Ok, I wasn't going to read it.  Really!
I said that all those people claiming it was too much like Hunger Games but not nearly as good had convinced me to just avoid reading it so I wouldn't waist my precious time.  But, when a good friend mentioned recently that her book club was reading Divergent by Veronica Roth and she absolutely loved it - well, I just couldn't resist.  After all, what would it hurt to just read the first book to see what is was like.

Now, I'm in tears - seriously!  I was crying so hard - I actually sobbed!  My youngest was sitting here in the living room with me watching her favorite morning shows, while I'm finishing book 3! Yes, Book 3 of the
series - Allegiant.  And, I'm in tears - it upset her so she came over to hug me and asked if I needed her to cuddle with me so I could feel better!  She doesn't understand how a book can make Mommy Cry - after all, it is just a story - Right??

Divergent : One choice can transform you. 

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

 
 
Insurgent : One choice can destroy you. 

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.


Allegiant : One Choice will Define You

The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent, told from a riveting dual perspective.

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.

My Review :
Well, I started by looking for the best way to get these books - I did not want to purchase them until I knew if I liked them or not, so I tried going through the Kindle Lending Library - no luck!  So, I went online to my library's ebook loan website and found the first two books in a 2-pack.  I put them on "hold" and found myself to be #53 on the waiting list - not good when I want to read something right now! lol
I went ahead and put a hold on Allegiant as well, then went to my library catalog and put "holds" on the print copies too - I was number 78 on that list!  Must be popular books if everyone seems to want to read them!

I was able to start reading the first 2 ebooks the next day (faster than I expected!) and could not put them down!  I read both ebooks in less than a day and a half (including time to sleep and take care of kids and home).  I did not like having to wait to read Allegiant as I fell in love with the characters, the story and their world.  It really was well written and dramatic in the right way.  I was entranced with the idea of a post-war world, the faction system and those thought to be "divergent."  I kept finding myself wondering what the "test" would have said about me?  As I also find myself similar to different factions but don't think I would do well in just one.  I guess I'm Divergent too! lol

When Allegiant arrived at the library for me, I could not wait to get started reading, but had to wait until last night after the kids activities were done for the day.  I started reading around 6pm, with many interruptions and stopped to get some rest at 10:20pm last night.  I resumed my reading this morning and finished the book a little bit ago - reading for just over 2 hours to complete the book - 526 pages.  I had to stop reading several times in the last few chapters because I was crying so hard - I do occasionally find tears on my face when reading especially emotional books, but rarely get so into the story and the lives of the characters that it affects me that deeply.  I must say, that although I did not like how the lives of my favorite characters take some unexpected and unlikable turns, I applaud the author for making difficult choices to tell her story and get the point across. 

Do I agree with the distopian world depicted in this Divergent Trilogy?  Not necessarily, yet I can see the similar mindset and ideas in our own world and how the author could have come to this idea as a fictional future.  And for those of you who are wondering - Yes, I will be purchasing the whole series to add to my personal library to read over and over and over - lol.  Yes, I will be buying them in Print - not ebook form.