Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Goodreads Summary:

One choice can transform you--or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable--and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

I looked forward to the release of this book from the time I finished book one in the trilogy. Divergent  and Anna Dressed in Blood were my top two YA books released in 2011. So, I had high hopes for Insurgent.

But, I was very disappointed in this book. I expected more because of Divergent, I guess. The first 1/5 of this book was just blah and boring. So much so that I almost gave it up. It did pick up, but it wasn't a book that I was rushing to read every day. I'm actually thinking of giving it 2 stars, but is that really fair to give a book 2 stars because it didn't meet your expectations? In any case, it's no higher than a 3 star read for me. But, the ending did set up a twist that makes you want to read the third book. So, I do plan to finish out the series.

I guess this book is a victim of second book syndrome. The author lacked the time- because book 2 needs to get released the next year- she had on book one. This rushed timetable really shows in a lot of books. I guess either an author will adapt and get used to this publish or perish mentality or quality will eventually suffer to the point where the author is finished. I think as readers we have to learn to be more patient and be willing to wait 2+ years for sequels. After all, there's not shortage of books being released every year.

Overall rating: 3 stars

Genre Rating: 3 stars (imagine a mushroom cloud. Now imagine 3 of them.)

Veronica Roth's blog

Veronica Roth Reading from Insurgent: