Allegiant
(Libby/OverDrive eAudiobook)

If Divergent (2011) boasted a stark clarity and Insurgent (2012) bordered on the incomprehensible, this trilogy finale falls squarely in the middle: though plenty of fat goes uncut, the plot is both followable and logical. While Roth's strength has never been characterization (side characters continue to be more or less interchangeable), she does, by the brave ending, elicit a long-in-coming and, frankly, well-earned emotional response. Power couple Tris and Tobias, on trial as traitors, manage to escape their dystopic Chicago only to land in the hands of the Bureau, a government agency that is watching the experiment of the Factions unfold. This pulling-back-of-the-curtain and the accompanying fight against genetic damage may be the single most fascinating idea of the entire series, though there isn't much lingering upon it before, once more, Tris and Tobias must judge a new cast of characters as friend or foe between episodes of bickering and kissing. While the prose feels hasty and repetitive, it does turn pages, which is the meter by which the gargantuan fan base will judge it. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: This heir to The Hunger Games is arguably the highest-demand book of the year. Expect total saturation leading up the 2014 movie. Resistance is futile.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist

Just a few days after the events of Insurgent, the world Tris has known and believed in is shattered, in part owing to her own actions. A new faction, the Allegiant, has approached her and Tobias, offering them a chance to see what is outside their city. They agree to go, but what they find shatters their worldview even further, as they come to -realize that their lives, and those of generations of their ancestors, may have been nothing more than a social experiment. Once again, Emma Galvin voices Tris, and this time Tobias has a viewpoint, voiced by Aaron Stanford. Galvin's narration contains only the most minor changes among characters, making it difficult to distinguish one from another, especially since many start with the letter "J." Stanford's narration is not any better. VERDICT Even with these weaknesses, the audiobook will be popular with teens and adults wanting to get their hands on the trilogy's conclusion, whatever the format.-Suanne Roush, Seminole, FL (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In the final installment of Roth's Divergent series, the factions are dismantled and the city is in upheaval. Tris and Tobias set out with a group of rebels to seek answers about the world beyond the fence. Amidst all the deception and betrayal, Roth provides meditations on love, loss, and sacrifice that ponder the complexities of free will versus genetic destiny. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

If Divergent (2011) boasted a stark clarity and Insurgent (2012) bordered on the incomprehensible, this trilogy finale falls squarely in the middle: though plenty of fat goes uncut, the plot is both followable and logical. While Roth's strength has never been characterization (side characters continue to be more or less interchangeable), she does, by the brave ending, elicit a long-in-coming and, frankly, well-earned emotional response. Power couple Tris and Tobias, on trial as traitors, manage to escape their dystopic Chicago only to land in the hands of the Bureau, a government agency that is watching the "experiment" of the Factions unfold. This pulling-back-of-the-curtain and the accompanying "fight against genetic damage" may be the single most fascinating idea of the entire series, though there isn't much lingering upon it before, once more, Tris and Tobias must judge a new cast of characters as friend or foe between episodes of bickering and kissing. While the prose feels hasty and repetitive, it does turn pages, which is the meter by which the gargantuan fan base will judge it. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: This heir to The Hunger Games is arguably the highest-demand book of the year. Expect total saturation leading up the 2014 movie. Resistance is futile. Copyright 2013 Booklist Reviews.

Roth shakes up her storytelling (and will do the same to some readers) in this highly anticipated, largely satisfying wrap-up to the Divergent trilogy. First, the majority of the story takes place outside the city walls, since Tris and Tobias (aka Four) have joined the rebel group known as the Allegiant, whose goals are to fight the factionless and discover what's beyond the city's boundaries. Second, Roth alternates between Tris's and Tobias's viewpoints as readers learn about genetic tampering that the U.S. government performed generations earlier, which gave rise to the faction system. Roth's plotting is, as readers have come to expect, intelligent and complex. Dangers, suspicion, and tension lurk around every corner, and the chemistry between Tris and Tobias remains heart-poundingly real. The alternating perspectives are bothersome at times, due to the similarity between Tris and Tobias's first-person narratives. However, for those who have faithfully followed these five factions, and especially the Dauntless duo who stole hearts two books ago, this final installment will capture and hold attention until the divisive final battle has been waged. Ages 14–up. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Oct.)

Roth shakes up her storytelling (and will do the same to some readers) in this highly anticipated, largely satisfying wrap-up to the Divergent trilogy. First, the majority of the story takes place outside the city walls, since Tris and Tobias (aka Four) have joined the rebel group known as the Allegiant, whose goals are to fight the factionless and discover what's beyond the city's boundaries. Second, Roth alternates between Tris's and Tobias's viewpoints as readers learn about genetic tampering that the U.S. government performed generations earlier, which gave rise to the faction system. Roth's plotting is, as readers have come to expect, intelligent and complex. Dangers, suspicion, and tension lurk around every corner, and the chemistry between Tris and Tobias remains heart-poundingly real. The alternating perspectives are bothersome at times, due to the similarity between Tris and Tobias's first-person narratives. However, for those who have faithfully followed these five factions, and especially the Dauntless duo who stole hearts two books ago, this final installment will capture and hold attention until the divisive final battle has been waged. Ages 14–up. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Oct.)