Book Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Book: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Genre: YA Dystopian
Rating:★★☆☆☆
For: Fun
From: Borrowed

I've had my hands on this book for quite some time now and have been really anxious to fit it in, but only this weekend did I finally buckle down and concentrate on it. And then, once I did, ah man, it was a chore to finish it! Ugh, I hate to say it, but yes.

So I remember liking Divergent just fine. I mean, it was good, but I wasn't overly ecstatic about it or anything.(My review from back then found here.) I guess I really did quite like it, though I did mention in my review that it felt a bit like the same dystopian story told over again. Anyway.....

This book, number two in the series, was looked forward to earlier this year with much anticipation. I think I expected wild and fantastic things from it! And I didn't get that. It took me much longer than normal to remember who everyone is and then once I thought I had that figured out, I had a hard time remembering what the plot problem was. Who was wanting to take over whom, and why? And all those factions kept getting muddled in my head!

And then, once I finally got that down, I felt not at all invested. I just didn't care. And nothing was happening. And it was boring. There was internal conflict yes, and I'm usually great with that, but for some reason, not so much this time.

Ugh, I hate doing reviews like this, which is why you don't see it very often around here! BUT, I feel that when I do read a book that I felt yawn-y over, you need to know, right? You need to see that this even happens to the one who reads everything with rosy glasses! Or something.

By way of a quick summary, for those interested, we rejoin our main characters Tris and Four, who are basically refugees in a society (future Chicago area) where things have gone crazy. The factions that people are divided into have begun to crumble and the lines between them are all blurry now. Everyone must decide who's side they are on, and if that's the RIGHT side or not. And let's just say, that's no easy thing.

I think finally toward the end there I felt some excitement and I felt a little worried for the characters, for crazy Tris who put herself in a most unsavory situation. I looked and it was around page 350 when I thought.. "finally!" And I remember Divergent being so exciting and page turning! So what happened? Was it me or the book??

And yet. AND YET! The end was awesome! (well if you like cliff hangers anyway!) Dang, I'm going to have to read the next book now after all

Bottom line: While I enjoyed Divergent, the first book in this series, I found this second book, Insurgent, to be quite boring, at least until the end.

Other Reviews:

And the pace? Totally break neck. Seriously, there is never a moment where I am like if this book was a TV, I would change the channel. And it’s not like I felt overwhelmed by the fast pace either. Nope, I ate it up with a spoon. From Good Books and Good Wine

There were moments when I had to put it down and step away from the weight of this book, which makes me think about the book more. From YA Book Nerd

But middle books of trilogies are often disappointments. Thankfully, however, they are not bridges to nowhere, but with good luck will lead us, along with the characters, to a better place in Book Three. From Rhapsody in Books Blog

One of the things I really enjoyed about this book is the way we get to see how some of the other factions live. In fact, by the end of the book, Tris has spent a little time living in each one. From Creativity's Corner

While it might sound like I’m doing a lot of complaining about the book, I assure you that it is worth your time! LOTS of crazy things happen – people are dying, other people aren’t who they seem, there’s fighting, kissing, and SO MANY other things! From Reading in Winter