War looms in sixteen-year-old Tris’s dark dystopian world as disputes between the factions grow. Tris must now fight against all odds to discover the truth that can save her and the people she loves. Sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge – and the choices she makes will have devastating and unexpected consequences.
If you haven't read Divergent (the first novel in this series) then go out and buy it now, so you can move on and read this book. I finished it last night, and I was utterly mindblown. I can't find another word to describe how I felt. These books are amazing; Roth is such a talented author, and I honestly cannot believe that I hadn't read this books sooner.
First of all, I love how smooth the continuation is from Divergent. Some sequels end up being like a completely different series, but this strongly sticks to the theme, which was brilliant because this series is amazing (as I keep saying). I think what I most liked about the storyline for Insurgent was that we got to see the other factions - if you haven't read my Divergent review where I explained them, there are five factions: Amity, Abnegation, Erudite, Dauntless and Candor. All the citizens are split up into these different factions depending on their personalities. In Divergent, Roth mainly concentrated on Abnegation, Erudite and Dauntless. In Insurgent, however, we saw the rest of the factions, as well as the previously-visited ones, and the place where the factionless live (the ones who don't survive the initiation to get into their chosen faction). Because we've seen all the different bases, I feel a bit more like I understand the background story to this dystopian world - at the end of Divergent, we were left not really knowing much at all about Amity or Candor, which was a shame because all the factions have unique and interesting aspects to them. Now, I feel like I know their city a bit more completely.
The characterization was, again, brilliant. I still adore Tris and Tobias, as well as their relationship - I have to say, it is probably one of my favourite character relationships in all of the books I have read. I liked that we got to see a bit more of the Dauntless-born initiates, like Uriah, Lynn and Marlene - they are kind of like the ideal group of friends (well, aside from Lynn, but I think she is great on her own). I also liked the different habits the people in the different factions have, and it made me realize more than ever that no one can be solidly in one group, because we all have different opinions, even if we're taught to think the same.I think the best thing about Roth's writing is that even though the story is set way in the future, she still creates the characters to be a lot like us, which makes us relate to them easily, despite the time difference. And in novels, relation is always important, because it draws the reader further into the story.
Overall, I thought the book was absolutely brilliant, and definitely lived up to my expectations ever since it's prequel. If you love series like The Hunger Games and Crossed, you will adore this just as much, if not more. It is still just as good as The Hunger Games, which I never thought I would hear myself say. This series is definitely worth your time and money, so go out and get it!
Rating: 5/5
Title: Insurgent
