Allegiant (Divergent Book #3) by Veronica Roth

Title: Allegiant
Author: Veronica Roth 
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Santa
Age Group: Young Adult
Overall: ♥♥♥♥♥

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

The whole Divergent series is by far my most favourite dystopian series and I really wished it wasn´t over yet. Especially Allegiant touched me deeply and in my opinion it was the perfect ending, but I will explain my reasoning if you read further on.

In Allegiant the world Tris believed to know doesn´t exist anymore. The factions are gone and the city suffers from violence and suppression. Tris wants to flee from this place in order to find out what lies behind the big fence, and she is willing to risk everything in order to get out. But what she discovers is not something she expected and Tris and Tobias are confronted with more lies and a devastating truth.

I came to love a lot of old side characters in the final book. Especially Christina and Uriah were one of my favourites, because they really are true friends for Tris and Tobias.
Tobias, however, makes a few really bad decisions in Allegiant, because he doesn´t know who he is anymore. I could understand his reasoning, but I also found it quite frustrating that he didn´t listen to Tris at all. I don´t know if I had been able to forgive him just like Tris did, but I guess Tobias was punishing himself enough.

The relationship between Tobias and Tris doesn´t get any easier in this book, quite the opposite actually. It even comes to the point where both of them doubt if there is any chance for them to trust each other again. It almost broke my heart, but it was also very refreshing. There is no easy love in Allegiant and there is no insta-love either. So many YA books focus too much on the romance part and it often seems like nothing that happens could make the protagonists loose their feelings towards each other.

This is a true dystopian series in every aspect:

• The world is not perfect, and even the "solution" is not perfect either. It makes sense and that is the most important part. The reader has to realise that in a dystopian series nothing is even slightly perfect.
• No easy love. Relationships are complicated and very emotionally depressing. That is real life. Love is not always about kissing and making out, standing up for each other etc. Sometimes love also means that you hurt the other person deeply and that to forgive is even harder than to forget.
• No HEA. Yes, I guess there is no real HEA in Allegiant. But it was the perfect ending. It was a true dystopian ending. If you think about it, maybe you notice it, too. 

The Yearning Mermaid says: "I think it was perfect. I really loved it, but I can also understand that many people didn´t like it so much. I cried at the end and that is truly a sign that a book managed to move me emotionally. It. Was. Perfect."

Insurgent (Divergent series Book #2) by Veronica Roth

Title: Insurgent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Santa
Age Group: Young Adult
Overall: ♥♥♥♥♥

I have done bad things. I can’t take them back, and they are part of who I am.
Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.

Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever… because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.

I wasn´t swept away by Insurgent in the same way I was while reading Divergent. It was more like a slow love that invaded my heart while I wasn´t looking. The next time I checked I was just as madly in love with the story as I was in the first book. Insurgent is a great sequel and the whole world-building is so thought-through that it surprises me every time I learn something new.

Isurgent begins where Divergent left off. It was super easy to dive into the story again, it was fast-paced and exciting. 
In Insurgent the world Tris has known doesn´t exist anymore. Her parents are dead and she killed one of her best friends while he was under the simulation. Dauntless is split in half. Some are following Jeanine's command, who put them under the simulation in the first place, and others are hiding within the other factions, planning to overthrow Jeanine's power she has over the city.
They must find a strong ally in order to achieve their goal and it seems like the factionless are more than they seem to be and may just be the key to success. Yet, Tris isn´t fully trusting the factionless leader, when everyone else is just so eager to...

So many things happen in Insurgent that I kind of have trouble writing a review. Each page was a surprise and a roller coaster ride in so many ways.
Tris has still trouble coping with the things she has done and the things she has seen and it was so hard to watch her struggle with herself. It was frustrating in some ways, but understandable and that is something only a well developed character can achieve in a reader. I fully understood Tris´ behaviour and it hurt me to see that she had no idea how to deal with the situation she is being faced with. Because of that she acts reckless in many situations, even developing a kind of death wish, which infuriates Tobias and their relationship suffers from distrust, and lying to each other. 

I also believe that this is a truly thought-through world building. With each book we get to know more about the world they live in and slowly learn how this kind of world is possible. I hope that we can expect more answers in Allegiant.

I honestly can´t understand why some people rate this book so low. What are they expecting? This is a dystopian series, which means that things are far from perfect. This book is a brilliant sequel that is good on its own and doesn´t suffer from the typical filler-book-syndrome. 

The Yearning Mermaid says: "A fantastic sequel that is almost as good as the brilliant first book in the Divergent series! This is a must-read for every true dystopian fan!"

• This book is part of my Dystopian Book Challenge!

 

Challenges in 2014

I´m not a really  big fan of reading challenges. I think 2-3 are okay, but more add a certain stress level to my reading schedule. I´ve been through it all and I learned from my failures...
In 2014 I decided to participate in "only" two reading challenges.

The first one is the 2014 Dystopia Reading Challenge hosted by Blog of Erised. I love to read dystopian books and I´m really looking forward to reading a few good ones in 2014.
My goal will be Revolutionist (13-18 books).

Then second is a reading challenge that I just do for myself. I challenge myself to read 80 books in 2014, which is an insanely enormous amount of books if you ask me. 

I´m really excited to see if I can actually meet my expectations...