Insurgent

Tris is my spirit animal.

Granted, she's definitely a little broken, especially after the events that happened in the end of Divergent. She had to shoot a friend - that couldn't have been easy.

Now she has Four - Tobias - and her life is crazy. Dauntless is separated, only a handful of Abnegation are left, and Eriudite are trying to completely mind control everyone. The factions are severely broken at this point.

But there's also a secret that the Abnegation leaders knew that the leader of Eriudite is trying to hide.

This was definitely an enthralling book, but I did want to smack different characters for different reasons throughout the course of the book. Four in particular got on my nerves with some insecurity things that he went through. Tris frequently for being utterly reckless.

But overall, I was impressed with how Tris evolved over the course of this book.

Divergent

Why did I put off reading this book for so long?

I think a lot of it came down to not wanting to read the "it book" of the time. Now it's not in the whole "you have to read this now!" stage, so I figure it's not just a fad. Anyway, I've finally read the first book (still have two more to go) and I'm mad that I waited so long.

I loved this book. Tris is a girl who is trying to find her place in the world. She's Divergent in a world where that's a bad thing to be. She's someone who can fully choose her own path in life without having it strongly suggested to her through the test that all children get when they're 16.

She chooses to follow a path that is dangerous. She goes Dauntless, the group that seems to have no concern for their own well-being. I mean, this is a group of people that jump from trains and off of tall buildings. I swear they all have death wishes.

But Tris does find herself. I think that's why I like her. She spends 16 years of her life feeling like she doesn't belong in the group she was born into because she isn't selfless enough, and then she finds she can go anywhere and she chooses the dangerous group.

I liked Tris's personal journey through this book. Her self-discovery and growth. It was impressive, while still being an appropriate book for young adults.