Insurgent (Divergent, #2) in Read by Theme

Sep 26, 2012 Sapir rated it it was amazing

Shelves: teams-challenge-ii-2013

WOW!!!!! This was so good. I am so glad I already own Allegiant because I wouldn't have survived this insane cliffhanger otherwise.

You've got to read this series, people!!! The hype isn't for nothing. ...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Rachel rated it it was amazing

It's not very often a book surprises me. This one had such an amazing twist at the end. I think I may have liked it better than the first book. ...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Marie-Claude aka MC rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: seriesaholic, ya-na-addict, dystopia-craziness

Where do I begin with this review. Wow. I guess that is the first word that came to my mind once I finished readind Insurgent. I can easily say that I liked this book MUCH better than it's predecessor, Divergent. I wasn't a big fan of Divergent, there was something missing from it and it kinda fell flat for me. Perhaps my expectations were too high, I am not sure. But one thing that I am sure of is that Insurgent was definitely better. In every single way.

One of the first thing I thought when I Where do I begin with this review. Wow. I guess that is the first word that came to my mind once I finished readind Insurgent. I can easily say that I liked this book MUCH better than it's predecessor, Divergent. I wasn't a big fan of Divergent, there was something missing from it and it kinda fell flat for me. Perhaps my expectations were too high, I am not sure. But one thing that I am sure of is that Insurgent was definitely better. In every single way.

One of the first thing I thought when I started reading it was that the author really did a wonderful job at getting into the action. Seriously though, she did not waste any time to get this book started. As soon as it started, I knew I was in for a ride. I hate when authors write a sequel to a series and feel the need to repeat stuff over and over again. I mean, if I'm reading book 2 of a series, chances are that I already know what happened in book 1. There really isn't need to repeat it all. Roth didn't do that. She really jumped right into it, no messing around. Love it. The story had lots of unexpected twists. And the ending. I mean, wowzer. It couldn't have a better ending. I really like where this series is going, and I really can not wait to read what comes up next.

On another note, I thought that we were able to learn about the characters on such a deeper level than we did in book 1. I loved how the author managed to keep me at the edge of my seat the entire time. I read this book so quickly, I really didn't want to put it down. And I'm starting to appreciate Tris more and more. Oh and one of the thing I enjoyed the most in this book was her relationship with Tobias. Why do I like their relationship that much?! Because they fight! It isn't perfect, like any relationship, and I feel that in most YA books, every single relationship the characters have with each other is always so perfect. They never fight, they're always all over eachother, always crazy for one another but they never disagree on anything. Seems like authors are afraid to give a realistic portrait of a relationship and it pisses me off sometimes. In Insurgent, Tris & Tobias don't agree on everything. As a matter of fact, they barely agree on anything at all. It made their relationship that much more interesting in my eyes. It felt real, with no sugar coating.

I was about to give this book a 4 stars. But when I was writing my review, I was trying to think of something negative to say about this book. And I couldn't. I have no dislikes whatsoever about it. So I just had to bump my rating to a 5 stars.

All in all, I think this series is growing on me. The first book didn't quite reach my expectations, but Insurgent exceeded them. And I am glad it did. If, like me, you weren't a fan of the first book, and decided not to continue with this series, I strongly recommend that you give it another try. Insurgent might surprises you, just like it surprised me! =)
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Apr 26, 2013 Rachel rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed, 3-stars, movie-watched, 2016

Perhaps I shouldn't have but I watched the movie adaptation of this novel with my flatmate earlier this year before I read the book, and they are so different! I actually much prefer the movie, I prefer the characters of Tris and Tobias, and I prefer the way the plot is told. The only the element I preferred in the book was some of the extra characters that we don't see in the movie, especially the one's that Tris is friends with in the Dauntless faction especially. Characters like Lynn and Zeke Perhaps I shouldn't have but I watched the movie adaptation of this novel with my flatmate earlier this year before I read the book, and they are so different! I actually much prefer the movie, I prefer the characters of Tris and Tobias, and I prefer the way the plot is told. The only the element I preferred in the book was some of the extra characters that we don't see in the movie, especially the one's that Tris is friends with in the Dauntless faction especially. Characters like Lynn and Zeke who (if I remember the movie correctly) don't feature, or at least not very prominently. I liked these characters, and I liked the insights we got into other minor characters' backgrounds, like their families and siblings.
This novel is again told through Tris' point of view, and this was one of my main problems with the novel, Tris is a dislikeable narrator. Her voice irritated me, and this did sour my reading of the novel. On another point I had no idea that she was only 16, I presumed she was older, she doesn't really speak or act like a 16 year old at all! Her reckless behaviour and her keeping things from Tobias just to give the novel some drama was really irritating, I hate it when a couple in YA can't just tell each other things, and the excuse "I did it to protect them" drives me crazy!!!
I quite liked Tobias in this novel, I thought the struggle within him about his parents was very interesting to read about, and the element with his new fear added to my idea of his character, and gave us a better insight into him.
I did like how grief was depicted in this novel, Roth has a nice way of writing emotions and getting across how a character feels at a particular time. Tris' grief over certain characters deaths was well handled by the author, the way that grief affected her felt real and seemed realistic to how both she would react, and how many others would react too.
This is a very action packed sequel, which is good because it didn't feel like it was a filler book being used to set up plot points for the third book, it felt like a good book that could stand up on its own. The plot was fast paced throughout, this made the book a very quick read, and also left us with a nice cliff hanger for the last book in the series.
However I was disappointed with how Roth dealt with explaining the world she had created to the readers. I still have loads of unanswered questions and very little grasp of how the city came to be split into factions, and no idea how the rest of the world is set up. Perhaps these things will be explained in the third book, but I normally prefer to have some of my questions answered by the end of the second novel in a trilogy.
Overall I gave this novel 3/5 stars, I thought it was an ok sequel, but I was a little disappointed by certain elements of the novel. I will be reading the last novel in this series, however, and I will be posting a review in the coming weeks! ...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Amy rated it liked it

Not as good as the first, which wasn't a five star either. The ending should have been different. I felt like the author brought me along for a very meaningful ride just to call it a day and go get ice cream when she was wrapping the whole thing up. I would have thrown in one more twist at the end. Don't get me wrong, I would still recommend these books. Roth does a very nice job of describing and transporting the reader into this dystopian world. Read it for the artfulness alone if nothing else ...more

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May 08, 2013 Samiha added it

Shelves: dystopia

I liked this! The beginning was a bit wishy-washy and at times I was like "what's really going on?" but it built up and I got curious. I liked Tobias and Tris a lot more in this book- there was good emotional development and it was good to see their barriers break down. If they continued with the whole "I'm dauntless, I'm brave, I don't show emotion" notion I would have slapped the book.
And that ending, oooh! Will read the third one. ...more

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