Katherine Tegen Books published the third installment of the Divergent series in October 2013. The book is available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and audiobook formats, as well as at local libraries or through the Libby app.

Roth explores the world of what if. What if your whole world was a lie? What if a single revelation or choice changed everything? What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected? So many what-ifs unravel as readers dive back into the war-torn world.

Unlike the first two books, this one uses dual perspectives from Tris and Four. This adds depth but also some repetition, as readers experience the same events twice from different points of view.

In Divergent, the factions were introduced; in Insurgent, Roth’s audience watched them break down. Now, in Allegiant, readers learn that the video inviting them to save the ‘outside’ world is a lie, that their lives were nothing more than an experiment, and that on the outside, genetic prejudice rules.

Many new concepts and characters are introduced in this final part. Everything readers thought they knew is skewed, and much information is dumped across the book. Roth wanted to wrap things up here, but the story needs more development to keep readers invested instead of confused.

The crux is that the Bureau on the outside controls the Chicago experiment and wants to keep it going by deploying the memory-wiping serum. Tris and others within the bureau want everyone to know the truth and be free. Four, for some ridiculous reason, can’t seem to make up his mind about what he wants. So unlike the character readers have grown to know. Why this sudden change in his character?

Their solution to stop the Bureau’s memory-wiping plan is laughable since better options exist. Nothing about her choices makes sense, like Evelyn suddenly becoming mother of the year. Readers aren’t surprised by Tris’s choice, but it takes away Caleb’s last chance at redemption, undeserved as he is. When Tris asked her mother if she could be finished, it felt unreal; she had just told Caleb to tell Tobias she didn’t want to leave him. So why did she revert to things she had learned and surpassed? In that moment, her newfound will to live dissolves, and she stops fighting.

The intent of creating a foundation for rebuilding and finding stability is lost in this 2-star read, ending an otherwise strong series on a weak note.