Category Archives: Dystopia

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
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Divergent, Book 2

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.

“New York Times” bestselling author Veronica Roth’s much-anticipated second book of the dystopian “Divergent” series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.


Review: This sequel has taken so long to be published in France, to the point that I was desperate to have it in my hands one day. Like many other readers, I must confess that when I started to read this second book, I had difficulties to remember what happened before and it was necessary for me to plunge back in the last hundred pages of the first book to remind myself of certain things. The story picks where book 1 left us. The system of factions has been shattered after the simulation attack orchestrated by the Erudites and which decimated a large part of the Abnegation faction. So we find our two heroes Tris and Tobias (Four) then Marcus, Caleb and Peter who are going to the Amity sector. The world they have always known is now ravaged by the war between factions. Amity grants asylum to all those who have survived to the attack under certain conditions. But the respite of the two young people is short. After their success and with half of the Dauntless under their control, the Erudite, in the person of Jeanine Matthews, are determined to finish what they started. The insurgency is coming. Tris and Tobias will have to face once again the horror and they will have to fight for their survival.

Despite a few details that I had forgotten, I must say that I read with pleasure this novel from the start to end. I loved this book although it was darker than the previous one. Here we have a heroine who is not doing well at all. Indeed, Tris feels guilty for what happened to Will in the previous book. She is constantly dwelling on this terrible moment when she was over a barrel. Then there is the loss of her parents. She is a damaged girl, crushed by remorse and sorrow and psychologically fragile. She becomes withdrawn and her relationship with Tobias suffers of that. She starts to hide things and even ends up lying to him. Secrets and lack of communication jeopardize their love story. It was frustrating to see them suffering like that. Tobias finds himself completely helpless against a Tris unstable who is near of falling apart. But when we think of all the terrible things that happened to her, we can understand it and we wonder how she didn’t become crazy. The horrors which our heroine has assisted in book 1 were just a preview of what was really expected to her. Here Tris will have to make some difficult choices and these choices will eat her away even more. She will also have to endure terrible things. Some scenes are unbearable. I am still surprised by the darkness of this book. Our heroine is not spared. Adversity is everywhere, the tests are numerous, all harder as each other and we are far from the trainings and simulations of the beginning.

Concerning the secondary characters, there are those that we had already met in the previous volume, including some Dauntless: Uriah, Zeke, Lynn, Christina, Marlene or Tori. We also met Johanna Reyes, who represents Amity and Jack Kang who represents Candor. This second installment of the series is also an opportunity for us to meet several factionless as Evelyn and we learn more about Tobias (Four) as we finally know who he really is.

With a tightly plotted storyline, the author keeps us in suspense from beginning to end. The stakes seem higher than what we originally thought. It is also a book rich in revelations and twists. Some characters have surprised me, others disappointed me terribly. To conclude I would say it is an excellent book and as good as the previous one. And with such an ending all we want to do is read the third book! The waiting will be long.

Divergent by Veronica Roth
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Divergent, Book 1

Synopsis : Beatrice “Tris” Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth’s dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth’s young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

Review : I couldn’t wait to read this book but at the same time, I was apprehensive. I’m a dystopian novels addict and after reading almost all the books of this kind published in France, I was afraid to read an other one and so dislike it ! Fortunately, it wasn’t the case. With novels such as Divergent I think dystopia still has a bright future! Because and it must be said, this novel is amazing!

The action takes place in the post-apocalyptic city of Chicago, where the society is divided into five factions: Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, Candor and Erudite. Every year, teenagers who have reached the age of 16 must, after the results of an aptitude test, choose the faction they will remain faithful until death. Beatrice (or Tris) is one of those teenagers. She belongs to an Abnegation family, so logic would dictate that she would choose this one to stay with her parents. However, it wasn’t the case, she chooses Dauntless.

The factions were introduced with the aim of creating a “perfect civilization”, to avoid making the same mistakes again. But gradually we realize that this system is far from being so perfect. Indeed, the thirst for power has gained some factions, especially Erudites, which had the effect of creating tensions not only between the factions but also between them. So, Peace with the factions is threatened.

Abnegation touched me the most. I found the people of this faction incredible. They always have to put the needs of others before their own. For example, they can’t look in a mirror or carry objects or clothing that make them different from others, they can’t even celebrate their birthday, and so on… Everything is done to help them to forget themselves. They constantly make sacrifices, they don’t take advantage of life, which is such a pity. So I think they have a very sad life, but it’s their choice and that’s why I admire them so much. This way of life and thought is also what makes this faction incorruptible. That’s why they govern and make decisions for the five factions (But this situation doesn’t please at all the Erudites). Most of them (except one) are nice, totally devoted to others and they will do anything to help their friends regardless any circumstances. They are very touching, especially Beatrice’s Parents. I wanted to know at once how it goes in Amity, but unfortunately, this faction is practically absent. I hope to know more in the next book.

The main characters are very interesting too! I liked the heroine Beatrice, who has appeared fragile and strong at the same time. Beatrice never felt out of place among Abnegation. She describes herself as a courageous, proud and sometimes selfish person, which is in total contradiction to her first faction. That’s why she decided to become a Dauntless. This doesn’t make her an insensitive person on the contrary her altruistic side is still quite present. Her initiation in Dauntless is a real assault course. This faction also affected me a lot. Dauntless represents strength, courage, fearlessness and self-transcendence. They like to fight, have the spirit of competition, are keen on extreme sports, and have piercings and tattoos. Life in this faction is hard, especially for novices like her, because places are limited, only the best are taken after the “initiation phase” and the competition is tough. The tests are difficult, both physical and mental. Sometimes it’s violent. Beatrice has to deal with the jealousy and cruelty of other competitors. Rivalries are numerous. Sometimes Tris doubts of herself, but almost immediately she gets over it to prove she has her place here.

I liked also the relationship between Tris and Four which is a beautiful romance even if it doesn’t occupy a central place in the story.

To conclude, I loved Divergent from beginning to end. To my mind, it’s the best dystopia since The Hunger Games. I was completely fascinated by this world to the point that I’m thinking about it again! Insurgent, the next book will be available in the summer of 2012 in France. The wait will be long!