Megan Rambles About Allegiant (Finally)

Allegiant by Veronica Roth
From Goodreads: 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. 

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

First off, I'm going to give fair warning that there are going to be spoilers in this review. It's been long enough since the book came out that I don't have a problem posting them, but I will put another warning in right before I get to them just in case there is anyone reading who is still hoping to avoid them. And now, THE REVIEW. 

I literally just finished this book and I just hgoejahgorahgb9ohwaohg9rouah9ewa. I'm going to try to make this review as coherent as I possibly can but I think the only way I'm going to get this out properly is to write it now. 

First of all, I'll talk about the things that I didn't like so much. Like Rachel, I thought that the middle of the book lagged a bit. Compared to Divergent and Insurgent where there was always something happening every page, Allegiant moved a bit slower, especially in the center. Most of the action was occurring in the city, while Tris, Four, and the rest of their group where in the compound. This book was much more focused on the mental aspect of things and finding the line between right and wrong. The characters spent a lot more time trying to deal with everything that had happened to them as opposed to getting into fights and having direct physical conflicts. 

I also wasn't crazy about the duel narration of Allegiant. There were obvious reasons for Four narrating, with him and Tris spending a lot of the book in different places and doing different things, but I didn't like the peek into Four that we got. He made a lot of decisions that really frustrated me in Allegiant and I spent a large portion of the book wanting to scream at him. I also found myself having to check the beginning of the chapter to see whether I was reading from Tris's point of view or Four's. There wasn't very much of a difference between the two voices which made it hard for me to tell at times which one of them I was reading. 

There were also some new plot points introduced that felt slightly unnecessary. Dealing with the prejudice between the GP's and the GD's felt to me like an extra problem that just complicated things for the characters unnecessarily. It made it feel like no matter which solution they chose there was no way to come out on top with all of the problems stacked up against them.

Now, on to the things I did like. I loved the numerous references to how far Tris has come in this book. She is so much stronger than the Stiff who became a Dauntless Initiate. She has survived so many terrible things and made some really hard decisions. I loved how Veronica Roth handled Tris dealing with some of the things that she has had to do. Tris has definitely made mistakes and the fact that she wasn't able to just brush them off and pretend that they had never happened made her that much more of an amazing character. She is so strong, so smart, and one of my favorite characters ever. 

Throughout the series, Tris adapted to every situation that was thrown at her. She was the girl who jumped first in Dauntless Initiation, but she was also the girl who grew up in Abnegation all the way up until the end. I loved seeing how complicated Tris actually is in Allegiant. She really outgrew the factions by learning to be her own person and embrace every aspect of her personality instead of focusing on just one.

And now the part that I've been dreading. I'm going to talk about the very end. So fair warning, if you haven't finished Allegiant LOOK AWAY NOW!

Never in a million years did I expect Tris to actually die. Rachel and I were talking right after  I finished the book and we both agreed that we thought Tris was home free. I knew that she would never allow Caleb to sacrifice himself for her, because Tris was never that kind of person. It didn't matter that Caleb had betrayed her because he was her brother and she wasn't going to let him give himself up because he felt guilty. Instead, she gave him the chance to become a better person. 

I knew that Tris could survive the death serum because that's just the kind of badass thing I expected her to do. What I didn't see coming was David waiting for her. When she died I just burst into tears. It wasn't fair. How could Tris, beautifully strong heroic Tris, die? 

But of course the book couldn't end any other way. With all of her values and her struggle to find the right thing to do, of course Tris would give herself up so that all of the people she loved could get a chance to make something better out of their lives. Once again Tris did what she always does and made a difficult decision that saved everyone she loves. 

That doesn't mean that I'm happy she died. Oh no. I'm still tearing up as I write this right now. And Four's reaction absolutely BROKE MY HEART. I started sobbing when he was describing how numb and empty he felt without her. Finally, there was the guy that I fell in love with in Divergent and Insurgent. That was the Four who I had been missing the entire book. The one who was so in love with Tris that he would do anything to keep her safe. 

I absolutely loved the epilogue. When Four went down that zip-line I cried so hard I couldn't see the page. It was the perfect way to spread Tris's ashes and I could just imagine how proud of him she would have been for facing his fear. It gave me just enough closure that everyone was getting along with their lives and were helping each other through the pain, just like Tris thought they would.

So overall, I liked Allegiant. Not as much as I liked the first two books in the trilogy, but I still liked it. I respect Veronica Roth for having the guts to end the book the way she did. Believe me, she had to have known that not everyone would like it, but she ended the book the way she felt it need to be ended. Would I have been happy with getting a happy ending? Yes, but realistically how often are happy endings going to happen in a Dystopian series? I don't think there was any other way that this trilogy could end so I'm not mad at Veronica Roth at all.

 I know that I'm going to miss this trilogy more than I can possibly put into words. Rachel and I read Divergent as an arc and have been with Veronica Roth since the very beginning. I will definitely be reading any of her future projects! 

What did you think of Allegiant? Let me know what you thought in the comments below!