Insurgent Paperback – 1 May 2012

Flash back twelve months, and the bloggosphere was a-buzz with word of a début novel from some woman called Veronica Roth. It was called Divergent, and it came in riding the wave of distopian fiction that has been steadily increasing after the success of The Hunger Games. But... Divergent wasn't, and isn't, like those other books that just ride the wave. Divergent was the one that broke the wave and brought it crashing to shore with a smash.Fast forward to today, and now it's time for Insurgent to crest the wave and smash into all of our lives.I'm not going to beat around the bush here. You need to read this book. It's not a case of "you probably should... it's good you know," it's a case of you simply must! No two ways about it.Tris' life is in even more danger than before. She, along with Tobias (Four), her brother Caleb, and Tobias' estranged father Marcus, have barely escaped the city with their lives. Erudite are everywhere, with their mind-controlled Dauntless soldiers, they are on a mission to hunt down the Divergent rebels, and they will stop at nothing.I really only have one grievance with Insurgent. For me, it's as near to perfection as a book can get, especially a sequel, a second book, the middle of the trilogy no doubt, which is always tricky territory. I had wondered whether Veronica would be able to do it again. And while she has, there is one part of the overall plot that's bugging me a little bit. It is quite spoilery... so I have changed the colour of the text, so if you've read the book you can just highlight it and read, otherwise, if you want to read it regardless, you can just highlight it anyway... So many Divergents! Yeah, I know there have been several over history within the world the books are set in. But it kind of annoys me that here's Tris, this girl who has to hide because of what she is, because the way in which her brain works, and then... ooh... here's another Divergent. And another. And another. And another. I just... I don't know. For me, it kind of detracts from the whole "we need a hero" feel. We need a leader, someone who leads us through the plot, into the pending mass revolution, the final battle and I don't really get that feel any more. I kind of feel like that aspect of the book, of having the protagonist has kind of been taken away. And while it may sound major, for me it's not. It's just annoying really!Regardless of that though, Insurgent truly is a beauty of a book. The writing is taut and rich, the prose engaging, and the characters just as flawed and real as loveable as ever. Tobias is my favourite I think. He's so complex and you can never really get a true hold of him, which is something I like in a character. We all love a bit of mystery right? I love when authors have a true ability to make you care about the characters, and it's something that Roth seems to have down to a tee! I don't just care about these characters, I love them! So much so that at times I was nearly pulling out my hair in frustration (at their actions...), feeling for them in their grief (we're at war folks, and people are going to die...) and grieving for them. I actually liken reading this book in particular to my reading experience of Mockingjay. Both in terms of character and of plot. We are at war, and war is exhausting. Reading Mockingjay was an emotionally exhausting experience, one I have re-encountered with Insurgent. And while people may say "but Ryan, why read a book that makes you feel miserable?" Well... because while it does get me down a little, they are so well written and just so beautiful in the whole. A good book does leave a mark on you, regardless of what it's about, and boy does Insugent hit the mark and stay there!Plot wise, despite my earlier point, the book is incredibly strong. The whole faction aspect is even more ingenious when looked at now, after Insurgent. The way they all interact with one another, they way they think of one another. Erudite in particular. Whilst I am part of Team Erudite UK for the release of the book, I will say I would like a transfer! They really are not nice! Ha.Only downside apart from my earlier point is the cover. I'm not going to lie, I really do not like the new UK look for the books. I just don't. They're nice, but they're not right. To be honest, I'm glad I read Divergent before the cover was released. I'm not one for judging a book by its cover, I don't agree with it. But the new covers make it look chic-flic gone futuristic, and it just doesn't suit these books. The US covers though... Spot. On. Hence why I have ordered a copy from America which I cannot wait to have in my possession. Whilst the UK cover is better in person, I'll give it that, it's just still not right. I am hoping, and praying that Haper Collins might just change the cover back, I doubt they will but a guy can hope right?I'm going to close this review off now, it's already over 920 words long... Oops! I, quite simply, cannot wait for the third and final book (which I want, for some odd reason, to be called Convergent!! Don't ask why... just seems like it'd fit). I get the feeling that bigger things are to come and I cannot begin to imagine what can happen after the events in Insurgent. A knowledge long hidden has been released, and the consequences may be dire. One thing is for sure, the next twelve months need to hurry up and fast forward!

It's not often I find a book which really gets me excited about reading again. In fact I can probably count on one hand the amount of books which I can truly say made me passionate about reading. The Divergent series definitely falls into this category!I read the Hunger Games book a couple of years ago or so and really enjoyed it although I found it was pretty much Battle Royale for YA's. After failing to get into the second book, I started my search for something similar to HG when I came across Divergent.Although I can see why they would be classed as similar, personally I think the Divergent series is MUCH better, but onto my review of Insurgent.The book continues straight after Divergent with pretty much no recap of what happened in the first book. Personally I preferred this and as it had only been a few months since I read the last one I caught on pretty quick to what had happened. For those who have left it longer, there are loads of recaps on the Internet to help.This book seems to concentrate more on Tris and Fours relationship and tests their relationship to the max. I liked how in the previous book it focused more on the factions, Tris's transformation into Dauntless etc. However, I think that this book needed to delve more into their relationship as it becomes more apparent they need each other to not only survive but to also find the answers to how their 'kind' fits into the bigger picture, which helps to move the story along.Don't be fooled though, this book is action packed, with some great plot twists which I didn't see happening. Yes, there were some parts when I thought 'Why on earth would Tris do that?' and she seemed to be turning into abit of a Bella Swan character, but the truth is she has emotions, strength, fears, kindness, selfishness and all of the other traits, which is why she is Divergent. So we can forgive a few of her stupid actions.The ending to me was good, I went with the emotions and although I was a little disappointed with a key scene being over to quick I think the cliffhanger made up for it.Overall, this book IS a page turner, I couldn't stop thinking about this world when I wasn't reading it. It's exciting and clever and action packed. I love the characters Tris and Four although they can annoy me, but that's when I can usually tell a books really grabbed my attention. Isn't that what a books meant to do? Make you feel different emotions, care enough to feel something?Please do not be put off by the cover, truth is the US cover is much better. The book is far from girly and i think it would definitely appeal to both genders. I'm not this books target audience and yet I can honestly say this series has awakened my joy in reading all over again.I would have given this book a 5 however, I believe the first one opened my eyes and curiosity to this world and warranted a 5. Whereas this book delved more into the mechanics of the 'world' and although needed, I find as with many books which are 2nd in a series that they don't have quite as much excitement of a new place as the first one. I feel more comfortable and therefore less curious and excited if that makes sense? It's like a long term friend which you want to get to know better, rather than a new friend who you are caught up in the moment with and have no solid ground with.I can't wait for the 3rd and final book and hope that it continues to push Tris and Fours relationship whilst keeping the action and strong plot line which has made this a great book.

The Book is a must-read for every Divergent Lover- Gripping plot and interesting twists. The fonts and the pages were in perfect condition. The only problem was AMAZON PACKAGE in which it was delivered. Please do not use Paper Covers to deliver books as it cause creases and multiple folds on the book.

The series is kind of tough to get through and isn’t as fast paced as I would like to be. The movies are very good tho, so that means the plot is good so if you are patient then you’ll probably enjoy reading the books more than I did.

Perfecte

Filme foi bem fiel ao livro. Entrega rápida e bem feita. Não tive nenhum problema quanto ao tempo de entrega ou até mesmo o estado do livro. Ambos perfeitos.

Een verrassend boek dat steeds weer andere wendingen neemt. Goed geschreven en te volgen, ook als Engels niet je moedertaal is.