Review of Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Katherine Tegen Books

Insurgent

By Veronica Roth

4 Scribbles

Short of sounding like Annie Wilkes from Misery, I can honestly say that after reading Divergent, book one in the series, I became Roth’s number-one fan. For one thing, I think Roth is a plotting genius, moving characters from conflict to conflict rapidly and leaving readers salivating for the next scene and chapter. Insurgent is no different. In fact, the quick, action-packed pacing is amplified in this installment because the remaining Divergent faction (namely Tris, Tobias and followers) who were not a part of the traitorous uprising with Erudite have no home and are forced to run from faction to faction for survival. Meanwhile, they must also decide how to best defeat Erudite and their limitless supply of soldiers thanks to the simulation serums that Erudite leader, Janine, has developed. How does one fight a war with limited resources, troops, and while being on the run? It’s a story rich with political dilemmas, family conflicts, and even dissension among friends. And what’s fabulous is that book two picks up right where book one, Divergent, leaves off!

There are a few flaws to this second book, and I suspect that these flaws are due to the fact that Divergent was such an overwhelming hit (sure to equal if not trump The Hunger Games) that Roth was forced to write and edit too quickly. Roth even comments about these glaring errors in her own blog .
My number-one beef with book two, however, a beef that I hope she remedies in book three, is that the main character Tris, who was tough, stoic, a strong female character who belongs in Divergent in book one…Tris she cries all the time in book two. It is over-the-top, it is melodramatic, it is exhausting to read about. It is too much. It’s just not Tris-worthy.

That being said, the twist at the end put my mind in a tailspin, and I cannot wait for book three, but I will so that quality of book three will be as stellar as book one!