Reviewed by Amanda on
I loved Divergent. It was the first dystopian book I read that sold me on the idea that yeah, maybe I do like dystopian worlds. But I had mixed feelings with Insurgent, and Allegiant only got worse. I finished Allegiant because I'd been on the waiting list at the library forever and it seemed wrong to waste all that wait time by returning the book unread.
Don't get me wrong. Allegiant is easy to fall into. But I'd also known that a BIG THING (at the time, I'd guessed what it might be, but I hadn't been totally spoiled) was coming and waiting for the BIG THING to happen made the story drag. I read Allegiant in a day because I knew if I put it down, I wouldn't finish it.
Tris and Four's relationship in Insurgent kinda bothered me, and that only continued in Allegiant. It felt too typical angsty YA for me. And for actual young adults, their relationship might be accurate for teens. But I'm an adult (boo) and I didn't like it. At the best, it was the old push and pull of anger and miscommunication. Pass.
At times, I lost track of who was narrating. I usually have little trouble with dual POVs and it could have been my general disinterest in the story itself, but Tris and Four's narration didn't seem that different unless they were talking about situations specific to the character.
And... the world. Guys, we get ANSWERS about Tris's Chicago and why it's there and it TOTALLY makes sense given how Veronica Roth has set up the world. But... then... the world/plot kind of derailed for me and got too big and complicated and my brain lost interest.
Let's not forget the BIG THING. The BIG THING pissed off a lot of people and I totally understand why. I've seen the BIG THING happen in another series, and it dampened my enjoyment for the book (and series). This was no different.
But I also want to say that the BIG THING is in line with the character. I see that. The more I reflect on it, though, the more I wonder if it was really necessary. Maybe it was. I'm certainly not the author. But as a reader, it felt wrong and made me want to stop reading then and there.
As much as I loved the beginning of this trilogy, the ending left me unsatisfied. And that makes me sad.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 20 January, 2014: Finished reading
- 20 January, 2014: Reviewed