10/28/13: Allegiant: Oh gods.

*spoilers: be warned* 
Allegiant

Author: Veronica Roth

Genre: Dystopian, Romance, Female lead

Goodreads Blurb: 

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.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Published/ing: Harper Collins October 22, 2013

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: 

I was hesitant to write this review. This book was quite interesting.

Before we start, this a spoiler filled review. You have been warned.

I think I am going to do this review the same as I do most the others so we'll start with characters.

Character Development:

I actually felt that this was not Veronica's strong suit.

We do get to see our main characters, especially Tris, really develop throughout the series. But I was kind of let down to see that we didn't really get to see any of the other, extremely important side characters develop.
I did enjoy seeing Tris grow to her full potential and become someone, I feel, people can look up to.

I also thought it was interesting seeing Tobias become more human. He reacted to his imperfections and developed insecurities. He made a mistake. He felt ashamed. He felt heartbreak. And I don't believe we see that to often with strong male characters like Tobias. I'm glad Roth took the time to develop Tobias in that way.

I'd also like to talk about Evelyn and how she CHOSE HER SON OVER POWER AND HOW THAT WAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL MOMENT. We get to see a character we thought was a villain also develop a human (motherly) side.

Let's also mention the side character, Amar.
We didn't really know too much about this guy until he rose from the dead.
We get to see him as a sweet, strong, caring guy (although a little oblivious) throughout Allegiant in subtle ways. At the end, Veronica does reveal that he is gay and he was in love with Tobias at one point, but, unlike Rick's revealing, I didn't think it mattered that much. It didn't change anything necessarily. But I like that authors, especially middle grade/young adult authors, because it is showing kids and teenagers that it is OKAY to be whatever you want to be. These authors are making sure that homosexual relationships aren't going to be considered "adult material". And I adore that. Three cheers for Rick and Veronica!

Plot:

Oh goodness. I did not know what to think about this book.

I liked that it was fast paced right at the beginning. The factionless are rebelling and Tobias and Tris are conflicted and Evelyn is leading and all that jazz.

And then we get outside the fence.

And boom. The world.

I liked how Veronica developed the outside world. Genetic warfare. That's a new one. And an interesting one. She really took the time to develop it and do her research. And I liked that.

The whole middle of the story was a little--angsty--for me. There was a lot of inner conflict. It was good at first; necessary. But as it drawled on, I felt there needed to be a little more action.

Now the ending. I know a lot of people were really pissed off about this ending. I was extremely depressed afterwards. But some people went to the length and said it was weak. That's a lie.

Veronica took a big step killing off her main character. Not many authors would take that step. But I liked how it ended (besides the whole death part). It ended with a whimper, not a bang. The battle was won. But the war was raging on. Tobias and Christina and everybody else have wounds but you know they will keep fighting.

I think the ending was satisfying because it was realistic. And when you read books that are futuristic and fantasy and romantic, you need a bit of realism. 

Future News:
The Divergent movie will come out March 21, 2014.

I only have a few more posts before I start my NaNoWriMo adventure! Have a great week!
~Monty