Allegiant by Veronica Roth

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

The highly anticipated third book of this mind-blowing series is finally here! And although I was so excited, I was also a little nervous. I mean, it had been months since I read Insurgent so I had a couple of mind blanks on some specifics, but luckily it was surprisingly easy to fall back into the world of factions, fear landscapes and memory serums. 

I know some had trouble connecting with the characters and the story, maybe because of the gap between books, but I really liked the main story. The idea of the outside world being so remarkably broken and the Divergent being "genetically pure" was fascinating, even if it was just a very picky form of racism. Maybe I'm just easy to please/shock but I found the whole idea very good; I really liked how Roth had made sense of this world, relating the city and its factions to the outside. The memory serum bit was interesting too. The moral dilemma that Tris faced was tough; even if it was for the greater good, it was still pretty horrific. The whole situation was just awful and I do commend Roth on painting a dystopian world with real themes. Even if they were painted rather obviously, it was still an interesting commentary. 

One thing I'm sure most people did like was the alternate perspectives. I haven't read Four's spin-offs, although I really should, so it was interesting to read from his perspective. Especially as Tris and Tobias were separate for many of the dramatic parts of the story, plus Tobias is a very complex character and I did enjoy reading from his perspective. But unfortunately through the book, they did get blurred together and I had to double-check the names to remember who's P.O.V I was reading from. Also, as much as I liked the characters, I didn't really connect with them like I wanted to. Not entirely sure why, which is annoying, not just for me reading it but also because I can't pin it down for the review!

And finally the ending. This is a bit of a hot topic! I'm definitely not going to ruin it but I will say that I did quite like it, although the Big Drama didn't make me cry but a certain someone's reaction did. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, the Big Drama that is, but I did like the overall ending; both the city and the outside world finally had some hope to hold onto for a better future, one that wasn't dictated by genetic-politics or strict rules. That I loved. 

Published 22nd October 2013 by Harper Collins.