Last week I finished Allegiant, the third installment of the Divergent trilogy. This brilliant series composed by young author Veronica Roth is sure to become the next big thing, if it hasn't already. That is not to say, however, that these books were without flaws.
I first tried to read Divergent over Christmas break and couldn't get past the first 20 pages- it just didn't grab me. However, after hearing more and more from friends who loved it I gave it another try. And I'm glad I did.
One of the first things I noticed is that Roth tells the story in present-tense, first person narrative. Much like the Hunger Games, this is a story about a post-apocalyptic America as told through the eyes of a teenage girl who tries to break free of the Machiavellian societal structure and in turn sparks a revolution.
It's difficult not to compare this series to the Hunger Games, and there are those who dismiss it as a knock-off or even an unoriginal piece crafted after Suzanne Collins' works. I'm not sure that's a fair assessment, but the books are very similar in the general premise. However, the stories are very different.
The story is set in what was the city of Chicago, which is divided into 5 factions based on basic human traits: Dauntless, Erudite, Candor, Abnegation, and Amity. The main character is Beatrice Prior, whose nickname becomes Tris when she leaves her family's faction to join the rugged Dauntless.
They are told they have to behave certain ways based on the characteristics of their factions, and it is deeply embedded in their world so when Tris exercises her right to leave, it is a big deal.
Roth, only 25 years old, is a superbly talented story teller with a great imagination. The world she creates is fascinating and very detailed. It's easy to imagine young fans getting caught up in this world- much like The Hunger Games. Her writing style is imaginative and simple, as if we were reading the very thoughts of Tris herself.
However, the prose is a bit sophomoric at times. She clearly focused much more on the characters themselves and the story line that on writing flowery- which is probably a good thing.
There were a few things I didn't like about the series. One is that there were far more characters than necessary. She created a large and inter-connected world, but there were too many names to remember and it complicated the story for the reader.
Each of these enemies are all too similar and the goal is always the same: grab some guns and stop the bad guys from hurting innocent people. Maybe this is an intentional theme inputted by Roth- that history repeats itself and that evil knows many faces but is always there. But at some point it really was just the same basic story three times over which became predictable.
What wasn't predictable, however, was the death of Tris at the end of the third book. It was a turn that nobody saw coming and has created quite a stir by Roth's fans. Tris died in a fashion true to her ways- selfless and brave. She is a lovable hero (much more so than Katniss, if you ask me) and becomes a very real, flawed character to her readers over the course of the story. I'll admit to being a little emotional when reading that part, especially when Tobias has to live his life without her.
The first movie is coming out soon, which I'm hesitant about based on the previews. Movies almost never truly do the books justice, but this movie doesn't look too great. I hope I'm wrong about this. Will I see it? Of course. Cue the popcorn.
Overall: 8.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment