Allegiant by Veronica Roth (UK edition)

Title: Allegiant (Divergent #3)
Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: Dystopian, Young Adult
Publisher: Harper Collins (22nd October 2013)
Blurb:

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 beyond 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 herself – while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by No. 1 New York Times bestselling 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.

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

ALLEGIANT brings Veronica Roth’s fantastic DIVERGENT trilogy to its conclusion. After the events and revelations of INSURGENT (review) Tris and her friends are left with a world thrown into chaos: everything they thought they knew was a lie. But it also offers them a world beyond the city they know, and Tris needs to know what’s out there.

I have a slight confession to make – I went into this book not just having heard the rumblings of disquiet from dissatisfied readers of this book, but also having accidentally spoilt myself. However, in spite of that I enjoyed this book and thought that Roth did a great job in brining the DIVERGENT trilogy to a close. Going into the book I was a bit nonplussed to discover that Roth had moved from a single narrator to two, but I really think it works – and it was interesting to see inside Tobias’s head. As ALLEGIANT concludes the trilogy, and I don’t want to spoil it for you if you’ve managed to avoid the spoilers, I am going to do my best to discuss this book without giving anything away.

The plot of the book is an interesting one, and just as twisty and turn-y as the previous two books in the series. I cannot say I was terribly surprised by the “new reality” Tris and her friends discovered, I had kind of half wondered about the possibility. However, I think Roth did a good job in fleshing out what we saw of this “new reality” – which wasn’t much – and I thought it seemed really realistic. The comment it makes about humanity could be quite accurate. As the blurb hints, this “new reality” isn’t all sunshine and roses, and Roth does a brilliant job of slowly unfolding the plot and leading us towards the book – and series – conclusion.

As I’ve already mentioned, before I started the book I was dubious about having two narrators – why were we suddenly getting a second voice? By adding Tobias’s voice Roth allowed herself the scope to explore the “new reality” more, as Tobias saw things that Tris didn’t. He also saw the “new reality” and its revelations in a different way than she does. This new second voice added a complexity to the story for me which I really enjoyed.

To my surprise, by the time I reached the final page of ALLEGIANT I found myself wholly engrossed and invested in the story. I really enjoyed the way events unfolded, and whilst I don’t think Roth added anything new to the dystopian genre I do think she did a brilliant job in bringing her trilogy to a conclusion. If you are a fan of dystopian fiction and haven’t read the DIVERGENT trilogy yet, then you are in for a treat. If you are a returning fan who hasn’t braved the final installment yet, then I wish you an exciting journey – I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.