The final chapters in the Divergent Series….
Tris and Tobias along with a few of the gang we have come to love (or hate), continue to try to make things right. As the factions are no more, Divergents such as Tris are no longer outcasts, by considered genetically pure. Tobias who was once a strong leader of the Dauntless is not considered one of the genetically damaged. As both Tris and Tobias try to make sense of this new world, coming to term with past hurts, family, and what the future holds there is still an underlying plan humming through the city that can once again..
change everything.
I have a funny history with these books. I loved Divergent and everything is stood for. I read the follow-up of Insurgent and continued to love the books. When Allegiant was just a whisper with a release date I pre-ordered the book to read as soon as I could get my hands on it….
and then the buzz began…
about a week before the book released the word was out that the alternating chapters of Tris and Tobias from their point of view was not appealing. The word on the net was that a golden opportunity with this series was missed and I, I am ashamed to say, caught up with the hype, put the book on my book shelf…
unread.
Fast forward to the movies…. I loved the first two movies and seen both in the theater. Then it came time for Allegiant to come out, and I still had not finished the series. My rule (occasionally bent) is that I read a book before I see a movie made from it. So Allegiant was not a movie I seen at the theater. And then, I found the audio available for download from my library. Well then….. let’s do this.
My review…
After that LONG lead in, here we go. This is a good example of why we should not listen to others thoughts on anything and always see for ourselves. I did not mind the alternating chapters at all. Maybe it flowed better on audio, I do not know as that original book I bought is STILL unread on my shelf. I enjoyed this final to the series, how the world would work when you think you have fought for freedom that never really comes free.
The narration was wonderful. LOVED both narrators and I thought that Aaron Stanford was the perfect rough, young, dare I say sexy, voice that was right on for Mathias. Emma Galvin handled Tris’ character perfectly with just the right tone of self-confidence and intelligence you expect out of Tris.
My over all thoughts – initially I felt the books could have ended with Insurgent. Now I see why Allegiant was necessary. It is not the ending I would have wanted…. it is the one it needed to be.
- Listening Length: 11 hours and 55 minutes
- Program Type: Audiobook
- Version: Unabridged
- Publisher: HarperAudio
- Audible.com Release Date: October 22, 2013
Book Journey 
I started the first via a YouTube audio. But never continued. I will give it another try.
Love these characters. I still struggle with the ending. I wonder if I read the series again if I will feel the same. Have yet to see the movie.
I suspect I would enjoy the book more as an audio. My complaint about the two voices is that they didn’t sound different enough. I suppose a couple of good readers would address that.
Interesting review, Shiela. My grandson read all three books and loved Divergent and Insurgent, however, he was not as enthusiastic about Allegiant. He was 14 at the time so maybe his age had something to do with that.
I really liked Divergent, but the other two books didn’t work for me. I felt like the author really didn’t have a clear idea where she was going with the series.
I do think Allegiant would have worked better in audio- in print format, I had trouble figuring out which were Tris’s chapters and which were Four’s chapters, because there wasn’t enough of a difference in voice. I didn’t have a problem with the ending, but I wasn’t that emotionally invested going into it.
I completely agree with you about the ending being what it needed to be. As I read this book, all I could think was, how can Tris possibly come out of this a happy, well-adjusted person? Answer: she cannot. So I respect the hell out of Roth for the ending she created. It was perfect.
I still haven’t seen the movie – have you seen it yet?
This was one of the few times I actually felt closure with a sad ending. I’m usually a very happy ending kind of person.
I feel as you do that I want to read the book before seeing the movie. And the hype does sometimes stop me from reading a book.