Allegiant: Divergent Trilogy, Book 3
Written by: Veronica Roth
Narrated by: Emma Galvin, Aaron Stanford
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0
Publisher's Summary
What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation - like a single choice - changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?
The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times best-selling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of listeners in Divergent and Insurgent.
©2013 Veronica Roth (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers
Review:
This is the concluding book in the Divergent trilogy. Tris, Four and some of their Dauntless friends have survived the civil war that erupted during book two, Insurgent. Tris had managed to release a secret video tape that revealed some mysteries about the cities past and a directive that the Divergents were to help those outside of the city walls.
Now in book three, the Factionless, led by Four’s mother. face a new battle with the Allegiant, a group comprised from the old factions who want to restore the previous order of the factions. Four rescues Tris’ brother Caleb, even though he had betrayed her and they flee beyond the walls to escape the Factionless and Allegiant pursurers,
Outside they find a government compound, the Bureau of Genetic Welfare. Here they learn that Purity Wars destroyed much of the past civilization and genetic manipulation is being used to try to rebuild a sound society. Divergents are prized as pure bloods and all others are genetically impure and expendable. Although Tris is safe as a true Divergent, Four, or Tobias, is at risk. He soon aligns with others who are plotting against the government powers who not only control the genetically rascist compound but also exercise control over the affairs of the “experimental” cities like Chicago.
Tobias’ participation in a failed raid results in a life-threatening injury to Uriah. Tobias feels responsible and guilty while Tris is angry because she thinks he acted rashly and he went against her warnings. There is estrangment and tension among the friends as they try to sort out how to cope with their new surroundings and then discover they have to find a way to protect their old city home from the destructive plans of the Bureau.
I enjoyed how the story is told in alternating views by Tris and Tobias. This dual voice gives a broader scope portraying events from two different viewpoints and emotions. There is danger, angst, conspiracy, a little romance and a bit more tragedy. I liked the conflicts and the dilemmas posed in this book. The author seems to be making a statement about the devastating consequences of pitting different races and/or different classes against each other instead of accepting each others strengths and working and growing together.
I enjoyed this book significantly more than book two which seemed full of disjointedness. There were flaws in this book too as there seemed to be a section of “telling” of back history which can bog down the reading. What bothered me more though was the implausibility that Tris and her friends were a) given free roam in the compound without being assigned particular tasks and b) could plot so “openly” with existing dissenters. This made the story a bit of an “eye-roller” at times. It is not a big secret that one of the main characters dies which is a difficult, sad feature but actually added an acceptable bit of reality.
I am not sure the title Allegiant is appropriate to where this final book goes but it fits with the prior titles and there could be a case made that it has a dual meaning. Perhaps my expectations were not as high as many who were disappointed by this book. Although I didn’t like everything about this conclusion it wrapped things up satisfactorily for me as an adult reader.
AUDIO NOTES: Emma Galvin and Aaron Stanford did a very fine job of portraying the characters of Tris and Tobias. The alternating voices (as well as the alternating views) added to my enjoyment of the story which may have dragged more without that feature to break the flow and add interest. I would recommend listening to this title on audio.
This title is from my own Audible Library.
