Divergent, Book 3
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.
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.
Review: The final installment in the Divergent trilogy, needless to say that I expected it as the messiah. Divergent is one of my favorite sagas. I loved the first two books (Divergent and Insurgent) and I was really excited and eager to finally read this book 3 – the book of revelations – and to find out the ending of this story. Unfortunately, for my part, this book has not kept its promises. Or maybe I expected too much of this book. I do not know… but the fact is that I was disappointed. Like many people, the ending of Insurgent left me with a lot of questions. I wanted to find out more about those who created the system of factions as well as the mission of all the Divergent. I wanted to find out what was outside the fence!
In the end I don’t know what to think. But what I’m sure is that among the three volumes, Allegiant is the one I liked least. I must say that I didn’t expect such an ending! Am I satisfied by such a conclusion? No, not really. The author’s choice concerning the fate of her characters somewhat disturbed me. I don’t know if Roth’s purpose was to be original by concluding her story that way but one thing is certain, this read won’t leave you indifferent. Whatever you like or dislike Allegiant, the Divergent series is a must read. Despite this unsatisfying ending, Divergent remains one of the best dystopian series I’ve read so far. I didn’t really expect a happy ending but I was far from suspecting that the trilogy would end this way. And if the word “sacrifice” seems to be the key word throughout the novel, for my part, I regret I didn’t prepare myself to endure this.
But it’s not only the ending that disappointed me in this book. Other points were also quite annoying. In this novel, Veronica Roth chooses to alternate Tris and Tobias’s POV, something she has not done in the previous books but when we finish the novel, we understand why the author chose this mode of narration. I have nothing against having Tobias’s perspective as bonus here. However I must say that sometimes it was hard to determine who was who. Indeed, the author uses the same tone for both characters so that sometimes we have the impression to deal with the same person. Even if it is specified in the beginning of each chapter who is the narrator, it’s quite disconcerting.
Another disturbing point: the wacky revelations made throughout the novel that keep coming one after the other, chapter by chapter, to the point that I found it boring, without mentioning the lack of action. It was very hard for our heroes to deal with these revelations. They find out that everything they have experienced so far – that their whole life – was a lie. From the beginning they were observed by other people so in the end, they are just the result of an extensive scientific experiment whose sole purpose is to save humanity from its own destruction. Well… why not? I don’t mind. However what upset me the most here was the entire “genetic manipulation” thing. These explanations were too far-fetched to be credible.
Then there are the characters. If we compare with the previous books, we can find inconsistencies in the attitude of some characters. For example, I didn’t understand Evelyn’s attitude at the end of the book and even less Marcus’s attitude (who just disappeared, almost forgotten by the author) given the portrait the author did of them in the previous books. Their reaction was rather illogical and in the end all the conflicts were resolved too easily. Even Tobias disappointed me in this book! Faced with a new environment, he seemed hopeless. He was so strong and brave in the first two books… He was used to be suspicious too. But in Allegiant he became weak, credulous and worse, he made a terrible mistake. Only the heroin Tris was true to form.
Finally, to come back to the famous ending, I don’t question Tris’s choice. I think that she just could not stand there and do nothing. That is not like her so I found her reaction normal and predictable. It was even beautiful and touching. However I regret the fact that nothing has been done in advance to prevent that. I mean a better solution, a plan that would have saved everyone. It’s sad to come to such extremes.
To conclude it was a very disappointing book compared to Divergent and Insurgent. It’s really unfortunate. However the Divergent series remains a good dystopian story, probably one of the best although I have very mixed feelings regarding this final book.