Review Detail

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.