Shifting allegiances

Insurgent - Veronica Roth (Katherine Tegen Books, 2012)

So, maybe it was the fact that I read Divergent twice in one weekend, but while that book remains vivid in my mind, this one has largely flitted away in the 10 (?) days since I finished it. It was good - not as good as the first one but still - and yet I find myself unable to really write about it.

In all fairness, this may not be the book's fault. Since finishing it, I got engaged (!!!!!) and suddenly almost all my brainpower is devoted to wedding planning. I never expected to be this kind of bride ("oh, I knew you would be," says the fiancé) but here I am so I suppose it's to be expected that this book would get a little lost. Why didn't I write about it sooner?

Moving on. Tris remains pretty awesome, but she's frustrating and difficult in this novel. Maybe I'm overly attached to Four, but (spoiler alert?) a lot of the quieter drama here revolves around how poorly they communicate, and to me it seems like it's almost always her fault. We should cut her some slack though - not only is she a teenager feeling her way into a first relationship, but she's also near the epicenter of the upending of their entire society.

People (both individuals and groups) seem to switch sides pretty often, and villains get complicated. (I approve of this.) I also approve of the continued lack of love triangle, although the cheeseball in me found myself rooting for one. (I like Tris, but I also like antiheroes, and I had a whole thing happening in my head.)

I can't figure out how exactly the last one will turn out, but it's sitting on my coffee table, so if I ever manage to get off the wedding blogs, I guess I will find out.