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.
Thoughts: This is the third and final book in the Divergent series. I reviewed the second book Insurgent last week and said I was unlikely to read this one for awhile. However, the request I had on it at the library came through and it's only a 2 week loan, so needs must and I read.
Allegiant is definitely better than Insurgent, but still sadly falls short of the promise offered in Divergent. The view point switches between Tobias and Tris, but their voices became so similar at times I had to double check whose view I was reading. The world they find outside the fence holds some pretty big and shocking truths, truths that really have a huge effect on their whole lives. What's happening inside the fence becomes a secondary, minor, story line which was frustrating. The first two books had spent a lot of time setting up this faction/ factionless war and it amounted to nothing.
My biggest issue with the end is how neatly it's all resolved and how quickly. It's a common problem and I understand why. You've written a trilogy, your audience, especially if they are young, want to know how everything ends. They like nicely packaged answers. The problem however, is in doing so, the ending often feels rushed and too perfect. It clashes with what we know is reality - there isn't an end, things rarely work out neatly.
It's a good series, especially for it's target audience. I do like how it has strong female characters and even once romance is introduced, the female characters retain their strength. They are able to make decisions without the romantic interest or without deferring to them. I like how Tris owned her decisions, didn't back down from what she believed and called Tobias on some of his behaviour. There needs to be more of it.