Veronica Roth's 'Divergent' finale, 'Allegiant,' is released

The final book in Roth's trilogy was released today.

|
Scott Eisen/AP
Author Veronica Roth's book 'Allegiant,' the third and final installment of her 'Divergent' series, became available today.

“Allegiant,” the much-anticipated third and final installment of Veronica Roth’s “Divergent” trilogy, arrives in stores today.

As we noted in an earlier article, Roth’s novel was already topping the advance sales numbers from a month before the release of “Mockingjay,” the third book in Suzanne Collins’ “Hunger Games” trilogy. Now “Allegiant” is the top-selling book on Amazon and is number two on Barnes & Noble.

Last night, Roth’s website posted a video of the author reading the first chapter of the book at midnight. Meanwhile, various bookstores planned release parties, with shops from all over the country telling Publishers Weekly they were scheduling events. Some locations went above and beyond, with St. Paul bookstore Red Balloon Bookshop planning on offering tattoos and tests to see what “faction” partygoers fit into (a plot point in Roth’s books) for their event.

New Jersey store Well Read New & Used Books co-owner Bill Skees acknowledged the younger age of "Divergent" fans in his party-planning. "I’m trying to keep the event pretty tight, timewise, so there’s less of an impact on homework," he told PW.

So far, reviews have been scarce because of the secrecy surrounding the book, but Entertainment Weekly critic Hillary Busis awarded the book a B+.

“In this dystopian universe, nobody is safe,” she warns, writing that “the plot, which finds Roth's characters venturing beyond their city's walls only to discover a new network of conspiracies, is straight out of the sci-fi handbook, clumsy racism allegory and all.” However, Busis found herself wowed by the book’s conclusion, calling it “shocking.” 

The first of Roth’s books, “Divergent,” is being adapted into a film starring “The Spectacular Now” actress Shailene Woodley as protagonist Tris and Kate Winslet as villainous Jeanine Matthews. The movie is set to be released this March.

As for Roth’s future, she told the Associated Press she would be taking “a little break.”

“I think I'm going to... just kind of play around with some ideas,” she said of future books. “I do love writing for teens, so I don't see that changing anytime soon.”

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Veronica Roth's 'Divergent' finale, 'Allegiant,' is released
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2013/1022/Veronica-Roth-s-Divergent-finale-Allegiant-is-released
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe