Insurgent (2012)

Roth's 2011 debut novel, Divergent — about a dystopian world whose inhabitants are divided into five trait-based factions (Amity, Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, and Erudite) — inspired a passionate following. The sequel finds our heroine, Tris, reeling from the multiple tragedies she endured at the end of book 1; with her loyalties to the Dauntless weakened, she ventures into previously unexplored territory in Insurgent. Though Roth relies on easy plot devices — there's no shortage of mind-control chips, injections, and serums — she's ratcheted up the drama, and she'll leave fans salivating for book 3. B+