Review: Allegiant – Veronica Roth

Posted November 7, 2013 by Andi in Review / 0 Comments

Review: Allegiant – Veronica RothAllegiant by Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent #3
Published by Harper Teen
Published: October 22nd 2013
Buy on Amazon
Add to 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.


Review
2NOTE: Before I get into anything in regards to this book I am stating right now and as clear as day that there will be spoilers in this review. If I could get around it I would but it is basically impossible based on this being a last book in a series and what actually went down in the book. If you do not want to be spoiled I suggest that you stop reading right now, pick up the book, and then come back and see what I have to say.

First things first, Allegiant was by far the best series ending I have ever read. Now with saying this I have to tell you my sentiment is in the minority. People are furious with how this book ended. They feel cheated and they feel used and there is a huge controversy brewing over this. But for me Allegiant was the perfect ending for a series about choices and it really couldn’t have gone any better. It broke my heart, gave me such book anxiety that I was dreaming about the characters(a good Theo James dream never hurt anyone!) and affected me in a way a series never has before. Veronica Roth made a gutsy choice much like3 the choices in the series and I applaud her for that decision.

Allegiant is the final chapter in the story of Tris, Four and company and dystopian Chicago. After the cliffhanger ending that was Insurgent and the death and carnage that was Divergent Allegiant is the story of what is outside the city walls. About what is true and what has been falsified. About how the city came to be what it is today. About the choices we all make. About life and death. Armed with the knowledge that there is life outside the city walls Tris and Four and a few other familiar faces journey away from the tumultuous world where Evelyn(Four’s mother) is a tyrannical leader to an unknown place that is as strange as it is familiar. Integrating themselves into this new society which has no factions but a Bureau and a clear division between what is known as GPs(genetically pure) and GDs(genetically damaged). As lies begin to be uncovered and sides are drawn Tris and Four have to make some hard choices that could affect themselves, their loved ones and 4their relationship forever.

Okay so I’m the first to admit that Allegiant is very heavy with the world building which is completely understandable in this case. Us, as readers, needed a clear picture of just exactly was taking place outside the fence. And even though it is heavy with world building I think Roth did it pretty flawlessly by never using 50 words when 10 could suffice(a pet peeve of mine) and making sure we felt like part of the world, could see all sides of the argument, had a choice on what to believe ourselves. And although it was a lot of information I think it aided in the story as we got to see just what this characters were up against. Simply put, discrimination was happening between the GPs and the GDs and Roth made sure the readers saw that so we understood the choices that Tris and Four had whether we agreed with them or not.

Another part of Allegiant that was different but worked was the use of dual points of views. From the first two books we only got to see Tris perspective, her thoughts on things, her reasoning behind why she was behaving the way she was. Making another tough decision Roth decided to tell Allegiant using5 Four’s voice as well and I have to say I was a little worried about this when I heard the announcement that this would be the set up for Allegiant. But in true Roth fashion she made a believer out of me. From the first time a chapter was from Four’s POV I knew exactly why she had decided to go that route and I embraced it. I was no longer left to wonder what was going on in the sexy, former Dauntless instructors head. I no longer had to wonder if he really had any flaws or doubts or self-esteem issues. It was nice to finally see Four as a broken boy that felt uncertain of his past and of his future and of himself. Up until this point it was hinted at that he didn’t want to be like his father and that was a fear of his, but Allegiant brought it to the surface and showed just how much damage was done emotionally to him by both of his parents.

Allegiant also showed the growth of Tris. In Divergent she was a naive girl just trying to fit in and do what she thought was right. In Insurgent she was a girl that had demons she couldn’t escape and in trying to do so became self-destructive and 6had no thoughts for the others that loved her. But in Allegiant Tris was his powerhouse girl that made tough calls and no longer was a adrenaline junkie. She grew up and was ready to do what was right and to make the choices she had to. Was this damning to her relationship to Four at times, it was, but I also understood where it was coming from. The ups and downs in their relationship, although uncomfortable for me to read, were natural as they made choices the other didn’t agree with, but I never once didn’t feel the love or the connection or their emotional bond. Someone in the book said it best, they were really good for each other.

<MAJOR SPOILER ALERT>
But really, all of my thoughts on the above is nothing compared to what happened in the final 10% of the book that rocked a fan base across the world. A decision that was so gutsy that it left infuriated people in its wake. Roth did the one thing that 8very few authors are will to do. She killed off one of her main characters…she killed off Tris. And you know what, she made the right decision. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, I cried, straight up ugly cry, sobbing for the last 30 minutes of reading this book. My heart was 100% shattered and it ached when I was finished. But I still think one of the most gusty calls was the right call because everything aside it fit right in with everything that we knew about Tris and the Divergent series from the beginning. This series from the get go was about choices. The Choosing Ceremony, picking faction over blood, choosing sides, choosing violence over piece, choosing the city over life outside the fence, choosing to live or die, choosing to leave. Everything was about choices and when it came down to it the biggest choice had to be made by Tris and she did it in a way she never thought fit her. She did it after being told time and time again that she would never have this characteristic. She did it out of pure selflessness and that is why Roth made the right call. Tris was one of the most selfless people in the book and by giving her life, her safety up to save the lives of all of the people that had helped her and touched her and loved her, she did the most selfless thing a person could do. She choose them.

So yes, I know that my opinion is on an island of its own. I know that Allegiant is unfairly being racked through the coals and I9 also know that if people took a minute to think about it and to think of all the pieces that feel into place through the series and the guts it took for Roth to do this to one of her babies, I think you will start to see the magic that is Allegiant. I think you will start to see why this book is my pick for best series ending. You’ll see why I wasn’t disappointed even though it devastated me.  Veronica Roth did something amazing with Allegiant and I will forever be grateful to her for bringing this story and these people into my life. And for having the guts to do it the way she did. Bravo Ms. Roth, bravo!

other1divergentinsurgent

Tags: , , , , ,

Divider

Leave a Reply

(Enter your URL then click here to include a link to one of your blog posts.)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.