I've been rereading a lot of my favorites lately, hence the lack of blogging. I actually finished the first two parts of the Divergent trilogy months ago but there was a wicked-long wait for Allegiant at the library. Now that I've finished, I can't say I'm all that impressed with the series as a whole. It has a few redeeming qualities, but overall I don't think Veronica Roth distinguishes her novels to stand out among the vast collection of other dystopian trilogies out there.
Definitely my favorite book of the three is Divergent, where we are introduced to Beatrice "Tris" Prior and the world in which she lives. Each year, all 16-year-olds take an aptitude test that will tell which faction he or she is best suited for. The brave go to Dauntless, the honest to Candor, the peaceful to Amity, the smart to Erudite, and the selfless to Abnegation. Tris's results are inconclusive, revealing an aptitude for 3 different factions. Unfortunately, it's not safe to be different and Tris must hide who she is if she wants to survive. She joins Dauntless, meets Tobias and other friends who help her realize her strength and desire for justice in the world.
Insurgent is all about revolution; the people rise up against their oppressors and strive to make their city better for everyone.
Allegiant continues after the revolution reveals that nothing has truly changed because the problems run deeper than they realized. Tris and co. learn what's outside their city and continue to fight the good fight for freedom.
My primary problems with the series are mostly in book 3, Allegiant, though Insurgent isn't too fantastic either. I felt the overall story (in book 3) was really weak. Its basically book 2 plot but on a larger scale. The main characters are running around the whole book but not accomplishing anything. Their end-all solution to the "bad guys" in charge who are about to do horrible things is just as unethical and wrong as what the bad guys are doing. If I'm going to root for the underdogs, they better have the moral high ground. It's inconsistent because, in the previous books, Tris and her friends do honor ethics, so it's weird that they all of the sudden abandon right and wrong in the name of the greater good.
I also don't enjoy what Roth does to the main character in the end. I don't want to give any obvious spoilers, but I'm an advocate for happy endings and I can't think of a single character who truly got a happy ending. That's depressing. I also always liked Tris's brother, Caleb. While their relationship is rightfully strained, it annoys me how Tris never takes an opportunity to make amends with him until it's too late. What a waste.
I think the first book is probably the best because it feels new and different with lots of mysteries still to uncover. In book 3 all your questions are suddenly answered in the first several chapters, leaving no more intrigue and a weak story line. I'm disappointed in the series as a whole; it showed so much potential but lost momentum and became a trilogy that I will forget about in no time.
Divergent: 4 out of 5 stars
Insurgent: 3 out of 5 stars
Allegiant: 2 out of 5 stars
