Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent (Divergent #1)

Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publishing Date: May 3rd 2011
Length: 496 pages
Genre: YA, dystopian novel

Summary: Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

(summary from Goodreads)
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Review

What first drew me to this book was the movie trailer. I know, I’m horrible. Totally going against readers rules.

I was in the movie theatre, watching The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and the trailer for Divergent played. I was intrigued but also, turned away. My first thought was "this is gonna be just like Hunger Games."   I have never been so wrong!

After hearing more about this book, I decided to pick it up and read it. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much. I expected some adventure, a futuristic time period and not much else. But, after the first few chapters, I was already obsessed with the book. The story revolves around Beatrice Prior and her struggles trying to find her place. In dystopian Chicago, at the age of 16, she must choose one of five factions to join for life. Being from Abnegation, which is the faction honoring selflessness, she is humble, kind and self-denying. But, even while you’re learning about her character, you detect this hint of wanting more. She does not hate being in Abnegation, but does not like it much either.

I thoroughly enjoy the character of Beatrice, mostly because I can relate to her. She is unlike most famous female characters in that she begins meek. She is a weak girl who is scared, and without courage. But, she chooses Dauntless, where doing insane daredevil things is the norm. Like her, if I’m put in a tense situation where I am out of my comfort zone, I will go through with what I am forced to do. Perhaps that’s what builds her courage; the fact that she is constantly put into situations where she has no other choice. Beatrice (Tris) is a totally wonderful character.

The whole concept of the book did still remind me of The Hunger Games. But, in no way does that make this book unoriginal. Veronica Roth definitely adds her own twist and spunk to the plot, which makes the book just as well done as Hunger Games.

Another character I’d like to point out is Four. I loved him. Of course, you can guess right away that there could be something between him and Beatrice. Her feelings for him are certainly strong. But the process of their relationship is told in a fantastic, clever way. Obviously, he takes particular interest in her from the beginning, and towards the end their relationship materializes into a strong, loving and protective relationship. It just makes me wonder what happens in the other two books in this series, Insurgent and Allegiant.  But, overall, Four was probably my most-liked character besides Tris.

Verdict

In conclusion, this book is to be considered as my new favorite.  The action, adventure and romance kept me going all the way to the end.  It left me wanting to read more, and luckily I can, with two more books after this.  Overall, the book was incredibly amazing and kept me on my toes, just waiting to turn the next page.  The only negative thing about this book for me was the fact that it was very tense at some moments and is not for the faint of heart.  From a scene describing a boy getting his eye stabbed with a knife to Beatrice jumping off of a thousand foot "zipline," I'd suggest that if you have a fear of pain, blood or hights, to maybe skip this book.
But, in conclusion, this book was fantastic and I would read it again in a heartbeat.

Review by Cari Frantz

Check out the author's blog here:  http://www.veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/