Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent (Divergent #2) 

by Veronica Roth

Published: May 1, 2012

Publisher: HarperTeen

Available: Amazon

Synopsis:

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.

Review:
Sequels always concern me. There is a lot potential for the second book in a series to be great, but also to be terrible. With the amazingness of Divergent, Insurgent had a high bar to meet. Luckily it did.

Insurgent picks up right off where Divergent left off, and doesn't waste time with a lot of back story. Tris is in survival mode. People she loves have died, she's killed, and she's almost been killed. All of this is impacting how she reacts to Four and even her brother. Tris's transformation in this book is what really kept me invested. The plot was good, but I wanted to know what she would choose to do about what was happening. Roth does an amazing job of breaking Tris down to her lowest point, in making her realize how her actions are what is keeping her from moving forward. I am sooo tempted to go into detail, because there are a few scenes that really gripped me and brought me to tears, but I have no desire to spoil it for anyone, even those looking for spoilers. 

I usually get frustrated with the ending of sequels because I know they're going to leave a lot of things hanging in order to care on with the third book in the series. With Insurgent Roth doesn't really leave us hanging. The entire book is focused on what the leaders are trying to hide, and we do get our answer. It wasn't what I'd been expecting, but it definitely intrigued me and I am now waiting anxiously for the nest book in the series to come out!