Divergent, Insurgent, Alliegent: Books 16-18

Book 16 Divergent by Veronica Roth

Wow!  Twice now my son has purchased books at a book fair, and then suggested that I read them.  Both times I've been hooked and can hardly stop reading.  The first series he did this with was the Hunger Games Trilogy.  Although at the time we had to wait for the final book to come out, this time he had all 3 books on his shelf by the time I decided to read them.

Honestly, both are very much alike in the main problem facing the characters is their governments and the choices that their governments are making.  Both deal with friendships, death, decisions and needing to learn from the past.  The main difference is that the killing that occurs in this book series actually seems understandable in terms of it not being kids killing kids just to survive a game.  Regardless, in both series horrible losses take place.  The characters must grow and find their own ways in many cases. 

Divergent revolves around Beatrice Prior and Four.  Two characters that have had to make the choice of which faction to belong to.  Both chose Dauntless, both started out in Abnegation.  They made their choice to leave their factions after an aptitude test and the following choosing ceremonies. From their they basically have to deny their families and start over with their faction as their family.  The problem is that for Beatrice, who takes on the name Tris when she becomes Dauntless, is that she has something else to hide. She didn't get a clear indicator during the aptitude test for which group she should be in.  Instead, she showed that 3 different factions would have been a suitable choice.  Three is an unheard of number in the tests and can only mean one thing. That she is DIVERGENT. This is a dangerous thing to be, although she doesn't know why.  As the book progresses, more things are revealed, and they lead directly into the need to keep reading the next book in the series.

Book 17 Insurgent

In this book Tris and Four have to continue to figure out what they are fighting for an against.  Who is really the enemy, and who is telling the truth.  The author did a great job of weaving in the relationships and having you grow attached to people only to find that they could not necessarily be trusted. The plot moves along so quickly, with so many twists and turns it was near impossible to stop reading for any length of time.

Will Tris and Four be able to stop the new government from making the wrong choices?  Will family loyalty win in the end, and what of the secrets they are discovering about themselves and those around them.  Will their relationship thrive or die with all the lies that must be told.  To truly get the answers you have to continue the series by reading the last book.
Book 18 Allegiant

Wow, again..wow!  I finished this book last night and wow, is about all I can say.  I did not end the way I wanted it to or even the way I expected it to, although many elements fell in to place as I should have known they would.  I don't want to write too much about it, as the whole series would be ruined if you knew the end.  So instead, I will just say that I am impressed by this writer. She knew her audience would be teens, and while there is violence she could have gone into more detail, but restrained.  The same with the physical relationship between two of the characters in particular. She again, could have been more descriptive, but with the audience she was writing for I'm glad she left things out.

Great series, leaves you thinking about what is real and what is not.  I'd highly recommend it.

15 stars...5 for each book!