Review: Insurgent

Insurgent by Victoria Roth

My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Blurb from Goodreads: 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.

"New York Times" bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian "Divergent" series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

I did not like this book as much as I liked Divergent. With the first book, I got that frantic, compulsive, "can't go to sleep until I find out what happens!" feeling. Not so much with Insurgent. It seemed like all that happened in the first half of the book was them going around from faction to faction, and there was very little tension at that point. The pages and pages of political discussions between factions got old pretty quickly for me. Luckily, the second half picked back up with the action, and I felt like I was finally getting the book I had expected to read.

Overall, it left me feeling slightly underwhelmed. I'm still looking forward to book number 3, but it looks like middle book syndrome strikes again!

PS: Also... we are supposed to believe that Tris and Four can just put on a different faction's clothes and no one recognizes them? Really?