Allegiant (Divergent Series, 3)

SPOILERS BELOW!!********************* 4 or 5 stars? Well, I am heartbroken. For sure. But, I am not sure I am completely disappointed. Did I get what I hoping for out of this book? No. I must have read Divergent and Insurgent at least 7 times. I read them quickly, with excitement and adrenaline, and I read them slowly trying to relish every word. As I read Allegiant, I sometimes rushed along with the momentum, thinking that I will re-read and take the time to truly think about each sentence next time. But, I honestly do not think I can re-live that again. I forced myself to finish the book, not wanting to believe what had happened. I wish this book was released after the Divergent film, because I am not even sure I can put myself through this tale again knowing of Tris' death. Do I think it was the wrong ending? I'm not so sure. I like happily ever afters. A lot of reviewers have applauded this ending for being messy and brave, and difficult. But, we have plenty of dramas and heartache in our lives. When I read a book, or watch a movie, I do steer towards feel-good ones, even if they are not realistic. It is a nice escape, and I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting that. I also think, that in this case, it would have been interesting to see Tris face a normal life. As long as we have known her, she has had a fire within her to do something big and meaningful. And she was amazing! But, her whole existence was to be an instigator. To intervene, make bold choices, to take risks, make sacrifices, and try to fix things. She was told over and over again that she was unique, special, and powerful. I think it would have been more challenging for her, more brave even, to just be normal in the end. I say this because I think that is a part of the process for most young adults becoming adults. So many of us are told that we can be whatever we want to be, and do whatever we want to do, and that is great. Every child should have the self-confidence to follow their dreams. But, the reality is that we do not all grow up to be the astronaut, the NFL player, the movie star, or the Nobel Prize winner that we dreamed we would be. Instead of feeling like failures, or being disappointed with ourselves, at some point the majority of us have to be brave enough to be ok with just being normal. We have to find contentment and happiness with what we do achieve, and choose to make a difference in even the smallest ways, because it is cumulative. I think that would have been Tris' grown up moment. She was not invincible, and she could have chosen to be content with the work she had done, and worked toward change in a less self destructive way. It would have been a significant character development to show, and she never got there. So, I regret that for her. But, she was a hero. Maybe that was the best she could offer the others. And it certainly was the most harrowing and dramatic contribution to the story. There is a part of me that does find closure with this story though, and respect for Veronica Roth's story telling. Tris' motivations were strongly linked to her mother all along. While she also thought about what her father would want her to do, with every new revelation she made about her mother in Divergent and Insurgent, you could see her direct her actions toward emulating her. Throughout Insurgent, she was focused on finishing her mother's work. In Allegiant, as she uncovered the rest of her mother's story, it was clear what she truly felt she had to do. She had no other choice. It was always her driving force. I thought her mother's choice to be "normal" and live in Abnegation instead of finishing her work to help the genetically damaged in the Fringe was extremely compelling. I don't know if Natalie was taking the harder path to turn away from the conflict outside and try to be "normal", or if it was easier for her to choose that path and relinquish herself from the feeling it was her obligation to save the world. She still made a difference. She still saved lives and helped others. But, she helped herself too. I admire her for that. But, at the same time, it was clear that she had unfinished business, and Tris felt a deep devotion to completing that work. It was something that Caleb was never going to be capable of doing, so it had to be Tris. It had to. And it required sacrifice. That was her choice. Would it have been nice for us if she had released the serum, AND lived and reunited with Tobias? Yes. But, here is why I think that maybe wasn't the right way to go: Veronica Roth said that she first wrote Divergent from Tobias' perspective. Now I believe that this whole story is really about Tobias, and his growth. Not Tris. I really do. And, now that I see that, I think it was incredibly interesting for Veronica Roth to write the first two books from the perspective of a different character. To experience Four/Tobias through Tris' eyes, and then to experience him through his own voice, was a very complex and deliciously addictive ride. It was so multi-dimensional. She told his story from the way he saw himself, but also from how others saw him. From how someone who chose to love him saw him. In a very twisting way. I can't think of another character sketch (or really a fictional biography) told just quite like this. Tobias was always a broken person, way before he was told he was genetically damaged. I feel like this story is about how Tris facilitated him living through this tragedy and developing into the person he wanted to be. The leader he was meant to become. He had to learn to LET GO. Forgiveness, love, and trust. She completely affected how he interacted with the people and situations around him. This was about him making peace with a traumatic past and becoming an adult. And I never looked at this story like that until the end. I am grateful to Veronica Roth for creating such an interesting tale that was powerfully told. Even if I don't think I can reread and relish it all over and over again like I hoped I could. I actually think my main disappointment with Allegiant was that Uriah's story fell short. I thought he was a very interesting and important character in Divergent. I was upset that his character was cut out of the film. In Insurgent, he was mysterious and delightful, and he helped us bear the phase of Tris, the downer. I loved that he was Divergent, but that he seemed different from the others. He was smart, and thoughtful. I was so sure that he was going to play a key role in Allegiant, and I am let down that it was only his body and memory that played a significant part. I really wanted to see more become of him. But, now that I feel like this was always about Tobias, I guess that really wasn't very important. Can't believe it is over! Worth the read, but keep tissues by your side!

My thoughts on Allegiant as I was reading through the book (oh, and by the way, I heard THE spoiler before I got to read it, grrr): The beginning was pretty boring. Talking, planning, some more talking, running - oh, look, someone died. Even once they got outside the fence I had to force myself to keep reading. THEN things started getting explained, and it was totally interesting and I was fascinated (I must be Erudite). I don't know if it's just me, but when Tris and Tobias realized the truth about their city it seemed to make the dystopian setting of this series a HUNDRED times more realistic - to me, at least - not seeming so much like a fantasy instead, like, say, The Hunger Games. I mean, I'M pretty sure a place called Panem will never exist, and the government will never make people fight in bloody televised Games. With the conclusion to the series, the Divergent Trilogy almost seemed like it could happen one day, and I know I was living in it while I was reading. So, the whole picture of this whole series was finally coming together, and the plot started coming together, and Tris and Tobias were having amazingly realistic, but heartbreaking, difficulties in their relationship, and there was action, and character revelations, and new serums (YES!! There goes my Erudite side again . . .) and then - Then. The ending. At first I was like, "This is stupid!" but mostly just, "WWWHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!" I was even crying a little. Once I calmed down, this was what I thought of the ending: It was realistic and I respect Veronica Roth for writing it. Obviously, my heart ached for the other characters, one person in PARTICULAR. (For those of you who haven't read the book yet, it should be pretty obvious that it's a character death.) And I settled with: I think the book is better with the ending the way it is. It wouldn't be as good another way. I think people are getting way too worked up over it. It was good. Great, even. And besides, it's done, so deal with it. Now, for the pros and cons. Pros: Tris isn't acting annoying and emotional like she was in Insurgent (I wanted to slap her SO hard then), the Fourtris is better than ever, there are new characters every bit as good as the old ones, the writing is great, the whole plot is explained, the action is intense, things are resolved, Tris has some amazing thoughts on important things in life, like courage and love . . . yeah. It has loads of good stuff. (After I finish with this review I'm going to go look up a bunch of Allegiant quotes and "like" them.) Cons: Like I said, the beginning was a bit slow, and obviously, the ending was a bummer but sort of had to be there, and I agree with the other reviews: Tobias's point of view was a bit too similar to Tris's. Oh, and what was up with Amar "liking" Tobias? Seriously? Did I totally read into that wrong or what? Nothing even came out of it! Warnings: Too many to write. Nothing extreme, but watch out for language, violence, and "young adult" romance (if you've read enough young adult books you'll know what I mean by that). I'd say it's 14+, and the theme is darker and more intense than the previous novels. Biggest pro: It's just an excellent novel. Read it, especially if you're a fan of either the first or second book.

The final book in a trilogy is always going to be the most scrutinized, especially when it is the finale to a series that has been as beloved as Divergent. As this is one of my very favorite stories, and some of my most beloved characters, I was anticipating this book more than any other this year. I felt fully invested in what was going to happen and told myself that no matter what, I was going to trust Veronica Roth's vision. When I was thinking the other day about series endings, I actually found it hard to come up with ones that I felt were really and truly bad. Why? Because they're not my books and I think an author can end them however they see fit. Roth was always up front in interviews that she's known how the series was going to end from day one and she laid the groundwork for that calculated ending right from the first page. So, now that I'm seeing some quite vicious reviews of Allegiant, I would encourage readers to 1) absolutely not post spoilers in reviews so the ending isn't ruined for others and 2) to remember that the only person who knows the fate of this world is the author. If you're not happy with it, that's why God invented fanfiction. My biggest question going into Allegiant was this - what's on the other side of the fence? Roth gives us the full, detailed explanation fairly early on. It was similar to what I was thinking/hoping, albeit more complicated and planned out. It was a good combination of psychological and scientific and felt in line with the rest of the world we'd been given. The reader learns some interesting information about the history of the US and also about Tris' mother, Natalie. What Tris and crew learn about what's beyond the walls of the city ultimately sets the final conflict into motion. Roth, as she has over the entire series, brings up some very difficult questions and themes. I found myself pondering things like how society divides itself, nature vs. nurture, how we manipulate each other for both good and bad, why we make sacrifices, trust in others and in ourselves, science and taking knowledge too far, etc etc etc. Even though Allegiant is a very long book, I felt like Roth covered a lot of ground in a small space. Everything - plot lines, characters, symbols - felt purposeful. I'm finding it hard to believe there are readers who think Roth didn't know what she was doing because, despite some small missteps, the choices she made as a writer were quite calculated. In terms of things I wasn't pleased with, they were minor. The world-building has been a complaint with readers and while it's never bothered me before, I did feel like there's a bit of an info dump in the first half when Roth explains what's been going on outside the walls. Not sure how else she could have done it though, so there's that. Also, the chapters alternate POV's between Tris and Tobias. I think this was absolutely necessary to get the full picture of what was happening. But, especially at the beginning, the voices did not feel as distinct as they might have. The best part in my experience with this series has been the relationship between Tris and Tobias, as well as their individual journeys. In Insurgent, Tris was the neurotic mess and Tobias called her out on it. In Allegiant, Tobias is the basket case, which was so fascinating for me to read. I'm such a psychology person and seeing how Tobias' worldview changed as new information was added completely reeled me in. I think that Allegiant, like Insurgent, is also a grief book, but in a different way. Tris was dealing with the death of her parents, and now Tobias, and everyone else, is dealing with the loss of an idea, a lifestyle. And sometimes the consequences of that are even greater. I loved seeing Tobias come to terms with the changes in his life, trying to reconcile his feelings about his parents, and the choices he made because of those things. I've always felt that the romance was realistic - actual people have arguments and work through then, shocking! - and appreciated that although the setting was extraordinary, the conversations and feelings and hiccups along the way for Tris and Tobias were not. And then there's the ending. If I think about the actions of the characters throughout the series, who they are as people, what they value and what they've overcome, the choices Roth made in how to conclude this novel are not surprising at all. I understand that lots of readers are feeling entitled and upset about those choices, but not me. I am but one reviewer, but it all makes total sense in my mind and I applaud Veronica Roth for being brave and doing what she knew was right. After all, she's the author. 4.5/5 for Allegiant, a huge 5/5 for the whole series. A gigantic thank you to Veronica Roth for giving me what has been one of the best reading experiences. I love these characters, will always love them, and I am so grateful.

This review and more can be found on my blog, The Library Canary: [...] I’ve been waiting for this book for so long. We’ve all been waiting for this book for so long. When it arrived at my house on Tuesday, I practically ran to the door and ripped the box out of the delivery guy’s hands. I danced around my living room with it like an idiot. Then I started reading. And I realized that we got to read from Four’s perspective! I don’t know how I didn’t know this, but I didn’t. I was pumped. I love multiple POVs and I’ve wanted to get inside Four’s head for a while. (I haven’t read any of the novellas yet.) Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the shifting POVs. Four’s voice wasn’t very distinct. I found myself forgetting that I was reading from his perspective. Then, when he would say something like “Tris said”, it would jar me. His voice and Tris’s just sounded so similar. They are such different people that it shouldn’t have been like this. I understand why Veronica Roth chose to write from both perspectives. It was necessary to the story, but it could have been done a lot better. In addition, I kind of felt like Four turned into a wimp in this book. And maybe it’s because we were in his head, but I just always saw him as this super strong character and in this book I saw an insecure child. He lost some of his swoon-factor for me. I have been dying to know what’s outside the city for a year now. Then I found out and it was like a slowly deflating balloon. So disappointing. I thought it was kind of lame. Not exciting at all. Just more typical dystopian novel stuff. This book was a lot slower paced than the first two. At times I felt like the plot was dragging. I think if what had been outside the city was….cooler?….the plot would have moved a lot faster. But it didn’t. And I was sad. Tris and Four still hadn’t worked their crap out in this book. I wanted them to be together, truly be together for the majority of this book. And they weren’t. They were still constantly bickering and arguing. I miss their relationship from Divergent. That being said, the times that they were together in this book were magical and had me crying and squealing. “I fell in love with him. But I don’t just stay with him by default as if there’s no one else available to me. I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other. I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me.” –Tris I love Tris so much. She's so smart and so brave and she's come so far throughout this trilogy. She's one of the most kick-ass characters I've ever read about. Every book she has learned something new and this one is no exception. I just wish that Four would listen to her!!! Four on the other hand, seemed to go backwards in this book. He didn't seem like he learned anything and he almost seemed to get careless. I felt like he didn't develop at all in this book. Maybe he just didn’t develop the way I wanted him to. I don’t even know. I’m so confused over my feelings for this book. I was really happy that Four got some closure with his parents though. His relationships with both his mom and his dad were really complicated and he was able to deal with them in this book. If you haven’t read it yet, prepare yourselves. Not everybody makes it out. Veronica Roth was not afraid to kill her characters. And I approved. Sad as it was (I cried so many tears), I admire the fact that she took the risk. This is a dystopian society. The city of Chicago is extremely unsettled. War is brewing between faction supporters and the factionless. Death is part of war and Roth doesn’t let us forget. I’ve been trying to figure out how to rate this book since I started writing this review. I just don’t know. I didn’t hate it. Everybody is in an uproar over the ending. The ending shocked me. I never saw it coming, but I understood it. And I felt like, had I opened my eyes throughout the whole series, I would have seen it coming. So I really didn’t hate the book. But I didn’t really enjoy it either. At least not like I enjoyed the first two books. So how do I rate this? Veronica Roth did tie everything up nicely. I didn’t have any unanswered questions. She closed it up enough that we knew where all the characters were, but also left the world open enough that we’re not sure exactly what was going to happen in the future. It was the perfect combination. “Sometimes it [bravery] is nothing more than gritting your teeth through the pain, and the work of every day, the slow walk toward a better life.” –Four The writing was beautiful. I will give Veronica Roth that. There are so many sticky notes in my copy. It’s crazy how many lines I marked. There were lots of feels in this book about many different things. I pretty much cried the whole time reading. My heart is broken. My soul is broken. I feel empty. But, I think I’m going to give it a solid 3 stars. Obviously you should read this book. Especially if you’ve already read Divergent and Insurgent. Even if you haven’t, you should read this series. It’s a great series with lots of lessons learned and some awesome kick-ass characters. I guess I just expected more out of this conclusion and I didn’t get it. Happy reading all!

I feel like I have to start this review with a quick note...I know that a lot of people disliked this book, but I think it's mainly because they're upset at the ending. That's fine that you didn't like the ending because it's now how you thought, but please don't bash Ms. Roth, who is an amazing author. She has complete creative license to do whatever she wants. She can kill off whomever she wants, and write the story how she sees fit. And if this ending was how she imagined this series ending, then it's good enough for me. Was I upset at the ending, yes. Any rational person would be. I cried and cried, and then cried some more. I literally couldn't believe what just happened. But I also expected it in some ways (which I'll get to later in this review). So overall, I don't care if you complain about the ending, but just stop bashing Ms. Roth because there's a HUGE difference, at least to me, between bashing a book and bashing an author. Anyway, I personally thought this book was fantastic. There were a couple of things that I really didn't like, which is why if I could, I would give this 4.5 stars. However, overall, I greatly enjoyed it, and am very sad that this series is over. Let's start with the dual POV first. I loved being able to read from Tobias's perspective (but seriously, who wouldn't). I honestly wanted to read more from his POV then Tris's. Ms. Roth did a very good job at showing us the real Tobias, who is completely separate from Four. He's not as strong as he would have the world believe. Tobias is suffering and unsure. This glimpse into his true character made the book so much more enjoyable for me, and his character much more realistic. War changes people, and I for one am grateful for the inside look. Tris is struggling just as much in some ways. However, she is stronger, and ready to take on whatever may come her way. She thinks things through, but at times acts rashly. Her character was also very realistic to me, and while I didn't like her POV as much as the previous two novels (which I think was largely because of Tobias's being in this story as well), it was still a great look into her mind. This leads me to one of the things that I didn't like. I thought the dual POV was very poorly done. At first, I could easily tell the difference between Tris and Tobias's POV's. However, as the story progressed, it got harder and harder to tell who was actually talking. I found myself going back to the beginning to double check who was supposed to be talking because the voices sounded similar. Usually, you could tell who was who just by the setting that character was in, but when Tris and Tobias are in the same setting, it just got downright confusing. Dual POV is hard to pull off, but I was expecting a bit more from Ms. Roth on this front because I do think she is a great author that has an amazing talent. Next up is the setting and plot. I will agree that this was one of the weaker aspects of this book, however it wasn't that weak. Granted, I didn't enjoy this book as much as the other two, but this is also a completely different book revolving around completely different terms. Chicago is changing after Jeanine's death and Evelyn's rise to power, and this isn't necessarily a good thing. This is a very fast-paced book, but there were times where it was lagging. These parts easily could have been cut out, and the story wouldn't have suffered in the slightest. At the same time, I flew through this book. I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. The circumstances are different in this book, and I think Ms. Roth did an excellent job at pulling everything together. All our questions are answered except one (at least in my mind). We find why this all happened (and why there were factions), we find out about Edith Prior and Tris's mom, we find out what it actually means to be Divergent. Basically, we find out the truth. I know that some people really disliked this portion of the book, but honestly, I feel that what Ms. Roth did made a lot of sense. I think another reason I liked where Ms. Roth took this book is because it speaks to the science person in me. Being a Biology major in college, this whole thing just clicked with me in a way. I don't feel that in anyway was this a cop-out. While it could have been a little bit better researched in some aspects, it still was a interesting and creative direction to take the story. Now onto the ending. First let me talk about this "sex" scene. I interpreted it as they did have sex. I'm not putting this under spoiler because you can go into any review already and find this out. However, it was confusing as heck by what she meant. I guess it's really up to the reader to interpret what they want, but this part of the book could have been done a whole lot better. This also goes for the romance in the book. I know that Ms. Roth put it in to appease readers (especially because of what happens at the end), but I thought a lot of times the romance was out of place, and just didn't fit very well. In my opinion, there was actually too much. The climax of this book blows you away. There's no way to lessen the blow or anything. You will cry and sob and think it's unfair. Should you not read this book solely because of this reason, no. You need to read the book. But just know that the ending will literally shred your heart to little itty bitty pieces, and you'll need at least a 2-3 day recovery period. This being said, I actually completely expected something like this to happen. Never once in this series has it been sunshine and rainbows, and to expect the ending of this book to change anything is silly. This book is about a war, and in war there are many many casualties. Sometimes people who you don't want to die, end up dying, while the people that you can't stand live long and happy lives. But again, this is exactly what happens in war. Ultimately, I thought this book was great, and even though it wasn't as good as the previous two, I still thought it was an amazing end to this series. The title could have been better (I mean I even was coming up with other titles for this book while reading), but don't let other reviews hinder you from enjoying this novel. My best advice is go into this book with an open mind. Don't expect everything to work out perfectly and remember the world that this series takes place in. Our world isn't perfect, so you can' expect the ending to work out perfectly. I can't wait to see what else Ms. Roth writes because I know that she is a great author that has a tremendous talent.

First off, I just want to say that I absolutely loved Divergent and Insurgent. Even though I didn't like Divergent for the first few chapters, I started to like it more and more as I read on and ended up loving it. I've been waiting for the past few months for Allegiant to come out since I finished the first two in July and with the huge cliffhanger in Insurgent, I was hoping that Allegiant was going to be even bigger. I was a little wrong. I thought that it was very slow, kind of boring at times, which I wish I didn't have to admit to that. it was really hard to distinguish whose POV I was reading. I had to keep going back to the beginning of the chapter to see which one it was. As much as I love Tris and Tobias, their actions were somewhat the same at times. For some reason, Cara was always touching her hair. Most of the storyline just seemed unrealistic and hard to believe. It was much more convincing in Divergent and Insurgent, which is why I do feel like this book was kind of a let down. The ending. -----SPOILERS!!!----- I think most people, knowing how Tris truly is, probably expected her to sacrifice herself for her brother, Caleb. She may not have realized it until the very last minute since Caleb was supposed to be the one to go in the Weapons Lab, but she comes from Abnegation where you are to be selfless. She always thought that she was selfish, but as it turns out she never really was. Even Tobias saw it the minute she dropped to the net in Dauntless HQ. What gets me (and that someone else had mentioned in another review) is that Tris lived through the death serum, when no one can survive through it because it seeps into your skin and kills you, but Tris who is Divergent, lived through it, only to have David waiting for her. You'd think as obsessed as he was about GP's and GD's that he'd want to experiment on her to figure out how she survived the death serum, but then we know what he does next. I've read a lot of reviews about how everyone is pretty upset about the ending and I am in a way not too happy ether. - how Tris dies, how sad and depressed Tobias is and oh yes, it is truly depressing. I've cried and cried and can't seem to stop. The main character that we've grown to love has died, has left behind the one person who she loved and he claimed to be her new family in Insurgent after her parents sacrificed themselves for their only daughter, while Caleb betrayed all of them. I could not stop crying the last 30 pages of the book. It is truly heart wrenching. After waiting so long for this book you only want Tris and Tobias to finally have a nice happy ending to live their lives how they've always wanted to, which is very upsetting to find out that it doesn't end that way. I've read people complain that it leaves you with no hope, but I think in a way it does and I'll explain that in just a minute. I feel like I can somewhat relate to Tobias' grief in problems in my own life. After Tris dies, he wants so badly to just take the memory reset serum and to forget everything that has happened, which I and I'm sure other people would like to forget things in our past as well, but Christina convinces him not to because it would be just like Tris never happened. The good out weighs the bad even if the bad is so hard to get through day after day. We know that Tobias is brave, but as he says on page 509 - "There are so many ways to be brave in this world...." -- "Sometimes it is nothing more than gritting your teeth through pain, and the work of every day, the slow walk toward a better life. That is the sort of bravery I must have now." Two and a half years later shows the hope in Tobias. His life has continued even though he's without the one he loved the most. He's reconciled with his mother and hope it all goes well. He has a job and is gun-free to try to live a better and safe life. He faces his fears by going on the zip line (something that Tris loved to do but Tobias was afraid of heights) and does it all for Tris, the one he will always love and never forget, in memory of her by spreading her ashes. He has his friends and Tris' friends by his side and to always have the memories together. "Since I was young, I have always known this: Life damages us, every one. We can't escape that damage. But now, I am also learning this: We can be mended. We mend each other." This is the hope. Lastly, I just want to say that this has been one of the hardest reviews I've ever written on anything. I can't stop crying. I'm giving it a 4 star rating even though the story wasn't as good as the first two books and has a terrible tragic ending that will be very hard to forget anytime soon, I would recommend it, especially if you've read Divergent and Insurgent. I just want to warn you if you do decide to read it. - Be brave.

If you weren't madly in love with Divergent or Insurgent, Allegiant probably isn't going to change your mind. If you loved the first two books, one of two things is likely to happen: you're going to feel like this is the perfect, inevitable ending to the trilogy, or you're going to hate it. I'll have a spoiler section in a bit to talk about the ending, but as for the major content of the book, this is what you'll get: 1. More of an emphasis on ideas than action for the first 2/3. This doesn't mean nothing happens, but the tension comes from a different place than it does for most of first two books. This will bore some people quite a lot, but if you're like me, and you find questions about what motivates human behavior interesting, and you love to critically analyze where assumptions come from and how they become problematic, you might find this section fascinating, as I did. I love peeking over Roth's shoulder as she examines where humanity's aggression comes from and how we fool ourselves into thinking these answers are obvious. The fact that a YA book bothered to dig deeper into these complex situations without offering easy, parental answers is impressive--much of the recent YA I've come across struggles to deal with anything more than love triangles and supernatural powers. This careful consideration of what constitutes moral behavior digs deeper than the first two books. I liked the first two, but they were a little immature in the complexity of thought compared to this one. I see this as a pro, but as I said, if you don't enjoy this sort of reading, you might get bored. 2. Struggles between Tris and Four. I love love love Tris and Four's relationship, and I have since the beginning. I loathe insta-love in books. It's stupid and immature and completely unrealistic, and I'm not a fan of love triangles either. Tris and Four have been better developed than that, and considering the state of things after Insurgent, it wouldn't be consistent or realistic if they didn't have some bumps here. I thought they were explored well for the most part, and Four's issues in this book were occasionally frustrating, but I always felt like his behavior was real and consistent with his character, despite the fact that he sometimes did things I didn't agree with. 3. The resolution of the battle for the city and the exploration of the world beyond. This part is intriguing, although in a couple places it meanders a bit. New characters are introduced that, frankly, aren't nearly as interesting as the old ones, but they don't spend a lot of time in the forefront of the plot, so it isn't a big detraction. This part delves into the original development of the city and the factions and you'll learn about the vast conspiracy that set all of that up--and how it influences things for the better and worse now. Finally, the ending. SPOILERS follow, but mostly about theme and tone. I won't discuss specific plot points, but you'll probably be able to infer some content if you keep going. This series takes place in a dark world, and it's only getting darker. Characters are killed (think of how many died in Divergent alone), Tris and Four endure terrible grief and hardship, and the violence in these books is unflinching. That being said, I was kind of expecting this ending. It's true, the ending is not what I would call a happy one, but I do think it's the right one. Roth could have arranged things so that everything worked out perfectly and everyone lived happily ever after, but to be honest, that's the ending that would have made me angry. It doesn't fit the world or the characters, for one thing. There are so many dystopian YA books on the market that end just like that. They play it safe, and as a result, they're predictable and boring. I've read so many of them that they blend together at this point, and it takes a lot for a book, and a character, to have lasting resonance. Tragedy abounds in literature for a reason. Complicated endings keep a story in a reader's mind for a long time as we try to figure out why we had such a strong reaction to the events in the book. It forces us to be engaged, to respond, and to think. The ending to Allegiant is beautiful, meaningful, and perhaps most important, consistent with the themes, characters and world that this series is set in. It isn't an easy ending or a fun one, but it's real, and far more adult than most YA I've read. I won't be forgetting Tris or the journey I've been on or the way this has made me think anew about what it means to be strong. If the ending were different, some of that power would have been lost, and Tris and Four and this story deserve to be remembered.

I finished this last night and afterwards I felt just dead inside. I absolutely hate when a series ends leaving me feeling unsatisfied and even, in this case, angry. I feel kind of betrayed by the author. I loved Divergent. The book had its faults, but I really fell in love with the whole story, the characters, the romance between Tris and Four, the Factions, etc. I read and re-read Divergent probably 8-10 times. I bought the audio book version as well. I was SO PSYCHED about the movie! I bought Insurgent and devoured it as well. It didn't have quite the same magic for me that Divergent did, but I still loved it. So I was REALLY psyched to read Allegiant. And maybe my hopes were too high. I don't know. That doesn't change the fact that this book utterly and completely disappointed me. SPOILERS AHEAD For real, SPOILERS! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK! [ **What's outside the fence?** I was really excited, after reading the 'cliffhanger' ending to Insurgent, to find out what was outside the fence. I had my theories, and I was right about some, wrong about others. I was expecting the cameras and Truman Show-esque thing, but I was not expecting all the genetic manipulation crap. As soon as our heroes get outside the fence, there are chapters and chapters of info dumping and, to be honest, it's kind of dull. We learn that Chicago (and some other cities) were created as 'experiments' because of genetic manipulation gone wrong. Supposedly these cities were an attempt at creating more 'genetically pure' people (aka Divergents). This is so far-fetched and bizarre, but I was willing to go along with it. **Tris and Four** I wasn't against the dual perspective, though once I finished the book I realized why she HAD to write it in a dual perspective. However, I don't think it was done well. There were several times where I would get halfway through a chapter and not remember who I was in the head of at the time, mostly because the two narrators had identical voices. Tris has always been an interesting character to me. I really liked that she was tough, but a little vulnerable and naive. I liked her progression through Divergent and Insurgent. She doesn't really progress much here. We've always known Tris is a selfless person who is more than willing to sacrifice herself for the greater good, or for her loved ones. That doesn't change here. More on that later. She does become kind of arrogant and holier-than-thou here, and it really started to bug me. She's 16, but she often acts (and everyone treats) her like a grown-up. She is pretty much always right in Allegiant and she makes sure everyone knows it. Four was awesome in Divergent. He loses all of that awesomeness in Allegiant. He becomes quite whiny and pathetic to the point where I actually wanted Tris to break up with him. She probably should have, considering some of the stupid and completely out of character stuff he does. I really hated seeing him reduced to this quivering mess of a boy who does nothing but wax poetic about his mommy and daddy issues. Four was always strong, and he is the polar opposite of that here. I did enjoy the progression of their relationship though. Some people have complained about the scene where Four accuses Tris of being jealous, but I actually liked it. I like that they, FOR ONCE, acted like TEENAGERS. Unfortunately that was a tiny part of this book, and for the rest of it they act like 30-40 year old worldly adults. **THE END OF THE CONFLICT** So we have Four's mother Evelyn running Chicago like a factionless tyrannical dictatorship. Johanna and Marcus running the Allegiant, trying to reinstate the factions. Evelyn has been portrayed as a nearly heartless person, hell bent on making all the Factioned people clean toilets like the Factionless had to do for so many years. At the height of the conflict, she is willing to allow a "Death Serum" to kill pretty much everyone in Chicago in order to avoid going back to the Factions. This is when Four arrives and says "Hey Mom, I'll be your son again if you stop acting like a monster" and she goes "Okay." She then negotiates with Marcus and Johanna. Marcus wants to take over as evil dictator and Johanna says "Nah, you're not gonna do that" and Marcus just says "Okay." Conflict over. WHAT? WHAT???????????? **Mass Murder** Roth has not shied away from killing off characters in the first two books, but I felt like most of that had a purpose. Tris' parents in the first book, Al (due to the guilt over his own actions towards Tris), Jeannine in Insurgent, and more. Deaths in Allegiant come just as rapidly and have even less meaning. Tori dies in a very sudden manner, and then is mostly forgotten about. She was referred to as the leader of the Dauntless, but she is killed and then is nothing more than an afterthought for the rest of the book. Uriah's death is given a lot more page time, but only as a way to make Four feel like total garbage for getting involved in the rebellion and to make Tris "right" once again. The biggest death of all was Tris, and this was the biggest disappointment to me. I will be straight up honest - I LIKE a happy ending. I read YA because I like knowing that things will most likely end up happy overall. I read romance because I know there will always be a happily ever after. HOWEVER, I can deal with a bittersweet ending so long as it feels satisfying and feels like closure. Tris' death was NOT that ending. Caleb's betrayal was a huge part of Insurgent, and that continues on in Allegiant. He has a LOT to atone for in Allegiant and when he volunteers for the suicide mission to help save everyone, he does it because he wants Tris to forgive him. And he doesn't want to live with the guilt of what he did. Instead of letting him, Tris forces him to let her go instead. I understand this. Tris forgave him and doesn't want him to die because he feels guilty. I get it. HOWEVER Caleb doesn't get that opportunity to redeem himself. While I understand that Tris acted the way she had to act, that doesn't mean Caleb can't take a bullet for her. That doesn't mean he can't force a redemption. Instead, Tris dies in a completely unsatisfying scene that left me going "WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?" Caleb lives and basically still is the coward and traitor. Caleb NEEDED to redeem himself. He needed to take that bullet for Tris and die. Instead, we get this messed up ending where Caleb lives. Peter lives (gets his mind erased BY HIS OWN CHOICE and gets to start over). Marcus lives (just disappears somehow). David (Tris' murderer) lives (also gets his mind erased and even though he's an evil murderer, no one cares because he doesn't remember). Almost all the bad guys live and get to have perfectly happy, normal lives. This is NOT SATISFYING. THIS IS POINTLESS. Sorry, but this book was awful. I wanted to love it. I REALLY wanted to love it. I was willing to deal with all the weird genetically damaged stuff. I was willing to deal with the complete dismantling of Four's character. I was willing to deal with a lot, but Tris' pointless and needless death... NOPE. This death felt like it was here for shock value only. So the author could be "edgy" and "different." Unfortunately, all she did for me is ruin the entire series. I won't be re-reading Divergent or Insurgent anymore. I won't be re-reading Allegiant. And I definitely won't be seeing the movies that I was once so excited for. Knowing how depressingly it ends ruins it all for me

This book is the 3rd in a series that began with "Divergent". As in the first and second books, number 3 tells us what is happening to the world of Chicago and also provides us with a peek into what lies outside of Chicago. The same moral questions are asked or presented for deep thought, but the author really avoids much interpretation and allows the reader that work. The love story is really simple and while it might interest young readers, it seems to be lacking the depth that would make it really interesting to an adult, unless you want to pull up the memories you have of first loves, hurts, and all that. The ending is not very surprising, but overall the series was good enough that I would read it again. But, I am an aging dystopia story addict of sorts, so you will have to make up your own mind about it. I even have the next book pre-ordered! It's a story that is worth a read.

And so with book three of this controversial dystopian tragedy saga, we reach the epic finale. Within a handful of opening chapters, Four and Tris have both learned who they are, what they really are, and what they can do about changing it. Ms Roth's writing style has not really changed throughout the trilogy's duration, apart from a slightly original change of perspective which, generally speaking, alternates from one chapter to the next from Four to Tris, and back again. New friends, enemies and unknowns are introduced to the reader with frequent alacrity by the author to widen the spectrum of the story telling. By the half way mark there have been no massive emotional shocks (ie deaths) but the reader is jolted out of their chair by one or two (or three) massive revelations which will guarantee the mature reader a long, lengthy and hugely enjoyable read. A lot of reviewers have criticised the story as dark, depressing and unnecessary violent. It is easy to assume this comment is valid on one level, but given the dark (ie broken) nature of the world the story is set in, one canâ(tm)t genuinely expect anything bright and rosy to emanate from the words which magically appear (and then disappear) on your kindle screen. If anyone is to blame for pitching such a less than flavoursome tale at our younger generation it would be the publisher and not Ms Roth herself. And who are we to suggest that within a handful of decades, this tale set in the alternate United States of America wonâ(tm)t compare favourably to the miraculous work of JRR Tolkien? That was set in middle Earth which was on the edge of cataclysmic death, destruction and the loss of everything its inhabitants knew and loved. It was a dark and stirring tale which featured battle scenes of violence, cruelty and remarkable gruesomeness. One difference is that in Tolkien's world the reader knew who the bad guy was right from chapter two. (Chapter one focused on Bilbo's eleventy first birthday). One could say the reading experience in this dystopian tragedy is enhanced given that the reader, and even the characters in question, donâ(tm)t learn the identity of their true enemy until well into book three. Kudos to the author for that. I am just passed the half way mark of this book. I hereby award it four stars. I have heard favourable comments concerning the book's ending, so i may well update this review in a collection of heartbeats. But read on, keep the faith, trust no one apart from those you love. And please, Four and Tris, stay true. Stay true. BFN Greggorio! --------------- Ok the book is finished. And so am i. The ending of this book will shock you. Many will not like it. I loved it. I was stunned by it. I was hurt by it. And i was emotionally destroyed by it. The final fifty or so pages of this remarkable trilogy are the most surprising and unexpected pages you will read this year. But like i said earlier, a broken and severely damaged world wonâ(tm)t produce a garden variety fairy tale. Shakespeare, eat your heart out. Well done, and thank you, Veronica Roth. Full marks for this new age, genius piece of story telling.

The story keeps you hooked all till the end, so many different plots, twists and unexpected turns. Totally worth reading the last book especially when the last movie was cancelled 🙂

This book is AMAZING! I loved everything in it, the characters, the plot, the setting.... The ending is unusual, unexpected and really different from other fantasy/young adult series (you know, "and they lived happily ever after to the end of their days in the new world they've created"), it's refreshing! I can't wait to see what Veronica will publish next!

I watched the film first and thought it was alright (four out of five stars) but then was impatient to find out what happens next. The second book was great. And I couldn't wait to find out what's next. I read the reviews but not enough to find out the ending but I got the idea that nothing goods was going to happen at the end. I liked the split-character narration - very cleaver and for me was not confusing at all like other reviews said. It gives two angles on the same situation - unusual and nice to know what Tobias (or just a man) thinks for once (albeit written by a woman :)) I do slightly disagree with Veronica choosing to drive Tobias' character somewhat into the ground as 2/3 way into the book you can't help but think "Tris, just leave him, he doesn't deserve someone like you!" But her forgiving him just adds more to the development of her character and makes her better. Come on, there is just too many films and books these days with strong male characters that make female characters take a back seat! So this part is ok and not as horrific as some other reviews said. The ending is another matter. I think people mainly give the book low rating simply because they feel the ending was unfair, unjustified, unexpected and they just feel sad, heartbroken and want Tris to be alive. I feel all the same things too. I want to forget this book ever existed just like some other reviewers said BUT does this make the book bad? NOT AT ALL! Any book that provokes an emotional response like that is a great book! Only a few chapters in you can guess that one of the main characters is going to die. Then throughout the book you hope that it is not going to happen. The way Tobias' character is being diminished you kind of feel that it is going to be him who dies but the ending is unexpected, which is also good. I have to agree that Tris died sort of 'in vain', that more reasons had to be provided, the situation should have been 10 times more desperate to warrant her death. I feel that if she died at the end of the second book on that table from being injected with the death serum it would have been more justified somehow. But this is just me reacting, the book made me feel and think and smile, it made me angry and on edge, it made me read it until 2am when I had work next day... and it made me sad and heartbroken. Only books that do nothing to you deserve low rating. And in most of the reviews you can see people react to it ... So it is a very good book!