I'm a huge fan of the first Divergent book by Veronica Roth, and the movie adaptation was amazing. However, I never finished the series and just until recently when the trailers for Insurgent started popping up, I figured it's time to jump back into this series.
Well, Insurgent's movie release is next week - Friday, March 20, 2015, so I thought I'd share a bit about the book, my review, and the movie trailer. Enjoy!
Well, Insurgent's movie release is next week - Friday, March 20, 2015, so I thought I'd share a bit about the book, my review, and the movie trailer. Enjoy!
Original Book CoverInsurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth
Published: May 1, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Insurgent is a 2012 science fiction young adult novel by American novelist Veronica Roth, the second book in the Divergent trilogy. As the sequel to the 2011 bestseller Divergent, it continues the story of Tris Prior and the dystopian post-apocalyptic version of Chicago. Following the events of the previous novel, a war now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. While trying to save the people that she loves, Tris faces questions of grief, forgiveness, identity, loyalty, politics, and love.
The book was first published on May 1, 2012 by the HarperCollins imprints Katherine Tegen Books in the U.S. and HarperCollins Children's Books in the U.K, a "Collector's Edition" was published on October 30 in the United States. Insurgent received mostly positive reviews from critics, with reviewers praising Roth's writing.
My Thoughts
Despite being a huge fan of Divergent, I was resistant to finishing this series because of how I heard the story ends. However, with the movie being right around the corner, I couldn’t in good book faith see the film without reading the novel first. So, I settled for a happy medium… I listened to the audio, which I have to say was really good. The narrator sounds exactly like the actress in my opinion, so it made for an interesting journey throughout the book.
In Insurgent, the story picks up immediately where the last book left off. Tris and Tobias are on the run and in search of allies for their Divergent faction. The different factions are falling apart and hidden agendas are lurking in every corner.
There were a few points of confusion for me in this installment. For example, for a group of Divergents that were supposedly on the run, they didn't do such a great job of hiding out, planning out their strategy and keeping their motives under cover. They seemed so out there and a bit reckless. I would think in a situation like this, a bit more stealth would have helped their cause, but I guess they aren’t Dauntless for nothing.
Throughout this story I sympathized with Tris. She was definitely struggling with so much that had happened in the previous installment. You feel her regret and guilt for not forgiving Al before he took his life. Most of all, the death of Will completely consumed her, and not to mention the death of her parents were hard-hitting events she was trying to cope with. Considering all of this turmoil in her life, I would have liked to see Tobias take a gentler more understanding approach toward her, but it’s clear he was consumed with his own fears of losing Tris.
Insurgent has a few middle book syndrome ailments including lots of filler events and slow paced moments, but overall the story made progress and kept me vested as a reader. Now that the Divergents have uncovered the secret that's been kept from the different factions at a time when their society is crumbling, how this world will eventually shake out will be an interesting conclusion.
Now I can see the movie guilt free. :)
Despite being a huge fan of Divergent, I was resistant to finishing this series because of how I heard the story ends. However, with the movie being right around the corner, I couldn’t in good book faith see the film without reading the novel first. So, I settled for a happy medium… I listened to the audio, which I have to say was really good. The narrator sounds exactly like the actress in my opinion, so it made for an interesting journey throughout the book.
In Insurgent, the story picks up immediately where the last book left off. Tris and Tobias are on the run and in search of allies for their Divergent faction. The different factions are falling apart and hidden agendas are lurking in every corner.
There were a few points of confusion for me in this installment. For example, for a group of Divergents that were supposedly on the run, they didn't do such a great job of hiding out, planning out their strategy and keeping their motives under cover. They seemed so out there and a bit reckless. I would think in a situation like this, a bit more stealth would have helped their cause, but I guess they aren’t Dauntless for nothing.
Throughout this story I sympathized with Tris. She was definitely struggling with so much that had happened in the previous installment. You feel her regret and guilt for not forgiving Al before he took his life. Most of all, the death of Will completely consumed her, and not to mention the death of her parents were hard-hitting events she was trying to cope with. Considering all of this turmoil in her life, I would have liked to see Tobias take a gentler more understanding approach toward her, but it’s clear he was consumed with his own fears of losing Tris.
Insurgent has a few middle book syndrome ailments including lots of filler events and slow paced moments, but overall the story made progress and kept me vested as a reader. Now that the Divergents have uncovered the secret that's been kept from the different factions at a time when their society is crumbling, how this world will eventually shake out will be an interesting conclusion.
Now I can see the movie guilt free. :)
4 Snowflakes
Movie Tie-in Edition Book Cover of Insurgent
Be sure to let me know if you plan to see this movie! :)
