Wednesday 12 March 2014

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

"It is impossible to erase my choices. Especially these."

I couldn’t sleep last night. The final instalment of the Divergent trilogy was calling me to push back the veil of tiredness and press on with the final chapters. The shocking dĂ©nouement (and I’m trying not to give anything away here) was not conducive to a much required rest, however it did make me reflect on the series as a whole.

Buying the triple pack released just in time for the film was an unexpected bonus, it meant I didn’t have to wait the interminable time between releases to find out what happened next. This also had its own down side. There was a lot of drama in a 3 day read – oh yes, gentle reader, I pretty much finished one novel a day, such was the momentum and build-up of suspense that I could only relent and snatch odd moments of my day to keep reading – who am I kidding they were less of the day and more the wee hours of the night.

My time spent with Tris and Four has been a thrill ride etched with a sense of gloom and doom. Ultimately, I think Ms Roth has really delivered an adventure coloured with an exploration of ethics and the potential for conflict that selective genetic engineering has the potential to invoke. The fact that it has been insanely popular with both kids and adults alike is a testament to good writing, strong characters and a somewhat dauntless attitude to their wellbeing. **SPOILER** People die in this one. Not saying who mind you.

As the novel floated to the floor after the final word was read and my eyes grew heavy and my head yearned for the pillow, I was vacillating between scores, but finally decided, this was moving and fast paced and surprising – a combination that occurs ever less frequently these days.

5 out of 5 memory serums could erase that walk of shame permanently.

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