Insurgent (Divergent #2)

My students and I had a countdown to the date Insurgent came out in bookstores. It was definitely worth it!

Insurgent delves deeper into the faction filled world Veronica Roth created in Divergent. The factions are at odds with one another as Insurgent starts where Divergent ended. Tris is more in the dark than she has ever imagined. The moment she discovers an answer to her question, new ones are created. There are secrets, deceptions, and manipulation.

The fast paced nature of the story line makes this a page turner which I gladly gave up sleep for! The reader finds out more about each character. I love how Veronica Roth builds each character. They aren't the cookie cutter stereotypes. Tris isn't just the strong heroine trying to survive . She has doubts, she isn't always fearless and sometimes she makes mistakes. Tobias struggles with his own demons in Insurgent as he tries to figure out his own motives.

This is one of the best sequesl to come out for a series. Often second books work as a bridge to the third. They usually are slower paced and work solely on providing background and setting the reader up for a climatic action packed third book. Not so with Insurgent. This second book is strong in its plot, character development and leaves the reader wanting more.

Highly recommend going back to Divergent to refresh your memory on names,etc since the book jumps right into the action. Divergent fans will not be disappointed.

"Grief is not as heavy as guilt, but it takes more away from you."

I have been anxiously awaiting this sequel since I finished reading all 487 pages of Divergent in less than 24 hours last May! I was NOT disappointed! In fact, I treated this like the opening of a midnight movie and began reading as soon as the digital copy was released around 1:00a.m. and finished 15 hours later.

Insurgent picks up right where Divergent leaves off and is full of action, intensity, lies, betrayal, romance and heartbreak. It had me feeling all the emotions! I laughed, I cried, and I wanted to punch, kick and jump off stuff. *puts on Dauntless t-shirt*

Tris and Four/Tobias are trying to navigate their way through the war that has begun between what's left of the factions. He has ideas about which side they should choose but Tris is conflicted about who to trust especially after secrets are revealed that leave her questioning everyone around her. The only thing she knows for sure is she'll have to fully embrace her Divergence if there's any hope of saving those she loves or herself.

She is struggling with her guilt and grief (over her parents and Will) and it's affecting all of the decisions she makes as well as her relationship with Four/Tobias. (This broke my heart for her.) As she learned in Divergent, our choices can transform us but they also have the ability to destroy us and everything that's important to us.

The relationship between she and Tobias feels strained most of the time. There are things they withhold in an effort to protect one another but instead of helping it only hurts them. It's obvious that he loves her and would do anything for her but he feels a responsibility to help and serve too which is all the more reason to *hearts* him. (I LOVE YOU FOUR!!) The things these two characters have to endure both together and individually, are truly heartbreaking. *CLUTCHES CHEST* However, they also share some pretty swoon worthy scenes too. *fans face*

War and grief are ugly monsters but have way of both tearing people apart and bringing them together at the same time. They reveal sides of us and those we love that can shock, surprise and disappoint and have us questioning just how well we know each other, if at all? It's in those moments that friendship and love are tested, sides are chosen and forgiveness is offered or denied. It's also in those moments when we find out exactly what we're made of.

I was prepared for an intense sequel but I was NOT prepared to have my heart in my throat the entire time I was reading. *cries* There are a few twists and surprises and plenty of loss but you can't have growth and new life without loss. I am soooo excited to see how it all ends!

INSURGENT picks up right where DIVERGENT leaves off, and the conflict escalates quickly. Tris, shocked and grieving and unable to forgive herself for shooting Will, must pick up the pieces of her friendships, and of herself, while working to uncover the plot that destroyed her original faction. Factions are divided against themselves, leaders keep secrets, and the truth that awaits them will leave their society in shambles.

Insurgent is action-packed from the first chapter all the way to the end. There are plot twists, fights, simulations, and some truly frightening experiences in store for Tris and her friends. It's certainly a page-turner of a book. Tris grows more as a character in this book than she did in Divergent, and I appreciated that. She thought more, struggled more, and was less willing to make decisions simply because it was a Dauntless-type of decision to make. I think she's close to understanding the true meaning of bravery and self-sacrifice, the two character traits that form the lifeblood of her original faction and her chosen faction.

As much as I enjoyed the action and plot twists, I was less enthusiastic with the world-building and the character development and motivation. While Tris grew steadily through the story, Tobias/Four seemed to digress and do or say things that are out of character for the Tobias I fell in love with in Divergent. The crux of the conflict between Tris and Tobias could easily be solved with an honest conversation or two and that made their continued difficulty (and the HUGE choice Tris makes in the end) hard to believe. I wanted a deeper, more meaningful, conflict to drive their story. As for the world-building, we still only get a tiny piece of what caused the factions and what is outside the fence. And it doesn't feel strong enough, or fleshed out enough, to carry the kind of weight a series like this deserves. I wanted to be truly shocked and terrified, but instead I was left scratching my head.

However, that being said, I do think fans of Divergent will enjoy Insurgent as well. I strongly suggest re-reading Divergent first as we are plunged immediately back into the world, and I was often lost as to which secondary character was which for the first several chapters. No clues are given as to their physical appearance or their relationship to Tris, and that left me distracted and floundering as a reader. Reading Divergent again would make reading Insurgent more enjoyable from the start. :)

All in all, it's a fast-paced, action-packed page turner with some nice emotional moments sprinkled throughout. Fans of Ms. Roth will most likely enjoy the ride.