Review: Insurgent

Title: Insurgent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins

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Synopsis from book:

"One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so."

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I got on the bandwagon for this series late. Perhaps it is because I have friends reading it. Perhaps it is due to the movie coming out.....all I know was that I decided to take it up. I began with Divergent and now, I have finished the second book, Insurgent. Dystopian series are all the rage in literature right now, especially among the teen sector.We cannot keep them on the library shelves (although summer could have something to do with that) and they are also the common theme among recently ordered ones. However, most of them are subpar at best. Very few, I believe, are written well and worth reading. For all of its controversies, I personally believe that "The Hunger Games" belongs in this latter group and now, I feel the same way about the "Divergent Series." 

Both series are extremely well thought out and have entertaining plots. They have deeper characters as opposed to superficial ones. Each character is complex; some do not seem completely bad and those who are the "heroes" have their failings. Characters are identifiable--in fact, a dear friend claims that she has a lot of Tris's characteristics in herself. I personally like a book where you see an element of yourself in someone, even if it isn't in the greatest of ways. In this series, you cannot ever be completely sure who to believe and trust.

I will be upfront with you: Insurgent is a complex book to review. I can't start giving plot points away nor I can jump right in where the story takes place. It's confusing; you could not read a book out of order. If I started with a traditional review or intro, nothing I would say would make sense. At times in Insurgent, the reader struggles to remember certain people (as there are a LOT of people involved--people who "disappear" for several chapters only to have them come back), for the most part, it is an easy-ish read. 

If there is controversy about this one, I can guarantee you it has to do with the premise behind the book. One faction of people is trying to control others by means of stimulation; they want to take over. This stimulation deadens those under it so they do not know what they are doing. They kill in cold blood and with no remorse--though, I must add, it isn't because they chose to murder. The serums for stimulation are gained through less than desirable means. Torture if necessary. There is no easy way around the topic; it is a tough one to read about. So for that, I definitely would advise it to be more of a teen read--or read by someone with a certain maturity. Nothing is written in an overtly graphic way. Still, I think it to be too intense for some readers. And it certainly will not be everyone's cup of tea.

Though this is a book review site, I would be remiss if I didn't mention it was being made into a movie. (Or rather, Divergent is). I'll just say it flat out: I believe the casting choices to be abysmal, especially casting the role of "Four"--the hero of the story. A lot of times, the casting you do in your head is better than what is portrayed on the screen. And in this case....I do not picture the guy who plays Pamuk (Yes, the guy who dies in Lady Mary's bed on Downton Abbey) to be in the movie. Too old!!!! So now we shall play a game?If you have read this book....who do YOU think should be cast?

To sum it up, I enjoy this series immensely, but like I have already stated, it is not for everyone. But for those who it IS--it is a page turner. And I enjoy page turners....don't you?