Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

Description from Goodreads:

I HAVE DONE BAD THINGS.

I CAN'T TAKE THEM BACK,

AND THEY ARE PART OF WHO I AM.

Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.

Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever... because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.

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Another gripping book from Roth! However, even though as much as I liked Insurgent, I have to admit it wasn't as good as Divergent. But that usually happens to me, liking the first book more than the second one, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. The second instalment did offer once again lots of action, some great twists, realistic handling of the emotions concerning the aftermath, and some drama between Tris and Four.

My favourite thing in this book was the depiction of Tris coping with the loss of her parents, killing her friend, and the overall trauma caused by the betrayal and attack by Erudite. Even though post-traumatic stress disorder is a disorder that might be sometimes difficult to depict as it can have various forms, I think Roth did a pretty good job depicting one variation that affected Tris: she became depressed; saw nightmares; had trust difficulties that had subsequent effects on her relationships, especially with Four; had painful flashbacks; and at times she felt empty and lethargic. And the fact that her PTSD didn't last for only for the first chapter, but was one of the major themes lasting the whole book, made me rather happy (if you could say so). Her emotional distress became very realistic as her symptoms persisted and persevered, protruding into all aspects of her life. 

And of course like I already mentioned, it would be only natural that her PTSD would influence also her relationship with Four. He is trying to be as supportive and understanding as possible when it comes to Tris's emotional turmoil, but Tris keeps pushing him away which understandably creates tension between these two. I liked that now that they are officially together, their relationship wasn't depicted through rose-tinted glasses, but it was made as relationships really are: there are ups and downs. Even though I did like Four before, I only started loving him in this second book. He was so attentive to her needs, caring, and understanding with Tris, but yet staying true to his own character. In Divergent we see him as this independent and headstrong man, but in Insurgent we get to see a softer side of him which I really enjoyed. His character development is proceeding pretty well and I'm hoping to see more of it in Allegiant.  

The plot in overall was definitely better than an average one, but the end felt a little bit of anti-climatic for me. There was a situation going on maybe after I've had read 75% of the book which would have ended the book perfectly, but no. The book continued. I had read somewhere before staring the book, that there would be a big reveal in the end of Insurgent, but for me it was more of a confirmation to my suspicions more than anything else. I was rather happy nevertheless that we got a little bit of information why Tris lives in a society where people are divided into factions, because I was already hoping to know it in the first book. Nevertheless, I was slightly disappointed with the ending, but otherwise the book kept me fully entertained the whole time.

I'm rather scared to start reading the third book, Allegiant, because it has the average rating of 3.63 while the the other two books have over 4.2. Of course I might end up loving Allegiant even though people in general have been a tad disappointed with it. I'm not going to read it straight away after finishing with Insurgent, but I will definitely find a copy of it in the near future. I want to know more what happened in the past and what will become of the society! 

☆☆☆ or ☆☆☆☆