Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on December 9, 2013 | 9 Comments


Review: Insurgent by Veronica RothInsurgent by Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent #2
Published by Katherine Tegen (5.1.2012)
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Format: Hardcover, 525 pages
Source: I own it
Buy on Amazon


3 Stars

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

My thoughts

Insurgent. Noun. A person who acts in opposition to the established authority, who is not necessarily regarded as a belligerent.

While I still mostly enjoyed this one, it was overall kind of meh for me. Now that I’ve finished it, the book is already fading away. It won’t stick with me or leave a lasting impression. The feeling (or lack thereof) I got from this book probably didn’t deserve a 3 heartbeat rating, but I did enjoy it while I was reading it.

The Candor sing the praises of the truth, but they never tell you how much it costs.

My main problem with this book? Tris. She annoyed the shit out of me. She was selfish, reckless, impulsive, stupid, and stubborn. I know that life was hard for her, because she just lost her parents, and I….can’t even imagine dealing with that. But that’s no excuse for the way she acted. My main issue with her was all the lying. She lied over and over again, digging her hole deeper and deeper. Many times she could have said, “You know what, I screwed up and I’m sorry.” She never did that. Not once. Instead, she kept building up the lies until she was practically drowning in them, pushing away the people that cared about her. Especially Tobias. Actually, I felt kinda bad for him. Must suck to have a compulsive liar as a girlfriend.

She also had a blatant disregard for her own life. She kept throwing herself into dangerous situations, making rash decisions without thinking things through and coming up with a logical solution (um, she did test Erudite too, right? You’d never be able to tell, since she acted like such an idiot…). Hey, Tris, there’s a difference between bravery and stupidity. Knowingly putting your life on the line is not brave. It’s reckless and selfish. And stupid! She didn’t even give a thought to how her actions would effect the people who cared about her.

I hate when a relationship falls apart over stupid crap. As times got difficult, Tris and Tobias should have stuck together and supported each other. Instead, they fought over petty things. They got angry with one another for doing the same exact things. Tobias didn’t tell Tris his plans? Tris got pissed. Tris didn’t tell Tobias her plans? Tobias got pissed. UGH! They were so hypocritical it was ridiculous.

Other than that, though, the story was good. There’s a lot at stake with the threat of everyone being turned into mindless killing drones. And also, the intrigue of this mysterious Top Sekrit Data that everyone kept going on about. I was very curious as to what secret they could have that could be worth killing hundreds of people over, and that kept me interested. Despite the rather slow pacing, the book still held my interest because I wanted to know that information!

I must say, though, that I was a little underwhelmed by the ending. I saw the main twist coming (it’s not like they didn’t drop enough hints). View Spoiler »

I still had the problem with connecting like I did in the first book – I felt nothing. (Well, besides maybe irritation at Tris being a moron.) I think the reason is because the prose is stiff and detached. There aren’t many contractions, which made Tris’s narration seem too formal and a bit clinical.

“Do remember, though, that sometimes the people you oppress become mightier than you would like.”

I feel like the ending took an interesting turn, with the factionless and all. The main problem may have been solved, but it just created even more problems! I’m definitely curious to see how the series ends!

Favorite Quote

People, I have discovered, are layers and layers of secrets. You believe you know them, that you understand them, but their motives are always hidden from you, buried in their own hearts. You will never know them, but sometimes you decide to trust them.

Overall Assessment

Plot: 3.5/5
Premise: 4/5
Writing style: 3.5/5
Originality: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
World-building: 4/5
Pace: 3/5
Feels: 1.5/5
Cover: 4.5/5

Overall rating: 3/5

Previous Books

divergent

Jessi (Geo)

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9 responses to “Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

  1. Gotta agree with you there that it doesn’t stick with you. I remember I inhaled the book over a weekend when it came out. But I can’t remember hardly anything about it now.

  2. I totally agree! What the fuck was wrong with Tris?!?!?! It was like watching a really frustrating downward spiral. I just wanted to yell at her and tell her to cut it out! God. People like her give “girlfriends” a bad name.

  3. In my opinion, the series should’ve been standalone. I freaking hated Tris in Insurgent to the point where I stopped loving the series. After Divergent finished, it should’ve just been done. Maybe change the ending a bit to close, but Allegiant and Insurgent was a joke.

    Tris just got unbearable and I don’t even WANT To read Allegiant, even though I was initially excited for it.

    – Nova

  4. I feel like this trilogy is a little like The Hunger Games in a way: the first book was amazing, and then the next two books went a little downhill. Four and Tris were absolutely ridiculous and I’m halfway through Allegiant and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get any better soon because she’s not as annoying but Four is still a complete weakling what happened to the badass Four from Divergent? ARGH.

    Fantastic review, though, Jessi!

  5. I loved Insurgent. Maybe it’s just because I’m in love with Roth’s gorgeous storytelling. I reread Insurgent recently and well I do understand what you mean. The characters are annoying, and honestly I love them both, but it’s hard to form an complete opinion on them for me.

    Sorry you didn’t like this very much!
    Great review,
    Love Inky

  6. Insurgent was pretty meh to me as well =/ “selfish, reckless, impulsive, stupid, and stubborn.” *nods* And yes, she was also a liar. And stupid.
    In Divergent, I absolutely loved Tris and Tobias’s relationship, in here? NO, just no.
    Great review!

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