After readers waited over a year for its highly anticipated release, Veronica Roth’s “Allegiant” finally hit bookshelves on October 22. The third and final book in the “Divergent” trilogy, this novel will keep book lovers up all night with it’s complex characters and engrossing plot. As loose knots are tied and characters are said goodbye to, “Allegiant” comes to a close with an ending that will leave readers in tears.

The “Divergent” trilogy centers around Beatrice ‘Tris’ Prior, a sixteen year old girl living in futuristic Chicago. Tris’ society has been divided into five factions based on virtues including selflessness, intelligence, kindness, honesty, and bravery. When the time comes to select a faction, Tris discovers her decision is much harder than expected, as she has an aptitude for multiple factions: she is Divergent. Tris soon learns that her Divergence makes her dangerous; she cannot be controlled.

As Tris navigates her new faction, she meets Tobias, otherwise known as Four- her instructor. Thus begins a love story: a tale so brutally honest and raw it makes readers root for the couple throughout the series. Never has a dystopian young adult novel captured a romance so realistically. This is no “Hunger Games.” Together, these two experience death, war, and at the end of the second book, deceit.

The second novel in the series, “Insurgent,” ended with a cliffhanger, but “Allegiant” picks up right where the second book left off. Only this time around, the book is told from the dual points of view of both Tris and Tobias. Switching viewpoints from chapter to chapter, this literary decision only enhances the novel, giving readers a chance to understand more about Tobias as a person, as the previous two books were only told from Tris’ perspective.

“Allegiant” follows Tris, Tobias, and a group of other familiar faces to a completely different world that lies beyond the fence containing the city. Outside city walls, the group learns many new things about a world they didn’t know existed, creating new challenges for each character. “Allegiant” never slows its pace as characters scheme against both the new world and the old in search of what’s ultimately right.

Perhaps the best element of “Allegiant,” is the character development displayed throughout all of the characters. Watching Tris shift from a fragile girl to a brave and strong woman only amplifies the novel as a whole. Not to mention, readers will get attached to the characters, even the minor ones. Perhaps that is the hardest part of this final novel, saying goodbye to these characters for good.

Without giving too much away, the ending will leave readers in a state of emotional distress as they close the book. This final plot twist is horrific, yet meaningful, and without it, the series would not leave the impression it has on readers.

Containing action, romance, and even a bit of humor, “Allegiant” concludes the “Divergent” trilogy with a bang. Roth has given readers unforgettable characters, beneficial life lessons, and a story that will remain to be one of the best dystopian tales of all time.