Allegiant

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around what happened.  Veronica Roth did in Allegiant what I never expected any YA author to do.  Ever.  (I know there are some people who are hating on the book and author because of the ending.  Whether someone likes or dislikes any book is subjective and everyone has a right to their opinion, I just feel like there is a lot of negativity.)  I think the character growth over the course of Allegiant and the entire Divergent series has been great.  What Veronica Roth says in her [very spoilery] interview with MTV seems true to me.  By the end of Allegient, Tris has grown up.  By the end of Allegient, I was practically in tears.

*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*

* I wanted to make the spoilers obvious because a couple days ago, in the midst of me reading Allegiant, BAM!  I accidentally glimpsed a spoiler about the end.  Then I raced through the book, not just because it was a great read, but because I had to find out if what I saw was true or if I mis-read those words.  I hoped it wasn't true, but I knew it would be.  I was in such denial.

Even though I was going through a whole lot of - I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING, I didn't really start to get emotional until Tris's mother appears. I almost lost it.  It was only because my hubby was in the room, and I didn't want him to think I was crazy, that I kept some kind of control.  It was even more difficult to hold it together when Tobias lost it after learning the truth.

I'm proud of Veronica Roth, in a weird way, as I don't actually know her.  She knew what kind of reaction she would receive, but she chose to stay true to her vision for the series.  Do I wish Tris had lived, that Tris and Tobias could live happily ever after, be rewarded for all the difficulties they went through? Yes. After reading Roth's post on her blog and the interview that went up on MTV today, I understand why that didn't happen. I think Roth made a brave choice and that's a big part of what Allegiant was about, bravery.

While Tris is the star of the series, she and Tobias weren't the only things I enjoyed about Allegiant.  I think I loved (and loved to hate) the cast of characters in general. Uriah was always smiling and making jokes; did he have a secret drinking problem? Christina goes through so many changes herself from the beginning of the series to the end and her friendship with Tobias.  By the end, Cara had also become one of my favourite characters. Matthew was a great addition to their crew.  I love to hate Peter and Caleb and David.  David! So the love triangle was never going to be Tris's, but her mother's!  David was wonderfully awful.

There was a lot going on in Allegiant.  Maybe too much?  Was Nita and Reggie necessary?  I don't know. Though it did provide another shake-up in Tobias and Tris's relationship (was that necessary?) and they gave the reader a view of the real world outside of Chicago.  I enjoyed Johanna's growth.  I'm not sure how I feel about Evelyn. I'm glad Marcus finally disappeared.  The plot seemed maybe overly complex, more complex than the previous books, but I still enjoyed it.

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around what happened.  This was not a simple novel with a simple ending. There was a crazy plot, multi-faceted characters and abundant emotion.  I'm keep feeling like my feelings may change the more time passes by, but I don't want to wait to post.  I've always enjoyed posting my first reaction to a book.  I think Divergent is a great series.  I think I might re-read it one day.  I'm thinking of re-reading the ending now...