Review: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

ISBN: 9780062024060
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Series: Divergent #3
Release Date: October 22, 2013
Goodreads  |  Amazon
*Please note that this review may contain spoilers for the first two books. Click for spoiler-free reviews of Divergent and Insurgent*

     SYNOPSIS:

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.

     REVIEW:

Allegiant certainly picks up right where Insurgent leaves off - right in the thick of things after the society learns something big. Don't worry, calm down, I won't spoil it because there may be some of you who are reading Insurgent now and haven't had that bombshell dropped on you, or haven't read this series at all yet.

I'm going to give you two contradictory statements right now: I LOVED this book. But. I was a little put off by the premise and the way things changed at the end of book 2. I know. How is that even possible? I don't know, don't ask me, ask this book why it made me love it so much!!! No, but really, I don't think the turn Allegiant took was a bad one. I think it was insanely clever, but I don't think it was fleshed out enough, and I kind of felt like I was reading a book from a different series. I wish some of the big reveals had been revealed in the the previous books because this "bombshell" literally changes everything.

With that being said, I still think that except for a lack of world building (which sucks because you kind of figured in the first two books that the world building was pretty damn great), I thought Roth pulled it off really well and I really did love it. I feel so bad for Tris and Four by this point because I feel like they never really get to just be together. There is always something going on, some life or death situation ruining what they have together - not to mention Four was being a total dick most of the time in Allegiant so I'm sure that didn't help either. I did, however, enjoy the fact that though there was a bunch of Tris-Four-ness in Allegiant, I didn't find it to be as relationship- and character-driven as the previous two, and it really focused on the plot and the intended resolution. It's nice to read a teen novel and it not be all about the hot boy.

Let's talk about the ending (without spoiling it, people!). I know many, many of you hated the ending. I didn't. I think it was fitting. I imagine that if I hadn't known what was going to happen prior to reading the series (thanks a lot Goodreads reviewers), I may have been angry, too. But I guess that's where it's better that I did know - I was able to look at it in a different way. Please, don't misunderstand me. Leading right up until the thing that happened, even though I knew it was coming, I was a little bit in denial, shaking my head as I was reading, thinking "this cant be how it ends", so I can understand the feelings that came along with reading the ending for the first time as a hardcore fan with not a clue as to what is about to happen. But I don't hate Roth for what she did. I think what she did was brave, just like what certain characters in the actual story did was brave.

So, aside from how I feel about how the blogging/reading community feels about the ending, this is how I, myself, felt about the ending: NOOOOOOO *sobs for 12 minutes alone on the couch* *wipes face, looks back down at book to try to continue reading* NOO, NONONONO *sobs for at least 7 more minutes*

No but seriously, I have NEVER in my entire life cried this hard over a book. I was kind of on the fence between giving this book a 3.5-4 star rating. I generally bump up a book half a star if it makes me cry, because I figure if it made me cry, it means I cared at least a little bit about what was going on. But the way this one had me going, and the actual ending itself (not just the fact that I cried, because it really was pulled off so well) definitely bumped this one up to a 4.5, and it totally deserves that.

I'm not going to lie, I still get a little weepy when I talk about this book. When I first finished it, I caught myself starting to cry a little bit at random times during the day at work over the next couple of days. My fiance read these books a little bit after I did and he kind of knew how it ended too. Needless to say he didn't have the same reaction I did, but we talked about it a lot and I even got weepy when talking to him conversationally about it. Immediately following finishing Allegiant, I wanted to re-read the entire series, so I picked up Divergent and I just couldn't do it. I was not emotionally ready. I still don't know if I am.

What I'm trying to say is that I don't deny this book's faults, but regardless of them, I loved this book. The premise of the third book felt like an entire different series, and if it was a separate series, I think it would've been really amazing - it just didn't fit with the first two books in the series that it actually belonged to. I don't deny any of these things, but I loved this book anyway.

RATING: ★★★★ 1/2

Tonight is the premiere of the Divergent movie and YES I will be there, with bells on! Just FYI, I'm going to the 10 p.m. (Eastern) showing, so 1. I will be unavailable to the world between 9:30 and 1:00  2. Hit me up on Twitter to talk movie-stuff after it is over or tomorrow! But seriously, I don't know how I am going to get through this movie. I couldn't bear to pick up the books, I don't know if I can watch it on the big screen either without dying inside.

So tell me what you thought of Allegiant - WITHOUT spoilers, please, for those participating who haven't read it! And be totally honest. Brutally honest if you must. Okay, don't be brutal, I'm quite sensitive, but say what you mean, please. A lot of people really did not  like this book. I'd love to know more about why now that I have read it and can form my own opinion about it. And if you did love it, please tell me why also. I have been dying to discuss this book ever since I finished it and now is the chance! Let's talk!

A.