Monday, October 28, 2013

Book Report Monday: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Title: Allegiant (Divergent #3)

Author: Veronica Roth

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian

Synopsis: One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

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.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.


(from Goodreads)

My Faction(s): When I first read Divergent, I knew immediately that my friend, Liz, would be in Amity. When she finally read it, she agreed. She'd be dressed in red and yellow, farming and hugging everyone but she asked me where I would be. Given my nerdy passions and love for tattoos it was a draw. At 16, I dreamed of rebelling though I didn't have much to rebel against so I put pink highlights in my hair and tried to look tough or tortured, but usually ended up smiling and ruining the whole thing. 

Since the choosing ceremony is for teenagers, I would have chosen Dauntless. And I probably would have been terrified the whole time. If I had to choose today, I'd go with the Erudite instead. I still feel the pull of the Dauntless crowd, but guarding the fences doesn't appeal to me as a long term occupation. I just want to wear their clothes and keep my tattoos, maybe get some more. Can't I have tattoos and read books all day?

Of course, the point is that one aspect of our personality, no matter how strongly it influences us, is not all we are. No one can be a perfect fit in any faction. I may like the Dauntless style, but I have no desire to throw knives or to be involved in violence. Even my makeup is cruelty free. Similarly, my friend may have been be the poster child of Amity, but she'd object to the use of Peace Serum. Drugging people to accept the peaceful way of life is harm, albeit a nonviolent sort of harm. 

My Spoiler-Free Review: Overall, I liked Allegiant more than Insurgent. The final installment in the series is told from dual perspectives. The chapters flipping between Tris and Tobias. Tobias is an intriguing character with a dark past, impressive determination to overcome his four fears, and I was interested to see what his view would be like. 

After the big reveal at the end of Insurgent, there's plenty of anticipation to see how the information will be handled within the city. The world they've always known full of factions and rules of behavior defined by your faction has been dismantled, the world outside the fence is a mystery. 

Unlike the Hunger Games and other YA Dystopian stories, which leave many questions unanswered about how the world got to be split into Districts, Allegiant covers the history of Tris's world. In the Hunger Games, the cause of the changes between our world and Katniss's remained open to your imagination. I thought it worked because it didn't matter why there are districts or why the population is so much smaller than ours. It could happen, that was all that mattered. es to leave it unanswered. In the same way, it also makes sense for Allegiant to explain what happened as it affects Tris and her story.


Recommendation: Fans of The Hunger Games would probably enjoy this series.

For Next Week: Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

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