Tagged: divergent
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
(Cover picture courtesy of Veronica Roth’s blog.)
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.
New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth’s much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.
Somehow I think I won’t be reading anything by Veronica Roth after reading Insurgent. Tris, who was quite a strong character in Divergent, has turned into a damsel in distress and the explanation for why factions were created was half-assed at best. (I know, I hate swearing too, but there is no other way to describe the ‘explanation’ we are given.)
Tris has, to put it quite plainly, has turned into a wimp. She does not do many proactive things in the course of Insurgent, but seems to react to everything. To be fair, there was not much action in the novel except near the end, so it was hard for her to actually showcase her strength, but still. Tris lets Tobias (Four) boss her around, goes into the Erudite trap despite the fact that going there will kill even more people than if she didn’t and is just as judgmental, if not more, than in Divergent. All Erudites are completely evil, cold, calculating pathetic excuses for human beings, we get it already! At least she begins to change her attitude at the very end, but it’s too late for redemption.
Before I read Insurgent, some people had told me it explained and went more into depth about why the factions were created. And there is an explanation: on the last two pages! It’s a pathetic explanation as well, as if Veronica Roth just shoved it in the end to keep her fans from tearing her to shreds. I still don’t buy the explanation that factions are great things to prevent the moral breakdown of society and that the Divergent are the key (because they’re oh-so-special) to bringing society back to normal. Veronica Roth is completely wrong in assuming that most people can be conveniently placed into 5 basic categories. If the faction system actually occurred, nearly everyone would be Divergent because our personalities are not as simple as Roth would like to pretend.
I wish there had been more reminders of what happened in Divergent because there are so many names and events to remember. But Veronica Roth barely drops any hints and just assumes readers will be able to immediately jump back into the story. There’s a fine line between too much backstory and not enough and Insurgent falls drastically on the latter side. I only read Divergent in July, but had to actually look up the Wikipedia summary to find out who the heck half of the characters were. Despite that, the writing itself was not bad and when there was actually action, there was a great balance between description and dialogue. But a good writing style can’t make up for all the offenses Insurgent was guilty of.
I give this book 2/5 stars.
Divergent by Veronica Roth
(Cover picture courtesy of Veronica Roth’s blog.)
In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
(Summary courtesy of Amazon.)
My feelings about Divergent are pretty mixed for two reasons: One of the themes hits close to home and Veronica Roth perpetuates a terrifyingly common stereotype that has been around for thousands of years. I don’t like bringing my personal life into reviews so I’ll discuss the latter point, which is not mutually exclusive.
I don’t like the portrayal of the Erudites, the group that is devoted to knowledge and learning. The Erudites are the bad guys who are logical to the point of being emotionless and extremely greedy for wanting more progress in society. Meanwhile, Dauntless (except for a few schemers) are portrayed as virtuous and self-sacrificing and Abnegation is humble and does all of the charity work in the city.
Tris is mad at her brother for being good at lying and hiding his intellectual tendencies, even though she should be happy for him. It’s funny how Erudites as a whole are portrayed as the only ruthless, greedy sect that has been corrupted by a thirst for knowledge. All this definitely falls in line with the smart=evil that popular culture seems to think. Apparently if you’re smart, you are an unfeeling robot, even though anyone who has met a truly intelligent person knows that isn’t true. This falls in line with the very religious tone of Divergent because, according to Christianity (to use just one example, although a lot of religions are guilty of this), it was mankind’s thirst for knowledge that led to our banishment from Eden.
The idea of five different factions is interesting, but also pushes at the boundaries of credibility. People don’t fit nearly into 5 (six if you count the factionless) factions, no matter what you do. I know the factions are supposed to be just about the virtue you value the highest, yet in practice they only push that one virtue. There would be a lot of Divergent people if such a society really existed. However, the rest of Veronica Roth’s world-building is basically sound and she does have a unique premise.
Tris is an okay character. She’s brave and when she falls in love it isn’t Insta-Love. Four is an interesting character as well with an intriguing backstory that I would really like to learn more about. The secondary characters are decent enough, but they’re nothing to brag about either. What redeems Divergent, however, is the fast pacing and Veronica Roth’s admittedly addicting writing style. It will be interesting to see where she steers the narrative in Insurgent.
I give this book 3/5 stars.