Book #74 Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

Wow. Wow. Wow.
This book was amazing, the series was amazing. So glad I read it. I was very excited when I read Divergent and that excitement carried over into Insurgent and then to Allegiant. Overall I did not have one complaint about the Divergent series.

**Major spoilers**
Allegiant was action packed all the way through and so much was revealed it made my head spin. Okay maybe with all that happens in Allegiant it really could have been spaced out over two books but still.  I did not see the bombshell of the city being a government controlled testing ground coming. I had no clue what was going on in the outside world but that caught me off guard (I do wonder what is taking place in the rest of the world while the U.S. is being run that way though). I know lots of people complained about the ending but even though I was shocked and cried like a baby over Tris' death it worked and it worked well.

So many couples in YA books survive these great catastrophes together and I am not saying Tris should have died to break the mold but it makes sense. Not everyone can survive these great missions and impossible odds. Trust me I wanted the happy ending too and I still tear up when I think of Tris dying. I am glad the story didn't stop there though and we got to see what life after the fact was like for Tobias. That part where he is talking about wanting to look at Caleb because he is so hungry for just one last glimpse of Tris... heartbreaking.

If you haven't read what Veronica Roth said about the ending herself, you should. I think it really helps shed some light on why Tris died:
On the ending of Allegiant

Trailer for the movie, which looks great and Theo James makes one good looking Four:
Official Divergent Trailer

Quote:
“There are so many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved, for the sake of something greater.

But sometimes it doesn't.

Sometimes it is nothing more than gritting your teeth through pain, and the work of every day, the slow walk toward a better life.

That is the sort of bravery I must have now.”

Book #49 week #38, Divergent by Veronica Roth

Now here is a book I was really looking forward to! Apparently there is a movie deal in the works. As with my new format expect spoilers read on at your own risk!

Divergent is the story of sixteen year old Beatrice (Tris). In what use to be Chicago, the citizens are divided into factions. Tris belongs to the Abnegation faction which means selfless, they are the people that always put others first. At sixteen each person is given a mental test to see what faction is right for them and the following day they can choose to stay with their faction or leave their families and move to a different faction.  Tris' test results are inconclusive and she is unofficially labeled as Divergent and told by her instructor to tell no one. She chooses to convert to the Dauntless faction (bravery).

Once in her new faction all pledges, if you will, are required to compete against each other for a spot in the Dauntless community. Needless to say Tris makes the cut but not without threats to her life from the other pledges. During the competition stage Tris and her instructor Four fall in love with each other. After the competition it becomes apparent that the knowledge faction is working in conjunction with the leaders of the Dauntless faction to declare war on the Abnegation faction (they control the government). They are doing this by way of injecting the Dauntless citizens with a serum that allows the person to be mind controlled.  This is where the Divergent come in, something is different in their brains that does not allow the mind control to take place.

I loved this book! I loved that Tris is sensitive, selfless and selfish, brave and scared. I really love Four, he is very smart and brave of course but also mysterious with good reason to be. I thought the story flowed very well and for a YA book the author wasn't afraid to kill off characters and didn't gloss over the violence. It was so sad when Al died and also Tris' parents. Overall I felt this book was about discovering oneself. Who we really are and what we are capable of.  I can't wait to get my hands on book two; Insurgent.

Quote:
“Somewhere inside me is a merciful, forgiving person. Somewhere there is a girl who tries to understand what people are going through, who accepts that people do evil things and that desperation leads them to darker places than they ever imagined. I swear she exists, and she hurts for the repentant boy I see in front of me.

But if I saw her, I wouldn't recognize her.”