Review Detail

Oh man. This was EPIC. I didn’t think I would like a sophomore book as much as the first in a series, but that was not the case with Insurgent. Honestly, Insurgent blew me away. Gah.


To start with, Tris and Four… sigh. Four was as dreamy as ever, even if his willingness to ignore some key events clouded his judgment and treatment of others in this book. He was still swoon worthy. Of course, Tris is still kicking butt and taking names. She is one of the best heroines out there. She’s strong, brilliant, and flawed: A great bookish role model for teen readers. She proves you don’t have to be a bad ass all of the time to be brave and strong. But most importantly, she shows that you don’t have to be cruel to be respected. Her compassion for others is one of the things that make her so amazing.

I also enjoyed seeing some “old” characters reappear. They each had interesting roles that really helped develop the plot, which made this second installment so much more layered than Divergent. (and you know Divergent was great!) One of the things I liked the most about the plot was the timing. Insurgent picks up just days after Divergent ends. I loved that. I hate books that have this huge time gap that I have to fill in using my imagination. Insurgent picks up at a key point (just where you want it to pick up from) and keeps on moving. It never slows down! It is all action, all the time.


If you know me well enough, you know that I was an English Lit major in college. Although I love YA books (thanks to a YA lit class in college), I still adore the classics. When I read dystopian novels I can’t help but think of the original dystopians (think George Orwell). Any new dystopian worth their weight in salt should generate a Orwellian feel. I strongly feel if you can’t conjure that spirit in your novel, it’s not really a dystopian. Just sayin… Do I think Insurgent lives up to an Orwellian novel? You betcha. If you’re familiar with any of George Orwell’s books, you’ll find subtle reminders all throughout Insurgent. I, personally, loved that, but I can’t say much about what those reminders were because it would ruin the book.