcry over the dismal outcome of one of her characters, I was in no rush to continue. However, after seeing the movie releases hit the big screen, I once again found myself diving into this series, and overall I'm glad I did.

It's no doubt that Veronica Roth is a great story-teller and has a way of world-building that easily catapults her audience into another world believing the social rules and back history that make up her dystopic society. I had no problem falling back into the world of Tris Pryor and journeying with this amazing character as she fights to redefine the social order that is breaking down.

In Allegiant, we learn about a group of people who want to leave the city and stay in factions. This group of Allegiants want to keep to the original purpose of their society, which is to send people outside the walls when they have a large enough Divergent population.

However where the last book left off, Four's mother Evelyn and her faction-less group have control over the society and they begin to define a new set of rules that involve getting rid of the factions and closing the walls forbidding anyone to leave.

When Tris and Four escape with a group of their friends, they come across a society outside the walls that includes the Bureau of Genetic War. This group is trying to restore humanity to its previous state prior to the Purity Wars by increasing the genetically healed population know as the GPs - genetically pures, AKA Duantless. They are also making moves to critically alter the society within the walls causing Tris and Four to face some difficult choices about what side they want to declare their alliance to.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story. Veronica Roth did an amazing job of developing and unfolding her plot. So much was revealed, and just about every loose end was brought to closure.

As with most fans of this series, the only issue I had with the ending was the character annihilation that was so unnecessary. I spent the entire novel hearing how this beloved character did not want to die, so it was quite sad that a sixteen year old character faced her dismiss when her life hadn't even begun yet.

In the end, I'm glad I completed this series because I have every intention of watching the entire series on film. I don't think this book hit me as hard as it should have because I had two years to process what happened in this final installment. I think if I would have read it when it first came out, I would not have been as generous with my rating as I am today. So only one less star for needless character annihilation, but overall well done!
4 Snowflakes

Movie Tie-in Edition Book Cover of Allegiant
Allegiant Movie Trailer

Allegiant Movie Release Date: Friday, March 18, 2016
Be sure to let me know if you plan to see this movie! :)

11 comments:

  1. I think for me, it's like you said: because of the time between releases for this series, I think I fell out of love with it as time went on. I liked Insurgent less than Divergent and then with Allegiant I just felt that that ending was SO unnecessary that it kind of ruined the series for me :( I am happy that you had much better luck with it than I did though! Maybe I should have waited like you did and it would have worked better for me too :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry you didn't care for it Micheline, but I think I would be right there with you if I had read it sooner. Are you planning to see the movie?

      Delete
  2. So many readers are used to HEA and everything. I read this the day it released, and finished it in one sitting. Was I upset about the character death? Yes. But after the shock wore off,I accepted it and I think this is my favorite book in the trilogy, aside from the Four novellas. U just wish they would have done one final movie to get it over with.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So many readers are used to HEA and everything. I read this the day it released, and finished it in one sitting. Was I upset about the character death? Yes. But after the shock wore off,I accepted it and I think this is my favorite book in the trilogy, aside from the Four novellas. U just wish they would have done one final movie to get it over with.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So glad you had a good experience with this one. A lot of people loved it too, so you're in good company. :) I hope you get to see the movie.

      Delete
  4. I'm in the middle of this one now, and for the same reason. The movie is coming and I want to read the book first. :) I too have long since heard about the ending and same here, I was sorta putting it off. But I'll be glad to finish, and then compare with what the movie does.

    I'm liking it so far but not loving it. I am glad they're finally outside the wall, I've been waiting for two books to see what's out there! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you're enjoying it Greg! I hope you enjoy the movie too!

      Delete
  5. This is a series where I love both the movie and original covers. I am excited to see it this weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's great! I hope you enjoy the movie this weekend. I'm excited too!

      Delete
  6. It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks Free Poker Game Online Poker Game Online Poker Strategy

    ReplyDelete