Reviews with content warning for War - Insurgent

I'm going to try keep this spoiler free but this book definitely felt like a step down from the first book. There were some stuff I liked but some stuff I didn't.

Before I get into what i liked I have to share my dislikes. First I hated the characterisation it partly makes me wish someone else was brought in to help consult Veronica to write a good relationship. Four × Tris felt so stale as well as their fights. In the society there in you'd expect secrets being kept to be understandable. Four is so inconsistent and much more horrible and Tris is somehow falling for manipulations from Four's abuser.
I won't say which villians fall but I feel like they were wasted after being built up in the first book and thats such a shame. The fact I was more interested in the side characters is something super telling. I also didn't like the pacing of the book because it was super fast at the beginning and tried to brush off the Aftermath of the first book way too quickly.

Apart from that I thought it was okay the super spoilery stuff was very interesting and had me hooked. I was absolutely flabbergasted and shocked at the ending. The foreshadowing for the third book is also scary but brilliant. It was also really interesting to see the breakdown of the society even further and to see how bitter everyone had become after the attack on Abnegation. The action sequences also had me at the edge of my seat especially the attack on Candor.

Overall I really jinxed it reading the first book when I said I hoped that the second book would be amazing so I'm not gonna jinx the third book even if the cliffhanger has me hooked. Insurgent was ok but it could have been a lot better and sacrificed the Tris x Four subplot for better character development.

Mel's Rating: 3.5 😓👍🏼

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annie_e_bea's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is a reread after picking it up for the first time several years ago.

I think with this one the writing is better than in Divergent in terms of sentence structure. Though like with the first it drags on at times. The story is entertaining, but the overall plot could have been tweaked a bit more. Also, in comparison to the movies, it hardly feels like they are the same stories with the same characters.

However, unlike with Divergent where I felt the movie did better with most changes, there is a little bit from the book for Insurgent that outshines the movie. Like having more side characters with more important roles. Still, most of it was entirely different and I do think the movie outshined the book in terms of plot and character arcs.

There is so much in this that is different. Primarily the plot, where the movie seemed like Jeanine was determined to erase the Divergent and use them to open the box from Abnegation. Instead the book focused on Jeanine trying to understand the Divergent minds and prevent the information about the outside world being leaked. She knew the whole time rather than finding out in the end like the movie. Where the books lack is excitability. It’s an interesting plot and there is tons of danger, but the stakes don’t seem as high and once again, as cohesive. Especially with Four and Tris being at odds the whole time.

Tris destroys the sim harddrive from the first book, escaping Amity was different in that they first tried to be disguised before taking off, the encounter with factionless was not a big fight, Tris stabbing Eric to kill him before Dauntless elects new leaders and decide to execute him which Four does, Four being bullied by the Dauntless for confession about father and proceeding to best him up to gain back respect and strive for leadership, Four having his fear sim change, Marlene being the one to fall and not Christina (Tris saves Hector), them being in Abnegation at some points and going back to the Dauntless compound, Tris working sith Marcus and going against Four for the recording info and the lady being a Prior, Tori killing Jeanine, and Lynn dying and hinting at her being in love with Marlene. Instead of getting Tris to open the boxes with similations, they were experimenting on her to see how the Divergent brain works. To see if they can create something to control the Divergents.

Even though the plot is okay, it is far less exciting and compact than the movies. It was also a lot to deal with Four and Tris being hot and cold, especially when it seems like Four ~gets~ Tris but suddently doesn’t. When she’s so immersed in grief. It’s a far different Four than in the movies I remember. I think that is why I forgot so much of the books, because it pales in comparison.

I am being quite critical but I also don’t think the book is awful. I wasn’t as invested with Divergent, but as I said about that book, you can’t help but to be invested in the characters and care about them and their lives. Which for someone like me, who can love a story that is otherwise bad but has great characters, is a major plus. I’d rather read that than a fantastic plot with characters you don’t care about at all.

Overall, not the best book I’ve ever read but still oddly nostalgic and appealing despite all criticisms.

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imyou's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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lorraine19's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-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

5.0

I rarely find the sequels to books better than the original, but this one I definitely do. As I said with my divergent review, I watched the movies first and enjoyed them. However, the movies didn't even touch on the psychological aspect that is the main point in this book. Ya you get to look at the other factions and the story is good, but what really makes it great is the way Tris' mental health is discussed. This is the dark, realistic stuff that makes books so good and relatable. Love the exploration of, not only a complex society, but complex characters.

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lucyisabella's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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theklutzybibliophile's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring medium-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? Yes

4.5

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hollymileham's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

good vibes but i got bored in last 200 pages.. also the film is completely different to the book like an entirely different plot
frankly not enough four for my liking in this and i found tris quite unlikeable

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