Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Genre: Dystopian, Action
Format: Paperback
Published May 1, 2012 by HarperCollins Children's Books
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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.

My Review

This book is the second book in a series. While there are no spoilers for Insurgent (#2), there will probably be spoilers for Divergent (#1).

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

I've been putting off writing this review for too long! I needed plenty of time to digest my thoughts, but it's been long enough. Insurgent is a fabulously fast-paced and action-packed addition to the Divergent trilogy. It begins just seconds after the first book, Divergent, has ended. The blood-pumping action and vivid world building will not disappoint a single reader. There were, however, other things beyond the action and glimpses into the other factions that led me to not enjoy this book as much as the first one.

Tris is a completely different person. While I understand that the horrific and gruesome events at the end of Divergent would affect anyone, Tris has changed by the beginning of the second book. In Insurgent, she's much more impulsive and rash, and more often than not, she's lost the ability to be cool and calculated. It's her extreme death wish that causes turbulence in her relationship with Tobias (Four). He wants her to calm down and think things through and believes her insane selflessness is actually selfish. And I agree. If she had been killed, nearly all hope would be lost! But Tris doesn't think like that when she thinks everything has gone to the dogs. I am by no means implying that this character change isn't believable or written well, I just found it annoying.

The writing in this book is absolutely superb! Veronica Roth manages to weave in so much more world building  than in Divergent, while upping the pace dramatically. The pacing was so quick and intense, it felt like there was a gun pointed to the reader's head. Perhaps that's also why you feel like you can't stop reading! I adored discovering new things about the other factions that we hadn't seen much of before. In Insurgent, Tris visits all of the faction compounds and the reader gets a better sense of what each one is about. Well done, there.

Overall, this book is extremely action-packed. Bullets will fly when you read this book. However, I got distracted at times by Tris not thinking like she used to and acting too impulsively. With that being said, I truly cannot wait to get my hands on the third book (whatever it may be called!). Insurgent ends with a huge bang and will leave everyone gasping for answers straight away. I recommend this book to any action junkie, especially if you like unique dystopias.