REVIEW: Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

Allegiant (Divergent #3) by Veronica Roth

Publication Date: October 22, 2013

Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books

Source: Book Purchased by Reviewer

Buy it at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

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.

So I don't normally do this, but I feel like I can't even talk about this book without mentioning all the crucial moments so...

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

What the eff was that!?!?!? I’m in shock…and angry…and also sad. Very, very sad! There just aren't any words to properly describe how I’m feeling but i'll try my best...

This book is very difficult for me to review. I've spent way too much time crying over it and analyzing every detail and have decided that this ending was tragic and beautiful and full of so much emotion that I can hardly breathe...but it was worth every second because at the end of the day that's the effect every great book should have on you. 

There’s so much that I want to say about Allegiant that I just don’t even know where to begin. I’m trying to keep a level head, but I can’t promise that my emotions won’t show up and cripple me in ways that you could never understand until you read the book yourself…so bear with me.

At the end of the day I have to admit that I feel betrayed. Betrayed by Veronica Roth, betrayed by Tris, and betrayed by my own emotions. This last book was supposed to be an end to all of my questions, to all of my angst, but I feel like Veronica took it to a whole different level and left me filled with more of both things. The story takes a dramatic turn of events and turns some of our favorite characters (read: Natalie Prior) into totally different people. I feel lied to, like everything I believed was never true and i'm just not okay with that. I understand why she did what she did and I guess that understanding applies to both Veronica and Tris. I just wish that it would have been handled differently. In the words of Tobias "I guess a fire that burns that bright is not meant to last" and that's what Tris was, a bold fire whose light shined through the darkest of times: his darkest times, and her own. 

Now that I've shared some of my emotional baggage with you I'm going to make things easier and quicker and make a list of things that i'm NOT okay with in the book (because I've used all the energy I had left on thinking about it):

-The factions serving as an "experiment" to the Government

-The Government attempting to "reset" the people in the factions

-Tobias NOT being Divergent (Broke my heart...changes everything we believe in, WTF?!?)

- Evelyn being alive (seriously!?)

- Marcus NOT dying (per V. Roth "Marcus just wouldn't die" but Tris can?!?!)

- Tris dying (Not cool, Veronica. Not cool!)

- David living after he killed Tris

- And lastly, the fact that the death serum didn't kill Tris, but a few bullet shots did...after all that she's been through and that's how she goes out?!

So, I hope that after all of this you can see why i'm unable to function and why even though this was probably the most depressing series finale I've ever read, I can't help but acknowledge that it was a great one. For better or worse, my emotional damage reminds me of how a great book is supposed to make you feel. So to twist the words of Ollivander from Harry Potter: I think we can expect great things from Veronica Roth...After all, Allegiant did great things-terrible, yes, but great.

But on a side note: Veronica, TAKE THAT!