Allegiant

Gr 9 Up—Tris and Tobias and their friends and enemies continue their Chicago-area adventures, 200 years in the future, in Roth's trilogy closer (HarperCollins, 2013). Edith Prior's tape blew the lid off the secret history of the factions and how they evolved to be the organizing force in society. Now, one group shouts "Death to the factions!" while the other writes the Allegiant Manifesto, declaring that factions are the way society was meant to be. Divergents like Tris are no longer considered rejects, but instead are declared Genetically Pure. Tobias, once a proud Dauntless leader, now struggles with the knowledge he is Genetically Damaged and a second-class citizen in the eyes of many. The chapters switch points of view between Tris and Tobias as each struggles to come to terms with their respective family histories and their love for each other. Like the previous books, this story involves gun play, deaths, loyalty, forgiveness, romance, and lots of intrigue and double crossing. The powers of faction serums and vaccines, gene manipulation, and specific technologies expand to cover some gaps in the story line, but these leaps of imagination keep things moving along. The author's choice to kill a major character will shock some listeners. Narrator Emma Galvan returns as Tris, and Aaron Stanford voices Tobias with earnest and measured tones that complement Galvan's deliberate style. Listeners will fully believe these teens could outsmart self-centered and power-hungry adults to give society a brighter future. A must where the first books are popular.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX