Insurgent (Book Review)

Author: Veronica Roth
Year: 2012
Genre: Dystopian
Reading Level: Young Adult
Series: Second in the Divergent trilogy

Literary Awards:

Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fantasy and Best Goodreads Author (2012)

Plot Summary: The harmony that once existed between the five factions is gone, replaced with the threat of war and death.  Tris Prior grapples with the loss of her family and her own guilt, all while being stuck firmly in the middle of the factions' conflicts.  To keep what she has left will require sacrifice and (dun dun dun) insurgency.

Red Flags: Violence, some mild teenage lustiness

My Rating: B-
I'm not going to go on about this too much--most of my issues with this book were the same as with the first.  The first thing I noticed about this book was that I had forgotten almost everything about Divergent in the two months since reading it.  I remembered the basics, but I forgot almost every side character.  Not only that, but I forgot characters introduced in this book when I didn't read for a day or two.  What does that mean?  Too many side characters.  

Overall, this book was just kind of dull for me.  It's too long, too little happens and the ending is only so-so.  Tris veers a bit into Bella territory with her needless intentions of self-sacrifice and overwrought romantic angsting.  But I liked Janice Christina more this time around, and I'll surely pick up the third one at some point to see how it all wraps up.  But...I just don't think this series is that great.  Maybe in a few years, after a few more books, Veronica Roth will impress me more.

Some choice lines:
"Something inside me gets warm and soft."  (Just like a Hot Pocket in the microwave)