Some background: I discovered Divergent in the summer of 2012 by just picking it up at Target. I had no idea what to expect, but I really enjoyed it. The fear landscape concept was right up my alley; I generally liked the ideas better than The Hunger Games; and you got to know the supporting characters in the competition more than the latter because they didn't all have to die. The only issue I had was the romance--not so much that it happened, it's better than others, after all--but the heavy description of making out. (This is, of course, a personal taste, and it doesn't happen as much in the sequels or the movie.) I picked up Insurgent soon after that and maybe began reading it in September/October of that year, but due to increased schoolwork and books I was reading for school, I progressed very slowly and naturally got frustrated because it seemed to never end. I vaguely remember good parts, though. But in general, by response upon finishing was "good, I can get on reading more books now" rather than "oh no, when does the next one come out?" With that mindset, I didn't expect too much from Allegiant, so I was more likely to enjoy it.
Also, so I don't get an angry comment, THERE ARE SPOILERS
Now, for my quick thoughts:
I honestly forgot all about how Insurgent ended when I began to read Allegiant. I remembered the factionless and Evelyn, but all I remembered of the video was the urge to leave the city because it was time. I didn't realize there were hints about the city being an experiment, so I found the infodumps at the beginning to be interesting because I didn't expect it. The gene ideas were almost as interesting as the fear simulations.
Divergent was a book packed with twists and thrills, and then Insurgent, from my point of view at least, seemed to be long and more meandering, but still plenty of exploration and twists. This book is about the same size, but it is a lot less packed. Not a lot actually seems to happen, and it mostly takes place in one setting. In fact, most of it is probably exposition.
So, of course I have to talk about the alternating point of views. I feel like the major problem was the publisher's, not Roth's--the names are only given at the beginning of each chapter and sometimes they can be missed; it would have been much better if the name was on the page somewhere, like some books have author/title headings. It is a bit difficult to just tell who is telling the story just by reading a little bit, but as someone who plans to write from multiple points of view, that isn't always a criticism; the writing style should not vary unless one of the characters is drastically different. Still, Tris and Tobias do seem remarkably similar. The good thing about the dual POV was that it allowed readers to sympathize with both characters in their conflicts and Tobias could go off on his own, which was how this plot was structured. Also, that ending.
The series is also written in present tense, which takes a bit to get used to and I personally think it can sound less sophisticated. There were also some comments by the narrators inserted into pages that were mostly dialogue that seemed to just be there to break up the dialogue and were also not as insightful as they should have been. I unfortunately don't have an example because I didn't keep track of that while reading, but there were quite a few times I wondered, "Why is that sentence there?"
Allegiant carries on with the relationship angst introduced in Insurgent. I'm not a big fan of relationship angst, but at least it got resolved in this one. I'm all for couples having problems, but I feel like their issues have always been dragged out and petulant rather than something to really worry about. Real life is often like that though, so I don't know whether to complain. Tris's jealousy is definitely a realistic response in the ugly tradition of things we don't like to admit, but it could be written as more relatable and less reactionary and annoying. Because of that I was more inclined to go along with Tobias in the rebellion plan, which of course backfired, leading Tris to get angry again about how she was right. Where's the unconditional love and understanding?
So, the ending. I tend to feel satisfied with endings for the actual ending part. I'm kind of obsessed with the general idea. Also, I overheard from a friend what happened at the end here, so it wasn't too much of a shock (sorry). With that said, I think it was a logical conclusion. Of course Tris would sacrifice herself, and I don't think I have to reiterate why to those of you who have read the book (though I feel like Caleb could have explained it better to Four). She's been brave and selfless from the beginning. And it's all a relief coming off of her jealousy.
I may have actually enjoyed Tobias grappling with the memory erasure serum more, though. Because Christina is right: remembering who you are and how you came to be that way is something you should never risk throwing away, however painful remembering is.
I don't have a problem with Tris dying. Tris died because she's a better character than Four, because she did something he wouldn't have thought to do. We'll never know that, of course, but I got the impression from Four that he always wanted to preserve both of their lives. And Tris found a better way out, and she might have survived too if it weren't for David's gunshots. Not only would Tris have suffered if Caleb walked in there--in a way Four may not have understood--but I doubt he would have been able to still activate the box while under attack and wounds like she had. It's not just a simple bait and switch. She's the key. And she wanted to be. And because of that, Tobias will be an even better person.
That's not cruel at all.
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