10 months ago

I should probably write a proper review of it (or any of the books I've read... heheheh). I've just been getting over another bout of pneumonia & some complications. Anyway, I thought it was really good. It's dystopian, but much different than the HG books. The society Roth has created is compelling & thought-provoking, essentially placing people in 1 of 5 groups or factions that represent their basic overriding personality traits, be they selflessness, information-seeking, fearlessness, consensus-building, or logistical. At 16, each youth is tested to find which faction they are best suited to & if it isn't the one they were born & raised into, they are separated from their families & move in with their factions which become their families

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10 months ago

.. But the notion that one overriding personality characteristic should & could define your life's path so totally runs up against the notion that people are much more complex than that. The main characters' choices & their underlying personality divergence (tendency to fit into more than one faction) is played against the politics, political maneuvering & ultimately the coup of 1 faction. The 2nd book deals with the fall-out for this society & for the main characters, of this take-over by 1 faction of all the others. It's a bit slower in the middle because there's not as much exposition, but the ending makes up for it in terms of surprises that like HG2, leave you waiting for the next book. This is, of course, a gross oversimplification...

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10 months ago

of the plot & characters. But the books are well-written, though I found both to be quick reads. I will re-read them, like I have HGs & I'm sure I'll find more to think about, because the themes & the characters are interesting. I would say that on 1st read, unlike HGs, the characters are slightly less fully-drawn, while the societal structure & norms are explored more. Almost a reversal, in my mind, of HGs, but that's why I'd like to reread them. They are Y/A books, but like HGs, Roth has created a world & characters that are strong enough to hold an adult's interest & leave you thinking, as well as looking at certain situations in our own world & finding some analogs. They do stay with you, which to me, means they've touched on something

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10 months ago

... intellectually significant as well as having an emotional impact; I've connected with them. Ultimately, the books are probably more intellectual in the social themes they touch on, but that doesn't keep Roth from drawing characters fully-enough & continuing to develop their dimensionality in a way that makes you care about them, become attached to them, & hope they will ultimately actualize what seems to be the path they're currently on. You care enough that you're pulling for them, but even the hero and heroine are flawed & complex. I think she's done a good job so far, although unlike HGs, the slow part so far for me has come in the middle of the 2nd book, rather than the beginning of the 3rd. But it doesn't disappoint by its end.

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