Sunday, November 10, 2013

Allegiant

by Veronica Roth

The Divergent series by Veronica Roth is easily on par with the Hunger Games for me. I almost peed my pants I was so excited could NOT wait to get my hands on the final installment of the series and pre-ordered it from Amazon. Yes, I succumbed to virtual book shopping so that I could have this little gem in my hands ASAP. The book continues to fall Tris and Tobias (AKA Four, man of my dreams) on their quest for freedom and truth in the dystopian society they live in. For a quick recap, you can see my reviews of the first two books here: http://breadofbooks.blogspot.com/2011/06/divergent.html and http://breadofbooks.blogspot.com/2012/05/insurgent.html.

In Allegiant, the factions have been dissolved, but the citizens of Chicago now find themselves slaves to a new tyrant who enforces their "freedom", Tobias' own mother Evelyn. Tobias, Tris, and their friends make their way out of the city to find a surprising new world where they finally learn a truth that will change everything they believe.

So what do I love so much about this book? So many things. Seriously.
1. Tris and Tobias. There is no love triangle in this series. Praise God. They have a solid relationship that faces challenges other than a third person getting in the way.... Instead they have to deal with lying, trust issues, and forgiveness. A lot of this stems from Tris' previous errors in the relationship. "Remember when I teamed up with your abusive father to basically end the world as we know it?" You know, the usual.  However, Tobias brings his own challenges in this book which makes it clear that they have an equal and truly loving relationship.

2. The point of view.  Unlike the first two books which were told solely from Tris' perspective, Allegiant alternates between Tris and Tobias. This switch adds another dimension to the story-telling, and makes the resolution much more poignant.

3. Action.  There are some great action scenes that do not drag on or distract from the story line... instead they add to the storytelling and allow us to see the true nature of our heroes.

4. SPOILER. BIGGEST SPOILER EVER. DO NOT READ THIS SECTION. DANGER, DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!!!!
Are you still reading? Take a breath. Tris dies. YES. I really admire Roth's bravery in killing off the main hero that we have rooted for over the course of three books. Honestly, it seemed like the only fitting ending. Tris finds in herself the courage to face death, even when she has so much to live for, to protect all the people that she loves. Even those that may not deserve it. She is innately good, despite the society that has tried to turn her into something else.  It turns out that she has more Abnegation in her than she maybe even thought. The last several chapters are told only from Tobias' viewpoint, which is especially touching.

Overall, Allegiant is a beautiful, fast reading story of friendship, love, and redemption.... with a little dystopian drama thrown in for good measure. If you're into the Hunger Games or other dystopian fiction, I highly recommend this series. And make sure you start reading the first book before the movie comes out!

No comments:

Post a Comment