On the run in a world that has quickly been thrown into chaos after the slaughter of nearly everyone she grew up with by her new faction, Tris must discover a way to protect herself and those she loves as the price on divergent’s heads grow higher. New friends and new enemies arrive, but how can Tris tell which is which when she can’t even trust her own mind?
I was really impressed with Insurgent. Lately, some of the more “popular” series have been shaking my faith in humanity, but while Insurgent is not the greatest book ever written, it did do quite a few things right, including some damn nice character development.
The fact that Tris is traumatised by the horrific incidents of Divergent makes me want to jump up and down on my bed. You have no idea how much it upsets me when authors pull out the trauma for a bit of plot twist drama and then it is forgotten by the protagonist by the next book or even immediately after. (For a couple prime examples, see the Fallen series and the Across the Universe series…or don’t because neither are really worth your time.) This is made an essential element to the plot, and Tris’s personal journey is probably my favourite element of this series.
On the other hand, this book had quite an “Inception”-like vibe. Because of this, I spend a third of the book expecting a twist that never came. This made me disconnect from the books and the events in a way that severely lowered my enjoyment of that part of the book. Take my advice and don’t try to guess what will happen next. Enjoy the ride and allow Roth to unfold her story at her own pace.
Don’t just take my word for it!
“It is a worthy continuation of Divergent and I loved how it portrayed emotional trauma and consequences in the aftermath of conflicts, as well as how it explored the limits of personal and societal codes of morality.” – Amanda @ Late Night with Good Books
“The ending was kind of what I thought it would be, but it was still AWESOME, and still made me incredibly excited for book 3.” – Amy @ Tripping Over Books
“It’s theory-inspiring, intense, heart palpitating and legit one of the best books I’ve read so far in 2012.” – April @ Good Books and Good Wine
“Highly recommended. An amazing book from an amazing writer.” – Christa @ Hooked on Books
“After reading all 525 pages of Insurgent, I WANT MORE.” – Kyle @ A Reader’s Pensieve
“So, I’m not impressed.” – Lauren @ Hughes Reviews
“So yes, reading this book is a MUST.” – Alexa Loves Books
“Not as much of a WOW as Divergent, but a decent follow-up.” – Jen @ Almost Grown-Up
coffeeandwizards 
Hooray! Your reviews are back! I’m armed with my mug and wand! 🙂 And yeah… I partially agree with you about the trauma Tris is still dealing with. On the one hand, I TOTALLY appreciate Roth having it in there for the duration of the book. I’m glad Tris dealt with it and we got to see just how much she was affected by the actions in Divergent. On the other hand, I got tired of it. I wanted to shake her sometimes and say “snap out of it!” But I think that’s how humans react, so yeah… I agree with you that I’m glad Roth didn’t glide over Tris’s trauma. Great review!
Yeah, I found it annoying at times as well because it sucks seeing such a strong person reduced to being a slave to her trauma, but I think that attitude is something we need to try to actively combat. Tris was basically suffering from a form of post-trauma stress disorder, or whatever it’s called. Mental illness is hard to understand, I think, for those of us who don’t suffer from it, but it’s just as legitimate and just as important for it to be portrayed as any visible ailment (which are also rarely portrayed in YA unfortunately).
You’re totally right about the whole traumatized thing. I hate when people aren’t reacting the way they actually would be (my prime example is the Abandon series but I totally agree with Across the Universe as well).
I did really like Insurgent, but it just felt off at certain times, and I could never quite put my finger on it. Maybe it’s like you said, I was waiting for a twist that never came. Regardless I’m really excited to see how she wraps up this series!
Me too!
Yes! I am so glad that someone else is on the same page as me about Tris’ emotional issues in Insurgent. I agree that her personal development is one of the best aspects about the book. So what if there’s less romance? Or she’s a little more hesitant to fight? I read to read about realistic characters.
I’m glad that you agree! It’s hard to find realistic characters sometimes.