As I expected...Roth did not disappoint. In this novel the reader sees outside of the fence, the new "government" that controls all the cities and their living situation. They watch them, they created the factions and their forms of living, and if they think the city is doomed- they can erase and begin again. This whole concept drove me nuts throughout the novel. It completely makes sense- yet it's completely messed up. They choose not to protect the cities, just replace their memories and move on. The fact that you can also see such parallels to the government we trust is uncanny. I think that is what drew me into this trilogy- the corruption of the government. People explained "damaged genes" were the reason for the destruction, yet there is always going to be a group who want to overthrow what is clearly unjust. The idea behind people with the "pure genes' and how they were somehow superior to the rest of the population was interesting, yet disgusting. It's easy to explain away the reason for war when you have a convenient scape goat.
Roth gives Tobias, Four, a voice, and the story comes to a close with a lot of sorrow, death, and destruction, but it shows the fight, the struggle, and the bravery. Love is a common theme, not just the love between Tobias and Tris. Love between friends, family, and companions is.
I have come to the conclusion that I like this series a little better than The Hunger Games. Roth pushes the boundaries, and she creates a whole conspiracy behind what the main characters see as their world. She was not afraid to go against what readers would expect, or like, and it seemed that she took more of a risk with the complete ending. I think it is also always great to add a new character's point of view to the story. Collins kind of stifled herself by only using Katniss, and using her as the anchor for two male characters because it provides readers with a convenient love triangle that can be a sub plot. However, Roth managed to bring in the emotion of two characters- both broken, dealing with their own grief, but their different intentions and views to drive them both together. And the love and passion between them was not the center point- Tris and Tobias have problems within themselves, but they belong together because they each are the missing piece.
The last fifty pages were packed with so much emotion and energy- I was literally between crying and being unable to breath. This series will stick with me, and I am really interested to see what they do with the movies. Hopefully they won't disappoint. Although I was late to the party, Divergent will forever be a favorite journey I would like to revisit.
GET ON BOARD WITH THIS TRILOGY!!!
