Allegiant (Divergent #3) - Veronica Roth [Review]

SPOILERS!

Title: Allegiant
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Harper Collins 
Series: Divergent #3
Release Date: October 22nd 2013
Pages: 526
Rating:  ★★☆☆☆ 

One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Review:

Spoilers!

I was so excited to read this book, after loving Divergent and Insurgent. Unfortunately I was really disappointed by this book.

Instead of my usual review scheme, analyzing characters etc, I will just explain to you my criticism of the book.

The most disappointing thing in Allegiant I thought was the ending with Tris dying. It was definitely not what I had expected and I just found it needlessly cruel. I know not every story has a happy ending, but every good thing at the end was overshadowed by grief for Tris. If it had been a beautiful death with meaning I would maybe have accepted it, but it wasn't. Tris chose to steal Caleb's chance at redemption and be the selfless hero herself. And for what? To wipe the government memory while in the city the slaughter continues? I did not find it very meaningful. The worst thing was that I thought she was finally done with her sacrifices after she told us she "wanted to live" in Insurgent, which she clearly wasn't and didn't.

The story did not grab my attention like the other two did. I found myself bored at times, I felt like nothing happened most of the book. The middle part seemed only to exist of Tris and Four bickering at each other. The other books had a lot of action in it, while Allegiant consisted most of Tris and co. hanging at the government compound. I really had to drag myself through this book.

The explanation for the faction system was a bit disappointing. I really liked the dystopian faction system and it did not need a weird scientific background. The government on the outside and the opposing genes caused a lot of new problems, while I actually wanted to know what was going on in the city. I also felt like the government, the experiments and the genes etc. were explained very quickly, in a sort of info dump. It was way too much new information for a last book, especially when everything we had 'learned' in the previous books turned out to be a lie. Allegiant should just have continued in the city or Roth should have added another book to explain the new twist some more.

Everything the previous books was about and built up to: the factions, the Divergent, the factionless and the war in the city, was discarded in Allegiant. As soon as we find out these problems are based on lies, they are not important anymore. The majority of the book was about the new upcoming war between GD's and GP's and how the government was corrupt. To give the reader a little closure on the items in the previous books, Evelyn chooses Tobias over the war, when at first she wants to kill all the Allegiant to get what she wants. A bit of an unrealistic and easy solution.

The dual perspective was very confusing. Most of the time I did not know who was telling the story and I had to flip back pages to check the narrator. Tris and Four had very similar voices, I did not think the dual perspective added much to the story, although it was necessary of course at the end.

This may sound a bit dramatic, but I wish I had not read Allegiant and had just stopped at Insurgent. I was disappointed by the whole of Allegiant, not just the ending. I also don't know whether I'll be able to read the first two books again without thinking how everything is actually a lie.

Conclusion: the Divergent trilogy has a great beginning and a disappointing ending.

Stars: 2 out of 5