-spoiler alert for the intuitive-

I just finished reading Allegiant, the final book of the Divergent trilogy.

Again, about halfway through I knew the big plot twist at the end.

Only a master author can keep me reading through a dystopian tragedy from start to finish, even knowing the ending and that my heart would be played, broken, crushed to dust, then glued together again.

Veronica Roth is just such an author. She molded my thoughts and emotions like clay and brought me to empathize with both the good and the ‘bad’ characters (but not the evil ones). Then, miraculously, she wove a hopeful resolution even out of such a broken story without compromising its integrity.

Though her foreshadowing was obvious to me, being familiar with fiction novels’ tropes, it was skilfully and subtly woven through the story. Readers will find themselves drawn forward into the mysterious future with every heartbeat of the book, then it climaxes – and after the dust settles, they realize that the ending was inevitable all along.

I hoped against hope it wasn’t true, fought every bit of foreshadowing all the way to the climax. I focused on the moral dilemmas presented and the world dynamic, anything to no longer engage with the characters. Still, I was enthralled in her spell. The journey, conflict, emotions and questions filled my mind and heart and I was drawn back into the characters.

Now, I am left grieving but filled with hope and peace. Allegiant’s final pages turn us toward the future. Nothing – I repeat, NOTHING – could have consoled me in the middle of each book or even between books. However, Roth’s artful finishing pages bring both resolution and a message: The pain doesn’t stop existing, and the past never disappears, but time brings healing and it’s ok to heal. The ending to the series is bittersweet but remarkably beautiful. Roth’s fictional world, like our real one, moves forward with hope for a better tomorrow.

…

That being said, I will never in my life ever again read anything written by Veronica Roth. Been there, done that, it hurt a lot, I’m feeling better. I don’t want to go through that again.

Pfft. Who am I kidding? I will be watching for more writing from Veronica Roth, and I will probably also be following her blog ( http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/ ) in hopes to learn how she crafts such a tight plot and such full, emotional characters. She strikes me as an author after my own heart.

Reading fiction is painful.