From the Bookshelf of Addicted to YA…

Insurgent (Divergent, #2)

Veronica Roth

Start date: May 1, 2012

Finish date: May 31, 2012

Why we're reading this: Second book in the Divergent series
[close] Second book in the Divergent series

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Feb 27, 2013 Nelly Lavaud rated it really liked it

I engrossed myself in this book when I got it in hopes that it would be like the first one. I am not totally disappointed but I must say there was some lacking moments in the book and points where the story just dragged. I got to a point while reading where I just wanted to put it down. I also wondered why there was so much fluff put into the novel. There were things that weren't needed and things that needed more explaining. Through all of the dribble I still enjoyed this book, and I cannot wai ...more

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May 30, 2012 Sasha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, dystopia

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I’m always up for reading a good dystopian novel, and Veronica Roth’s Divergent series has essentially defined the YA dystopian genre for me. Insurgent doesn’t waste any time, dropping us right into the events immediately following the cliffhanger of the first book. We see the aftermath of the dramatic and traumatizing events of the first book, exploring Tris’ emotions as she deals with the consequences of killing someone for the first time—a friend, at that. Tris is broken, and we see that cons I’m always up for reading a good dystopian novel, and Veronica Roth’s Divergent series has essentially defined the YA dystopian genre for me. Insurgent doesn’t waste any time, dropping us right into the events immediately following the cliffhanger of the first book. We see the aftermath of the dramatic and traumatizing events of the first book, exploring Tris’ emotions as she deals with the consequences of killing someone for the first time—a friend, at that. Tris is broken, and we see that constantly throughout this book even as she struggles to stay strong for the benefit of her cause and the people she cares about. While I understood why Tris was so fearful and grief-stricken, at the same time a part of me wished that she would grow up and either seek help in the people she cared about or come to terms with what she had done. Instead Tris spends a majority of the book in a sort of petulant, self-induced closed-off space where she isolates herself from her friends. I know that Tris is grieving, but good god girl, get a grip! It was really difficult to read some of this book because of how much Tris annoyed me at times.

That being said, the dynamic between Tris and Four, seemingly so easy in the first book, meets its first real speedbump in Insurgent, which for some reason made me root for them even more. I feel like Tris and Four are two people who truly understand each other because they are so similar in personality, and that reflects in their relationship struggles, because both of them are stubborn. I feel like we got a lot more insight into the two characters through their interactions with each other, which I appreciated greatly. I just hope that Tris is less whiny and Four more open in the next book, else we will still see the same relationship struggles continue in the future.

We get to delve a lot more deeply into the history of the factions in this book, learning a lot more about the politics going on and the tensions between (and within!) the factions themselves. We also learn a bit more about the factionless. Throughout all of this, once again we learn that what we’ve initially learned about the Divergent world is not at all what it seems. There’s a lot more detail as to how this dystopia became a reality, as Roth divulges to the reader much about the history and origins of factions, and why they have such a tight hold on the contemporary society that Tris and her friends are a part of. All of this information alone is fascinating enough to carry the story through the various slower parts that otherwise I would have found dull.

A wonderful expansion on the world portrayed in Divergent, Insurgent provides the reader with both interesting character development for both Tris and Four, a compelling relationship between the two of them, and the intriguing backstory of how the different factions came into being. All of this, despite some flaws in pacing and character portrayal, serves to make a strong second book in what is sure to be an incredible trilogy.
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