Allegiant - Veronica Roth

[This is the third book in the Divergent series, so there might be minor spoilers in the summary. If you're interested in starting this series, please feel free to check out my Divergent review or my Insurgent review.]

Allegiant by Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent #3
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: October 22, 2013
Source/Format: Bought || Hardcover

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. (from Goodreads)

Many things come to mind when I think about Allegiant, but what rises to the forefront is, "I can't believe it's over." Ever since I fell in love with Divergent, I have been a solid fan. The way that Roth chose to write her dystopian Chicago, complete with factions, serums and a political set-up that felt both familiar and new, was mind-blowing in its novelty. It was also incredibly easy to love her characters, not just the incredibly brave Tris or the incredibly appealing Four, but also their friends, their allies and yes, even their enemies. Allegiant had big shoes to fill - and I think Roth did a pretty bang-up job.

Roth took a major risk telling the story from two points of view - Tris and Four. This might have worked for some readers, but it unfortunately didn't work for me. Even so, I can understand why she decided to do it. It allowed for another perspective, and gave Four fans a chance to get in his head. 

The problem was that Four, amazing as he is in the previous books, was a bit of a letdown for me in this one. I wasn't overly fond of him after his personality was so exposed. It took me a while to realize that it bothered me that we were only learning these things about him now, and that it felt a little too conveniently used as a plot device in this book. While I will always and forever crush on Four, he just lost a bit of his Four-ness in this book. 

On the other hand, Tris is still amazing. She's been through so much since the beginning of this series, but in spite of that, she's stayed strong, brave and good to her core. I loved her in Allegiant just as fervently as I loved her in Divergent, and it's still quite awe-inspiring to think of where she started then and who she is now. She's a whole lot more than she used to be and it really, really shows.

Allegiant is filled with turmoil and revolution, discovery and revelation. Fans of this series, like me, will keep reading on just to discover how Roth chooses to end it. It's quite the roller coaster ride that she takes us on, I'll admit. I just had to know what would happen to Four and Tris and the entire crew, and Roth delivers quite an ending. While I'm not necessarily 100% sold on it, I do think that it's authentic to the character and an interesting choice.

I can readily admit that while Allegiant is not my favorite of the series. Even so, my reading experience was pretty good. I got to delve into the fantastic dystopian world that Roth created, and revisit the characters that I've fallen in love with. And best of all, I got some closure - even though it was closure that I wasn't expecting. 

If you're a fan of the trilogy, then indulge and read this series ender. And if you haven't read any of the books, do yourself a favor and get started on that! At least you won't have to wait between books like I and so many other fans did.