Review of Insurgent

     Usually I do summaries and reviews together because that makes sense so you know what I'm talking about but since I did an extensive summary in the last book I feel repeating would be a waste of time. So if you want a lead into or refresher on Insurgent, go ahead and read my last post.

     Now that I have that out of the way I can start my review. This book has lots of similarities to the first book to the way it's written and the structure with some plot too. Although as I stressed in my last review of Divergent I told you about how much annoying romance there was and how I didn't enjoy it. Just to give you an idea of the romance level I will give a quick sneak peek, "He [Tobias] kisses me back. His hands start on my cheek, and then brushes over my side, fitting to the bend in my waist, curving over my hip, sliding to my bare leg, making me shiver. I press closer to him and wrap my leg around him. My head buzzes with nervousness, but the rest of me seems to know what it's doing, because it all pulses to the same rhythm, all wants the same thing: to escape itself, and become part of him instead." Now if you don't think that is somewhat romantic then you might want to read it again. This scenario happens through the book all the time and has really been annoying rather than cute or well placed. I do know this is bias because I'm a guy and that's not what I'm looking for in a book but then again this is my review so if you don't agree put it in a comment or write your own blog post.

     If I ignore the romance I liked the book a lot and read it in about a week, I don't like reading at all and this was a great accomplishment for me. I don't usually pump out 500 page plus books in a week so I enjoyed the story and how fast I could read it with comprehension of what's going on. This should tell you how much I liked the book. This book was one full of mysteries and bound of twists. The minute you thought you knew something was going to happen something completely different happens and it was fun. I like books where I have to solve some of the pieces not just looked at the finished puzzle. The author makes you see multiple points of views and motives of people that fueled the conflict and made Tris want to go on this wild journey. I just want to say if you like twists and enjoy books with complicated plots then this book is perfect.

     My final thing I have to say about the book is Roth's ability to make ever character you meet mean something in the outcome of events, even ones you forgot about from Divergent. I also remember and realize that if you pay close attention to what Roth says then you can predict most of what happens in the future. This reminds me of Scooby-Doo and how one person they met always ended up the criminal. I like a book that can do this with actual twists and not make it too easy to predict. I hope that if you enjoy books like this than you will give this series a try.

Summary of Insurgent 2/3 of the Way Through

     So far what has happened in Insurgent is Tris, Tobias, and abnegation members have been using the Amity campus as a refuge from the Erudite. The Amity are a faction and so far have been neutral for the war between Erudite and Abnegation. Marcus has been working using his political influence to persuade the Amity to help the Abnegation cause but Amity wanting peace are stubborn to join. Tris a curious person has been lurking around the Amity compound and stumbled onto Marcus the only leader left of the Abnegation talking to the Amity leader. Marcus talked about how the Abnegation were hiding secret and powerful information that Jeanine wanted to know since she loves information and was suspiciously dangerous. Once Jeanine found out the information she wanted all the people who also knew the information to die which is why she planned the attack on the Abnegation in the last book. Tris curious of the information tries to convince Tobias; boyfriend and son of Marcus to help her find the secret information but Tobias thinks to bias and decides not to help her and calls the idea crazy.

     While Tris is once again snooping around the compound she hears cars which are only driven by the Erudite. Tris in panic decides to warn the other refugees and tells them to leave. They all decide its too late and decide to hide from the Erudite by blending in. When the Erudite start to catch on they make a run for it and some of the Abnegation died but the main characters survived. Not to give some spoilers I won't tell you which characters did in fact die. The refugees then search for a sanctuary and decided that the factionless could help, this decision was a little biased because they had guns to their heads. The factionless bring the refugees to the factionless headquarters. They are told that they can stay and the other Abnegation are in the Abnegation headquarters again and some of the Abnegation leave to find their former faction. The Factionless also told the Dauntless refugees that the faction has divided into halves, some with the Erudite and some with the Candor. The group of Dauntless refugees in the factionless and with Tris. When they get to Candor they are surrounded by Dauntless soldiers, the soldiers capture and arrest Tris and Tobias only under the charges of treason. They must go under trial for there part in the serum in the last part.While taking the trial they must reveal secrets and personal layers that will help the Candor people to show they are telling the truth. How much can Tris reveal? Will she cause conflict and outbursts with the secrets she knows, only time can tell?

Halfway Through Insurgent

     So far I'm halfway through Insurgent and I have enjoyed the book. The author Roth has made Tris traumatized of holding a gun now, since she killed a good friend. This and her nightmares about the day of the attack has made Tris have erratic and unstable behavior. Tris has been pushed to the brink with thoughts of suicide and insanity. One thing has always kept her from turning though; her parents dying for her. When Tris threatens suicide she starts thinking and stops herself, "I lean forward, into the air, holding onto the window with one hand. Another few inches and my weight would pull me to the ground. I would not be able to stop it. But I can't do it. My parents lost their lives out of love for me. Losing mine for no good reason would be a terrible way to repay them for that sacrifice, no matter what I've done." This is in the thoughts of Tris who has a lot on her plate like most girls and is having problems with everyone. I think this moment will help Tris latter in the book because I feel she will have to shoot someone and will remember this to shoot the person.

     Tris and the people against the Erudite reign of Tyranny are creating a master plan using the divergent to help them achieve their goal. In the book it talks about the leader of the Factionless, Tobias's Mother is watching and marking the Divergent population. I have some predictions about the reason she is finding the Divergent. One of my predictions is that Tobias's Mother know that the Erudite will poison the  enemies and she wants to know how many people she has to fight against the serum. Another prediction is that she wants to know so she can turn in the Divergent for the other people's safety. I am not sure if I quite trust Tobias's Mother yet but I hope she turns out to be a person who wants to stop the Erudite. I think Tris needs all the support she can get from everyone because she is going through a rough time but she can fix it if more people rally under her.

Relationship Between Tris and Tobias

     The most important relationship for Tris the main character in the book Insurgent is the one with her boyfriend Tobias. In this book so far, both characters have witheld information from each other because they can't trust each other. I personally feel that the Dauntless initiation has made them not have the ability to trust and rely on other people. The Dauntleess leader Eric has decided that trusting is not a major priority for being brave and therefore has concealed it and disapproves of it. I also say that the information they kept secretive is personal but if they want to be in a commited relationship they have to have some level of trust. One part in this book when they both reveal truths they have witheld from one another unwillingly comes out they start to get mad at each other. Here is the quote, "'Tris, I wish you had trusted me [Tobias] enough to tell me things like that.' 'Don't pretend this is only me problem,' I [Tris] say. 'I don't trust you,you don't trust me either.'" (160) This quote best represents their relationship struggles because they come straight out and say they both have problems trusting each other.

     I know what this is like, I have not told people close to me secrets about my life and they do hurt not to tell, but the sooner you do say the better the relationship stays. I'm sure we have all heard our parents and adults tell us that it is better to own up to the things we do bad than to get caught. I think if they would have told each other even if they had doubts the relationship could grow to a point where they did trust each other. Now of course I don't quite understand the problems they face because i have never had to admit I killed someone to a girlfriend. I'm not going to pretend that I know exactly what they are facing beacause I don't. I think this helps people connect and enjoy the book even when they aren't facing the antagonist.
  
  I do like how Roth adds more conflict to the story than just a flat plot with one problem. I feel like this is more real than just a plain story, I enjoy books that I can feel that could happen, not just too far out there. In the future I think I will try to find more books that show changing and realistic relationships rather than one with a cool fighting scene with a cool cover.

My Hopes for Insurgent

     I just finished Divergent and the book had a half ending. The book finished some conflicts and problems but still left with a lot more. One hope that I would like to see is Tris having some closure about her killing Will who was a great friend in Dauntless. She is terrified every night with nightmares that include Will. One quote I found was, "I wake with his name in my mouth. Will. Before I my eyes, I watch him [Will] crumple to the ground. (1 Roth)" This quote resembles how Tris is still haunted by her killing Will. I don't think Tris has weighed the options of the situation, it was her or Will. If she died the war would cause thousands to die and her mom would of died in vein. Where if Will dies then she loses a friend. Tris did do the right thing, I don't think she has realized this yet.

     Another hope I want for Tris is for her to trust Tobias enough to express how she feels. She always pushes and pulls Tobias to her. I think she still has problems knowing what love is, coming from her Abnegation background, I do want her to learn that love is whatever you want it to be. I feel like Tris is scared of Tobias which is not helping their relationship, Tobias doesn't care if Tris isn't perfect. Tris has to get past some of these insecurities and this will help Tobias and Tris get into a serious relationship.

     My last hope for Tris is that she and Tobias can beat Jeanine and end the faction war. In the last book Tris and Tobias got away safely from the war and in this book I hope they can end it and put Jeanine in her place. This is the main plot point for the series, I know but I would like to see the third book be more about the world outside of this dystopian Chicago. I want to know whats out there, did the world go to war? Was there a financial crisis, did Chicago go independent?
     

Summary and Review of Divergent

     On September 9, 2013 I finished my book Divergent. In a future dystopian Chicago is turned into a city with factions that help run the neccassary things for Chicago to survive. The five factions and there roles are; Abnegation (Government Body a.k.a Congress), Erudite (Advance science and knowledge, technology too), Dauntless (Provide security), Amity (Grows crops), and Candor (the curious and honest). Beatrice is the main character and is like Katniss in many ways, well rounded but thought of as a threat to the government. Beatrice grows up in Abnegation where you are suppose to be selfless and always care for others which is why they were chosen to make up the government. Beatrice is nice but doesn't feel like she belongs in the faction, and the first day they place the story in is a big one for Beatrice. The day is the apptitude test day for the 16 year olds; they take a simulation that will show their personality, this will help them decide which faction they belong in. On Beatrice test she scores a rare personality Divergent, this personality is dangerous to the leaders because of the way they reign the people and society. The next day after the evaluation they must chose a faction, Beatrice is under lots of pressure and will likely decide the rest of her life, which faction can she chose, which one is safe? Can Beatrice find out why she is considered dangerous, can she stop them?

     My review of Divergent is a very mixed opinion. I do like the plot and the characters in the book, however I don't like the romance between the characters. That being said my biggest complaint about the book from a guy's point of view is the overflowing romance in the book with those cheesy rom com scenes. Everytime I got to one of those parts in the book I shivered a little inside. I am not a fan of tons of romance and this book contained lots of it. This did effect the plot in some ways though and helped Beatrice make decisions. One thing I did like about the book the new spin on the Hunger Games idea and the female protagionist. Right now people are liking the female protagionist and like the idea of the Hunger Games. The author, Roth used lots of description to help show you how Beatrice saw this old rundown Chicago that's divided into factions and parts. Another great thing about how Roth wrote was the her ability to show Beatrice's feelings and character through her actions with other characters. I learned a lot about Beatrice's misunderstandings and flaws with her reactions to characters, one thing i learned was her disability to understand when someone likes you and how to be affectionate.

     Last but not least, I recommend this book to readers who liked the Hunger Games and are ready for a lot more romance, the book is also a little more violent, I wouldn't say 8 year olds should be reading this book either. I would say that this book is a good read, I don't like to read books but this one kept me reading everyday.

Review and Summary from New York Times

Divergent - Tris, Complex Character

     In this novel Tris is the main character. She is similar to Katniss in many ways, she is a girl protagonist, brave, smart, and has curiosity. In the beginning of the book Tris is talking about her life in Abnegation and how she is having a horrible time because she doesn't feel like she belong. One example of this is when Tris thinks, "I have tried to explain to him that my instincts are not the same as his-it didn't even enter my mind to give my seat to the Candor man on the bus-but he doesn't understand, it so easy for him. It should be that easy for me." This quote shows how Tris doesn't fit in with the instincts that the other kids have. Later in the novel Tris starts to change her personality to fit her faction and her true character shines out. Tris has more to her personality as we discover in the middle of the novel, one instance is when Tris is talking in a conversation, "What?" I [Tris] demand. 

"You're Divergent," he [Four] replies. Divergent means that you are brave, selfless, and smart. In the beginning of the book Tris didn't get to show these traits. In Abnegation she would have not shown her traits and she would have been timid to show them, however now Tris is more comfortable with her abilities and is getting use to showing who she is. 

     Tris interacts with other characters with timidness and little emotion. Being a past Abnegation Tris doesn't understand emotions and love. One example of this is when Tris is hitting on Four but doesn't realize it, "'Of course.'" He [Four] winks. I can't help it. I smile. Will clears his throat, but i don't want to turn away from Four, even when he walks back to his friends." In this quote we can see how Tris is attracted to Four even though she has no idea. She can't help but smile and tries to suppress her feelings but can't. Even in the end Tris still tries to show little emotion another example of trying to keep feelings out of her interactions is, "'Do they have to be so public?' I [Tris] say. 'She just kissed him.' Al frowns at me. In this interaction you can see how Tris is not to personal and likes to keep emotion on a minimum with other people. 

     The main character Tris develops a theme early in the story. The theme developed in this story is to be yourself no matter the status quot. Tris lives in the Abnegation faction which character type they focus on is selflessness. When teenagers turn 16 they have to decide what faction they want to live the rest of their lives in. Most teenagers chose their own faction because when they take a personality test the day before that whats recommended. Tris is a special case and is Divergent which means she gets recommended to Abnegation, Dauntless, and Erudite. At the choosing ceremony only a hand full of kids switch factions as I shared before. Tris doesn't want to live the rest of her life being selfless and not having any self indulgent moments so she decides to go to Dauntless. Her dad is furious and shocked by this decision. I know that the author (Veronica Roth) uses Tris to show people that you should be yourself no matter what society thinks. Tris defied what everyone thought and pressured her to chose to follow what she wants to do. This is a great example of being yourself and a lesson to be learned.