Divergent Series Review

4/5*

This series was a little all over the place for me. I loved Divergent and Allegiant, but for me Insurgent let the trilogy down and is the only reason that I couldn't give that 5* rating. That is not to say this was a bad read - I would definitely recommend reading this trilogy.

As far as dystopian fiction goes, it was compelling, fairly original and unexpected. Whilst some things were unclear in the beginning, by the end of Allegiant it all made sense to me. Without giving too much away to anyone who hasn't yet read these books, there were aspects that reminded me strongly of The Maze Runner, but it was original enough that I wasn't put off by this. In a world saturated with YA dystopian fiction it is hard to find something truly unique - I think the factions were a fantastic attempt at this and perhaps if the series had been merely a standalone with Divergent it may well have stayed that way.

Though the plot was engaging, the main letdown for me were our main characters; Tris and Tobias. They just weren't lovable enough through the books. Consistency was thrown out the window; one second Tris would be a strong heroine and the next walking-talking self-doubt. I found this frustrating and distracting because I felt forced to dislike the characters I had respected only a few chapters prior (or a book prior if we look at Insurgent).

As a trilogy, the 4* rating is respectable and indicates something I'd consider a great read. Without giving any spoilers (and god do I want to!) the ending of Allegiant saved the entire series for me and is worth struggling through Insurgent. The final few chapters brought me to tears; it was entirely unexpected and brought back the characters I loved (mostly) and had missed in the previous book. Any book that can move you to tears is a success for me!

Did you read the Divergent series? What were your thoughts?