Teen Book Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Title: Insurgent
Author: Veronica Roth
Reviewer: Kinsey Manchester
Rating: 5/5 stars

In the sequel to the dystopian thriller, Divergent, Veronica Roth mesmerizes and captivates her reader once again with Insurgent. Tris Prior returns back in action in her warring world. The faction that she abandoned, named the Abnegation (selfless), has been attacked by her new faction, the Dauntless (courageous). The Dauntless, however, were under the influence of a simulation caused by the Erudite (intelligence). Now, three of the five factions are in a war. After Tris barely made it out of the conflict alive, she, her brother Caleb, and her boyfriend Tobias, are on the run to Amity, the peaceful faction. Here they seek refuge and safety for the time being. However, once Tris reaches the Amity, she realizes nothing is quite the same. Suffering from extreme guilt and grief over the loss of her parents, Tris barely hangs on with the help of Tobias. Secrets unravel, relationships change, and nothing is quite the same as it used to be. As Tris faces loss and death at every turn, she comes to terms with herself and what she is- Divergent. In the past, people have told her to fear being Divergent and that being Divergent is dangerous. However, as violence looms, Tris must fully embrace all parts of herself in order to save those she loves. What she doesn’t realize is what she might have to give up in order to do so.

In this book, Veronica Roth picks up right where she left off. While this is nice, if you haven’t read Divergent recently, I would recommend skimming over it. Otherwise, you may forget what’s going on, as I did when I first opened Insurgent. However, the fast paced beginning and the action from the start sets the tone for the whole novel. I absolutely love the fast pace and how quickly everything develops. I think that the author is very good at plot development. I have an idea as to what might happen next, but there is always a twist. As a reader, I love to be surprised and I think that she does that very nicely. Tris is a strong, stubborn, and relatable character. I often put myself in her shoes and picture doing the things that she does. What makes that so easy is the author’s effortless way of tying descriptions into actions. Some authors do not do a good job painting a scene without getting boring, but Veronica Roth puts in little details here and there that make it easy to know what she’s talking about. This book was excellent, and I recommend it to anyone who has read Divergent and enjoyed it. If you haven’t read either of these books, then you are missing out. If you like dystopian novels, action, romance, and adventure, then these books will soon have you captivated. When I reached the ending of this book, I was already looking online to see when the next one would be released. All I can say is that it is way too far in the future for my liking. 5/5 stars!