November Book Club: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Since one of our very first book club selections was Divergent we have always had a special place in our hearts for this trilogy. We reviewed Insurgent last year and decided to round off the trilogy with our November book club.

Tris, Four, and her friends have risked everything and lost much. Now they hold some of the truth and it's only fed their desire to know more. And the answers they want only exist outside. But what they find there will shake them all to the core and raise even more questions about who they are and where they belong. As Tris and Four seek for the truth and try to grapple with how things have changed their perceptions of each other can they fight their way to a happy ending or will everything crumble around them?

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Allegiant was certainly a doozy of a trilogy ender and we've decided to depart from our usual spoiler free reviews because the ending is just too big not to talk about. So if you don't want to be spoiled about the end of the book, then read no further!

Grammy T: The ending was awful! I mean it was good, in that it made sense for her character and for ending the book, but it was just awful. I can't believe it happened. It was an interesting ending to the series.

Jenn N: I thought this was a fantastic but very surprising and shocking conclusion to the trilogy. I loved learning more about the experiment and the aftermath. I often worry that our society's apparent obsession with perfectionism will one day lead to a crazy dystopia like the one Roth has created in this trilogy. So, the horrors Tris and her friends face is terrifyingly possible to me. What really shocked me was - spoiler alert - that Tris dies!! I thought this was a really bold move but true to the realism that I love in this series. Tris sacrificed herself to save her friends, family, and society as a whole. This was an act that was totally true to her Dauntless nature and Abnegation roots.

Rebecca T: This book got off on a bit of a rocky start for me. The writing felt choppier and less polished and things were a little scattered. It did improve as the book progressed and the ending blew me away. I did like learning more about the world and the reasoning behind the factions. As well as learning about the other experiments going on across the country! I wanted more about the reasons behind everything, but I understand that there's only so much that can fit into one book. I thought the choice to alternate between Four and Tris was a good one and it played out fairly well. I just wish the two of them had spent less time fighting and more time together. I felt a little cheated out of their relationship, particularly considering the end. The end. It was actually my favorite part of the book. It was totally true to Tris' personality and the journey she'd gone through to get there. There was literally no other way for her to end. She is not designed to live in this world and her sacrifice, to me, was more fitting than any other ending to the book. I've heard people complain about the book having too many unnecessary deaths, but I thought Roth handled this aspect well, building in the appropriate amount of chaos and destruction to stay true to the turmoil of the society. Overall I was satisfied with this conclusion to the trilogy.

So what did you think? Love it? Hate it? Mixed feelings?

This month we're reading Lauren DeStefano's new book Perfect Ruin for a totally different spin on utopian/dystopian societies. So read along and chime in on our next book club post!

June Book Club: Insurgent by Veronica Roth AND Giveaway!

Our very first book club book was Roth's Divergent, so we were all excited to read the next installment in the series! And, since we got to meet Veronica Roth at BEA we even have an extra copy of Insurgent to give away to a lucky reader!

No spoilers for Insurgent, but read with care if you haven't read Divergent.

After the disastrous aftermath of the Erudite manipulation of the Dauntless in Divergent, Tris, Four, Caleb, and the other survivors have to figure out what is going on, who is really behind the attack and what they can do to move forward in a world that is tumbling around their ears. Tris struggles to get past her guilt for the death of Will and her parents and isn't sure who she can trust. As they meet the leaders of other factions and come face to face with the factionless, Tris has more hard decisions to make as she deals with disquieting revelations and shocking betrayals and figures out exactly what it means to be a divergent.

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Check out Veronica Roth's blog HERE.

Here's what we had to say:

Jenn N: A lot of 2nd novels in planned trilogies are a retread of the 1st entry and set up events for the concluding installment. Fortunately, Insurgent was full of more action and twists than Divergent. Roth definitely didn't suffer from sophomore slump. Insurgent is a fresh story that builds on Divergent. There are a lot of surprises here. Tris is betrayed by someone she loves dearly and her relationship with Tobias is complicated. However, she remarkably puts that all aside to fight for what she believes to be the greater good. The cliffhanger ending is a total "woah" moment that will leave you eagerly anticipating the finale.

NaomiRuth: I hadn't read Divergent when we went and picked up Insurgent at BEA from Veronica Roth, and I was a little bit nervous that I wouldn't like the books, but I loved Divergent and hurried on to read Insurgent, which I am glad to say I loved as well. The world was believable, and I loved learning more about the factions. I really identified with the main character. It was good. I'm excited to read the next one. Woohoo!

Jessica P: I could not put Insurgent down! It was one twist after another - something that I fully enjoy in a book. It was not predictable, as some sequels can be. I really liked the cliffhanger at the end, and I cannot wait for the last installment to be released (though I have a while to wait)!

Eileen: I read Insurgent somewhat expecting a slow moving information filled book typical of the 2nd book in a trilogy. Definitely not the case. It was as fast paced and original as Divergent. I also loved that it picked up right where Divergent left off. The real life feeling of Tris and Four's relationship was also one of my favorite parts of this book. I will not give away the ending, but it was also exciting and I can't wait for the next book!

Rebecca T: I too was pleasantly surprised with this book. It was a completely new story rather than a rehashing of things we learned in Divergent. The world building continued and the pacing of this is done really well through both of the books. I loved that Tris didn't suddenly become some mindless girl zombie who followed her boyfriend no matter what. She and Tobias did not agree. A lot. But she stuck to what she believed was right even when that meant that her relationship with Four suffered as a result. The intrigue was built well and at one point I literally screamed at the book. I think I liked this one even more than the first and eagerly anticipate the third.

Want your own copy of the book? Fill out the form here and leave us a comment telling us what you thought about Divergent or Insurgent or if there's another good book you've read lately!
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For next month we're branching out of YA again and reading Terry Pratchett's Wee Free Men at the earnest request of NaomiRuth.