I’ve tried writing this several times now. But to be honest,
I really don’t know what to feel. I may as well start from the beginning...
About a year ago I first read Divergent and Insurgent.
Fast-paced and intriguing, it tells the story a Tris who makes the choice to
change factions, jumps off buildings, falls in love with a boy of four fears, shoots
guns, reveals government conspiracies and searches for some sort of truth. The
highly anticipated conclusion to this dystopia increased on the release of the
Divergent movie trailer. There was a lot of squeeling when I first saw the book
on the shelves. Literally, squealing and skipping towards it in Target.
Brief combined reviews of Divergent and Insurgent:
In Chicago, the
government is controlled by members of factions. Factions divide the citizens
into groups who have certain mental and moral structures. For instance, members
of Abnegation- Tris’ original faction- dress in grey and are in charge of
helping the city’s homeless as they prize selflessness. There are also other
factions such as of knowledge and bravery. A person’s faction is usually inherited
from their parents however when a person turns 16, an aptitude test reveals to
which one they belong and a choosing ceremony forges their future. Tris’ examination
reveals an anomaly, that she could belong to more than one faction. Tris is Divergent.
Special and dangerous to the government. She commences the Dauntless initiation-
the faction of bravery and dare I say, psychosis- where she meets friends,
enemies, knives, tattoo artists and a cast of terrifying and fascinating
characters. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Tris’ journey
continues in Insurgent as she deals with the aftermath of death, killing,
deception and knowing the truth when you don’t really want to. The concept of
how different characteristics war in us – the good and bad, selfish and
selfless, brave and complacent- is consistent in all three books and makes for
a fantastic message in the finale. If this sounds appealing then please stop
here. You really don’t want to be spoiled on such a fantastic series. When you
read the books, feel free to come back and discuss. Ciao...
Okay. They’re gone.
