Allegiant (Divergent #3) {Book Review}

It was so strange going to see the Divergent movie after finishing this book because I kept thinking about things that would happen later. It definitely put an interesting twist on things. I pretty much whizzed through the last book in the Divergent series because I was so eager to see what Veronica Roth would do at the end. Like I said in my Insurgent review, I was underwhelmed as far as comparing the action and overall awesomeness to Divergent, but I didn't think it was bad. The third book had fans even more riled up than the second and Goodreads reviews took a dive, but I went in with an open mind.
Favorite Quotes “There is a difference between admitting and confessing. Admitting involves softening, making excuses for things that cannot be excused; confessing just names the crimes at its full severity.” 
“Yeah, sometimes life really sucks," she says. "But you know what I'm holding on for? ... The moments that don't suck."
“The first step to loving someone else is to recognize the evil in ourselves, so we can forgive them.” 

Book Synopsis 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.
My Thoughts Allegiant wasn't short on action. There was a lot to take in in this book, but I didn't find it overwhelming like I did for Insurgent. I really liked that this book was told from the perspective of both Tris and Tobias. I felt like I got a sense of what Tobias believes in and learned his way of thinking and his view on everything. He's lived a tough life, so I spent a lot of the book sympathizing with him rather than with Tris. Tobias has been my favorite character throughout the series, and I found myself being more interested in his thoughts and what actions he wanted to take. I also felt more connected with the characters in this book. There was lots character development, and I think a lot of that has to do with having the stories told from two different perspectives.
Even though I found Tris to be a little annoying in this book, she wasn't nearly as annoying as she was in the last book. She didn't have a death wish, and she was actually thinking logically, which made me start to like her more again. In spite of her flaws, I do think Tris is actually a good person for young people to look up to. She's independent and willing to fight for the people she loves, even the people who are undeserving like Peter who tried to kill her in the first book and Caleb who betrayed her and almost contributed to her death in the second book. 
A good portion of this novel focuses on the relationship between Tris and Tobias. They start to differ in their beliefs a little bit because of two attractive people introduced in this book, Matthew and Nita. Luckily, the author didn't create any love triangles or quadrilaterals or anything like that, but the two of them did create just a little jealousy between the couple. Beyond that, they also travel down different paths for a bit because Tobias is having a lot of inner struggles, and of course I sympathized with him. 
This book exhausted my emotions. I found myself sitting up at attention during some parts, trying to figure out what would happen. The entire book was pretty unpredictable though, especially the ending. I think the ending was the easily the worst part of the book. On one hand, I can understand why Veronica Roth did what she did, but at the same time, I think it was a bit dramatic and unnecessary to end the book that way. It was like they were working up to nothing, but at the same time, not really. Okay, I'm starting to get cryptic and make absolutely no sense, but to those of you who have already read the book, you know what I mean.

I give this book a 4 out of 5. The ending has a big impact on that rating. I thought the action was amazing in this book compared to Insurgent, but the ending is what you remember most about novels, and I was very unsatisfied with a huge part of this ending, though everything did end up being okay in a way. The rest of the book was pretty excellent though and kept me at the edge of my seat. 
For more information about Veronica Roth and the Divergent series, go check out her blog or follow her on Twitter!

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