Allegiant by Veronica Roth

            When great series go bad, that is the only way to describe Allegiants by Veronica Roth. I knew

that I wasn’t going to like a lot of it, the end was spoiled for me thanks to some inconsiderate people on Tumblr the day after it was released, but I had hoped that the rest of the novel would make up for it. It didn’t, not even a little bit.

            The novel picks up a few days after Insurgent left off, Tris is in prison for siding with the factions against Evelyn and the rest of the Rebels. Luckily for her, Four has his mother’s ear and is able to get Tris released without an execution. But they don’t want to stay in the city, now that they have heard the message from outside the walls Tris wants to complete the mission the founders of the city started, and she isn’t the only one.

            Two group in the city have risen up against Evelyn, Tris’ group that wants to leave, and the Allegiant, those that wish to return the city to the factions and their previous way of life. Together both groups work together to get Tris, Four and a group of others out of the city. In a last minute effort, Four even rescues Tris’ brother from public execution and takes Caleb out of the city with them.

            The book didn’t start of strong, and once they get out of the city the entire think goes down faster than an inexperienced skier on a double black diamond. Turns out that there are cities all over the world just like there’s, being watched and monitored by government agencies. Even during riots and killings, the government just watched and waited seeing what the people in their walled cities would do.

            Different plans are made, both from the government and rebels within the agency, those still in the city, and those that escaped the city; and not all of them are on the same page. Betrayal and murder runs through the government, as well as those once considered friends who left the city.

            I don’t want to betray the ending of the book, on the off chance someone has yet to read it and have it spoiled by Tumblr or Pintrest, but it was lame. The entire book was boring and ill written. The characters that we have grown to love over the first two books regressed to points even before Divergent began. Everyone is selfish and lying, the entire book I just wanted to yell at the characters for every single decision that they made. Not a single choice Tris, Four, or any of the city members made was in line with who they were in the first books.

            I hated ever word that I read in this novel, and was so glad when it was over. I know that some people thought that the ending was beautiful and heroic, but Tris’ decisions during the book did not logically lead up to it. Roth spent the first two books writing and explaining and intricate world, and then just threw it all away, nothing made sense, and it felt like she was just hurrying explanations along or giving subpar answers to get to the next horribly written chapter. I would recommend people NOT read this book, I wish I had just stopped at the second book, because that slight cliffhanger was a better ending than the actual one.

Once We Were (Quick Review)

Eva and Addie have escaped the institution. They and their friends are being hidden throughout the city, but lying low is starting to test Eva. Her relationship with Ryan is difficult to manage since every time they try and do anything Addie is there, inside her head screaming no. And Eva wants more with her life, she wants to fight back against the government in anyway possible, no matter what.

Eva and Addie are at odds, being in love with different men is pulling them apart, they aren’t sharing things with each other, and Eva is getting involved with people that Addie doesn’t trust. And she is right not to trust them, they are terrorists bent on destroying the government and everyone who has ever been involved with the curing of hybrids.

Eva realizes her friends aren’t who they say they are to late, she and Addie along with Ryan and Devon, and Haley and Lissa, race to save the very people who locked them up. But will they get their in time, and at what cost to themselves and their cause?

What's Left of Me (the hybrid chronicles) Review

One of my favorite types of sci-fi and dystopian novels are ones that are parallel to our own. I love stories that align with our world, except for one thing. In the Hybrid Chronicles that one small thing is that every human is born with two souls. Around the age of six of seven one of the souls fades away, leaving the dominant one behind. At least, that is what is suppose to happen.

Eva and Addie are fifteen, and while to the rest of the world and her family Addie triumphed as the dominant, surviving soul, Eva is still inside her head. She can’t control the body that they share, but Eva’s spirit is still there talking with Addie everyday. Eva helps make sure that Addie never forgets anything, notices the surrounding areas . Addie cannot imagine Eva not being their, but they have to be careful. Souls that don’t settle end up in mental hospitals, or get experimented on. They are thrown in the middle of somewhere and just, forgotten. So far, they have been careful.

And they must be careful, because Hybrids (unsettled adult souls) are dangerous. Two souls fighting for dominance, fighting each other for control leads to danger. Wars have been fought. Humans, whole countries are hard enough to keep peace between, but when people fighting share the same body, disaster strikes. While this book never goes into real detail on past problems with hybrids, it is clear that humanity was going to end up killing itself. That is when America shut its borders, not allowing anyone in, and monitoring anyone who remained unsettled in case the threat of Hybrids overtake their country.

That is before Hally, the foreign and overly bubbly girl from their history class starts talking to them. Hally is not popular, and doesn’t seem to be able to take the hint that Addie doesn’t want to be friends. Hally begins tagging along wherever Addie goes, and when Addie’s shirt gets ruined invites her over to wash it so she won’t get in trouble. Hally’s house is where everything goes wrong for Addie. Hally tells Addie she knows her secret, she knows there is another soul in her body, but no to worry because Lissa is still with her and her brother Devon never let his other soul Ryan die either.

There is a difference though, Lissa and Ryan can take control of their bodies and they want to teach Eva to do the same. For weeks they practice, and every day Eva becomes stronger. But they are discovered, and the three are taken hundreds of miles away to a treatment facility that promises to cure them. Of course, those kinds of centers are never what they appear to be, and Addie doesn’t want to lose Eva. They are best friends, sisters, connected through everything and so they begin to plan their escape.

While escaping they discover something terrifying, everything they have been told is a lie, and they don’t know what to believe anymore. The shots and vaccines children receive before they start school is a poison meant to kill of one of the souls, and the shots are being imported. Meaning that America hasn’t closed its doors to protect them from outside threat, but that the outside is wary of them.

I loved the first half of this book. I loved the dynamic between Addie and Eva, and when Eva was learning to take back control. I thought the time spent in the hospital was rather boring until the end when you discover that there are things the government is lying about. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.