Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 526
Rating: 1/5
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.
This is definitely one of the hardest novels I've had to review in quite some time....and that's mostly because my feelings for Allegiant are, as they say, all over the place! I desperately wanted to be able to write this review and be "frolicking through fields" as I told you how great it was, but I can't lie bookworms, I'm kind of heartbroken and disappointed with it.
Allegiant kicks of where we end with Insurgent-- everyone has just finished seeing the Edith Prior video and Tris suddenly feels the need to make her way over the fence to help the people Edith said would need their aide. Tris, Four and her friends manage to do this but are surprised by what they find beyond the fence (as to exactly what that is, you'll have to read it to find out ;). It is here that the mystery as to what it truly means to be "divergent" is explained (in addition to answering other questions) creating confusion, doubt and determination to fight for what's right within everyone.
I'm sure by now it's no secret to any of you that Allegiant is told in both Tris and Four's perspective. Initially when I heard this news, I was super excited to get a further glimpse into Four's mind. However, although I did enjoy seeing his perspective (especially in regards to what he feels and sees when he looks at Tris) I found his "voice" wasn't all that different from Tris', which made it a little confusing at times to tell whose POV I was reading from when I forgot to look at the chapter title. Once I reached the end of Allegiant (after I dried up my tears.....for the millionth time) I realized how important it was to have Four's perspective thrown in there. I will say that although some people found Four to be a bit annoying in Allegiant, I really loved seeing that vulnerability within him shine through and I think that is one of the reasons why Allegiant 's ending was so hard to deal with.
Tris and Four continued to be one of my favourite kick-ass, bring-it-on couples that still manage to make me swoon over their beautiful connection.They had a mix of both affectionate and distant moments-- and my one complaint would have to be the fact that their trust in one another continued to be tested in Allegiant. I found this element to their relationship a little annoying because I thought this was an obstacle they had already dealt with and resolved in Insurgent. The one thing I really love about these two is that although they are stronger together, they're both still independent on their own. I was particularly impressed to see Tris stand up against Four when he made a not so smart decision and not be afraid to throw it in his face. Tris is one of the strongest and bravest heroines I've ever read about and she proves that on numerous occasions!
Now comes the hard part.....the ending.....*takes deep breath to hold in the waterfall made from my tears* I'm sure by now most of you who are reading this already know from either reading the novel or through spoilers what happens at the end of Allegiant, but I 'm going to try and keep this spoiler free anyways. I know that over the past week or so there have been those who are upset/angry with the ending and those who are defending Veronica Roth's right to end the series the way she always intended to. Although I completely agree that Veronica has absolutely no obligation to make me as a reader happy, that doesn't mean I'm obligated to be happy with how she chooses to do so. At first, I was pretty angry (and obviously heartbroken) over how this incredible series ended, but after some time, I am now just really numb about it. The soul of the series has been ripped away and that really has effected how I look back on the series as a whole. I don't know if I'll ever be able to look back on the happy moments without focusing on the ending I know that's in store for these characters. There are those that look at the ending as a display of bravery that wraps up the series beautifully, but I can't help but look at it as a tragic and heart breaking ending that takes away the theme of hope that I loved so much about this series. I'm definitely disappointed and even more so heartbroken----when I finished Allegiant, I had the whole "quivering lips, big fat tears" thing going on for a good hour (not even exaggerating)....I'm still in a mourning period. ...
Favourite Quotes...
"I fell in love with him. But I don’t just stay with him by default as if there’s no one else available to me. I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other. I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me.”
~~~~~
“You're not very nice," I say, grinning.
"You're one to talk."
"You're one to talk."
"Hey, I could be nice if I tried."
"Hmm." He taps his chin. "Say something nice, then."
"You're very good-looking."
He smiles, his teeth a flash in this dark. "I like this 'nice' thing.”
Overall...
Overall, my thoughts on Allegiant are definitely not positive even though I enjoyed a majority of this novel up until its ending. I'm filled with anger and shock, but mostly disappointment that these characters I've grown to love in such a consuming way didn't get the ending I thought they deserved. The more and more I think about it, the less satisfied I am. I'm now not sure whether I'd be able to recommend this series to anyone in the future because as great as 95% of this series was, that last 5% makes me want to erase this series from my mind so I wouldn't have to deal with the pain I'm currently going through. It's unfortunate to see a series end in a way that divides the fandom so much due to it's controversy as opposed to bringing us together for closure.
As I'm writing this review I am also watching my mom as she approaches the last quarter of Allegiant and I'm cringing at the heartbreak I just know she's going to inevitably have to go through. Allegiant is definitely one of those love it or hate it kind of reads. Have you read Allegiant? What are your thoughts on the ending? (Please try and keep it spoiler-free to avoid ruining it for those who haven't read the novel)! Be sure to let me know in the comments below! Keep Reading!
Your Y.A. Bookworm,
Caitlin <3
I hated it. Not because of what happens with Tris, but because of Uriah, the lack of compassion for the characters, and the wimp Tobias turns into for a majority of the book. It was rushed, poorly edited, and I am upset because its a horrible ending to a fantastic series. I knew better than to expect rainbows and sunshine, it is dystopian afterall, but there are so many other ways it could have gone.
ReplyDeleteI pretty much agree with all of those points you made-- I'm still so disappointed by the way the series ended. No I didn't expect butterflies and roses either, but I at least wanted to feel hope that the characters would get some sort of happiness.
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