was recommended from several sources, so I couldn't resist! I have to say, the first two books I did really enjoy. Seems like the final books in various series are batting about 500 for me...unfortunately, this is one of those that sort of struck out! I didn't hate it, but I certainly didn't love it either. Hopefully without any spoilers, I will try to briefly sum up my thoughts. First and foremost, I found Allegiant to be, in a word, BORING! Honestly, a friend told me it got better in the 2nd half, but for me it really didn't. The first half wasn't bad, but I got to a point somewhere near the middle where I thought, "When is this going to get more exciting?" but it just never did! In fact, it lost my interest to the point that I even disconnected from the characters, which is never a good thing. There was a copious amount of explaining being done throughout the book: how and why the factions were started, plus the Genetically Pure vs. Genetically Damaged angle really just complicated it unnecessarily in my opinion. Obviously some of that was necessary, but it seemed like way too much time was spent on it.
Also, there was a dual POV that at first I was excited about; the book went back and forth being told by Tris and Tobias. I love this idea, however, I think the execution was weak. There wasn't enough difference in the "voice" in my opinion; almost every time it was Tobias's turn, at some point in the chapter I forgot it was him and thought it was Tris talking! It really wasn't effective and I'm disappointed she didn't use this more effectively.
Aside from these problems, which were huge, there was a major crisis averted much too easily near the end; and at the same time a tragedy which I'm sure many are angry about. I wasn't really upset about what happened per se, but I was astounded that said tragedy barely even affected me emotionally! By that point, I was tired of trudging through and just sadly wanted the book to be finished! After a series that started out to be so promising, and the first 2 books being decent page-turners, this was even more disappointing to me.
This leaves me with the same question I had after finishing Hunger Games: was the series even worth reading? Should I even recommend it to others? Some days my answers to these questions are different than others! I didn't feel quite as depressed as with HG; perhaps because then I had high expectations and felt there would be something inspiring in the final book. This time I had intentionally tempered my expectations, and possibly that is all that kept me from being as disappointed. I think Allegiant was still a let-down from the "compelling" standpoint; at least Mockingjay kept me fully engaged! So, I guess I would say that as a whole, both series have A's for the first 2 books and maybe a B or B- for the 3rd in my book. I don't regret reading them, if only for the enjoyment I experienced reading the first 2; but didn't have the sense of satisfaction I got from other series, such as The Infernal Devices
and Harry Potter. All in all, I would give The Divergent Trilogy an average grade of B+, and Allegiant a disappointed B- (I feel generous at that). If you feel differently (Reyna!) I'd love to hear why!
by Julianne Donaldson - 