Fun Fact! My girlfriend was under the impression that the last book was the third book in the Divergent trilogy, and was super upset that there was more. [Ariel says: I feel like all you do these days is hurt Christina.] You know what my least favorite part about all this is? Allegiant isn’t even a real word. I look forward to the next couple months of spelling this word, seeing a red squiggly underline, and instinctively and unavoidably wondering if I spelled it wrong.

~hello, darkness, my old friend~

[Ariel says: What’s been annoying me most is that I keep typing it like Divergent and Insurgent. You know, writing “Allegient” because THEY ALL NEED TO END WITH ENT DAMN IT.]

Chapter 3: Tris

My first chapter starts out agreeably enough.

“I think you’re all idiots.”

My body is heavy with truth serum. “You should be thanking me, not questioning me.” […] For just a moment, [Tobias’s] eyes touch mine, and I know it’s time to start lying.
It’s easier not that I know I can do it. As easy as pushing the weight of the truth serum aside in my mind.

That’s great, except… this is what Tris believes is the truth anyway. So what exactly is she lying about? Ugh. Eleven pages in this book and there’s already a logical fallacy supporting the whole story. So just like the first Divergent book. Never change, Divergent.

Apparently I have an episodic memory of Lizzie McGuire still

The actual lie part of Tris’s story (which fine, I guess) is that she thought Marcus wasn’t working independently, but under Dauntless-factionless orders, so she’s not a traitor. Just an idiot. [Ariel says: To be fair, this is actually a brilliant move. It doesn’t work if you’re, like, the government (even though governments are known to use this tactic to varying degrees of success. “OMG But the CIA said they weren’t torturing anybody…”) but in Tris’ situation this is a good move. It’s how I often get out of doing housework. “You mean this is a vacuum???”]

“So Marcus told you he was working under my orders,” she says, “and even knowing what you do about his rather tense relationship with both the Dauntless and the factionless, you believed him?”
“Yes.”
“I can see why you didn’t choose Erudite.” She laughs.

Oh, good. I was wondering how Divergent would continue after killing off Jeanine. Turns out it was by not even writing a new character. Good thing the writing is as stupid as usual.

She knows that whoever holds the guns holds the power.

Who doesn’t know that?

From one tyrant to another. That is the world we know, now.

Casual reminder that Divergent is totally different from The Hunger Games. For instance, The Hunger Games ended when the character leading a coup against a totalitarian government was determined to be as bad as the leader she was replacing, where Divergent just keeps going.

To be fair, there are some moments in this scene I genuinely do like. As usual, it’s Tris’s PTSD.

Which brings us to our second casual reminder that Divergent is totally different from The Hunger Games.

“Since I couldn’t join the fight as a soldier, I was happy to help with something else.”
“Why couldn’t you be a soldier?” […]
“Because I couldn’t hold a gun, okay? Not after shooting . . . him. My friend Will. I couldn’t hold a gun without panicking.”
Evelyn’s eyes pinch tighter. I suspect that even in the softest parts of her, there is no sympathy for me.

Tris even has a properly bamf moment where she lays out exactly why Evelyn is wrong!

“I brought you the truth about our city and the reason we are in it. If you aren’t thanking me for it, you should at least do something about it instead of sitting here on this mess you made, pretending it’s a throne!”

Evelyn raises a pretty ok counterpoint.

“I have known the truth far longer than you have, Beatrice Prior.”

Evelyn then suddenly goes weirdly Psycho on us, because there isn’t a faction in this book that has an affinity for quitting while you’re ahead.

I don’t know how you’re getting away with this, but I promise you, you will not have a place in my new world, especially not with my son.”

Evelyn finds Tris not guilty of being a traitor (albeit a fool), and the trial ends. Uriah (who for some reason is not a prisoner, and is allowed to walk his old friend public enemy number one around on his own) escorts Tris back to her cell, where they discuss their plan to find a way out of the city (SEE?).

But first, delightfully clunky symbolism.

Former faction members are required to […] mix, no more than four members of a particular faction in each dwelling. We have to mix our clothing, too. I was given a yellow Amity shirt and black Candor pants earlier as a result of that particular edict.

And thus Divergent‘s faction system narrative ends where we always knew it would: as an episode of What Not To Wear.

Tris also touches on how Caleb, her brother who turned her over to Jeanine, is also on trial.

Caleb is still there, because he was a well-known lackey of Jeanine Matthews, and the factionless will never exonerate him.

Because this teenager is somehow the most strategically valuable evil mastermind in the world. Still. [Ariel says: Why do all of these adults who are apparently so clued in on everything that’s going on relying so heavily on the Prior children? Are there really no better options?]

Chapter 4: Tobias

In today’s chapter from Tobias’s perspective, his mom is totally, like, making him think about his future and stuff.

“I think we have to talk about your loyalty,” she says, but she doesn’t sound like she’s accusing me of something, she just sounds tired.

Ugh, mommmm

Evelyn tells Tobias that maybe no one else does, but she knows he released the video containing the truth to everyone, to which he claims he didn’t know what was in the file, he just trusted Tris. I dunno, dude, “my girlfriend that you hate made me do it” doesn’t sound like the sort of thing that would get you off the hook.

Of course, this is the Divergent series, so we’re not even close to the bottom of the rabbit hole of stupidity.

“I’ve been receiving disturbing reports of a rebel organization among us. […] The kind that wants to leave the city,” she says. “They released some kind of manifesto this morning. They call themselves the Allegiant.” When she sees my confused look, she adds, “Because they’re allied with the original purpose of our city, see?”

I like how even the book knows how stupid this made-up word is. It makes so little sense that it immediately has to explain what it means. [Ariel says: If you have to provide this level of explanation about the name of your organization, it’s probably not the right choice.] 

“The original purpose— you mean, what was in the Edith Prior video? That we should send people outside when the city has a large Divergent population?”
“That, yes. But also living in factions.”

OF COURSE. THE PEOPLE LOVE THEM SOME FACTIONS. WHY THE FUCK NOT.

She said to the faction system, serums, and simulations.

[Ariel says: I am firmly in the camp of WE NEED EVEN MORE FACTIONS!! Why stop at Abnegation/Dauntless/Erudite/Amity/Candor when you can also have factions like Snarky/Tardy/Horny/Applesause-y(THEY LOVE APPLESAUSE, SEE)/Batshit Cray/Humblebraggers/Lactose Intolerant. Think of the amazing Buzzfeed quizzes we could have.] 

Tobias and I continue to agree on one thing: the faction system is stupid.

With the factions dismantled, part of me has felt like a man released from a long imprisonment. I don’t have to evaluate whether every thought I have or choice I make fits into a narrow ideology.

Tobias asks Evelyn how she plans to “get them under control”.

“With simulations?” I say slowly.
She scowls. “Of course not! I am not Jeanine Matthews!”

YAY NO SIMULATIONS

She winces […] “I will never resort to simulations to get my way. Death would be better.”

STILL WAY BETTER THAN READING MORE SIMULATIONS

[Ariel says: Aw, man, if we’re not gonna get a simulation, I sure hope we’ll get a serum instead!]

There’s an oddly poignant moment where Tobias reflects on how his relationship with his mother has changed over time, from when they lived with the abusive Marcus, to now:

We were united in fear then, and now that she isn’t afraid anymore, part of me wants to see what it would be like to unite with her in strength.
I feel an ache, like I betrayed her, the woman who used to be my only ally

Question of the Day! We’ve gone from Divergent to Insurgent to Allegiant. We’ve already hit the “not even real words” threshold. What’s the best “-ent” word you can make up for a hypothetical fourth book?