2.5 stars. I'm not sure why Insurgent was not nearly as enjoyable to me as Divergent. Perhaps it was because this time I was listening and not reading. The narrator had an odd, urgent tone through the entire book. Perhaps it was because it picked up right where Divergent left off with no recap of any kind - I had kind of forgotten who some of the characters were, and it took me a while to put it all together again. ( )

Finally got my hands on the second book! I waited for it to become available at the library for almost a year, but in the end I had to give up and buy all three books because otherwise the movies would be out before I got to read them.

I didn't know what to expect. Catching Fire was easier, because Collins basically just rehashed the same old plot with some hints to a bigger revolution going on, but Insurgent didn't have something as easy as the Hunger Games to rely on. The plot immediately had to be moved forward. And it was! The book is very suspenseful, with just enough twists for it to be bearable, and of course a big revelation by the end of it. Which, admittedly, wasn't that hard to see given the hints we got, but I totally believe that the characters themselves couldn't figure it out (they have every reason not to be genre savvy).

While the world is not amazing, and the "factions" still not making much sense, I can still see why the characters are acting the way they are, given taht THEY buy into the world. I still can't believe anyone would think it reasonable to divide themselves into five factions and then leave the factionless to starve and not realize bad shit is gonna happen, but it is weirdly believable that the characters would. At least the young Dauntless people, who - as we know - never get to grow old and wise. It's slightly harder to see the adults buy into it, but if they were raised that way - why not?

That said, I'm much looking forward to book three, even though I hear it doesn't live up to the promises of the first two books. ( )

It took me so long to finish this book (well long for me). I just wasn't entirely interested. I didn't guess the ending though so that was nice. ( )

This book is a nightmare. I finished it in 3 weeks because I kept putting it off. I was just that uninterested. This whole series went down the toilet. What even is the ending to this book? To be honest, there were some good things about it, but it definitely didn’t outshine the bad. Tris and Tobias’s romance is less cookie cutter and goes more in depth in this book, which is a major improvement form number #1. The action was written well in some parts, but in others (particularly the beginning) it felt incredibly slow. I never was a huge fan of the divergent books in the beginning, simply because it didn’t grasp me enough. I’ll give allegiant a shot though, just so my friends don’t come attack me. ( )

How did this one never end up with review, too?

Guh. This series continues on, giving you the most unexpected both windfalls and gut punches. Taking things from you, shoving them into your hands, having to run, run, run, through it, never enough time to process because that how the Dauntless world is and how the ruthless revolution is happening. This is a tempest caught in a few pages, bound to steal your time, your mind, and all your focus.

I can't even spoil it. A favorite book last year with the first, this steadfastly remains in favorite series this year. ( )