Saturday, January 18, 2014

Insurgent

Insurgent (Divergent, #2)Insurgent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I didn't hate this book. It's hard to hate a book that was really easy/fast to read. I don't feel like I really wasted any time on it, despite its lack of substance. Another reason for me to harbor no ill will towards Insurgent is because my boyfriend had already read it and I enjoyed making fun of the main characters/discussing the story with him.

If you've not read Divergent, you won't care about this review/book at all. Insurgent starts exactly where Divergent left off. No recapping, which is the author's creative decision (I agree with her reasoning--recapping can be awkward and clunky), but this left me confused for a little while, especially since I really only skimmed Divergent. Once I re-calibrated, everything made more sense.

The story itself is pretty solid, if you can continue suspending your disbelief from the first book. Yes, breaking the human population of a dystopian Chicago into five factions based on very broad personality traits (bravery, selflessness, honesty, peacefulness, logic) is a little silly. Assuming that people who display aptitude for several traits at once are inherently dangerous is even sillier. For the sake of the story, though, sure, why not?

I'm also a fan of the setting--I'm game for almost anything set in Chicago, and a future Chicago where the Sears Tower is referred to as The Hub sounds like fun. My roommates and I have enjoyed mapping out where each faction headquarter is located.

Where Insurgent loses stars is with its unbelievable dialogue and annoying narration. I don't care when or where your story is set, people still need to talk to each other like they are real people and not cardboard mouth-holes.

I also wish Tris wasn't the narrator, or that she didn't tell us so much. Trust your readers, Veronica Roth! We hear, from Tris, that she sees someone look a certain way. Then Tris goes on to state that the aforementioned facial expression must mean this because of this event and this person must be feeling this way because when this event happens to people they often feel this way. I felt like Tris was slapping us in the face with story filler. "Guys, I'm going to do this now because I am part Erudite and that makes me logical!" "Now watch me be selfless and sacrifice myself because I am also from Abnegation!" Then Tris would momentarily forget there was a war waging because she got lost in Four's blue eyes. I could have done without the romance.

Again: this book didn't make me angry at its author, and I wasn't furiously trying to finish so I could be done with it. It was more like, meh, that was fun, but c'mon now, really? Will I go on to read Allegiant? Yeah. Insurgent ends with a cliffhanger that was the most interesting aspect of the book--a thicker plot develops and we get a glimpse of what this trilogy has been trying to set up all along.


View all my reviews

---



---

THANKS: Saturday. For requiring nothing of me.

13 comments:

  1. Thanks for this review. I don't think I'll be reading this trilogy any time soon. I have a handful of books in my e-reader already, but I still have a B&N gift card to use. Maybe I'll take a look through other reviews and find a book you really liked.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's definitely geared towards a younger reader, but I had already read the first book, so I figured I would see it through. I wouldn't say this series is awesome enough to warrant upsetting the books already on your to-read list. There are way more worthy contenders for that!

      Delete
  2. I appreciate book reviews. I read so much that it's nice to get a heads up before picking up a new one. I haven't read this series yet, and I'm not sure if I will or not...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the series might become fairly popular with the Harry Potter/Twilight/Hunger Games crowd, if only because the movie version of the first book comes out in March and it's been pretty hyped. I only knew about the series because they filmed in Chicago, and that's why I started reading...my boyfriend got a super minor spot as an extra, so it was interesting to read along while they filmed. Otherwise I don't know if I would have ever picked it up.

      Delete
  3. One of my neighbors was just talking about Insurgent, might have to check it out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Make sure you read Divergent first, you'll be super lost otherwise. If you enjoy the first book you might be curious enough to finish the series, as I am.

      Delete
  4. I know what you mean about a fast read being hard to hate. If it's that bad, I won't finish it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly--no harm no foul. It's like fast food. Not the best tasting, but cheap and it does the job.

      Delete
  5. I enjoy your book reviews. " Cardboard mouth holes" - Haha!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nice review, I like your honest style. The cover is very 'Hunger Games'ish. I'll be looking for the movie. It was always fun to watch them film in Chicago, and I once helped cater a lunch at Union Station when they were filming a 30's movie... I don't remember the name of it... but the actors and costumes were great to see... as well as all the filming stuff.

    I checked out a Chicago Fire episode, and yes that's Lottie's. The back bar looked pretty much the same, I see they added some beer taps on the bar... we only had 3 on the side of the beer cooler. Nice tables now. Thanks for letting me know. You are my go-to- gal for Chicago now.

    Here's something for you and your friends to do... Go to Graceland... No, not the Elvis one... the Dead one. Graceland Cemetery on the North Side. It is an amazing sight to see, and don't forget your camera. Here's a post I wrote about it... http://tedstrutz.com/2012/05/28/the-crusader-and-the-acting-student/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. p.s. I too liked your line... 'cardboard mouth holes'

      Delete
    2. Oh, I will definitely see the movie. I'm curious to see how they made Chicago more dystopian that it feels right now, in the middle of an unending winter.

      I've driven past Graceland Cemetery, but never been inside. I'll have to check it out, hopefully when it warms up.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete