Book Club

This is almost like a part two of my previous Book Club post from two weeks ago. Many things have happened in my literary life since that post. First of all, I discovered that they are making The Giver into a movie. Hooray! I'm not even sure why I'm excited because I'm sure that this movie will just disappoint me in the same way that most other cinematic adaptations of novels tend to. Either way, I'm going to see it and I'll probably reread the novel again so that I can be on my A-game when it comes to critiquing the film. Watch the trailer here.

Since writing my book review of Divergent, I went to see the movie. Standing alone as just a movie, it was good. As an adaptation of a book, it was simply decent. I feel like there was so much left out, but then again I realize that they can't make the movie 4 hours long. I did not like how they changed the ending...seriously, why was that necessary? I also feel like they did not portray the character of Peter nearly intense enough for my liking. I felt like in the movie he was just kind of a jerk. In the book, I loathed him and wanted to jump into the pages and kick his ass myself. I'll be interested to see how that plays out in the future films. Overall, there were just a lot of little details that I really enjoyed about the book that were left out of the movie. No surprise here though, that always happens...which is why the book is always, always better.

Today I am sharing...

Here is a synopsis/review of the book from Amazon: 

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

My thoughts...

Insurgent was definitely a solid sequel to the first book of the series, Divergent. Obviously, the first book was still my favorite as it is typically with any series that I read. However, this second book did a good job of picking up the story right where it left off, as well as continuing the develop the characters along with the story line. I hate when a book series puts the characters all out there up front and then doesn't allow them to grow with the story. If the characters truly are human beings, they should be changing and becoming more in depth as they experience various situations throughout the entire series. Luckily, Roth succeeds at this endeavor and consistently has her characters evolving throughout Insurgent. We discover shocking secrets and alliances among characters that we never would have expected. She makes it very difficult for you to chose sides (or stick to just one side) and to know who to trust. Even as the reader, your alliances and feelings about various characters are constantly changing as new layers of the story are revealed. I especially enjoyed seeing how the characters from the different factions interacted with each other (since each faction is so focused on living out one particular trait) when they were forced to work together or attempt to understand one another, which something that they are unfamiliar with doing. I also like how the romantic side of the story is not overwhelmingly obnoxious. I feel like that often takes center stage in a lot of Young Adult novels and overpowers the plot which makes me annoyed. Thank you Roth for not putting a stupid love triangle in this series. There are a lot of twists and turns throughout this book (as well as sub-plots and changes in setting) which keeps things exciting, but can also become confusing at times so you really have to pay attention. There were a lot of good surprises, especially the ending, which makes me very intrigued about how this is all going to play out in the third book. Overall, Insurgent was darker and edgier than the first book which makes complete sense seeing as how that seems to be the natural progression of this plot. Another good read, enjoy.