Veronica Roth's 'Divergent' finale, 'Allegiant,' is released
“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.”
