Insurgent

Insurgent

Veronica Roth’s gripping debut novel, Divergent, hit the shelves May 2011 and since then, readers have had few complaints since. Recently, I read the sequel, Insurgent.

Much like renowned author, J.K. Rowling, Veronica Roth crafts a complex, alternate world and, smartly, grounds it with a sense of reality. As in reality, nothing in Insurgent is “black and white”, which I think further differentiates Insurgent from other teen novels or a comic book feeling. Though the book’s premise was enough alone to grab the attention of the bookworm and the reluctant reader alike, Roth makes Insurgent into more than another teen novel. Insurgent is filled with stunningly original characters that leap off the page. Each character is not crafted, but born. Especially in books like Insurgent, characters can become too clearly defined and verge upon stereotypical, which is not the case. In Insurgent, we glimpse each character’s hopes, fears, regrets, emotions, and independent styles, which further enrich Divergent. Throughout Insurgent, Roth raises questions about loyalty, belonging, values, ethics, society, decisions, and trust. To me, the book possesses a wonderful dynamicity.

However, I thought that the book could have been more balanced. At times, the reading could be hard to follow because so much was happening at once. As a result, the writing sometimes verged on choppy and the novel could flow a little better.

            Overall, I enjoyed the novel immensely and would recommend it to anyone looking for an exciting read with a highly original premise but is not put-off by a complicated plot.