Allegiant
2011
- dystopian
- young adult
- fiction
- dystopian fiction
- sci-fi
- science fiction
- ya
- dystopian ya
- bestseller
- future
The story
The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered -- fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she's known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. But Tris's new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature -- and of herself -- while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice and love.
What it’s like
Allegiant is a young adult dystopian novel told in close first person, so the prose sits right up against its heroine's skin: brisk, present-tense-feeling sentences that jump between tense action and interior unease. The sensory world is one of stark contrasts, a wrecked Chicago of concrete, rust and grey skies giving way to a sterile, bright beyond-the-fence landscape that feels wrong in its cleanliness. The mood is tense and bruised rather than cozy, a sense of trust being slowly pulled apart. Chapters are short and pulled forward by cliffhangers, so reading it feels like a series of quick, hard-edged gusts rather than a slow drift. Violence is present throughout, with fights, shootings and deaths described plainly and sometimes graphically, though without gore for its own sake; the cruelty lands most in betrayal and loss. Emotional register is anxious, grief-heavy and romantic in flashes, with arcs about divided loyalty and learning who to trust. It suits a fast commute, a long-haul flight, or a reader who wants momentum and moral tangles. It is for fans of the series and for readers who like dystopian YA with high stakes and a sharp, restless pace.
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