“Allegiant,” the highly anticipated conclusion to Veronica Roth’s Divergent series, was released last week and sales have already exceeded the high expectations of publishers and fans alike.

“Allegiant” picks up where “Insurgent” left off with the rise of the “factionless” and the reveal that the inhabitants of the city are actually part of a government experiment seeking to eradicate faulty human traits. Tris and Tobias escape the city and begin learning about the vastness of the outside world and the genetic defects that caused the creation of factions.

Those addicted to the high adrenaline adventures of “Divergent” should be aware that, while there is still plenty of action, “Allegiant” focuses more on characterization. Roth weaves a sci-fi plot into this last book and attempts to make the plot of the series plausible. As a result, “Allegiant” covers a lot of ground very quickly, causing the plot to become confusing and trivial.

The developing relationship between Tris and Tobias is one of the driving aspects of the book. Instead of sticking with a steamy teen romance, the two work through their problems, have disagreements and continue to choose each other through it all. It is obvious that Roth is sending a message about the shallow depth of romances that have dominated much of the Young Adult genre. Regardless, the strength of their relationship is refreshing and although some of the dialogue is a bit forced, their relationship continues to be intriguing.

The ending of “Allegiant” has overshadowed the work prevalent in the rest of the book because of the controversy it has sparked among fans. Without spoiling the ending, it is safe to say that Roth’s goal in ending the series was not to find a happy ending for all of the characters. Whether this works for the novel or not, Roth’s choice is in line with the tone of the rest of the series by maintaining a daring and brave context.

Since its release, the Divergent series has been unable to avoid comparisons to The Hunger Games trilogy but in the final book Roth firmly separates her work from The Hunger Games world. “Allegiant” is not a perfect book, but it is a book that does not need a comparison. It is strong enough to speak for itself.