SPOILERS AHEAD
I think it'd be nearly impossible to review this book without them, so you've been warned. DO NOT read on unless you have finished Allegiant.
Publishing lag can sometimes take you away from a book. While waiting, you grow less and less attached--at least for me anyway. However, I have found with me this isn't always the case. I can wait years for the next book in a series, pick it up, and it feel like I never waited at all.
Allegiant wasn't one of those books.
Now it seems like I'm being harsh, but bear with me. Allegiant was a quick read, one that I found very hard to put down, even when I wanted to. Even when the characters frustrated me, they were still compelling, still people I felt I could learn from and empathize with as the story progressed. Not all authors can manage that and I feel Roth has built her characters well. Their actions stand by themselves. It is for that reason I support the controversial ending, but we'll get there later.
What I see in this genre more often than not is characters being uprooted in the last book by some kind of plot twist and that twist leads to half a book of exposition, introducing new characters and new complications to an already complex plot and stumbling to tie all of those new ends and old ends together by the conclusion. As far as "stumbling" goes, Roth managed to catch her fall (sometimes). Still I feel the book served its purpose and will satisfy at least 50% of its readers initially and maybe about 20% or so will come around later on.
It's just, as much as I love this series, I have to admit some things simply weren't working. We are given enough explanation about "the world outside the fence" to spare us from confusion, but not enough to truly give us a clear picture what things are truly like out there and what we're left with instead are plot holes. Because nearly everything outside the fence takes place in the Bureau, it feels like 50% of the twist was about plot and 50% about a change in scenery.
The dual perspective was another area of weakness for me. I only believe in dual perspectives introduced so late in a series if they are 100% necessary. While I was not sold at first, I believe by the end of the story that essential things simply couldn't be told if not from Tobias's perspective. So I move on from necessity to efficiency which is were most of my problems lie. The voices of Tris and Tobias were not distinct. One could easy switch the names around and a few facts here and there, and you wouldn't realize a different person is telling the story. I grew confused often and had to look back at the start of the chapter to remind myself whose perspective it was-- complaints I've heard from other readers as well. Honestly, it was something that surprised me. Any editor could have looked at this book and given Roth a few easy tips to make their voices different.
And finally, can we talk about Tris and Tobias's relationship. Allegiant reminded me and reminded me quickly that the two of them together don't make butterflies flutter in my stomach. They kind of just irritate me. This started in insurgent when their relationship consisted of gazing into each other's eyes or fighting. There is no in between. And I appreciate that they stuck together the whole series and that Roth demonstrated that all relationships have their problems, but no one wants to read a series of a couple having the same fight twenty different times, twenty different ways. Honestly, it took me out of the story more and more that by the time Tris died, I'm like "Well...I'm sorry you guys can't be together...but part of me just doesn't care." And having sympathy for Tobias was a bit of a struggle after dealing with him whining about being a GD for half the book.
All that being said, I still enjoyed Allegiant. I can't say that I did as much as Insurgent and certainly not as much as Divergent, but it was proper send off for the series and I think once fans get over their heartache, they'll see their time wasn't wasted either.
Now onto the ending.
Was I shocked? Yes. But at the same time, no. Not at all. Tris's decision made perfect sense with her character. It is something we've seen her do time and time again throughout the series and in all the times before it, she should have died. This, however, is the time that she did. Everything about the ending was a character decision and not a plot decision and it is for that reason that I accept the ending. It fit with the message the series had been sending from the beginning and because of that, I applaud Veronica Roth. This is certainly an ambitious book, but I don't think it succeeds in everything it's trying to do.
Overall, I can't say I'm impressed with Allegiant, but I'm not disappointed either.
3 stars!
