Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Genre: YA Dystopian
Series: Divergent#2

Publication Date: 1st May 2012

Pages: 525

Book Source: Own Purchase

Synopsis: One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

My Thoughts:

A completely seamless transition from Divergent to Insurgent, no time has passed and the addictive ride continues. If it's been a while since you've read Divergent and you don't have time for a re-read then check out Veronica Roth's Divergent summary post. Lucky me didn't have that problem as Divergent was gathering dust on my bookshelf but in honour of how epic & awesome Divergent turned out to be I moved my butt quick smart when it came to Insurgent!

I won't spoil anything with plot specifics but suffice to say we learn more about the factions in Insurgent; the good, the bad and the ugly. Amity sure held a surprise or two ;)

Tris is both more and less in Insurgent, she's dealing with grief and guilt which makes her reckless and whilst Tris and Tobias aren't often on the same page, I loved them nonetheless.

He smells like sweat and fresh air and mint, from the salve he sometimes uses to relax his sore muscles. He smells safe, too, like sunlit walks in the orchard and silent breakfasts in the dining hall.

In Divergent the newness of the world was exciting and I loved the spine-chilling fear landscapes and in Insurgent the whole neuropsychology element is explored further and it's completely fascinating.

"In fact, it is one of the largest lateral prefrontal cortexes I've ever seen. Yet the orbito frontal cortex is remarkably small. What do these two facts indicate?"

"The orbitofrontal cortex is the reward center of the brain. Those who exhibit reward-seeking behaviour have a large orbitofrontal cortex," someone says. "That means that Ms. Prior engage in very little reward-seeking behaviour."

"Not just that." Jeanine smiles a little.

... "It does not merely indicate something about her behaviour, but about her desires. She is not reward motivated. Yet she is extremely good at directing her thoughts and actions toward her goals."

Hand on heart, this book is unputdownable, the series is a kick-ass favourite and a keeper on my bookshelf!

The ending: Ms Roth you evil genius, I kind of saw it coming, not the specifics mind you but ... aargh so long to wait, can I please be teleported to September-ish 2013 for the final instalment in this awesome trilogy.

Check out my rave review of DIVERGENT and if you just can't get enough you might want to have a look at Free Four: Tobias Tells The Story on Facebook (page takes forever to load)

See Veronica Roth's blog to find out more about this author and her work.