Insurgent Collector's Edition (Divergent Series)

I have been sitting here contemplating how to write this review. I don't think I have it in me to form the words tonight. So, for now, I will leave you all with this, WOW and HOLY CLIFFHANGER!
Ok, so you know how you liked Four (Tobias) in Divergent, yeah, well, you will like him even more in

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Insurgent! LOL!
Same 5 factions, but in this book, there is much discord. Mostly between the Erudite and the fact that they decimated Abignation. I thought for sure, with the cover, that the book would be based around Amity, but really, it is not. It starts out there, but really makes it way around all the factions. And even includes a little jump into the factionless!
The book moves fast, as Divergent did, and you just do not want to put it down!
The Erudite want the Divergent population. Ok, so maybe not the whole faction, but their leader, a bunch of them, and a ton of Dauntless defectors! They want to create a simulation that can destroy the divergent.
We get to delve more into Caleb in this book. He's an interesting character and not what he seems.
We are reintroduced to Edward.
There is much death, yes, of characters that you would really have liked to stick around and of those you want dead. And there's much injury to characters that you can't help but feel bad for (even if they are bad).
We learn more about Tobias and his family. We see glimpses of Marcus, of his controlling nature and of his want for there to be peace between all.
Tris is, at times, full of teen angst and, at other times, so adult you can feel her braveness oozing out of her! She is much more selfless than she thinks, probably a result of her growing up Abignation. And, yet, she does many reckless things that hurt the people around her.
Through it all, you are still engrossed in the love relationship between Tris and Four. You watch it surge and then rebound. You watch it move forward and then fall fifty feet back.
And, in the end, you learn something new about the factions and about why they were formed. A cliffhanger, but one that does not leave you annoyed, just wanting more.
Another 5 star book from Veronica Roth. I highly recommend this one. I truly think it is even better than the first, if that is possible. This rates right up there with my thoughts on Shatter Me, my current favorite 2012 release.
Grab this book, sit back and ENJOY THE RIDE!

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Why can't sequels be as good as the first book? Insurgent continues to have me on the edge of my seat. I love the characters and the twists/turns are very good. However, many parts of this sequel to Divergent, seem forced and I can't help but feel that Ms. Roth rushed things at the end. I'm still

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not sure how she got to the conclusion she did - I must have missed something.

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If you haven't read Divergent, definitely check it out & read it before reading Insurgent, otherwise you will be completely confused. That said, the action in Insurgent picks up right where Divergent left off. I enjoyed this installment in the trilogy as much as the first. It's difficult to say

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much without spoiling something. Suffice it to say Insurgent is action packed with deeper character development. Veronica Roth's writing style is a pleasure to read, and I can't wait for the final installment!

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Divergent made me like this series, but Insurgent made me LOVE it! Picking up where Divergent left off. Tris and Tobias are on their way to Amity. The Erudite come looking for them and they must run. This is when they meet the Factionless and their surprising leader from Tobias's past. The Erudite

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are targeting the Divergent and are injecting people with long term simulation serum, essentially making everyone walking time bombs. Tris is unsure about the result of a Dauntless/Factionless alliance and wants to know the secret information Jeanine has about the factions.

This book was just AMAZING with all the rebellion action and the mystery about the origin of the faction society. I love Tris and Tobias and how their relationship was tested. Tris is struggling to come to terms with the deaths she witnessed and her own actions during the war (reminded me of Katniss in Mockingjay).I loved all the surprise twists to the story and pieces of the puzzle that came together throughout the book. We also get to learn lots of great information about all the factions! I will definitely be re-reading both books waiting for book 3!!!

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After waiting almost a year for it’s release I am pleased to say that Insurgent does not disappoint! As expected it is full of exciting Dauntless stunts, epic fight scenes and a lot of character development. At the end of Insurgent I was left, once again, in awe of the mastery Veronica Roth has

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over her plot line, characters and their experiences.

My favourite aspect of the book is definitely the growth of Tris and Four’s relationship. The events at the end of Divergent saw them both going through a lot of trauma, and in this book they have to learn to push through it, accept it, and move on. Their struggles at communicating with one another effectively are realistic, their relationship is strained but they never doubt their feelings. It is great to finally see a YA couple who works out their issues instead of running to the nearest available alternative love interest.

This book is well paced, with furious action scenes perfectly balanced by poignant moments of emotion. The plot line impressed me as well because, while it is relative simple, the author has put a lot of thought into the human motivations that drive it. My only disappointment in Insurgent is that in the first book there was some heavy foreshadowing that allowed me to guess the final twist, but to balance it out there were many other things that I failed to see coming until they were revealed.

Veronica Roth has followed up her debut smash hit Divergent with a worthy sequel, that, in my mind at least, cements her as one of my favourite authors. If you loved Divergent, then Insurgent is a book you can’t miss! And if you haven’t picked up this series yet, you should be coveting it! You won’t regret your choice.

You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic.

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Veronica Roth has done it again! I literally just finished reading this book about 5 minutes ago and I'm absolutely speechless. All I want to do is pick it back up and read it all over again. I started the book two days ago, read half of it, put it down so I could sleep, read some more of it last

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night and then finished it today. My eyes were literally glued to the pages and even when I wasn't reading it, all I could think about was the book. It's been a long time since a book or book series has made me do that. Although, I did have the same reaction with the first book in the series, Divergent.

One thing that I can't stand about books is when the next book in the series is released, they recap everything, telling you what happened in the previous one and who everyone is. But Insurgent didn't do that at all. It picked straight up from where Divergent left off which made me enjoy it 10 times more.

There wasn't a single moment in this book that was boring. It was always action packed with something going on and the end of every chapter was a cliff-hanger, making you want to continue reading. I did try to space it out because I didn't want it to end but of course, that was impossible because it was so damn good!

The ending was absolutely incredible! Such an amazing and surprising cliff-hanger. My mouth was literally hanging open when I read the last paragraph and after I finished, I had to sit there for a while just re-playing it all over in my head again, trying to come up with possible scenarios of what could happen next.

Tris is just as bad-ass as ever in Insurgent, even more so in this one than the first book. She literally goes through hell and back and she still stays strong for the people she cares about. I decided today that she is my number one favourite character in a book series. She is literally everything that a girl wants to be. Another thing I love about Veronica Roth's writing is that she goes into dept and detail with all her characters. She made it so you couldn't resist loving the people that Tris loves and also hating the people that Tris despises. I just got such emotion from reading it. And Uriah was in this one a lot too, yay! As you can probably tell, I love him. He is definitely one of my favourites.

There was also humor in it too. At one part, something happens to Tris to make her go all "relaxed and loopy" (I'm not going to tell you what happens because I don't want to ruin it for you), but I actually laughed so much whilst reading those parts. It was fun and hilarious!

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Picks up the story of Divergent after the simulation has divided the factions. Roth does not do much in the way of recap of action of Divergent, just dives right in to the continuation of the story. Tris and Four are trying to stay together and make sense of the shifting landscape around them. Tris

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has to continue to follow her own moral compass, which frequently does not align to the choices of the factions and other people around her. I was anxious to visit this world again, and there was a lot of action throughout this book. While this portion of the story wraps up, there is a cliff hanger ending (WHAT?!?) which will lead into the next installment.

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Insurgent takes up just where Divergent left off; in the train car on the way to the Amity faction. I like that there is no instances of recapping what happened in Divergent. Although this might make it hard for those who read Divergent when it was originally released, I found it to be refreshing

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approach.
Insurgent takes us on a tour, if you will, through the other factions. I really enjoyed being amongst the Amity. We get to know more about the Candor and Erudite as well.
There were a few places in the book that left me confused. On page 207, Tobias is speaking and he mentions Zeke, I believe this was supposed to be Uriah. As well as on page 411 Ms. Roth writes, “The face of Abnegation headquarters is just a cement rectangle, like all the other buildings in the Abnegation sector.” And then on page 430 she repeats herself almost verbatim, “We reach the Abnegation headquarters, and its face is just a cement square like everything else in the Abnegation sector.” In addition, there was a huge continuity error which drove me completely insane.

*** SPOILERS ***

On page 461 there is talk about handing Tris a gun, but due to the Will incident she still cannot bring herself to use or even hold a gun. So they give her a stunner instead. Then on page 464 she says, “I point me gun at the lock…” What gun?! And again on page 471 Ms. Roth writes, “draw my gun, and point it at her…” Again I ask, what gun? And if that isn’t bad enough when we get to page 476 Tris realizes that she forgot her ”stunner in the empty classroom. [She is] unarmed again.”

*** END SPOILERS ***

I know this sounds like nitpicking, but they were enough to take me out of the story to investigate them.
Then there is the development of Tris’ character. One of the things I liked about Tris in Divergent was she was not a self-loathing, whiny teenager. Well, in my humble opinion, she unfortunately did not stay that way. Throughout most of the book she did nothing but whine, which reminded me of Twilight’s Bella. I understand that she went thru some tragic events, Will, her parents… her life was destroyed, but I felt that was not in her character.
All my little distractions aside, they book was awesome. I liked that we got to learn more about Four/Tobias. We delved further into the factions, even learned more about the Factionless.
As I got more towards the end of the book, I could not help but feel that it reminded me somewhat of the City of Ember series; which is not bad as I loved those books as well. And with that being said, Insurgent ends with a wicked cliff hanger which I never expected and makes me eager for the next in the series!

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Lets be real here for a moment, if you've read Divergent, you're definitely going to pick up Insurgent (unless you are crazy... in which I suggest you deal with that before reading on with this review). If you haven't read Divergent, don't ruin the series and instead go read the book or check out

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my review. But moving on... This is going to be one of those "reviews" that are not real reviews but more along the lines of "fan-girling opportunities". I'm sorry if I am not quite coherent, but that is basically how I felt after reading the novel.

Insurgent was one of the best books I've read in a while, if not one of the best book's I've ever read. Yes, there are some inconsistencies, and I will touch on those in a little while, but apart from those, I was completely taken with the story. I was able to deeply connect to the world. I wouldn't say to the characters, because I am so different from them, but I was totally immersed in the world. Without giving anything away, I totally called the twist at the end! That's allz I'm sayin'.

I know in my Divergent review I said I would totally be Amity.... but I lied (which further proves how Candor and I are not a good match). I would be Erudite without a doubt. I was just kind of in denial before.

Although I said I didn't connect deeply to the characters, that is not a fault in the writing. I see a huge part of it being that the characters block themselves off from each other, especially Tris, and they don't want people to get close to them. That did not make them undesirable, it just made them hardened and rough around the edges. Saying that I didn't connect to them did not mean I didn't care about them, because I really did. What I felt is something difficult to describe, but I'll try. With certain characters I am extremely upset when bad things happen to them, but with this series I am initially upset, but then I move on. A huge part of the world in the novel is picking yourself up and moving on, and that is exactly what I did when it came to the characters. But that's not to say I wasn't totally in love with Four...

Okay, moving on to the more controversial part of our program. There has been some drama over some inconsistencies and discrepancies between Divergent and Insurgent. Veronica Roth wrote a post about it HERE but did not reveal the specific instances. Honestly, when I read the novel, I was so engaged (and slightly insane from my rushing emotions) that I did not even notice them. I asked a family member to look for them as she read and she only could find one instance. Yes, they are there. Yes, it is a bit ridiculous that with so many people reading specifically for these types of things that discrepancies slip through the cracks, but they do. My point is, although it is disappointing to some that there are mistakes in Insurgent, it really does not take away from the overall story.

So overall? LOVED IT! Even though I saw the ending coming (so far I've been alone with this - so I wouldn't say it is predictable) I am still falling over excited for the third. Too bad we all have to wait OVER A YEAR for it! That's right, fall 2013. If any of you are wondering how to spend the time between now and then, I propose a challenge: Make me an Erudite t-shirt or necklace. I seriously want one (I am not kidding at all). And if you're not abnegation enough to just give it to me (haha), I would honestly pay you for it through Etsy or something... Think about it.

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Loved it! Enough twists to keep you guessing, and its great to see Tris grow throughout the novel. You also get more inside looks at the different factions.

I can't really say if I like this one more than the first one or not. I probably feel about the same about both of them. They were entertaining to read at the time, but after some thought, don't hold up well. While this book works to explain the events that happened in the last book, I don't find

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it overly convincing or believable. Now before anybody gets on my case about complaining about the believability of a dystopian novel, let me explain my idea of what makes a good one.

The major thing, for me anyway, that makes dystopian novels great is the fact that some part of them is based on current issues. While crazy things happen that are destructive and horrifying, there is some inkling of the world that is imagined/how the world got to be that way that is similar to how our world works today. Like Orwell's Big Brother concept and how cameras and social media can track our every move as you read this. We can find a connection between our current events and the events of the dystopian world that makes the novel disturbing. To me, the dystopian novel should make us wonder to ourselves, "Is this where we are headed?". I didn't get that from this series.

There were also some glaring holes that would actually distract me from the story. Such as, why Tris and Four spend most of the book sneaking around and sometimes just walking straight into places that are supposedly on high alert for them. Did nobody send out a memo? Did nobody make a sketch of them and tell the guards that if they see someone that looks like that to arrest them? And this didn't just happen once or twice. This happened throughout the entire book! They never even disguised themselves! This was highly annoying and caused my eyes to roll.

Another thing that has been bothering me while reading this series is that I increasingly dislike Roth's writing. Her use of commas sometimes makes very little sense and often confuses the meaning to the sentence. (This can also be due to bad editing. Why did nobody catch these?) She also uses the word "breaths" instead of "breath" which often didn't flow well. While I don't believe it is technically wrong, it is jarring to read.

Overall, this was an okay book. It's a good fast read, but if you want something with more substance to it I would go with something else. There really isn't much to this one, and while there was some potential, I don't believe that this book is a good example of what dystopian novels can really achieve when done well.

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Spectacular sequel to Divergent! Roller coaster ride of emotions and discoveries that lead to the revelation in the cliffhanger ending! Can't wait for the next book!

Incredible sequel to Divergent. Worth the read. Can't wait for the next one

Readers learn more about the factions and Four and Tris's families in "Insurgent." Trust is a big issue and secrets are kept and revealed. Betrayals result in setbacks for Tris and Four. Honestly, the two of them are too brave (or headstrong and foolish) for their own britches, but I guess that's

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part of the reason I admire them. I probably should have reread "Divergent" because I had forgotten some of the characters and had to wrack my brain to figure out who they were. But I love this series and can't wait to read the last book in the trilogy.

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I'm going to say it straight
I loved Divergent
I hated Insurgent
It's boring, it rambles on and on, and it has none of the spark and fire that I loved so much about Divergent.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth is just as fast-paced and gut-wrenching as its predecessor. The five factions are on the brink of war: Abnegation decimated by Erudite's attack, Dauntless split in half in the aftermath of the battle, Amity hoping for peace and trying to remain neutral, and Candor

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searching for the truth of the matter. And then there are the Factionless . . . who may hold secrets that Tris and Four never would have guessed.

This book picks up right where Divergent left off. The well-regulated world established in that book has obviously just been shattered, and more conflict is on the way. Insurgent begins to hint at some of the questions raised by Divergent: how were the factions established? What, if anything, exists beyond the fence? Why is Divergence such an important trait? The questions aren't all answered in this book, but they are at least acknowledged -- and another book is on the way. . . .

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SPOILERS FOR DIVERGENT

In the aftermath of the battle between factions, Tris and Tobias are now caught in the larger conflict of choosing sides of the remaining factions. Tris must also deal with the emotional fallout from her actions during the simulation and the loss of her parents. When all

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decisions are life and death and the emotional baggage is crippling, Tris must fight to learn the truth about the reason for the original fight between factions that could utterly change her perception of her existence.

Insurgent picks up where Divergent left off and while there are occasional lulls in action, the pace remains steady. The break up of the balance of the factions as a result of the attack in the previous book is fascinating to explore and the hints at the mystery of what Erudite was after are fascinating. I was slightly frustrated by Tris and Tobias' relationship development as I felt that Tris' decisions in that regard were not explained well for the middle chunk of the novel. However, the novel is totally satisfying as the second installment in the trilogy and I look forward to the final book.

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Like most Book 2 of a trilogy, you get more action, less character development, and a BIG cliffhanger at the end. Insurgent is no different. What makes this ‘middle child’ book good is that it addressed the previously lesser described Amity and Candor factions in deeper details. It also gave

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glimpses into the Factionless – those who had failed initiation and those who simply does not ‘belong’ or want to belong to a single faction. (Hint, hint: divergents) But they are still homeless and hungry. Add two major betrayals (one was completely obvious), one surprising ally (though likely temporary), and the main characters, Tris/Beatrice and Four/Tobias, who remain true and likeable characters – this book continues to be an easy read and page turner.

(I will admit that I wanted to smack Tris for continuing to grief/lament/regret over her killing of Will in Book 1 throughout most of Book 2. Enough already…)

I won’t summarize the actions or plot in this review, but you get some ideas from the quotes below. I’ll say that it wasn’t as predictable as Book 1.

Some Quotes:

About Candor:
“Like a wild animal, the truth is too powerful to remain caged. – From the Candor faction manifesto.”
“It’s not cruelty, maybe, but a desire to understand, that motivates them.” – on the use of truth serum
“It’s too easy to get lost in honesty.” – an implication that honesty can be excessive.
“The Candor sing the praises of the truth, but they never tell you how much it costs.” – the old adage: Truth hurts.

About Amity:
“They often straddle the line between trust and stupidity.” – about unlocked doors to the headquarters.
Tris: “How do they get anything done?” Tobias: “They don’t care about efficiency. They care about agreement.” – oddly, this reminded me of Conflict Management training, where Consensus is mapped as taking the most time.
Regarding the conflict: Johanna, Representative of Amity, “The majority of you wish to uphold our policy of uninvolvement.” – my 2 cents: under the guise of peace loving, Amity chooses to cower instead.

How often do we think we’re in a bad situation only to find ourselves in an even worse situation later? It’s not so bad to be myopic once and in a while and enjoy the moment.
Tris: “I miss the way my footsteps echoed in the Dauntless compound; I miss the cool underground air. But mostly I miss the fears of the past few weeks, rendered small by my fears now.”

I think we all have been an Insurgent at some point or another in our lives. (I hope you have!!)
“Insurgent – Noun. A person who acts in opposition to the established authority, who is not necessarily regarded as a belligerent.”

A repeated theme in literature – people have layers (or sides, or facets, or shades, etc.):
“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 fears. You will never know them, but sometimes you decide to trust them.”

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Insurgent by Veronica Roth:

As the sequel to Divergent, I had high hopes for this book and, for the most part, I was not dissapointed. I don't want to give too much away but I will say that we get to see more of the other factions of Candor and Amity plus the factionless group. I really enjoyed this

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because in the first book even though Candor and Amity were mentioned it was really focused on Dauntless, Erudite, and Abnegation. So, since I loved the world Roth created I was overjoyed to see more of it. I feel like there was more focus on relationship between Four and Tris during this one. Which is cool if you like romance - I guess. Overall, I liked the first one more.

**FOUR STARS*

Lexi

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3.5 stars.Not as enjoyable as the first in the series but an okay read.

Every bit as good as the first! Loved every minute of reading it! So many shockers! Right up to the end!

Divergent is a tough act to follow. While I wouldn't call it my favorite book of 2011, I enjoyed it and was eagerly awaiting the sequel. I will admit, first off, that Insurgent is not as good as Divergent. That doesn't make it bad by any means, just that it's not quite on the same level -but we all

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know how difficult the "middle" book can be in a trilogy.

The faction are on the edge of war. In the midst of the conflict, Tris must find a way to protect those she loves in different factions and find a way through the complex web of faction loyalty, politics and betrayal that's lurking underneath the surface. Tris' true identity as a Divergent becomes more and more difficult to hide -and her strange "affliction" seems to be spreading. In a world on the brink of war, who can you trust and how can you survive?

Oh, Insurgent -what can I say about this book? It was good, I enjoyed reading it. In fact, I read it in just two sittings, but I think it could have been just a little bit better. The biggest issue here seemed to be with the editing. I felt like there were a good number of pacing issues, especially at the beginning that made this book a little difficult to become fully invested in. Now, it wasn't so bad that I couldn't read that book or I thought it was a complete loss -Insurgent still offers plenty of great action, plot twists and, of course, that semi-pesky teen romance (but not so much that it drove me insane).

After I finished Insurgent, I knew I wanted more. I wanted to see the full-blown war come alive and the characters to truly be tested in the next book. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Despite the flaws in this and any book, wanting to know what happens next is the most crucial thing that an author can evoke in the reader. Can't wait for the final book in trilogy, due out next year.

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I was rather unimpressed with this book. It is the second in a trilogy with Divergent being the first and the third yet to be titled or released. As with many middle books of trilogies the story seemed to move along (rather slowly I might add) for the simple purpose of setting up the final book. I

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found Insurgent a major bore. The thought even crossed my mind to quit reading it all together (a thought that almost NEVER EVER crosses my mind) but I trudged on through the tiresome relationship troubles of Tris and Tobias and the shuffling around of the factions and factionless and the squabbles of all the rather forgettable characters. Overall, Insurgent was quite unexceptional, to the point that I'm not sure I even care to read the third book when it comes out.

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Wow, I thought Insurgent was incredible! I loved it even more than the first one I think. I was really happy that we got to see some emotional aftermath from the events in Divergent. Insurgent picks up exactly where Divergent ended, and basically just doesn't stop. There were some crazy twists that

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I really didn't see coming, and lots of action.

Something that I realized this time around is that I absolutely love Veronica Roth's writing. I think that I was so into the story when I read Divergent that I just plowed through it. So I really tried to take my time and enjoy Insurgent. The way she states some things is simply beautiful. I would find myself reading a paragraph over and over again.

Awesome, Awesome, Awesome. Can't wait to read the next one.

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