Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Book Review ~ Divergent

Divergent (Divergent #1)
by Veronica Roth
Published by Katherine Tegen books

Summary: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. 
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

My Thoughts: I loved this book more than I thought I would. Dystopians have been really hit or miss for me. 
This book is set in a beaten down Chicago. Part of what helped was I'm familiar with the landscape and could easily imagine a dried up marsh, etc.  The community being broken into different factions based on their virtue/personality was intriguing. The differences were almost jarring when looking at how different they went about their day to day lives. We learn this from the group of transfers that become friends after they all switch into a different faction. 
Beatrice/Tris became a very strong female lead throughout this book. I liked watching her go from a seemingly weak (of mind and physically) girl to a very strong individual who would not only stand up for herself but her friends as well. The rest of the characters added to the overall feel of the book. Whether they feel into the friends category or evil, they all helped shape Tris in some way.  The romance aspect between her and Four was well done. It wasn't overdone and didn't have that insta-love that always turns me off in books.
Overall this story flowed from beginning to end in an enjoyable roller coaster of a ride. From the ups of jumping off moving trains, buildings, and zip lines to the lows of betrayal and death I couldn't put it down. Cannot wait for Insurgent.  


Rating: 5

3 comments:

  1. I recently got this book - I think I will be reading it next. Glad you enjoyed it so much!
    - Jessica @ Book Sake

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  2. I thought this was really fun, too! I didn't expect to like it, but it was entertaining from start to finish.

    Hello from a new follower, btw! :)

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  3. I felt overwhelmed at first when reading this book because it lacked background information. Also, i felt disconnected to the main characters friends and ultimatley led the book to lack emotion in many important parts. There should have been more detail about the setting, how it came to be, and the relationship between Tris and her friends for me to understand/get connected with the book.

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