My Thoughts on the Divergent Trilogy

Remember how in my Slippery Time post, I mentioned that I needed to read Allegiant but I was too scared to? The day after I wrote that post, I decided that it was time to stop being scared of what I thought was going to happen in it. It was time to start reading it.

Surprise: I couldn't put it down and finished it that same night.

Since I posted so enthusiastically about the first book, I decided that I should follow up with my thoughts on the whole trilogy. I will make sure to keep it as spoiler-free as possible for those of you who haven't read it yet.

Divergent (1st book): I said before that this is my new favorite dystopian book, and I'll say that again now. I love Tris and Four, and the faction system is really interesting. The story is intense and exciting, but it's not nonstop action. There are deep parts that really make you think. Also, while they aren't perfect, many of the characters do display traits worth imitating. The ending is bittersweet, yes, but it's not depressing. Divergent is also fairly clean. As one might expect, there is fighting and some intense scenes, it isn't particularly descriptive. And while romance does play a part, it doesn't go beyond (a good bit of) kissing.

Insurgent (2nd book): I didn't like Insurgent as much as I liked Divergent. It's still a good book. It's even more exciting than Divergent, especially towards the end. The last chapter or two, in particular, caught me completely off-guard (in a good way). And like the previous book, there are some aspects of it that make you think. However, several of the main characters' make choices that made me respect them a little less. Also, while the amount of violence remains the same, there is one romantic scene that made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

Allegiant (3rd book): Wow. Allegiant was not at all what I expected, but that's a good thing. I can't really say much because of the whole spoiler thing, but the explanations for some of the questions I'd had were finally answered and those answers were much more interesting than anything I expected. One other thing I liked (though a lot of others seem dislike) is getting Four's view as well as Tris's. While it did throw me off occasionally when the POV switched and I didn't notice, I think that the story wouldn't have been as good if we'd just had Tris's POV.

Allegiant is also, in my opinion, the most thought-provoking book in the trilogy. Again, I can't give away spoilers, but one of the main conflicts in the book seemed to be the questions of 'How far are you willing to go for what you think is right?' and 'How far is too far?' The answers to those questions, particularly the first one, can be frightening.

I was happy to find that the characters seem to have learned from their mistakes in Insurgent and, as in Divergent, make choices that are (mostly) worth imitating. Though they're not perfect, they're characters you can feel good about liking, especially when you consider how they willingly risk their lives to protect each other and stand for what they believe is right.

Allegiant is not perfect. As in Insurgent, there's one romantic scene that I could've done without, and Tris and Four seem to spend a lot of time kissing. There's one or two instances of bad words. However, the book does remain mostly clean.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend the Divergent trilogy to older teens. Despite some flaws, the books are well-written, exciting, and certainly worth reading.

If you've already read the trilogy, or are currently reading it, I'd like to hear what your thoughts. Feel free to comment, but please mark any spoilers so people who haven't read it yet don't read something they don't want to know yet. Thanks!

Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)  
Note: This was supposed to be published back on Wednesday or so. I have no clue what went wrong. Oh well.

Crazy Dangerous Review

Author: Andrew Klaven

Sam Hopkins is a good kid who's fallen in with the wrong crowd. Hanging around with car thieves and thugs, Sam knows it's only a matter of time before he makes one bad decision too many and gets into real trouble.

But one day, Sam sees these thugs harassing an eccentric schoolmate named Jennifer. Finding the courage to face the bullies down, Sam loses a bad set of friends and gains a very strange new one.

Because Jennifer is not just eccentric. To Sam, she seems downright crazy. She has terrifying hallucinations involving demons, the devil, and death. And here's the really crazy part: Sam is beginning to suspect that these visions may actually be prophecies of something terrible that's going to happen very soon. Unless he can stop it.

With no one to believe it, with no one to help him, Sam is now all alone in a race against time. Finding the truth before disaster strikes is going to be both crazy and very, very dangerous. 

Characters: Excellent. The characters are colorful and lifelike, though one or two did seem a bit on the flatter side. Sam is likeable and realistic, an average kid in a not-so-average situation.

5/5

Location: Good. The locations were clear and easy to visualize, but not so easy to visualize that the more frightening parts were too frightening. It was fairly easy to tell where places were in relation to other places.   

4/5

Plot: Incredible. This book grabs your attention from the very first page and drops you right into the story. It has more than enough action and plot twists to keep you reading, but not so much that you feel like you’ll never get a break.

5/5

Other: This book is a bit on the creepier side at times, so I wouldn’t advise reading it at night. It is an excellent book, though, one that I don’t at all regret buying.

Overall Rating: 5/5

The Final Hour Review

Author: Andrew Klaven

""You're not alone. You're never alone."

 
Charlie West has held on to that belief, but now he's starting to wonder. He went to bed one night an ordinary high-school kid. When he woke up, he was wanted for murder and hunted by a ruthless band of terrorists. He's been on the run ever since. Now he's stuck in prison, abandoned by his allies, trying desperately to stay a step ahead of vicious prison gangs and brutal guards. And a flash of returning memory tells him another terrorist strike is coming soon. A million people will die unless he does something. but what? He's stuck in a concrete cage with no way out and no one who can help. Charlie has never felt so alone- and yet he knows he can't give in or give up . . . not with the final hour ticking away."

Characters: Amazing! The characters are written so you feel like you can see them, both the bad guys and the good guys. There’s finally a real sense of who’s on what side, and I enjoyed getting to see more of Sensei Mike.

5/5

Location: Good. The locations were clear and easy to visualize. However, like in the previous books, they didn’t strike me as spectacular.   

3/5

Plot: Incredible. This book is, if possible, even more exciting than the first three. We finally get the answers we want, and the ending is as satisfactory as an ending can possibly be.

5/5

Other: This book, even more so than the rest of the series, is the kind of the book you can’t put down. Forget what I said about The Truth of the Matter being the best. (Well, don't totally forget it, but you know what I mean.) This one surpasses it.

Overall Rating: 5/5

The Truth of the Matter Review

Author: Andrew Klaven

""Never give in."
Ever since he woke up in a terrorist torture chamber- with a year of his life erased from his mind- Charlie West has been on the run. He has one desperate hope of getting his life back: track down the mysterious agent named Waterman. But in fact, reaching Waterman- and recovering the secrets lost in his own memory- will only increase his danger. Because a team of ruthless killers is rapidly closing in on him, determined to stop him from finding the answers. And the truth of the matter is more incredible . . . and more deadly . . . than he could ever imagine."

Characters: Incredible! The characters are easy to visualize, sometimes frighteningly so. I was glad that we finally find out about whether certain characters are good or bad. I was also amazed by how well the author makes you feel what Charlie’s feeling.

5/5

Location: Good. Like the previous books, it was clear and easy to visualize. Nothing struck me as spectacular, though I did find Waterman’s hideout to be interesting.    

3/5

Plot: Amazing! Many questions are finally answered, though there are still some uncertainties left. The plot is fast-paced and intense, and extremely exciting.

5/5

Other: Wow! That’s all I can say about this book, which is probably the best yet in the series.

Overall Rating: 5/5

Author: Andrew Klaven

Sometimes you have to go home to find out who you really are.

Charlie West went to bed one night an ordinary high school student. He woke up a hunted man. Terrorists are trying to kill him. The police want to arrest him for the death of his best friend. He doen'st know whose side he's on or who he can trust. With his pursuers closing in on every side, Charlie makes his way back to his hometown to find some answers. There, holed up in an abandoned mansion, he's joined by his friends in a desperate attempt to discover the truth about a murder he can't remember- and a love he can never forget.

Characters: Amazing! The characters are realistic, and the good guys are thoroughly likeable. I was also very glad that I got to know Charlie’s friends a bit better, as well as Charlie himself.

5/5

Location: Good. Like the previous book, nothing spectacular, but the locations were clear and easy to visualize.  

3/5

Plot: Even better than the first. This book is exciting, but also funny, with almost more plot twists than The Last Thing I Remember. You definitely won’t be able to put it down.

5/5

Overall Rating: 4/5

The Last Thing I remember Review

Author: Andrew Klaven

"Charlie West just woke up in someone else's nightmare.

He's strapped to a chair. He's covered in blood and bruises. He hurts all over. And a strange voice outside his door just ordered his death.

The last thing he can remember, he was a normal high-school kid doing normal things- working on his homework, practicing karate, daydreaming of becoming an air force pilot, writing a pretty girl's number on his hand. How long ago was that? Where is he now? Who is he really?

And more to the point . . . how is he going to get out of this room alive?" 

Characters: Very good. The main character, Charlie, is realistic, likeable, and even familiar-seeming despite his unusual circumstances. And though there are many characters who you only get a glimpse of, you get a feel for them very quickly in those glimpses.

4/5

Location: Good. Though nothing stood out to me as spectacular, the locations were clear and well-described. In most cases, I could easily picture what was happening and where the characters were.

3/5

Plot: Wow. This plot is fast paced and exciting, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you hanging. This is one book you definitely won’t want to put down.

5/5

Other: Before I read this, when I thought of action-adventure type books, I thought of Ted Dekker and the Alex Rider series. This, however, blows them both out of the water.

Overall Rating: 4/5