Review - Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth

Two years before Beatrice Prior made her choice, the sixteen-year-old son of Abnegation’s faction leader did the same. Tobias’s transfer to Dauntless is a chance to begin again. Here, he will not be called the name his parents gave him. Here, he will not let fear turn him into a cowering child.

Newly christened “Four,” he discovers during initiation that he will succeed in Dauntless. Initiation is only the beginning, though; Four must claim his place in the Dauntless hierarchy. His decisions will affect future initiates as well as uncover secrets that could threaten his own future—and the future of the entire faction system.

Two years later, Four is poised to take action, but the course is still unclear. The first new initiate who jumps into the net might change all that. With her, the way to righting their world might become clear. With her, it might become possible to be Tobias once again.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth comes a companion volume to the worldwide bestselling DIVERGENT series, told from the per-spective of the immensely popular character Tobias. The four pieces included here—THE TRANSFER, THE INITIATE, THE SON, and THE TRAITOR—plus three additional exclusive scenes, give readers an electrifying glimpse into the history and heart of Tobias, and set the stage for the epic saga of the DIVERGENT trilogy.

My 13 year old daughter bought me Four by Veronica Roth from her school book fair for Christmas. It was a super thoughtful gift because she knows how much I loved the original set of novels. I know that I'm a bit behind the times, since this debuted in 2014, but hey, better late than never right?

I'll keep this short and sweet. I loved the story. It was from Four's/Tobias's perspective and it was pretty awesome to be able to read everything from his point of view. We get his back story and a look in to the feelings he has and the things he's experiencing even before Divergent takes place. It was fun to see Tris through Four's eyes. To see their journey together. To see the kind of battle going on in his head when it came to his feelings for her.

We got a better look at Marcus and what a waste of breathable air he is. And kind of an extra sneak peak in to things between Four and his mother.

I really wish that we could see the entire series through Four's point of view. This novel brought back the excitement and the thrill of reading the first 3 books and I kind of wish it didn't have to go away. It made me rewatch the movies and since I hadn't JUST read the books when I watched them the second go around, I was able to enjoy them more.

So, if you liked Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant, you should definitely read this one too!

Review - Allegiant by Veronica Roth

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Well, I was sad to get to the last book in the series. Allegiant by Veronica Roth did not disappoint me. Well, at least not in a "Well, that book sucked" kind of way.

In this last installment, Tris, Tobias and Co. have ventured outside of the fence line in search of the truth behind the truth they'd been slapped in the face with. They come face to face with the fact that everything they thought they knew has been more or less a lie. They've been pawns in some kind of experiment in realizing genetic purity.

They think they've broken out of the prison of the war between the factions and the factionless yet they've ended up in a situation far too similar to what they'd been trying to leave behind. Tobias is losing himself in his attempt to gain control of himself, and Tris - the ever skeptical of ANY situation - is just trying to find out the nuts and bolts of it all.

The story is told from two different perspectives. Which is fantastic, I love being able to see in to the mind of both Tris AND Tobias... but sometimes I forgot who I was reading and had to flip back to the beginning of the chapter to see who it was. Minor snafus, that's all.

I miss Tobias. The Tobias that I met back in book one when he was Four. The strong, somewhat silent but definitely strong Dauntless instructor. I can definitely understand why he has unraveled and become what he has, but it's just so sad. He's a shell of the person he used to be. But he has the small hope that after everything is over, he finally gets to be with Tris. No wars... no government take-overs...

Tris has gone from being unsure of herself, to being completely suicidal, to being steadfast and sure of herself, no matter what the outcome of any given situation. She doesn't define herself by the labels placed on her by anyone and doesn't pay any attention to them when they concern anyone else either. I really liked her this book. After her Katniss-meltdown in book two she really pulled herself back together.

Allegiant is still a relatively new book, so I can't say much (I know, I've said that in all three reviews, but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone). But this book just completely crushed me. Like in the movie Titanic when Jack and Rose make it through being handcuffed, shot at, stuck on steerage deck, going down with the ship... just for Jack to freeze to death waiting for rescue in the water. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel... but the light ends up being a train.

Yeah, that's kind of how it felt. Like a giant train comes out of nowhere and just completely ran me down.

I don't know if this is the type of book that you can LIKE, per se... It was definitely a good book. But it just broke my heart. For days after I finished it I couldn't pick up another book because I just didn't know what I could possibly read after that.

If you've read Divergent and Insurgent, then you have to read Allegiant. You just have to. But be prepared for the kick in the gut that it's going to give you.