Book Review: #Allegiant by @VeronicaRoth (no spoilers!)

 Allegiant is the last book in the NYT bestselling trilogy. Here are my summaries (not reviews!) of the first and second, Divergent and Insurgent.

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.

I tore through Allegiant in a day. Yes, on the day it came out.

And, oh. My. Gosh. They weren’t joking about having an explosive ending. Or explosive fans. Some readers have given the book negative reviews because they didn’t like what happened, a few even resorting to threatening Roth with physical violence.

While I won’t use my keyboard or paintbrush for that extreme of a reaction, I do give it 5 stars.

Your response might depend on what you think Roth’s motive is in writing such an ending. If you believe it’s a reaction to her popularity, then you might not like it. If you believe she has done her darndest to create the best story possible, then you will probably be fine with it. Well, as fine as you can be.

I may or may not have devoured my weight in Ghirardelli triple chocolate brownies to cope.

I re-read the ending a couple times, not just to grab hold of the archetype Roth uses but to revel in the emotional after-effects. They are well-written. Shades of Earth uses the same format to show the depth of emotion characters experience after such an earth-shattering incident.

I don’t want to spoil what’s outside the fence. But the question we confront in this book is: is evil a result of our genetics? Or is humanity inherently evil? And what exactly makes us human?

Heavy subjects scholars have debated for generations.

We see this played out, not only in what’s beyond the fence but inside it. Marcus and Evelyn each represent a side, and their choices for peace and reconciliation or war show maybe there is more to evil than just genetics.

But that evil can be overcome. The last lines of the epilogue are:

We can be mended. We mend each other.

In terms of characters themselves, since I haven’t read any of the shorts from Tobias’ point of view, I really enjoyed his perspective. Before, I never really understood what was so thrilling about him. Now that I’ve been inside his head, he seems much more real to me, and, therefore, more attractive.

I understand his fear of Marcus and what being abused can do to a person. I understand why he loves Tris. Even seeing Tris from an outside perspective has made me understand her better.

And since I understand Tris better, I better understand her decisions in the end.

Check out Veronica Roth’s website here.
Follow @VeronicaRoth on Twitter here.
Like Roth on Facebook here and like Divergent here and like the upcoming movie here.

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