“Break my heart. Break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break anyway.”
Now, there are just 4 girls left to compete for Maxon’s love. America has finally realized that she loves Maxon and not Aspen. But she is finding it very difficult to gently break this information to the person whom she promised to give her heart to and spend her entire life with. She is sure that Aspen will be utterly crestfallen because of her shocking revelation of being in love with Maxon. Confusion, confusion, and more confusion…
Alongside, the horrendous violence unleashed upon the territory of Illea is brought into being. As the threats beyond the confines of the palace become increasingly vicious and dangerous, America realizes just how much she stands to lose.
To be very honest, I have mixed feeling regarding this book. First of all, I would talk about the cover of the book. Out of all 3 books in the trilogy (excluding ‘The Heir’), this cover was hands down, the most beautiful one. Apart from that, the plot was good. Well, initially it was.
The book triggered some important themes and incidents which we come across at least once in our lives – abuse of power, injustice etc – which made this book somewhat relatable. Though, the impact of these themes is not as profound as I would’ve liked it to be. Nonetheless, the book came out to be a page-turner and a little engrossing too.
Me, being a hopeless romantic, loved the letters which Maxon wrote to America. They were extremely heart touching and filled with love. The plot takes a twist somewhere towards to end which I wasn’t expecting but still liked or else the book would’ve been quite plain. Honestly, the book is one hell of an emotional roller coaster due to certain revelations and confessions.
One of the criticisms I have is that the rebel actions were not well versed and were very sketchy and vague. I would have loved to have an insight into the ongoing war. But then again, it was, after all, a Young Adult novel which ought to deal with the characters more than the sideline rebels.
But, (and it’s a big one), I absolutely loathed the ending! After my expectations being raised due to the interesting start of the novel, I was sure of getting a cleverly planned ending but it was so abrupt that I wasn’t even able to comprehend it well. It was like an impulsive action. However, the ending, being bad, was well written so the emotions at least reached me well.
New relations are formed and old ones and strengthened. The personality of a few characters are changed, some for the better while some for the worse. Over and all, the book is an okay read. I wouldn’t compel you to read it because it was not that good of a book. However, if you do choose to read it, it will be a good read for people who are looking for an adventurous novel with a handful of romance. The teaching from this book was very philosophical and I really liked it. It goes like:
“The best people all have some kind of scar.”
Until the next time! Adios Amigos!
