Vicki
Written on Oct 28, 2013
What if your whole world was a lie?
The thrillingly dark conclusion to the No. 1 New York Times bestselling DIVERGENT trilogy.
What if a single revelation - like a single choice - changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?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.
Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.
- ISBN10 006202406X
- ISBN13 9780062024060
- Publish Date 22 October 2013
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
- Imprint Collins
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 544
- Language English
Reviews
Stephanie
Written on Oct 28, 2013
Allegiant by Veronica Roth is a book that isn’t going to please everyone. It’s one of those things where Roth definitely took a chance with her fans. Depending on how you feel, the risk paid off or it backfired greatly. I’m somewhere in the middle. I would have read this book regardless of the hype prior to publication and the huge amount of posts post-publication rants and drama llamas. I’m probably going to read the short stories that are published as well. I have this thing with getting my series read all the way through. Read the rest at Once Upon a Chapter.
shannonmiz
Written on Oct 26, 2013
Ending aside, the whole book felt very flat. The characters seemed "off" for lack of a better word. They weren't as likable, they weren't as deep, and there was little to no development for most of them. In addition, the plot wasn't terribly exciting either. A lot of the time, I felt myself forcing the reading in the hope of getting to a more exciting part that simply never came. From start to finish, it had such a depressing tone without the sparks of hope and humanity that the first two books had.
The only reason that I am giving this a second star is because there were some really beautiful moments mixed in with the monotony. Every so often there would be a great piece of writing, or glimpse of a character that caught me off guard, and to be honest, didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the book. Had the whole book been more like those moments, this could have turned out a lot differently. Quite a shame to have what had been a great series end in such a lackluster manner.
Ashley
Written on Oct 24, 2013
(Spoilers are all hidden in spoiler tags)
Before I begin, I think it's important that I kind of let you know where I stand with the Divergent series up to this point. I LOVED Divergent so much. It pulled me out of a massive reading rut and made me fall in love with YA again. Then I read Insurgent and was not wowed. Honestly, I think I should have given the book more like 2.5 or 3 stars (I gave it 4.. no idea why, especially after re-reading my review).
I was excited about Allegiant because of the big bang ending that was in Insurgent, but honestly my hopes weren't that high. I wasn't convinced that Allegiant was going to wow me, and I was right.
I'm going to break up this review into clear sections of what I didn't like.
I don't like how Tris and Tobias pushed aside their problems by making out
Tris and Tobias's relationship still isn't perfect in Allegiant. They have things they need to talk about and discuss. But ANY time this situation comes up, they bury it by making out. It's literally like:
"We need to ta—"
Suddenly I felt his mouth on mine. [Cue make out scene.]
Paraphrasing, but that's the gist of it. SO.MANY.TIMES. It's almost like they thought they had to make up for their fighting/distance in Insurgent, but this was not the right way to do it! You can't just hope your problems will go away by cutting them off with a kiss. It doesn't work like that.
I kind of wish Tris and Tobias just didn't have a relationship at all
I grew to hate Tris and Tobias's relationship. Adding onto the previous point, I just felt like their relationship was so half ass. Except when they were making out, they didn't act like a couple. They didn't treat each other like equals. There were still plenty of times when they didn't clue each other in on their thoughts/plans. They just didn't feel TOGETHER.
Maybe this is extremely stereotypical of me, but there were so many moments when I felt that Tris and Tobias should have reacted in a certain way as a couple (like comforted the other person, or sought comfort from them), but they reacted so indifferently instead.
I could stay and try to comfort him, but I need answers about my mother, and I'm not going to wait any longer.
Except when their lips were glued together, I just didn't look at them and think, "You guys are dating. You love each other." Instead I saw.. colleagues? Maybe friends?
I felt like labeling what they had as a relationship just brought the story down. I honestly would have preferred if their relationship was just cut from the book because it kept disappointing me.
"But no more lies. Not ever"
"Okay."
I feel stiff and squeezed, like my body was just forced into something too small for it.
Because being completely open and honest with Tobias makes her feel restricted and contained? *eye roll*
Tobias and Tris sounded the same
In Allegiant, the chapters switch between Tris and Tobias's points of view, but I couldn't tell them apart. I often had to double check the chapter heading because I couldn't tell whose point of view I was reading from.
I think if you're going to have alternating points of view, you have to have two very distinct voices. Tris and Tobias didn't sound or feel particularly different.
I didn't love any of the characters
Overall, the character development and relationships were poor. I already talked about Tris and Tobias, but I couldn't connect to ANY of the characters really. I just felt so little for them.
Tobias on his own was weak. I remember loving him in Divergent because he was such a hardened badass. In Allegiant he's constantly doubting himself, wallowing in grief, blaming himself for everything... it got to be a bit pathetic and I just wanted to yell at him and tell him to quit with the self pity.
I loved Christina in Divergent, but I was indifferent towards her in Allegiant.
There were a bunch of other characters but they all felt so fleeting. They dodged in and out of the book and I never got a sense of who they were and never formed any attachments to them.
I hated how we had two separate societies and two separate rebellions
It made it hard for me to figure out where I should concentrate. On the one hand we had the rebellion within the Chicago city. The factionless rebelled and are trying to take over and convert the whole city into a factionless society.
Then on the other hand, we have the whole of the United States. With this society we have a whole other rebellion. Once this one started up, I felt like I was being pulled in two different directions. I didn't know if the rebellion in Chicago was still important, and I didn't know what to even focus on! I hated how we were introduced into one conflict, and then suddenly jerked into a different one.
The time period was weird
In Allegiant we get the sense that the story takes place at least hundreds of years in the future. We know that the experiments have been running for at least ~7 generations (about 210 years). But I don't think that when they started was 2013 either. It was probably at least 2050 when they started (if not later), then that means Allegiant takes place around 2260.
The exact timing isn't important, but what is important is that the Divergent series takes place hundreds of years in the future. And yet... I thought there was so little advancement. All the tech seemed like 2013 tech. It's like advancement was stunted, but the years kept rolling by. They still use guns, normal trucks, airplane travel seems the same, etc. With all the wars and uprisings, I would have expected really advanced weaponry.
Sure they had the serums and the fear landscapes, but that's about it...
I didn't like how the serums felt more like magic than science
In particular, I'm talking about the death serum. Surely this serum is like a chemical weapon, right? Like I imagine it being comparable to nerve gas. Everyone who comes into contact with it dies. And yet... Tris can magically survive it through mind power It's literally like she just willed herself not to die. I can understand overcoming fears and simulations, kind of like lucid dreaming. But I can't imagine the death serum being anything but a biological killer.. like nerve gas. And yet Tris can overcome it with just the power of her mind? O_O This makes zero sense to me.
I did not like the ending
Maybe some people will like it for being 'powerful' or 'gutsy' or 'emotional'. I just didn't like it.
I'll be honest, I tend to hate any ending where the main character dies. It's just not how I like to read stories. And in Allegiant, Tris dies. Whenever this happens in books, I get left with a sense of "What's the point?" I spend three books reading from a character's point of view, watching them grow and change, connecting with them (hopefully), just to have them offed. Even if the conflict was resolved (in this case it was), I can't help but feeling like it was pointless or wasted time.
But although I didn't like the ending, it wasn't because I loved Tris and couldn't bear to see her die. Emotionally, I didn't actually feel anything when she died. I wasn't upset or teary. I was only angry because of that whole 'pointless' feeling. I think that just goes to show how detached I've become since Divergent.
Additionally, I thought the ending with Tobias and his mother was so... lame... and easy. Tobias gave his mother an ultimatum. He said: stop trying to rule the city and form a treaty with the Allegiant, or lose me as your son. And she just pulled him into her arms and tearfully said, "I choose you!" Why couldn't he have said that to her an entire book ago?
Also I felt nothing when Uriah died. Honestly I kind of forgot who he was going into Allegiant and he was so absent through the entire story that I just didn't care at all when he went into a coma, and I again didn't care at all when they pulled the plug on him.
Allegiant was about what I expected
After Insurgent, I think Allegiant was exactly what I expected it to be. I don't feel like Tris and Tobias's relationship ever "healed", and for the rest I was just mildly indifferent. Throw in a few other problems, and it's about what I expected it to be.
I still look back on Divergent fondly, but I think overall I just don't like where the series went. I hated how it destroyed Tris and Tobias's relationship, I didn't love where the plot went, and I hated the ending Roth chose.
Chelsea
Written on Oct 23, 2013
It was worth the wait.
Oh my gosh. That's all I really have to say. This book was brilliant. It was a perfect yet terrible ending. It made me cry and hope for some silly magic twist. Which never happened by the way. The character that die, stay dead. And the author is not afraid to kill off characters. I'm so glad this series ended the way it did. So many dystopia books try to have a happy ending where the world is perfect. That's too unrealistic though.This book finished realistically and I really admire Veronica for that. It was still a typical dystopia book in the way that everything leads up to a big rebellion against the government, but the comparisons stop there.
Talking about the characters for this book is hard for me because for some reason I'm not as attached to them as I usually would be. The characters are great though, they develop nicely and have good and bad qualities which makes up the perfect character. I just wasn't attached to them. Maybe because I respect them instead of absolutely adore them? It's very possible. This aren't the fall in love kind of characters. They just aren't.
I don't know what else to say except that I am incredibly happy with how this turned out. Well done Veronica Roth.
ellieroth
Written on Oct 22, 2013
Cuando se supo que Allegiant tendría dos puntos de vista, tuve unas sospechas, sobretodo conociendo a Veronica: uno que Tobias moría y por eso nos daba su perspectiva y hacerlo más doloroso o dos, que Tris moría y así no nos quedábamos sin narrador o alguien que nos cuente en tercera persona. No sé si fui la única con esa idea, pero vamos, daba que pensar.
Hay muertes en Allegiant, no tantas como en sus anteriores libros (tampoco es que haya mucha gente ya, osea Veronica mató a casi todos), pero son muertes importantes, una casi al inicio, otra que nos rompe el corazón casi por la mitad creo y la última me tuvo llorando durante un buen rato.
Verán, lo que me gusta de la narración Veronica Roth es que en todos sus libros la realidad es claustrofóbica, me gusta que su historia no es como una película de acción de todos esquivan las balas, me gusta su cruda sinceridad al narrar. Y sé que por eso, muchos terminarán mal luego de leer Allegiant. Y así como puede ser muy cruel, el romance de Tris y Four es muy dulce, entre toda la política, rebeliones y muerte, que aunque son pocas, Cuatro y Seis encuentran la manera de ser, aunque sea por unos segundos, unos jóvenes enamorados. De ahí que duela tanto.
La madurez de algunos de sus personajes es palpable, así como el egoísmo de Tris al inicio, no voy a negar que por unos cuantos capítulos quise cachetearla por ser tan fría, tan yo-yo-yo.
Ahora bien, el final.
Aunque cruel, es justo, es una gran prueba de amor. Los últimos seis o siete capítulos temes lo peor, porque es narrado de una manera que te da entender una despedida. Y lo peor de todo es que tienes que leerlo varias veces para entender si lo que dice, o lo que creemos entender, es verdad.
Sabes, Abnegación te enseña sobre esto. Acerca de cuándo dejar que los demás se sacrifiquen por ti, incluso aunque sea egoísta. Dicen que si el sacrificio es lo último que puede hacer una persona para demostrarte que te quiere, debes dejarla hacerlo. Que en esa situación, es el regalo más grande que puedes darles.
Cruel, desgarrador, perfecto, eso es para mí el final de Allegiant.
Reseña completa: El Extraño Gato del Cuento
KitsuneBae
Written on Oct 22, 2013
With the way this book ended, I am sure that a lot of fans are screaming for murder right now! hahaha. I am not bloodthirsty though. :D
How To Turn Writing Success Into A Failure?
From the perspective of a very loyal fan
1. Write an awesome and original story- Like a dystopian world where people are divided into factions according to their virtues.
2. Ensure that the characters are badass but selfless and compassionate. This is a very good recipe to make potential fans rally behind your characters.
3. It would also be good if the story put a solid emphasis on female strength.
4. Complicate the story of each Main character by involving them in a to-die for and non-instalovey romance. You can even whip out a love triangle but a lot of fans are already tired of that so why not try for the good ol’ romance?
5. After your fans are fully controlled by the “I LOVE YOUR BOOK SO MUCH” serum and you are rolling on the greens, write a second book.
6. Make sure that the plot of the second book is just going round and round. But you have to do it in a manner that wouldn’t be noticed by the fans. The greens aren’t yet enough so you can’t risk the fans hating you at an early stage! So what’re you gonna do? Throw in a lot of nonsensical action and romantic scenes. Your loyal fans will just lap it up.
7. Write the 3rd and last book.
8. Do not worry if you have a writer’s block. That’s what plot devices are for. Just make another illogical storyline as you write along.
Do not make an effort to develop the secondary characters.
9. Attempt for a grand ending by pulling a crude J.K. Rowling or George RR Martin stunt.
10. Rejoice and make a snow angel on your greens.
If you are interested in my review of Allegiant, here it is…directly copied from Amazon. Please note that the above tips are based upon the reactions of the Amazon reviewers. Though I may not share their views about the ending, I understand where they’re coming from, thus, the above post.
I just finished Allegiant and it is worse than book 2 (Insurgent). Sure, Veronica Roth gave a thorough explanation about what really happened in the past for the factions to rise. But it felt very draggy. And a plot device that had me eye rolling was suddenly thrown into the way in an attempt to keep this book interesting and longer. Where I expected to be mindblown with terrific revelations, I felt I was cheated because Allegiant didn’t rise from those tropes of trilogies that lost their firepower during the conclusion phase. Le sigh. I was literally asking myself, “Where was the series that I love? Where was the book that made me lose sleep for over a year? Am I reading the correct book? Maybe I bought a fanfiction or something…?”
I was just glad that with Allegiant, Veronica gave a thorough explanation about the factions, Chicago and most importantly, Divergence. It is also worth mentioning that the romance here developed in a way that is realistic and swoon worthy but ain’t cheesy. And yes,there’s also a slight development with Tris and Four’s characterization. However, some of the characters (especially the secondary ones) were neglected and only existed as props.
Perhaps, I will also have to credit Veronica’s world building. It surely is very believable and downright outstanding considering that she incorporated other cities into the whole story.
And I am not so sure whether the ending will work for you or not. As for me, I didn’t love or hate it. All I’m sure is that it was necessary to keep things more conceivable given the circumstances of the situation. I would really like to say about it more but I will risk ruining your reading experience.
All in all, I enjoyed this one but it didn’t hold the same magic as Divergent (book 1). Being the last installment, I actually expected more. I had wanted it to be more explosive than its predecessor. But alas, life isn’t always that easy. But don’t let this review stop you from reading Allegiant. Maybe, I am just the black sheep amongst the throng of fans that waited desperately for its release.
Just think of my 3 stars as an early Christmas gift to Veronica.
Verdict: Buy Allegiant only if you’re the type who wants a series closure or wants to complete the Divergent collection.( May I suggest for you to buy the e-book copy at Barnes and Noble because it only costs 6.99 $?) But if you aren’t, better borrow the book from the library.
And before I take my leave, this tweet might be helpful…
zarahoffman
Written on Oct 22, 2013
mbtc
Written on Dec 30, 2011