Friday 1 November 2013

Review: Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth (Spoiler Free!)

 
Source: Bought/Personal Library
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: Already Released.
Number of Pages: 526 (Hardcover)

Blurb from Goodreads:
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.
I'm pretty sure that I have never felt more conflicted about a book than I feel about Allegiant. Even a week later, my feelings are still a mess, and I still can't quite figure out my feelings or tell you exactly how I felt about it.

I will say that I absolutely loved the first two books in this trilogy, and for the most part, I loved Allegiant, too...except for the end, if it could've ended another way I would have been so much happier. I don't think I will ever fully love Allegiant just because I'm still so crushed by the ending. Yes, I did understand Roth's reasons for heading in the direction that she did, and I did feel like it was true to the characters....but I still felt like it was completely unnecessary because the point that was being made was made without what actually happened happening...yes, I know that is completely convoluted and confusing, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers. Simply put, I felt that events right up until the moment I didn't like made the same point that the event did, that the actions and choices proved the point without something having to happen...all in all, I felt like my hope was raised and then crushed. Essentially, I felt betrayed as a reader, and I definitely didn't feel satisfied....although other parts of the book definitely satisfied me. :)

I'm a huge fan of this series as a whole, but I will say that this is one of those trilogies that really didn't end in a way that I was completely happy with. Allegiant was a lot like the first two books in the series for me...I couldn't put it down, I loved the characters, the action was intense, the chemistry and banter between Tobias and Tris was AMAZING, and the writing was fantastic and captivating. I still love Roth's writing and I am definitely looking forward to more of her work, but I do still feel betrayed by Allegiant, and I'm not sure if that feeling will ever go away. I'm just really sad that Roth chose to end such a fantastic trilogy the way that she did Maybe I'll try rereading the whole trilogy in a row...I'm heard that helps with the influx of conflicting emotions that is Allegiant.

While I wasn't completely happy with how Allegiant ended, I do still love the Divergent trilogy and I won't forget it any time soon! Also, the fact that I was conflicted over the ending will probably make it linger in my mind...and my heart even longer. I did really enjoy reading Allegiant, but that ending will forever keep me from loving it...I just can't. I do still recommend this trilogy though because Veronica Roth is a wonderful writer, her characters are fantastic, and it's one of the best dystopian trilogies that I've ever read...plus, some people really did love the ending of Allegiant...or maybe they're just less sensitive than I am. :P

I tried really hard to keep this review spoiler free, so please no spoilers in the comments...or if you do feel inclined to write something spoilerish, put "SPOILERS" before your comment. Or, you can email/message me! I'm definitely open to talking about this one...I NEED TO GET THE FEELINGS OUT!

AND just to keep you all entertained, here are a few of my reactions while reading Allegiant!

During some of it, I was internally squeeing sooooo much! (Sometimes it was out loud, too. :P)


At one point, I looked like this...and had to stop reading for a bit.


This followed the crying...


And when I finished, I just blinked like this and tried to figure out how I was feeling.


Anyway...have you started the Divergent trilogy yet? 
If you haven't, are you planning on reading it?
And if you have, have you finished Allegiant already?
What did you think? And how did it make you feel (I'm all about the feelings!)?

6 comments:

  1. I didn't love Allegiant for a lot of reasons. The writing felt different and all the twists and turns from the previous book didn't really come together into anything all that interesting. I hate when a series leaves you sad and confused :-(

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  2. Awe, it's too bad that you didn't love it either, Karen! I had already read Veronica's novella's from Tobias' point of view, so for me the writing felt the same, and I actually really enjoyed his POV. I'm guessing it was Tobias' POV that felt different since my friend said the same thing, and I think Tris was a little more mature, but I didn't feel like it felt different...if that makes any sense. haha It was a bit underwhelming for all the buildup that it had, but I was actually okay with how it all turned out. It kind of fit with what my expectations for a world with factions would have. I hate when that happens, too...it's always so much better if you end up loving it like you hoped you would!

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  3. Bahaha, the gifs are great and pretty much sum up my reaction, as well! I do get what Veronica was going for with the ending as well, but it also seemed unnecessary to me. It just didn't make sense... she didn't need to end that way. There were other solutions to their problem if only they had just thought it through... I'm okay with unhappy endings, but only if they make sense and they make a statement. And I don't think this one did.

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    1. haha glad you liked the gifs, Eilidh! ;D Exactly! I got it, too, but I just so don;t agree that she needed it in there...at all. So many other possible solutions! I completely agree. I felt that the statement she tried to make was already made...so her ending was almost redundant in a way. I'm glad I enjoyed it enough to still like the book though, even though I could've done without Roth's choice of ending. I told Megan that I'll just have to turn to fanfic for an ending that leaves me completely satisfied. :P

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    2. There's always fanfic! Maybe an alternative universe fanfic in which they, I don't know, evacuated the city to safety or something instead of Tris needing to do what she did. Because it SO didn't need to happen! Ah oh well. I think we will also be able to relieve the awesomeness of the series with the movie!

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    3. haha exactly what I was thinking!!!! One that pretty much rewrites most of Allegiant or at the very least the ending. :P It definitely didn't! Worst case...if I can't find a satisfying fanfic, I will write one! :P Yup, exactly!! We can pretend to live in denial for a bit. :P

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