Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent #2
Published by Harper Teen on May 1, 2012
Genres: Dystopian
Pages: 525
Format: Hardcover
Source: Gifted
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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.

Honestly I don’t know what to say about Insurgent.  If you’ve read Divergent you know how awesome Veronica Roth’s writing is and I highly doubt I need to convince you to get a copy of Insurgent.  And if you haven’t read Divergent, you shouldn’t be reading this review. So instead of a typical review I’ll just give you a run-down of why Insurgent is freaking fantastic.

First, the relationships.  All the relationships from Divergent really change and expand in Insurgent.  Of course there is Tris and Four but that is not all.  Tris’ relationship with her brother, Caleb, changes quite a bit in Insurgent.  The loss of their parents really tests them and Tris isn’t the only one hiding things.  The relationship between all the remaining non-traitor Dauntless is also very different.  Everyone is unwilling to trust each other and most of the time they are at each other’s throats.  However some new romances bloom in the aftermath of the simulation war and they are very sweet.  Veronica Roth focused quite a bit on the relationships in this book and I really feel like I know the characters a whole lot better now.

Second, the romance.  Did you really think I wouldn’t mention the romance between Tris and Four?  Come on, now.  Those two are not the perfect couple but they are real.  They argue, they do stupid things, but at the end of the day, they love each other.  No matter what, it’s clear how much they care for one another. And it doesn’t hurt that Four is sexy and kind of mysterious.  =)

Third, Tris.  Tris is so not the same girl as she was in Divergent.  She’s harder and changed by grief and yet she is still a heroine you can’t help but root for.  She’s so emotional and my heart broke for her.  Yet she still managed to be strong, brave, smart, and selfless.  She always went above and beyond what was expected of her and she was 100% awesome.

Lastly, the plot. Holy crap was this book unputdownable.  There is non-stop intrigue, betrayal, and action.  It takes no time at all to get sucked back into the work Veronica Roth created and you will be so disappointed when it’s over because there’s a super long wait for the next book!

Overall, Insurgent definitely does not fit the mold of sequels that fall flat.  It measures up to the awesomeness of Divergent and readers will love it.

Looking for more reviews of Insurgent?
The Sweet Bookshelf’s review
For What It’s Worth’s review