Because of the video Tris released at the end of Insurgent, everybody knows that there is more outside their city limits and to say their opinions on the subject varies would be putting it mildly. Jeanine is ready for anything to keep everyone contained and the factions destroyed, while the allegiants strive for freedom, the right to find out what's out there, and the right to reiterate the factions. Tris and Tobias also disagree on the course of action they should privilege, and nobody was ready for what awaited them out of the fence.
I didn't really have any expectations when I started reading Allegiant, the last book of the Divergent trilogy, and I didn't have my mind set on how it should end. I think diving in with an open mind allowed me to appreciate that much more everything miss Roth brought to the table.
Nothing discovered in the previous books could've prepared the readers for what awaited the characters outside of Chicago and I loved being surprised every step of the way. The outside world is nothing like what the characters have ever known and I truly enjoyed being as destabilized as our heroes, learning by their side the truth that's been kept from them.
[spoiler]The basis of the outside world is based on a belief that damaged DNA pushes people to violence. There was a war called Purity War in which people went nuts and afterward the government tried to repair the damage by 'fixing' people's DNA. Those experiments were lead in enclosed areas, such as Chicago, with hopes of obtaining candidates with genetically pure DNA, the divergents. It was a total shock for our heroes to learn their lives was nothing but lies, and to learn that they were monitored 24/7. [/spoiler] I think the whole thing was highly original and I liked the ethic controversy this situation unveiled. Is DNA really responsible for our faults? Are genetically 'damaged' people worth less then the others? Should they have less rights? A big part of the plot revolves around those interrogations and I appreciated its raw honesty and its authenticity.
True to themselves Tris and Tobias can't seem to keep out of trouble and being in The Bureau doesn't change that. It seems controversy is everywhere and they have to step right into it every time. Tris is a defender of justice though and she can't stay away when she discovers the GDs (genetically damaged) are being mistreated, top that with the discovery that [spoiler] The Bureau is responsible for the serum that caused the death of the Abnegation faction, including her parents [/spoiler] and she is pumped for a fight. Of course, The Bureau also had to throw oil on the fire by making rash decisions against Tris' values and fireworks were sure to blow off!
The whole plot kept me on the edge of my seat the entire 525 pages this novel contains! I felt completely immersed in the world and was breathless witnessing the struggles and the pain the characters went through. The action kept a somewhat slow burning rhythm with some crazy spikes of excitement and the tempo really worked for me. I also liked that this alien situation allowed us to discover a whole new facet to characters we already loved (or not).
I know the conclusion caused a lot of drama and I'm sure many readers were pissed at Veronica Roth for her decision, but personally I respect her choice and bow down in front of her courage. I honestly liked the end because in the real world, not everyone gets their Happy Ever After, and that Roth dared to kill such an important character at the end of a series not only brings a healthy dose of reality to her novel, it also proves that she is committed to deliver a story the way she feels it, despite what everybody will think. And that, my friends, is the spirit of a true storyteller.
The Divergent trilogy is a delight and dystopian lovers will fall I love, of that I am sure. If you don't know yet, the first book, Divergent, was filmed and will be released in March 2014. Why not go on and read the book before it hits the big screen?
Read an excerpt
Here's the official movie trailer for Divergent:
I'm so tired of reading reviews that hate the ending. I felt just like you. It was courageous on the part of the author, and perfectly justifiable according to the plot. Loved it. This is really an excellent review. Thanks for bringing it all back.
ReplyDeleteThank you Annette :)
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