What’s it all about?:
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 meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the 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.
What did I think?:
Allegiant is the final book in Veronica Roth’s series that began with Divergent and followed up with Insurgent. This review will be as spoiler-free as I can possibly make it as I know some people will not have read or finished the series yet and I don’t want to ruin anything! So, a quick re-cap of the story so far… we are in the future, in a dystopian world which is divided into factions – Abnegation (the selfless), Amity(the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), and Erudite (the intelligent). On a certain day of the year, young people who have turned sixteen must choose the faction where they are to spend the remainder of their days – note, it does not have to be the faction you grew up with. Our protagonist Tris shocks her family by choosing Dauntless and then undergoes a rigid initiation process to ensure that she fits the bill of a Dauntless member and does not end up faction-less, a frightening prospect for the individual involved. One of the instructors putting Tris through her paces is Four, a man of many secrets who she ends up falling in love with. Tris also has a secret however, she is Divergent, a rare anomaly which means that she shares a few characteristics of factions other than her own and makes her a dangerous and intriguing prospect.
It is not long before warring breaks out between the factions, especially when it is discovered that Erudite are playing games with mind control, creating an army of zombie-like soldiers with a serum that Tris and Four happen to be resistant to. There are also plots to cleanse the world of any Divergents which leaves our hero and heroine in a very precarious situation. By the end of Insurgent, Tris and Four have learned a lot about who they are as individuals and as a couple and many dark secrets are unearthed that may threaten their future together.
In the third book, the author puts a new slant on things by writing the story as a very effective dual narrative which lets the reader delve a bit deeper into the mind of the mysterious and enigmatic Four. As for plot-line, we’ve still got the warring between the factions, secrets divulged about family and friends and an explosive reveal about why certain individuals are Divergent. (Ooh, it’s juicy!) Tris and Four are also given the opportunity to explore a world outside the segregation of individuals into specific little boxes, but is it a world she can imagine herself living in? In fact, there is a lot going on at points in this novel, with the introduction of some new characters and so many sneaky little twists and turns that it could be seen as difficult to keep up with. At times I have to admit it did seem a little over-complicated and mind-bending trying to fix in my head who was fighting whom and the reasons behind this.
As for the ending….. well, I actually liked it! I can understand why some Divergent fans were slightly upset but I’m not quite sure why there was such a backlash. Thinking back over it now it has actually made the series stand out from the crowd and remain more memorable than others where I have had to struggle to actually remember what the ending was! So hats off to Veronica Roth from me for having the bravery to go with her gut and write what she feels – after all, it’s just a story – right?
Would I recommend it?:
Probably!
Star rating (out of 5):
