steveatwaywords's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Though a major-hitter in the YA dystopia genre, Roth's Divergent Trilogy is frustratingly flawed on many levels.
Now to be clear, I am not trying to compare this to an Orwell or Phillip K Dick. The ambitions of these writers (and their audiences) are obviously different. Here, my rating has much to do with the writing, plotting, and character work within the genre on its own.
What begins as an implausible but curious social structure at its start devolves soon into derivative versions of conflict-betrayal patterns which seem to cycle endlessly. Certainly the entire social premise (from Books 1 through 3) is overly-simplistic and fraught with unexamined arguments. There is little to justify the atrocities the "evil" characters commit with seeming abandon, and their own examination of the consequences for their behaviors seems unreasonably self-deluded. In other words, nobody--our heroes or antagonists--is thinking very hard about anything. They simply align themselves inhumanely in limited-concept philosophies, whether inside the city or out of it.
The result is a plot of polarizations, all-or-nothing stakes, and--to no one's surprise except the characters themselves--a lot of death.
Roth has had a lot of support in the writing of this series and plenty of time to parse together anything more nuanced, more complex. She did not. Instead, we get essentially the same plot over and over, sometimes two or three times in each book, and here it is: One group will plot to destroy another, but there is a secret involved. To expose the secret and save everyone, a covert operation must begin, but this will have a failed moment, usually due to betrayal. Fortunately, our heroes--after suffering some casualties--will succeed. They will grieve for a bit and then begin again.
Because the society and plot are polarized, so too are the motivations of the characters themselves. Each seems singularly devoted to one allegiance, one goal. Our two heroes are only minorly exceptions to this, but since they can't seem to break the dull drama of their own poor communication issues, we stop caring overmuch.
In short, Roth limits her trilogy only to plot-level storytelling (where other YA novelists like Han, Cormier, Chbosky, Zusak, and Yoon offer complexity and theme--even Hunger Games wakes itself up enough to offer satire and social commentary at points), and this storytelling is enormously reductive to formula.
I give Roth praise for spending some realistic amount of time with grief and doubt, two difficult topics to wrestle with. And her main character, Tris, strikes readers as largely believable and relatable in her responses to it all. But others do this and more far more effectively, and I am glad to put this read behind me.
Now to be clear, I am not trying to compare this to an Orwell or Phillip K Dick. The ambitions of these writers (and their audiences) are obviously different. Here, my rating has much to do with the writing, plotting, and character work within the genre on its own.
What begins as an implausible but curious social structure at its start devolves soon into derivative versions of conflict-betrayal patterns which seem to cycle endlessly. Certainly the entire social premise (from Books 1 through 3) is overly-simplistic and fraught with unexamined arguments. There is little to justify the atrocities the "evil" characters commit with seeming abandon, and their own examination of the consequences for their behaviors seems unreasonably self-deluded. In other words, nobody--our heroes or antagonists--is thinking very hard about anything. They simply align themselves inhumanely in limited-concept philosophies, whether inside the city or out of it.
The result is a plot of polarizations, all-or-nothing stakes, and--to no one's surprise except the characters themselves--a lot of death.
Roth has had a lot of support in the writing of this series and plenty of time to parse together anything more nuanced, more complex. She did not. Instead, we get essentially the same plot over and over, sometimes two or three times in each book, and here it is: One group will plot to destroy another, but there is a secret involved. To expose the secret and save everyone, a covert operation must begin, but this will have a failed moment, usually due to betrayal. Fortunately, our heroes--after suffering some casualties--will succeed. They will grieve for a bit and then begin again.
Because the society and plot are polarized, so too are the motivations of the characters themselves. Each seems singularly devoted to one allegiance, one goal. Our two heroes are only minorly exceptions to this, but since they can't seem to break the dull drama of their own poor communication issues, we stop caring overmuch.
In short, Roth limits her trilogy only to plot-level storytelling (where other YA novelists like Han, Cormier, Chbosky, Zusak, and Yoon offer complexity and theme--even Hunger Games wakes itself up enough to offer satire and social commentary at points), and this storytelling is enormously reductive to formula.
I give Roth praise for spending some realistic amount of time with grief and doubt, two difficult topics to wrestle with. And her main character, Tris, strikes readers as largely believable and relatable in her responses to it all. But others do this and more far more effectively, and I am glad to put this read behind me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault
mildhonestbonsai's review against another edition
4.0
Being that this is a trilogy, I shall break it down by book [First Two are reviews that I already made on Goodreads]:
Divergent (4 stars):
Surprisingly good read. Not to mention very quick read as well. I had no problem breezing through those 480 pages.
Insurgent (4 Stars):
Wow. Quite the ending. certainly would have killed me knowing I would have to wait for the 3rd book if I read this one when it was released.
Maybe it might be me but my issue with these dystopian stories with a female lead is that for some reason the author decides to make the character whine and complain a lot as a new way to have internal conflict with the character. I absolutely dislike that a lot because the theme of the protagonist not wanting to take up the hero's call or taking it up because they have no choice but whine about it along the way gets really old. Tris definitely takes up the call and yes she makes some really brash decisions but it doesn't go without her having to complain about it. I'd really like to see a female character remain strong and not delve into self pity along the way. It seems that the strong female leader characters falls only in the antagonist category.
Overall, good book and another quick read.
Allegient (4 Stars):
A really good way to end the series. The author definitely took a different approach to the story than the one I thought it would go but I liked it in the end. I know that there has been some hatred from fans about the way it ended in terms of some the characters but I think it was fitting and it felt natural. In fact, I liked the way this series ended more than I liked the ending to The Hunger Games. Very much looking forward to the movie franchise as well as more books from Veronica Roth.
Divergent (4 stars):
Surprisingly good read. Not to mention very quick read as well. I had no problem breezing through those 480 pages.
Insurgent (4 Stars):
Wow. Quite the ending. certainly would have killed me knowing I would have to wait for the 3rd book if I read this one when it was released.
Maybe it might be me but my issue with these dystopian stories with a female lead is that for some reason the author decides to make the character whine and complain a lot as a new way to have internal conflict with the character. I absolutely dislike that a lot because the theme of the protagonist not wanting to take up the hero's call or taking it up because they have no choice but whine about it along the way gets really old. Tris definitely takes up the call and yes she makes some really brash decisions but it doesn't go without her having to complain about it. I'd really like to see a female character remain strong and not delve into self pity along the way. It seems that the strong female leader characters falls only in the antagonist category.
Overall, good book and another quick read.
Allegient (4 Stars):
A really good way to end the series. The author definitely took a different approach to the story than the one I thought it would go but I liked it in the end. I know that there has been some hatred from fans about the way it ended in terms of some the characters but I think it was fitting and it felt natural. In fact, I liked the way this series ended more than I liked the ending to The Hunger Games. Very much looking forward to the movie franchise as well as more books from Veronica Roth.
elijahdummyheadolson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
this series is one of my favorite dystopian books ever. its fast paced story and emotional arc, make it super interesting and epic. Tris's adventure with the dauntless and love life with her mentor and friend, make this book fun gut-wrenching and amazing.
professional_strawberry's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
boozybook's review
3.0
Tris and Tobias are the best together!! Love the factions system. Book 2 was the best. Book 3 was soooo sad :(
mikaelatrejo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
grazeea's review against another edition
4.0
I am so inlove with Tobias Eaton, and I am very much happy that Tris died (not!). I love the whole series especially Insurgent!!
nabergel's review against another edition
3.0
This series was very interesting. My only issue was that the 2nd book (insurgent) wasn't so great. Alligent was better then insurgent but still not as great as divergent itself. The first book was great and the rest were okay.
tabatha_shipley's review against another edition
5.0
This review encompasses all three novels in the face-paced series; Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant.
Through this series, Ms. Roth creates a dystopian society that you can tell began with utopian roots. Similar to other fictional societies, this one has undertones of revolution right from the beginning. However, this society divides itself into five factions and allows individuals to choose their faction. This change is important, and it makes the story unique from others like it.
At it's heart, this is a story about knowing what makes people happy. Everyone is different, we all have different desires. The people in this world choose the faction they believe will make them happy. The contrast between factions, for me, illuminates how different humans are from each other. What makes one person happy often makes another miserable. "I have never been carried around by a large boy, or laughed until my stomach hurt at the dinner table, or listened to the clamor of a hundred people talking all at once. Peace is restrained; this is free."
I felt this series opened up amazing conversations and thoughts about what society needs. These are good conversations to have with each other. What does a healthy government look like? I was intrigued from book 1. Each sequel picks up where the other left off, leaving only subtle reminders for people not reading them back-to-back.
"I have to find out what could possibly be important enough for the Abnegation to die for-and the Erudite to kill for."
"The truth has a way of changing a person's plans."
Among the story line of action that pulls these books forward at a lightning pace is the romance. Our main characters have a love between them that feels very real throughout their challenges. Unlike many classified young adult books (don't get me started on that again) it doesn't feel fake, new, or forced. "...when he touches me like he can't bear to take his hand away, I don't wish I was any different." The romance unfolds throughout the series differently than I was expecting and pulls at your inner romantic.
I have always adored books with strong female lead characters and men that aren't afraid of that. This series delivers. Tris grows ever stronger throughout the series and I love her for it. The decisions she makes are calculated, but hard, and they force me to drop the book and catch my breath frequently.
In the final book of the series, unlike the first two, the story is delivered alternately between Tris' and Tobias' points of view. The change is refreshing. The reader is given a more complete picture of the story taking place. I also believe it keeps the story from feeling stale, as you have another voice coming through. It is in this third book that everyone, regardless of how you felt before, will fall in love with Tobias.
This is a work-of-art. An amazing tale of a society that will begin to feel real to you by the second chapter. A group of people who will make you feel every emotion on the spectrum. A series that will keep you turning pages so fast you'll marvel at how soon you've concluded the 1,500 page tale. HIGHLY recommended.
Through this series, Ms. Roth creates a dystopian society that you can tell began with utopian roots. Similar to other fictional societies, this one has undertones of revolution right from the beginning. However, this society divides itself into five factions and allows individuals to choose their faction. This change is important, and it makes the story unique from others like it.
At it's heart, this is a story about knowing what makes people happy. Everyone is different, we all have different desires. The people in this world choose the faction they believe will make them happy. The contrast between factions, for me, illuminates how different humans are from each other. What makes one person happy often makes another miserable. "I have never been carried around by a large boy, or laughed until my stomach hurt at the dinner table, or listened to the clamor of a hundred people talking all at once. Peace is restrained; this is free."
I felt this series opened up amazing conversations and thoughts about what society needs. These are good conversations to have with each other. What does a healthy government look like? I was intrigued from book 1. Each sequel picks up where the other left off, leaving only subtle reminders for people not reading them back-to-back.
"I have to find out what could possibly be important enough for the Abnegation to die for-and the Erudite to kill for."
"The truth has a way of changing a person's plans."
Among the story line of action that pulls these books forward at a lightning pace is the romance. Our main characters have a love between them that feels very real throughout their challenges. Unlike many classified young adult books (don't get me started on that again) it doesn't feel fake, new, or forced. "...when he touches me like he can't bear to take his hand away, I don't wish I was any different." The romance unfolds throughout the series differently than I was expecting and pulls at your inner romantic.
I have always adored books with strong female lead characters and men that aren't afraid of that. This series delivers. Tris grows ever stronger throughout the series and I love her for it. The decisions she makes are calculated, but hard, and they force me to drop the book and catch my breath frequently.
In the final book of the series, unlike the first two, the story is delivered alternately between Tris' and Tobias' points of view. The change is refreshing. The reader is given a more complete picture of the story taking place. I also believe it keeps the story from feeling stale, as you have another voice coming through. It is in this third book that everyone, regardless of how you felt before, will fall in love with Tobias.
This is a work-of-art. An amazing tale of a society that will begin to feel real to you by the second chapter. A group of people who will make you feel every emotion on the spectrum. A series that will keep you turning pages so fast you'll marvel at how soon you've concluded the 1,500 page tale. HIGHLY recommended.