"Allegiant" (2013) by Veronica Roth REVIEW

NOTE: If you haven't read the previous two books of the Divergent trilogy and don't want to spoil the story, don't read the following review.

Whoa. Just... Just whoa.

Shortly after the events of Insurgent, Evelyn Johnson is now in control of Chicago. The factionless now rule the city. Now, there are no factions. Desperate for escape from Evelyn's rule, Beatrice "Tris" Prior, Tobias "Four" Eaton, and their friends go to the forbidden outskirts of the city. Perhaps there, the chances of survival are greater. Perhaps there, they can find out the truth of their city, their world, and the secrets of being a divergent.

Too bad the story only provides more problems for the overall plot. Allegiant is the final book of Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy (a trilogy with an under-par beginning, a stunning sequel, and now a flat finale with plotholes galore). There are so many secrets that are surfaced that make no sense to the concept and major plot points of the previous books. I'm not saying that the whole book it bad, because there are some good scenes that happen from time to time. I even like the epilogue the author provided to give closure to the world.

Back to the negative stuff about the book. Looking over the plot holes, there is the whole ordeal of the climax. It just happens way too fast with unbelievable actions moving it forward. Now, if you're willing to look past that problem as well, then the final complaint would be about the protagonists: Tris and Tobias. Veronica Roth decided to tell the story of Allegiant with alternate perspectives of these two characters. I was glad I was listening to the audiobook with a voice actor for each perspective instead of reading the book myself, because the narrative voices sound alike. Tobias is no longer the tough, intelligent man from the last two books, but instead a man haunted by his fears and prone to making poor judgments (like Tris).

Like I said, the book contains some great scenes. The action is great, the dramatic turn toward the end is surprisingly good, and the epilogue brought great closure to the characters. However, this does not make up for the poorly thought-out plot points, reveals (which I'll cover in another post), and the failed attempt to make distinctive voices for each narrator.

2/5 Stars

Also, there is no way this book is actually long enough to be two movies.

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