Allegiant (Divergent Series #3)

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!

Book Review: Cursed by Jennifer Armentrout

Synopsis: Dying sucks
...and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. 

After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he's a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she's more than interested. There's just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out. However, she's willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't?

But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not've been an accident at all, she's not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life.

For real this time. 

REVIEW:

This is my third time around with Jennifer Armentrout, and let me just say, she doesn't disappoint. If you do know what I'm talking about, then high five. If you don't, run to your closest bookstore and purchase her two highly addictive works, The Lux Series and The Covenant Series. I mean it.

Right away this book has a very X-Men feel to it and that's not to say the plot is been-there-done-that, but fresh in it's own way. As with all of Jennifer's books, it pulls you in right away with a fast moving plot and a relatable, consistent voice so fitting to the Young Adult genre. Each page constantly demands the reader to crave what happens next, and crave I did. Once I lent my full, undivided attention to Cursed, I couldn't get it back until it was finished.

There was so much about this book that I liked, but it didn't always conceal it's flaws well. While this is not the only stand alone book Armentrout has, she seemed to struggle with the transition from writing a series to a book that stands on it's own. By the end of Cursed, I felt the story was finished, but that it'd been smushed and condensed to fit from something that could easily go on to one or two more books. Many plot elements could have and maybe should have been expanded, minor characters especially. The other gifted kids who Ember encounters have bits of their personalities shown, but not much for the reader to hold onto or care about. They are mentioned frequently, but rarely interacted with. It makes their presence and the plot points within them seem like pawns to move the story along. In a larger work like a series, I think the minor characters would give the plot more shape and strength. The reason why the interactions with the other characters are so few and far between is because the bulk of the story focuses on  Ember's romance with Hayden. Now it's not a terrible thing, having  about 250 pages worth of Hayden scenes in this book of 304. The presence of such a strong character like Hayden balances out the absence of the others.

While at times lacking and maybe even a bit predictable, I'd still say you'd be doing yourself a favor by going out and buying this book. If you're looking for a fun, quick read with a hot splash of romance, you can't go wrong.

3.5 Stars