Book #43: Insurgent, by Veronica Roth
May. 31st, 2012 12:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
grav_ityWhen I read DIVERGENT last year, I was impressed, but I was not blown away. I think it might have been oversold to me by my coworkers. I do remember getting to the end and thinking "Well, that was really solid. And I am REALLY KIND OF SUPER PUMPED for book two." And then book two came out.
There's a thing with Middle Books. Sometimes you get THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Sometimes you get Back to the Future II (not that there's anything wrong with a creative re-telling of the first story...I just like to mix it up). INSURGENT is firmly, FIRMLY, in the EMPIRE STRIKES BACK category: all action, no filler, not quite enough kissing, RIDICULOUS ENDING.
OMG, THIS BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK. Watching Tris deal with all her PTSD and the decaying system was just fantastic. Sometimes first person makes the story feel a bit on the hollow side because we're missing important details that have to be said in dialogue, but Roth managed to keep everything totally natural, and used the POV to extreme advantage to really highlight what was going on in Tris's head. I was very impressed. Her relationship with Four/Tobias did start to frustrate me because he just didn't listen, but then she told him WITH ALL THE WORDS and it was beautiful and he came through.
(I am trying really hard to do this without spoilers. It is VERY HARD.)
I think what's killing me the most about the book is how WELL it was executed. There were so many plot points, so many twists, and they all came together PERFECTLY. Like when Therese asks for Uri's gun, and I was all "But she HAS a gun!" and then IT BECAME IMPORTANT. And that's just one example.
As with DIVERGENT, I am very impressed by Roth's ability to write a super famous block-buster dystopic future where her faith is central to the plot. ROCK ON! :)
(ARGH, DOING THIS WITHOUT SPOILERS IS HAAAAAAARRRRD. Time for a numbered list!)
1. Christina. CHRISTINA. OMG, CHRISTINA!
2. TRIS IS AWESOME AND I LOVE HER AND SHE USES HER BRAIN AND A GUN AND SOMETIMES SHE KISSES PEOPLE.
2a. If not for Tris's awesomeness, I think I would have been more disturbed by the creepy drugs in this story.
3. Four learned.
4. THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THE AIR THAT NIGHT, THE STARS WERE BRIGHT, FERNANDO!
4a. Seriously. That song is going to be in my head all afternoon.
5. The descriptions of the simulations and battles were really clear to me. I had so much trouble with Mockingjay (and ABOVE, for that matter), but I could SEE this, and it was COOL.
6. UGH, THE ENDING! I AM SO IMPRESSED.
7. This book is a very pretty colour.
8. Covergent? Is that a word? ARE WE TAKING BETS?
8a. One choice can define you and One choice can destroy you and WHAT ELSE STARTS WITH "DE"?
8b. This should not get me so wound up, but WORDS, I tell you. I love them.
9. UGH, AMITY! YOU ARE SO AWESOME! AND SO UNEXPECTED.
10. I AM TOO EXCITED FOR NUMBER TEN!
I'm leaving out a lot, obviously. BECAUSE OF SPOILERS. You should totally read the book. I'll just stop now.
9.5/10 for surpassing book one, for Tris being BEYOND AMAZING, for Christina and Cara and Johanna and Evelyn and Edith, for being action packed and driven, for great voice and for that scene at the end of chapter thirty-three. :)
*begins countdown to Book III*
There's a thing with Middle Books. Sometimes you get THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Sometimes you get Back to the Future II (not that there's anything wrong with a creative re-telling of the first story...I just like to mix it up). INSURGENT is firmly, FIRMLY, in the EMPIRE STRIKES BACK category: all action, no filler, not quite enough kissing, RIDICULOUS ENDING.
OMG, THIS BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK. Watching Tris deal with all her PTSD and the decaying system was just fantastic. Sometimes first person makes the story feel a bit on the hollow side because we're missing important details that have to be said in dialogue, but Roth managed to keep everything totally natural, and used the POV to extreme advantage to really highlight what was going on in Tris's head. I was very impressed. Her relationship with Four/Tobias did start to frustrate me because he just didn't listen, but then she told him WITH ALL THE WORDS and it was beautiful and he came through.
(I am trying really hard to do this without spoilers. It is VERY HARD.)
I think what's killing me the most about the book is how WELL it was executed. There were so many plot points, so many twists, and they all came together PERFECTLY. Like when Therese asks for Uri's gun, and I was all "But she HAS a gun!" and then IT BECAME IMPORTANT. And that's just one example.
As with DIVERGENT, I am very impressed by Roth's ability to write a super famous block-buster dystopic future where her faith is central to the plot. ROCK ON! :)
(ARGH, DOING THIS WITHOUT SPOILERS IS HAAAAAAARRRRD. Time for a numbered list!)
1. Christina. CHRISTINA. OMG, CHRISTINA!
2. TRIS IS AWESOME AND I LOVE HER AND SHE USES HER BRAIN AND A GUN AND SOMETIMES SHE KISSES PEOPLE.
2a. If not for Tris's awesomeness, I think I would have been more disturbed by the creepy drugs in this story.
3. Four learned.
4. THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THE AIR THAT NIGHT, THE STARS WERE BRIGHT, FERNANDO!
4a. Seriously. That song is going to be in my head all afternoon.
5. The descriptions of the simulations and battles were really clear to me. I had so much trouble with Mockingjay (and ABOVE, for that matter), but I could SEE this, and it was COOL.
6. UGH, THE ENDING! I AM SO IMPRESSED.
7. This book is a very pretty colour.
8. Covergent? Is that a word? ARE WE TAKING BETS?
8a. One choice can define you and One choice can destroy you and WHAT ELSE STARTS WITH "DE"?
8b. This should not get me so wound up, but WORDS, I tell you. I love them.
9. UGH, AMITY! YOU ARE SO AWESOME! AND SO UNEXPECTED.
10. I AM TOO EXCITED FOR NUMBER TEN!
I'm leaving out a lot, obviously. BECAUSE OF SPOILERS. You should totally read the book. I'll just stop now.
9.5/10 for surpassing book one, for Tris being BEYOND AMAZING, for Christina and Cara and Johanna and Evelyn and Edith, for being action packed and driven, for great voice and for that scene at the end of chapter thirty-three. :)
*begins countdown to Book III*
