Review: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant by Veronica Roth
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I need to preface this review by saying I am always nervous starting the final book in a series I’ve loved, and Allegiant, by Veronica Roth, was no exception. I’ve loved this series from the first chapter of Divergent, book one. Just when I thought nothing could top Divergent, out came Insurgent, which was even better than book one. So I had high expectations for Allegiant, the third and final installment from Veronica Roth, even though I was really nervous too.

I was excited when I first learned that Allegiant would be written from two points of view, those of Tris and Four. A chance to get into Four’s head! Who wouldn’t love that? But the transition to an alternating point of view for the third book was awkward for me. I didn’t find the voices of Tris and Four distinct enough. A few times I forgot whose head I was in and I had to flip back to the chapter heading to confirm. This was a problem for me throughout the book. The chapters were all generally short and didn’t give me enough time to get comfortable in any character’s head before popping into an alternating view point.

Despite this problem, Allegiant had nonstop action and gut wrenching emotion. Let me repeat that. Gut. Wrenching. Emotion. The kind of emotion that tears your heart out, steps on it a few times then runs it over with a truck. As I got closer to the end, I found myself reading slower, trying to savor the final words of this series, willing it not to end because I knew how much I’d miss this world. But the world that Veronica Roth gave us in book one is not the world we are left with in book three and in some ways that made saying goodbye easier, because the characters also had to say goodbye to the world that captivated me throughout this series.

Even though I felt some of the plot lines were a bit contrived and forced, Allegiant did what the final book in a series is supposed to do; give us closure. All of the characters traveled full story arcs and completed their journeys. I’m sad to say goodbye to Tris, Four, and all their friends, but the book’s ending gave me the closure I needed.

And I will always be Abnegation at heart!