Monday 7 May 2012

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Team Candor UK Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent by Veronica RothInsurgent by Veronica Roth (review copy) - WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoiled for you.

Fighting for survival in a shattered world… the truth is her only hope.

I have done bad things. I can’t take them back, and they are part of who I am.

Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.

Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever… because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.
From Amazon UK

Oh. My. God. There are absolutely no words to describe how I'm feeling right now, now that I have finished Insurgent. To say I loved it is to call a thunderstorm a drizzle. "Amazing" doesn't even come close to covering it! Insurgent blew me away - more than I was expecting after reading Divergent. How could Veronica Roth possibly beat Divergent when it was so incredible? I don't know how, but she bloody well did!

I said in my review of Divergent that it was complex and clever. I also said that you had no idea where things were going to go. Insurgent has both these elements, but takes them to a whole new level. Whereas Divergent focussed on Tris more than the dystopian society, after Erudite put the Dauntless under the attack simulation and all but destroyed the Abnegation faction, Insurgent focuses on both Tris and the society they now all live in. A society filled with chaos, danger, and the threat of war. And in a world where factions are kept separate, you have no idea what any will do, or what the consequences will be. You are constantly sitting on the edge of your seat while reading this book. It just doesn’t stop!

And by that I mean the characters never stop. Society as they know it is crumbling, and for those who were Dauntless, sitting back and waiting to see what happens isn’t an option. Erudite took control of Dauntless to destroy Abnegation. But what of Amity and Candor? Who’s side will they be on? And why did Erudite take control, anyway? Why target Abnegation? What do they want? And what will they do next? Insurgent picks up right where Divergent left off; with Tris, Four, and company on the train, and they have work to do – fight and protect. We find out so much more about all the other factions in this book, and it’s just fascinating. The internal politics of each individual faction, how they work together, how decisions are made, what they base those decisions on, and how others are treated, it’s just brilliantly worked out.

Tris suffers so much throughout this novel. With having to kill Will, and her mother and father sacrificing themselves for her at the end of Divergent, Tris is wracked with grief and guilt, to the point where she actually struggles to function normally. She becomes terrified of using a gun, throws herself into unnecessary reckless situations, and simply can’t get past what has happened. This puts a lot of pressure on her relationship with Four, who loves her beyond words, yet can’t seem to shake her out of her self-destruct mode. Add to that the fact that he's suffering from his own demons and seems to be hiding things from her too, and you’ve got yourself a hurting couple who need each other more than they can possibly say, yet can’t help spitting fire and venom at one another. It is so unbelievably sad knowing how much they feel for each other and just how much they desperately need each other’s help, and to then see them feel unable to simply reach out for the other’s hand. It’s incredibly sad. Saying that, when no harsh words are spoken, the fire that burns between them rivals that of any other YA couple going. The chemistry between the two of them is so intense, it crackles right off the page. This is what makes them one of the most believable YA couples going; they have the love, the passion, the devotion, but they have their issues too. No relationship is perfect 100% of the time, and the fact that these two have their problems makes it all the more real. Their relationship is so beautiful, it shines.

As in the previous book, Roth doesn’t shy away from hitting our favourite characters with major blows, but as there is a lot more life-threatening action in this book than in Divergent, those blows, in whatever form, aren’t reserved for just the end. I was close to tears on more than one occasion over the dirty tactics of the cold Erudite Jeanine. Knowing this from the previous book, it is foolish to get too attached to some characters you get to know better, yet impossible not to do. In more ways than one, this book is an incredibly hard and brutal read, but much like a car crash, you can’t turn away.

Then there is the ending! Oh my god, the ending! Such a cliff-hanger! And I have absolutely no idea where the story is going to go from there! What a curve ball! We thought everyone was all shaken up already, but it seems Roth didn’t think things were shaken up enough. Simply brilliant, and exciting, and wonderful! I have absolutely no clue what will happen next, but I can tell you one thing; it’s going to be one hell of a ride!

Insurgent; impossible to read with your mouth closed. Prepare to be awed.

This post is part of Team #CandorUK's campaign for #InsurgentUK.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books for the review copy.



Published: 1st May 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Buy on Amazon US
Veronica Roth's Website

My other reviews from the series:
Divergent (Divergent Book 1)

Team #CandorUK reviews:
Writing from the Tub / Painting With Words / Feeling Fictional / K-Books / Bart's Bookshelf / Booking in Heels / Big Book Little Book / Books 4 Teens / Gothic Angel / Book Monkey / We Sat Down

Other reviews:
Eleusinian Mysteries
Saz101

16 comments:

  1. Love your review Jo and I agree on all counts!!!

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    1. Thank you! :D It's such a fantastic book! :D

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  2. AAARGGHH I LOVED DIVERGENT MORE THAN ANY WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, OR ANY OTHER LANGUAGE, COULD EXPRESS!! And I cannot WAIT to get my teeth into Insurgent!! Come one school library, come oonnnnnn!!

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    1. Haha! It was fantastic! I hope your library gets it soon, you're going to LOVE Insurgent!

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  3. Brilliant review Jo! I loved every second too and I totally agree with your claim that it's impossible to read with your mouth closed!

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    1. Thank you! :) Oh, it was awesome! I looooved it! :D

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  4. Awesome review Jo!! I loved Insurgent soooooo much and completely agree with everything you said :o)

    As much as I didn't want to see Tris and Four have to go through everything they went through I think they'll come out the other side even stronger & like you say the fact that they had problems makes them feel even more real. I don't know how I'm going to survive the wait until the last book after that killer cliffhanger lol

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    1. Thank you! I know, Tris & Four were just perfect in this book! So believable! And Four! I want me some Four! :) Oooh, I'm going to die waiting for book 3, I just know it! :)

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  5. Great review!! I totally agree with your first paragraph, minus the "I've read it" part. I keep seeing shining reviews and I can't imagine in my mind a book that's possibly better than Divergent. LIKE REALLY?! Would you believe that my hardcover still hasn't arrived from TBD? AND my review copy is STILL delayed and out there somewhere? *sobs* I think my postman hates me.....

    Insurgent sounds absolutely amazing. I can't wait to dig deeper into these characters and explore this world once again <3 A little scared about the evil guys and the cliffhanger but... *WANTS*

    Lisa | Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me

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    1. Thank you! Oh no! Bad postie! WHAT is going on?! He needs to get a shift on, you need this book! But yes, it's awesoooome! Incredible! And strangely, it was better than Divergent! You're going to love it!

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  6. ASGDFJA! Could you have written a more perfect review? COULD YOU?! NOOOO. YOU COULD NOT.

    Aaaaah, Jo! "The chemistry between the two of them is so intense, it crackles right off the page. This is what makes them one of the most believable YA couples going; they have the love, the passion, the devotion, but they have their issues too. No relationship is perfect 100% of the time, and the fact that these two have their problems makes it all the more real. Their relationship is so beautiful, it shines."

    ^^^ THIS. EXACTLY. I couldn't say it any mroe perfectly myself. FAB review xx

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    1. Aww, thank you! Oooh, you have made my DAY! I see you quote Brodie's reviews back at her sometimes, and I agree with you each time - and to have you do the same with my own review.. EEE! You've made me super happy! Haha! Thank you, I'm glad you liked the review! :D

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    2. Ahahahaha! It's so much easier than using my brain and saying 'what you said here is so true because x, y, z'. It's that you're so smart and quotable and ADJFHLKFAD!

      Hehehe! I'm sorry for the delayed response, but... well... you are WIN! And I'm SO glad to have made your day! ♥

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    3. Aww, thanks again, Sarah! :D You're awesome! :)

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  7. OMG. YOUR REVIEW. I LOVE IT. LOVELOVELOVE. No kidding, I just copied the SAME paragraph as Sarah to come post in the comment and jab my finger at it and say, "JO. I SO FREAKING AGREE WITH THIS." And saw she beat me to it :P

    I just... gah. I usually have SOME way to respond to a review, but you have left me guh-ing and my hands involuntarily clenching toward my copy to go reread it. God, Insurgent just BLEW my expectations out of the water. How the heck did Veronica manage to top the UNTOPPABLE?! She is going to kill us in book 2 *clutches heart*

    I'm super late replying to this, but I just wanted to throw in a few comments on your posts before I went to bed because I LOVE your blog, I've just been really sucky with my Google Reader lately *sad face* I could kick myself for almost missing this review! AMAZING <3

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    1. Aww, thank you Brodie! You are so lovely! :D God, you must be up super, super late! Lol. Don't worry about missing, posts, it's all good! :)

      BOOK 3 IS GOING TO BLOW OUR SOCKS OFF! Yesss it is! Though I'm not sure I can wait for it! Too many books needed! Lol.

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