The Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been mesmerized by the Divergent trilogy, reading all three of the books in order - finishing one and going right to the next one.

I finished Allegiant last night.  The book has a surprise ending, which shocked and somewhat enraged me at first.  (I was sitting in bed, screaming NOOOOOOOO!!!) But even though I hated to have the incident happen, I understood it.  To me, it was completely in character for the person to behave in that manner.

I read an online review of Allegiant this afternoon by a well-known blogger.  The woman referred to the end as "clunky" and something that had Ms. Roth not been "so pressed by her publisher to finish the book, she may well have reconsidered."

Ahem.  That enraged me more than the ending of the book.  Ms. Roth continued on past the incident in question for a few more chapters, showing the outcome of the action.  Moreover, she had an epilogue that took place two years later.  It showed people still dealing with what happened and coming to terms with it.  They were all changed by it.  Ms. Roth skillfully wrote the characters in a realistic way. In my opinion, it was an excellent way to end the trilogy, especially for young adult readers.

There is a potent message at the end of Allegiant, one which many young adult readers have not yet learned from life.  Things happen over which we have no control. We have to deal with shock, disappointment, grief, and loss.  It's very much a part of life, and it comes to each of us in time. We either learn to deal with it and go on, or fall by the wayside.

I admire the adept way Ms. Roth showed the aftermath of the story's climax.  We all have our coping mechanisms, as illustrated in the epilogue of Allegiant. Also, I like her writing style. Like I said, it's real.

This is an excellent series of books.  I strongly recommend them for fans of futuristic sci-fi.  I also recommend them to anyone who likes human drama and action.

Check out this wonderful trilogy.  It has relevance to many things in our contemporary world.

Remember, the movie, Divergent, based on the first book, opens March 21st, with an impressive cast.

Take care and enjoy our pop culture.